Electra Mechanica Sparrow

Pat Eaton

10 W
Joined
Aug 31, 2009
Messages
74
Location
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Local auto builder plans to build Sparrow in BC.

http://electrameccanica.com/about/

They are talking about building a factory in Abbotsford, my home town. Exciting news.....I may ask for a job sweeping the floors just to be there.

At $20k and a $5k provincial incentive this just might make sense.

The only thing missing is pedals. :D
 
I saw it at CanVest 2015. And their website.

Although I have never owned a Sparrow, some 10 years ago, I had email exchanges with the female mechanic who was one of the only people who knew how to fix the Sparrow 1 and 2 in the US.

Here's my two cents. The Sparrow EV has been used, over and over, to bilk investors/buyers.
 
Pat Eaton said:
Local auto builder plans to build Sparrow in BC.

http://electrameccanica.com/about/

They are talking about building a factory in Abbotsford, my home town. Exciting news.....I may ask for a job sweeping the floors just to be there.

At $20k and a $5k provincial incentive this just might make sense.

The only thing missing is pedals. :D



The ElectaMechanica Sparrow is now called a "Solo". You'll find their website at SmallEV dot com.

http://electrameccanica.com/image-gallery/

If you Wiki the Sparrow Electric Car (trike), you'll see that Mr. Corbin is again attempting to rake in buyer deposits with yet-another-Sparrow, this time, with a body like the Solo. Neither Corbin's nor the Vancouver company has any real car in their website, just "artwork".

https://www.google.ca/search?q=wikipedia+sparrow+electric+car&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=QHaOV8nhMc3ijwP2-IOQAQ#q=wikipedia+sparrow+electric+car+nmg

IMO, both of them are trying to get in on the 10-year backlog of the Tesla Model 3.

Remember, buyers, always look for credible reviews, and testimonials before you get burned. Every North American small electric car, and electric scooter company, with just a few exceptions, (e.g. Tesla) have turned out to be a financial black hole. Also, in North America, only Tesla has proven that it knows how to make a reliable, fully-functional Lithium-battery BMS. Buyer beware, imo. Furthermore, even the Zero electric motorcycle has "customer service" problems, according to one or more buyers.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrT6VyPdY5XitQAPIsnnIlQ?p=long+term+zero+electric+motorcycle+review&fr=yhs-mozilla-004&fr2=piv-web&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004#id=1&vid=c5706e2d63447ffbe1bdf62cdfb234b5&action=view

BTW, I met a buy at Granville Island who had a Karma EV, which he got, for free, after the embarassing Karma fires, and the Karma company went bankrupt. Fisker, the Karma guy, sabotaged the Tesla design for his own EV's -- that is "bad karma". When you breach a contract, you'll get "bad karma" --- that's how life operates, spiritually.


To repeat: Never buy any EV, ebike, or electric scooter that doesn't have credible, long term, third-party reviews. A review by Electric Rider Review is **not** a long-term review, and imo, is not that useful for buyers.
 
The Facebook photo shows a Myers NMG Sparrow, not a Solo. Yet, the company claims a delivery, hoping that buyers won't notice the difference.

Imo, this is Bait and Switch.

https://www.facebook.com/EMVsolo/photos/a.790704744357431.1073741828.777313145696591/1060248114069758/?type=3&theater
 
Here's the pitch for deposits. Note that the product is now re-branded as "Small EV Solo".

https://www.facebook.com/EMVsolo/posts/1059479377479965


A proper way for unproven companies to raise funds is by Kickstarter, not raking in deposits -- that's my two cents.
 
4LivesPerGallon said:
. Fisker, the Karma guy, sabotaged the Tesla design for his own EV's -- that is "bad karma". When you breach a contract, you'll get "bad karma" --- that's how life operates, spiritually.....
You need to check your facts..
The Karma is a Hybrid, totally different design and technology to the Tesla .

4LivesPerGallon said:
...A proper way for unproven companies to raise funds is by Kickstarter, not raking in deposits -- that's my two cents.
I dont rate Tesla as a "proven" company yet ( still not profitable), so by your definition they are in the same camp with "improper" fund raising methods. .?
 
Hillhater said:
4LivesPerGallon said:
. Fisker, the Karma guy, sabotaged the Tesla design for his own EV's -- that is "bad karma". When you breach a contract, you'll get "bad karma" --- that's how life operates, spiritually.....
You need to check your facts..
The Karma is a Hybrid, totally different design and technology to the Tesla .

4LivesPerGallon said:
...A proper way for unproven companies to raise funds is by Kickstarter, not raking in deposits -- that's my two cents.
I dont rate Tesla as a "proven" company yet ( still not profitable), so by your definition they are in the same camp with "improper" fund raising methods. .?


Noted.
 
