Single-passenger, 3-wheeled car opens first U.S. dealership

[left-of-center2012]

The launch of the first three-wheeled, all-electric solo car in the U.S. is a sign that more unusual ideas — at lowered prices — are creeping into the EV marketplace, said Joel Levin of Plug In America and Mark Duvall of Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).

The Solo sells for about one-third less than the cheaper Tesla Model 3 sedan, and less than half the sticker price of EVs such as the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Bolt. This car is certainly unusual, seating one person, the driver, with no room for anyone else. That is the first hurdle any car-buying customer must clear before signing on the dotted line.

“It’s just a matter of wrapping their heads around the single-passenger vehicle,” said Anthony Luzi, director of U.S. operations for Meccanica, a division of Electra Meccanica from Vancouver. “Seventy-six percent of our commuters in the U.S. are single-passenger and 90 percent overall,” he said, speaking from the glassed in dealership. “No one has addressed that. We are the only ones right now.”

The company is selling the Solo from its first U.S. dealership, located in Studio City. CA.

https://www.dailynews.com/2018/10/24/new-electric-carmaker-going-solo-with-single-passenger-three-wheeled-car-opens-first-u-s-dealership-in-studio-city/

[Maeve]

1. Still waiting for the Elio to come out

It's targeted for a base price of $7,450--saw prototype a couple years ago at the mall, Hubby was very keen on it. But not electric, and that may be one of the things holding it back.
https://www.eliomotors.com/

[MineralMan]

4. Don't hold your breath on the Elio.

I doubt it will ever be available to buy. They collected a lot of deposits, though.

[Maeve]

10. I suspect you are right

I'm afraid it was another example of lots of sizzle, no steak

[MineralMan]

11. Yes. My sister's husband put down the full deposit, way back

when they first started. I told him then that he'd never drive one and that he was wasting his money. Finally, now, he agrees with me and has written it off as a bad idea. It was cute, for sure, and sounded like a fun thing to drive, but I don't think anyone is going to ever own one.

[Ms. Toad]

18. Depends on whether he put down the non-refundable

or the refundable deposit.

[MineralMan]

22. You know, I don't remember.

I'd ask him, but I hate to remind him about it. I think it was a $1500 deposit, very early in the process. They guaranteed him one of the first production models. I used to tease him about it, but it's a delicate issue these days. So, I keep my chuckles to myself.

[Ms. Toad]

23. I debated putting down a small non-refudable deposit -

Just to support the venture. But I put making that kind of deposit in the same category as I put making loans to friends and family - don't do it, unless I'm ultimately willing to make it a gift. I hadn't quite gotten there yet - but I keep checking their site.

[MineralMan]

27. Well, they're saying October of 2019 now.

It just keeps getting pushed back. When the guy who started it runs out of living money, I suspect it will just die quietly.

[Ms. Toad]

28. They've been getting periodic infusions of money. n/t

[MineralMan]

33. There actually are some production 3-wheel vehicles out there.

Vanderhall is one manufacturer, and it actually has dealers in most states:


https://vanderhallusa.com/

You can still buy a classic-looking Morgan, brand new:
There are dealers in the US, in most heavily-populated states:
Here's a dealer in California: https://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/dealer/isis-imports-ltd/


Then, there's the Polaris Slingshot, if you like the open air.
https://slingshot.polaris.com/en-us/

[Ms. Toad]

41. Not likely below $10,000, though.

It isn't 3-wheels specifically - it's the price and the gas mileage that attracted me.

(I'm also not interested in an open air vehicle.)

[MineralMan]

42. No. Those three start at about $30,000.

The Morgans start at around $50k. They're all toys, really, for rich boys. I actually think that's the niche for 3-wheelers. Same with that Solo. It can't be your only car, most likely, so it's a fun accessory for someone. If $16-20,000 is not a problem for you, you can buy one and drive it when it suits you. Electric or fuel doesn't matter so much I think.

If you want to drive an electric car, you can do that and still seat four, if you want. One-seaters just aren't that attractive to most people, really.

It's still stupid to put the door on the street side, though, since there's no need to do so. Get in from the right. It's lots safer.

