VANCOUVER-BASED Electra Meccanica ECCTF has confirmed that larger-scale production of its single-seat budget electric car is underway at a facility in China.

The “SOLO EV” has a 100-mile (160-km) range and a retail price of US$15,500. The three-wheeler can be charged at a regular household socket in under 6 hours.

Deliveries began in May 2018, with components supplied by Zongshen Industrial Group and assembled in British Columbia, Canada. Now the firm is looking to ramp up production by building in China itself and has officially opened the Zongshen facility in Chongqing.

Electra said in a statement that it expects to produce approximately 50 SOLO EVs in the quarter ended March 31 before accelerating to a total of 5,000 cars by year-end.

“I am proud of our strategic partners at Zongshen, who have provided us with a state-of-the-art production facility and a highly-skilled production team to make the Electra Meccanica SOLO EV a reality,” said Jerry Kroll, CEO of Electra Meccanica.

The company is also developing the Tofino, a two-seater electric roadster sports car and in November 2018, the company said total vehicle pre-orders exceeded 64,000 units, representing US$2.4 billion in potential sales. The majority of these orders were for the as-yet unbuilt Torfino. (SD-Agencies)