4LivesPerGallon said:
Hillhater said:
4LivesPerGallon said:
. Fisker, the Karma guy, sabotaged the Tesla design for his own EV's -- that is "bad karma". When you breach a contract, you'll get "bad karma" --- that's how life operates, spiritually.....
You need to check your facts..
The Karma is a Hybrid, totally different design and technology to the Tesla .

4LivesPerGallon said:
...A proper way for unproven companies to raise funds is by Kickstarter, not raking in deposits -- that's my two cents.
I dont rate Tesla as a "proven" company yet ( still not profitable), so by your definition they are in the same camp with "improper" fund raising methods. .?


Noted.



Tesla obtained deposits after showing a working Model 3.

The Electra Mechanica "Solo" e-trike and the Corbin Sparrow(?) or Myers NMG2(?) with no name is getting deposits based on mechanical drawings and/or artists' renderings -- there's the difference.

Sorry, my mind was slow to figure that out.
 
Preorder yours now, the SOLO is coming in
21Days, 17Hours, 48Minutes, 7 seconds
http://electrameccanica.com/

(MSRP $19,888 CAD – $250 Refundable Deposit)

side_view-1-1030x579.png
 
"Just drawings" seen earlier this week:
aug-15.jpg
 
LockH said:
"Just drawings" seen earlier this week:
aug-15.jpg

That's not a complete Solo electric car. It doesn't match their drawings.

Jerry Kroll the promoter seems to be riding a chassis/prototype, which is the same one that they've been showing for months already.
 
Will the Solo be a regular vehicle able to go over Highway 1 bridges, legally? I hope so. If it cannot, you won't be able to get from one city to another, legally. One diehard Dynasty IT electric car owner told me this.

The Vancouver-made (Annacis Island, actually) "Dynasty IT" electric car could not, legally anyway. After years of struggle, the entire factory was sold to someone in Turkey, I was told. Ooops, apparently, the Dynasty electric car company is now in Pakistan.

You can buy a Dynasty, used, for not much money:
https://veva.ca/buy-and-sell/

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/03/video-reviews-of-dynasty-electric-car-bmw-smart-car/

I remember having a "race", mild uphill, Dynasty vs Ego Cycle-2 Electric Scooter (with the Ego-II's 1500 watts, brushed, inefficient belt-drive, lead acid) near BCIT in Burnaby. The Dynasty barely came out ahead.


Jerry Kroll's Solo seems, imo, a Dynasty IT redux, with Lithium batteries this time.
http://www.itiselectric.com/

The long history of the electric car and electric motorcycles (other than OEM) in North America is one of almost complete failures and very disappointed buyers and investors.

I'm not admiring "The Corporation" OEM car makers at all. Small EV builders are up against The Economic HItman (read that best-seller, if you're not aware).
 
4LivesPerGallon said:
Will the Solo be a regular vehicle able to go over Highway 1 bridges, legally? I hope so. If it cannot, you won't be able to get from one city to another, legally. One diehard Dynasty IT electric car owner told me this.
....
Jerry Kroll's Solo seems, imo, a Dynasty IT redux, with Lithium batteries this time.
http://www.itiselectric.com/

Solo is not a Dynasty redux. The only similarities are GVRD, fiberglass, and a certain person. (No, not Jerry.)

Comparing any vehicle with lead batteries with the same weight in decent lithium is like comparing a carp with, I dunno, at least a pike. I drove a couple of Dynasties with lithium. One with really high power 18650's (although far from equivalent weight), and one with Valence; neither was near the original Pb weight. If lithium had been anywhere near affordable Dynasty might have survived ... well at least until Tesla or Leaf started to ship. We had no migration plan to become a manufacturer of "real" cars. But we were for a while the only north american manufacturer of anything that could even approach being called an electric car; 4 wheel, 4 passenger, hard windows and doors. Although we had ridiculous quality gaffs, like the handles that pulled off in your hand, at least we had hard doors with windows that rolled up & down, unlike the flappy plastic things on the GEM.

The Dynasty went a 50km at 40kph (on a good day), and carried 4. The Solo does highway at only carries 1 person. Dynasty couldn't (legally ;) ) go over bridges with 80km+ limits because it was licenced as a "Neighbourhood Electric Vehicle". The Solo will have no such restriction, although how they will license it is a mystery to me.
 
1JohnFoster said:
4LivesPerGallon said:
Will the Solo be a regular vehicle able to go over Highway 1 bridges, legally? I hope so. If it cannot, you won't be able to get from one city to another, legally. One diehard Dynasty IT electric car owner told me this.
....
Jerry Kroll's Solo seems, imo, a Dynasty IT redux, with Lithium batteries this time.
http://www.itiselectric.com/

Solo is not a Dynasty redux. The only similarities are GVRD, fiberglass, and a certain person. (No, not Jerry.)