[haele]

15. I suspect so also. I put down at the lowest level 6 years ago...

when I could afford to blow $250. Appears they've at least made a couple dozen of them, and have had quite a few quality business partners who were willing to put their names down to be part of the supply chain, but they're still not much past the R&D process and all the roadblocks that occur when trying to finance a manufacturing start-up. I suspect the partners have pretty much bailed by now.
If it comes out, that would be nice.
If not - well, it's not the first time I've lost a relatively small investment.
I get burned far worse the few times I agree to try to help stepdaughter and son in law into some sort of way to get their lives going forward. But then, that's family.

Haele

[MineralMan]

17. Last I saw, they were saying October, 2019 to begin delivering

vehicles. When did they start? 2013, I think. I doubt it will ever happen. Lots of things get started like that, and then just peter out without ever going into production.

There have been many small car companies who have made big promises. Nobody ever gets to drive their cars, though.

[Ms. Toad]

13. Me too.

But, as I watch the release date creep farther and farther into the future, I decided not to put down a deposit.

Even though it si not electric, it's gas mileage means I'd have to fill up once a month.

[SeattleVet]

25. We put down a deposit on one.

We did the full $1,000, non-refundable, knowing that there was a decent chance that it might not happen.

At least we have a $1,000 T-Shirt and bumper sticker!

[berni_mccoy]

2. $20k with only 100 mile range? No thanks.

[brush]

37. On the freeway next to an 18-wheeler in a light-as-a-feather 3-wheel car?

No thank you.

[MineralMan]

3. Stupidest thing about that car is the door.

It seats just one person, so why have the door on the left of the car? It's a big door, too. Why not enter from the right so the door doesn't swing out into traffic?

That's just moronic, if you ask me. Error in thinking by the design team.

Buy a Solo! You're an Incel, anyhow. Nobody's going to ride with you!

[LanternWaste]

6. Your biases are all out on this one.

Shame the design team didn't ask you for your input... your lecture would have made for some great Youtube bemusement.

[MineralMan]

9. Thanks for your reply.

Last edited Thu Oct 25, 2018, 03:26 PM - Edit history (1)

For the gratuitous insult, too. I predict that that car company will be gone almost as soon as it starts trying to sell actual vehicles.

[brush]

39. Agreed. It's DOA unless you're an incel.

[MineralMan]

43. Or a general misanthrope.

If you have just one automobile, you're going to need to have room for a passenger sometimes. If you can have multiple cars, of course, you can drive a one-seater if it's convenient or fun to do so. But, for most people, a passenger seat is a must. From my point of view, anyhow, owning more than one car per person is excessive.

Oddly enough, the little KIA Soul I have costs the same as this Solo thing, but carries four people in comfort and gets 35 MPG. Works great for me, whether I'm alone in it, with my wife, or taking another couple somewhere. I even put a new recliner from the furniture store in the back after folding the rear seats down, and still had room for my wife, who came along to choose the color. I had to remove the recliner's back, but that's easy. Can't do that in a Solo, I bet.

[Ms. Toad]

14. 99.9% of my time I ride alone in my car.

As long as we have one car in the family that can seat more than one, there is no need to have multiple multiple-person cars.

[MineralMan]

16. My wife and I have cut down to just one car.

Saves a lot of money, and we just have to plan where and when we go somewhere. No problem at all. But, we both work out of home offices.

[Ms. Toad]

20. Since I'm at work about 12 hours a day, 7-days a week

during virtually all of the leisure time for the rest of the family, having one car would not work. (There's also no public transportation near us.)

[USALiberal]

34. ????? It has a door on both sides!

[TexasProgresive]

5. This made be remember a 3 wheeled car I saw in Houston in the early 60s

It was the Isetta. Looking for an image I found out that only the prototypes were 3 wheeled. The car was prone to rollovers so they changed to 2 wheels in the rear spaced close together. This made it more stable without requiring a differential. They had a single door that was the front of the car. It always looked scary to me. I wonder if this reverse tricycle is anymore stable than the isetta prototypes. I doubt I'd be interested in either car.

