Electromecannica Solo EV

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May 25, 2005
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I saw one of these in my hometown a year ago or so and had no Idea what it was. While visiting relatives in Arizona I'm seeing commercials all over for this ev. The specs are shockingly terrible for the price. They want 18,500 dollars for it with a 100 mile max range. This looks like a 1st generation ev as far as milage and convenience is concerned. This seems like something that would be more at home in a country with high population density, or high import taxes like Mumbai India, the Philippines etc. The commercials keep stating how "revolutionary" it is even though it's a single seater. Reminds me of Elio. It's concerning when the company has delivered a total of 93 as of February 2022. They went on sale late 2020 or so.
 
Nothing? I thought someone would have seen one or a dealership for one of these things.
 
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Useless. We continually try to push micro vehicles as some form of eco-solution. The idea has been around since before WW-II. Not once has it been a success.

You know what does succeed? Cars like the Prius. Eco and useful.
 
My gripe with these cars is what happens when a truck hits them. Note that the laws of physics never take a "holiday."

Force=mass x acceleration. So, acceleration = force/mass. Wright can be used in place of mass when you're on the surface of the earth. Force is amount of kinetic energy (speed x mass) the a truck/semi has when it hits the car. Ergo, when a 5500lbs truck hits a 1500lbs mini car you can see the acceleration is significantly greater than when the same truck hits a 3000lbs car.
 
My shock was the price and only 100 miles of range.
Yeah, it is unfortunate for them. I think it was a business plan/decision made a few years ago when EVs were very high priced. But EVs have changed significantly. The 2023 Bolt EV is to be priced at $25k, and there are others coming out that are cheaper as well. They likely will have a tough go of it unless they can figure out a way to drop the price significantly.
 
Yeah, it is unfortunate for them. I think it was a business plan/decision made a few years ago when EVs were very high priced. But EVs have changed significantly. The 2023 Bolt EV is to be priced at $25k, and there are others coming out that are cheaper as well. They likely will have a tough go of it unless they can figure out a way to drop the price significantly.
GM can sell the bolt for $30K because they also sell $40K pickup trucks for $90K.
 
I like the electric Aptera. With its slippery shape and significant solar panels, it would be interesting to own one if your in a sunny area.
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You might never have to plug it in at all if you have a short commute which is pretty cool.
 
and countless other failed three-wheel cars before it. In the US, three-wheel cars require the driver to have a motorcycle license. That is a deal killer.
A few states let you register it with a really weird title. I think they are called "sit ins" or ride ons from what I read. Essentially it's treated like a motorcycle for insurance purposes but doesn't need a motorcycle endorsement. My shock is that with how much the battery density has improved that they still insist that the "average " driver only drives 36 miles to work. A One hundred mile battery when you add in radio, heat/ A/C headlights, is significantly less. Two of my previous jobs were 60 or so miles each direction. This thing is super niche. I was shocked at the commercials for it in Phoenix.
 
I like the electric Aptera. With its slippery shape and significant solar panels, it would be interesting to own one if your in a sunny area.


You might never have to plug it in at all if you have a short commute which is pretty cool.
Despite claims that onboard solar can add enough power to move a car a reasonable distance, the reality is that it can't do the job. We have a glider with a similar solar "turtleback" and it can't even keep the 7Ah, 12V avionics battery at 100% when flying. The amount of real world power available from conformal solar is astonishingly small.

Maybe you can park it in the sun, and maybe you can orient it correctly, but conformal solar cells make less power, and many are aimed at inappropriate angles to take advantage of the rays.

I find the idea has some attraction, and it's worth thinking about. But come up with an optimized vehicle covered in efficient panels, and you have something other than a practical car.

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and countless other failed three-wheel cars before it. In the US, three-wheel cars require the driver to have a motorcycle license. That is a deal killer.
It's a pointless concept that's why these fail. The only successful 3 wheel cars that I can think of are Robin Reliants in the coal mining areas in Britain because the workers could save a few Pounds annually because they were not categorized as cars for fees and taxes..
 
Despite claims that onboard solar can add enough power to move a car a reasonable distance, the reality is that it can't do the job. We have a glider with a similar solar "turtleback" and it can't even keep the 7Ah, 12V avionics battery at 100% when flying. The amount of real world power available from conformal solar is astonishingly small.

Maybe you can park it in the sun, and maybe you can orient it correctly, but conformal solar cells make less power, and many are aimed at inappropriate angles to take advantage of the rays.

I find the idea has some attraction, and it's worth thinking about. But come up with an optimized vehicle covered in efficient panels, and you have something other than a practical car.

111014034001-world-solar-challenge-4-horizontal-large-gallery.jpg
True, I suppose if you added a basic self driving capability you could get your car to rotate itself for maximum solar exposure...
With 700W of solar panels it might charge 2kwh a day, and with its 10 miles/kwh efficiency that gets you say ~10-15 miles of realistic range per day.
Better than a kick in the pants!
Also you don't need anything more than a 12 amp 110v circuit to charge 8-10 miles per hour.
 
Well that is the problem, 700w worth of conformal solar will make 200-300w in real world terms. And will do so at the annualized rate at your location. vermont 2.2 hours per day anytime after the fall. Jupiter Florida 4.7 hours.

sadly, the this has been tested extensively and the results are worse than predicted. It remains impractical.

now if we can get some 40% efficient conformal solar, that might make it capable of a few miles range per day.
 
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