Comparing any vehicle with lead batteries with the same weight in decent lithium is like comparing a carp with, I dunno, at least a pike. I drove a couple of Dynasties with lithium. One with really high power 18650's (although far from equivalent weight), and one with Valence; neither was near the original Pb weight. If lithium had been anywhere near affordable Dynasty might have survived ... well at least until Tesla or Leaf started to ship. We had no migration plan to become a manufacturer of "real" cars. But we were for a while the only north american manufacturer of anything that could even approach being called an electric car; 4 wheel, 4 passenger, hard windows and doors. Although we had ridiculous quality gaffs, like the handles that pulled off in your hand, at least we had hard doors with windows that rolled up & down, unlike the flappy plastic things on the GEM.

The Dynasty went a 50km at 40kph (on a good day), and carried 4. The Solo does highway at only carries 1 person. Dynasty couldn't (legally ;) ) go over bridges with 80km+ limits because it was licenced as a "Neighbourhood Electric Vehicle". The Solo will have no such restriction, although how they will license it is a mystery to me.


Good first-hand info, thank you! Those days, the cost of a Lithium battery pack on an EV was $30K to $40K.
 
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Reporting the change that matters
The Memo is a new publication for people curious about the future, reporting on the individuals, technology and ideas changing the world.

Based in London with correspondents in New York, San Francisco and Paris, The Memo is published daily on the web, presenting carefully curated news, commentary, and high-profile interviews with people making real change around the world.

"The Electra Meccanica Solo: A three-wheeled electric car for the modern age?"
Screen-Shot-2016-09-09-at-10.29.00.png


2017_ElectraMeccanica_SOLO_05.0-992x661.jpg


http://www.thememo.com/2016/09/09/e...three-wheeled-electric-car-three-wheeled-car/

The trike is set to be sold for $19,888 in Canada (about £11,550), you can pre-order now, and it’s due to ship next year.
 
SoloOwners said:
I've got a reservation for a 2017 Electra Meccanica Solo. http://smallev.com
It should be arriving before 3Q of '17 according to what I was told. We'll start seeing some reviews in November...
From the schedule of delivery for the first ones. EVs and self driving vehicles are the future and the future is looming over us as we type. http://soloowners.net


Has it been road-certified, and not a speed-limited, farm-tractor type road-license, like the IT Dynasty?
 
Article from a few days ago:
http://www.newwestrecord.ca/busines...elcomes-mike-mccardell-this-weekend-1.2426699

In part:
Local business takes in Sin City

Electra Meccanica Vehicles Corp showed off its new 2017 SOLO electric vehicle at the Speciality Equipment Manufacturers Association’s show in Las Vegas.

The one-person commuter vehicle is now available for the American viewing public following its debut in Vancouver last month. The three-wheeled vehicle, which can travel up to 140 kilometres per hour, will be manufactured at the company’s facilities in New Westminster and Vancouver.

“It has appeal for diving enthusiasts, practical commuters and the environmentally conscious,” Henry Reisner, president of Intermeccanica Inc., said in a press release. “We believe the SOLO will become the commuter vehicle of choice for the masses. The vehicle is non-polluting, very economical to operate and people will have a heck of a good time driving it too.”

Jerry Kroll, CEO of Electra Meccanica, was hopeful that car enthusiasts and specialty equipment manufacturers would check out the SOLA at the SEMA show that’s being held Nov. 1 to 4 in Vegas.

Leona Green of Greens and Beans Deli in Sapperton is anxiously awaiting her SOLO, which is expected to arrive in November or December. She said it will be the fifth SOLO built and the first for a customer.

("Sapperton" is a neighbourhood of the City of New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada... think one of "the `burbs" around Vancouver.)
 
Another article from late July last year...

xtyee_logo.png.pagespeed.ic.YZjQwVHPIu.png

(Wiki:)
The Tyee is a left-of-centre independent online Canadian news magazine that primarily covers British Columbia.

Is this Your Commuting Future?
("Inside the bet that a BC-made, single-seat electric car is the next (really) big thing."):
https://thetyee.ca/News/2016/07/27/Commuting-Future/
 
Hillhater said:
Just looks like they are clearing out the remaining parts of their previous "Sparrow" model.

Kind of sad, I liked loved those goofy looking vehicles. They were one of the icons of the 90's crop of DIY electric mini-car companies. With a lot of effort and love someone could finish these, but I wonder how many collectors are out there?

Maybe this container will end up as a spare parts bin for the remaining fleet. Looks like a great retirement project for someone with a bit of acreage.
 
I love my Sparrow and the whole concept of vehicles like this works well. I prefer a motorcycle to lane split through traffic, but the sparrow is my next favorite ride and way more fun than taking a car somewhere.
 
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