This is one that BMW sold after buying the Isetta from Iso.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isetta

[haele]

31. Stable three wheeled vehicles have been operational for quite a while.

There's the Can-am Spyder, the Polaris, and both Kymco and Yamaha have freeway-legal reverse 3-wheeled motor scooters and motorcycles that are pretty common around here. They're all motorcycle based vehicles; a lower nose profile, a longer body and narrower front end (wheels closer together). Back when I was commuting with a scooter, I test drove the Yamaha Tricity a few times; it's got the two wheels in the front almost side by side and handles turns and winding roads very nicely when moving; just a bit tricky when coming to a stop, as you have to ensure that you hold it upright so the front wheels "lock" as you're standing still or it might start leaning when you start moving again. The only reason I didn't get it was the price point, the weight to hold it at a stop light/sign, and a back injury that screwed up my right leg big time.

The Elio discussed above, and this new vehicle in the OP are both based on motorcycle engineering, not auto engineering like the Isetta shown above.
The Isetta has a major problem with the proportion of the height and base of the vehicle.

I do agree that 100 miles on a charge is a bit too weak. I do that in daily commuting and errand running now.

Haele

[LanternWaste]

7. I think one of those would be great for me...

and my quiet two mile commute to work.

As for road trips, well... not being self-absorbed, I simply take the train on those anyway.

[Renew Deal]

8. I can't imaging that a three wheel car is very stable

Especially with a rear collision.

[MineralMan]

12. They're actually not all that bad, really.

I've driven a Morgan three wheeler, as well as an ancient Messerschmidt. They feel pretty stable.

Not in a collision, of course, though. What's funny is that the showroom will be right next to the 101 freeway near LA, just before the junction with the 405. Two of the worst traffic jam freeways on the planet. I can't even imagine getting in one of those for a commute in the LA area.

I doubt the company will survive, really.

[Dave Starsky]

21. I'm sorry, but this looks tippy as hell.

I hope that thing has a good roll cage, because any oblique front-end accident is going to put that thing right on its side/back. I'd rather drive my brother's Jeep, and even that terrifies me.

[MineralMan]

26. In a collision, all bets are off, of course.

But, a lot of three-wheeled cars, especially ones with two wheels up front are very stable when driven. I saw a video of one doing drifts on a race track. In a collision, of course, none of that matters. With a low vehicle weight like they have and just one contact point at the rear, they're going to do all sorts of things in an accident.

Of course, I've driven for almost 60 years and have never had an accident, so that wouldn't bother me much. I wouldn't enjoy driving one of those on an LA freeway, though. I rode a motorcycle on I-405 years ago and have never been so scared in my life. Too many big heavy vehicles too close for comfort. No, thanks.

I think a three-wheeler would be loads of fun as a recreational vehicle on uncrowded roads. I wouldn't drive one in traffic, though.

[kcr]

24. No airbags, either.

It's registered as a motorcycle. No thanks.

[WeekiWater]

19. Not sure why they seem to be touting the price.

It's not very impressive.

I do appreciate the effort all of these people are putting into things. My foolish ass is still waiting for spent fuel from power plants to be used as energy in cars. lol.

[catbyte]

29. As long as the Ford F-150 truck stays the best selling vehicle in the US, I'll stay away.

You'd be crushed like a pop can in a collision. I hope this is the wave of the future, but yikes. It looks like a death trap on today's roads.

[Totally Tunsie]

38. My thoughts exactly.

Same with the Smart Car...good intentions, but I wouldn't want to be in a crash in one. Imagine being hit forcibly in the rear and pushed forward into another vehicle - fold like an accordion. Worse yet, a full-on driver-side impact. No thanks.

[CentralMass]

30. The Sondors electric car looks promising.

https://www.businessinsider.com/sondors-electric-car-3-wheels-10000-dollars-2018-3

[getagrip_already]

35. 3 wheel motorcycles....

have been around for a while. They have a solid following.

[brush]

40. Yeah, they're motorcycles. People who ride motorcycles have some "thrill-seeker" in them.

These are being marketed as cars.

[Turbineguy]

36. In Arnhem, we had a rather corpulent neighbour

who had a three wheeled car (I think it was a Heinkel) where entry took place by opening the front of the car. She would open the door, turn around and fall in backwards. The suspension would bottom and off she went. It was a real spectacle.

Similar to the Isetta pictured above!

[ProudLib72]

44. Made for those who want to revisit the 50s, 60s and 70s

BMW Isetta bubble car 1953 - 1962


Bond Bug 1970 - 1974


Peel P50 (smallest production car ever made) 1962 - 1965


Reliant Robin 1973 - 1981