Going Solo: The Future of Urban Commuting
If you live in Canada or Southern California, you may have seen a curious car driving around town. The entire back half of the car appears to be missing. It has two wheels in front and one in the back. It seats one person and looks suspiciously like a shoe. Meet the Solo electric microcar by Canadian company, ElectraMeccanica.
The Solo was first introduced in 2016 as a prototype at auto shows and events. In 2017, the first production models were made available for sale to the public in the Canadian market, with deliveries beginning in the first quarter of 2018. It began selling in Los Angeles in early 2019 and then expanded to other dealerships and distributors throughout Southern California. Across both markets, more people view Solo positively than don’t, garnering an overall Net Sentiment score of 61% (80% Pos. 20% Neg.)
However, there are big differences in response across these two markets over the past 12 months. There are nearly the same number* of social media authors posting on social media (53 vs. 61), however, news coverage in Southern California has been nil compared to Canada (152).
But sentiment couldn’t be more opposite. In Southern California, net sentiment is 100% whereas in Canada, it’s -100%. However, Canadian news sources are more generous, with a 60% net sentiment.
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Of those in Southern California, the most common sentiment is that it’s “impressive” and much fewer, that it’s a “fun test drive.”
Of those in Canada, the most common complaint was about the overall quality being “not good,” “cheap” and “poorly built,” and the design is “basic.”
Unfortunately, there is some truth to the negative sentiment on Solo quality. Just one week ago,?ElectraMeccanica announced a voluntary recall of model years 2021-2023. While driving, the vehicle may experience a sudden loss of power and propulsion, while maintaining all other critical functionality including steering, braking, and lighting, and would likely allow the driver to pull over. However, due to the unexpected deacceleration, there may be an increased risk of crash (this has not happened).
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