续航160公里 全电动单人三轮车Solo有望通过审核

三轮式汽车一直是汽车领域外围一股持续的发展趋势，Aptera、Corbin Sparrow以及Elio等公司都开发过三轮车。近日，加拿大汽车公司Electra Meccanica 揭晓其全电动三轮车Solo的生产规格。

Solo主要针对上班族设计开发。虽然从正面看，Solo避开了Elio那样的开轮设计，做了封闭的挡泥板设计，这样看起来更像一部传统的小型车。然而，从后面看，它与Elio一样有着相同的锥形设计。

外形上，Solo仅长3米左右（只比Smart Fortwo长0.3米左右），前后轮轴距2米，车高1.3米（略高于马自达Miata）。前轮之间宽1.2米（比典型的微型汽车约窄0.6米），并逐渐向尾部收缩至一半宽度。

Electra Meccanica目前拒绝谈论年销售目标，但其首席执行官 Henry Reisner在一份声明中说，他们相信Solo将成为“群众选择的通勤车”。

与Elio使用吵闹的三缸发动机不同的是，Solo是一款强大的静音电动车，预估最高速度为160公里每小时，8秒内可达到0-100千米每小时的加速度。制动通过三轮盘式制动器操作，并且0.24系数的阻力有助于保持公路通勤的安静和高效。

据称，Solo在160公里范围内，其16.1千瓦时的锂离子电池组可以满足平均65公里往返的路程（没有经过环保局核实），并且用220伏电源充电只需三小时。

Solo的底盘由航空航天复合材料制成，这不符合现有的乘用车标准。Solo官方重量仅为450千克。虽然只有一个座位，但客座椅看上去拥有充足的腿部空间。行李厢大约0.28立方米，足以容纳一个公文包、一个背包和一个运动包。

Solo的设备清单上包括电动车窗、无钥匙车门和一个具有蓝牙连接、USB接口的音响系统，拥有加热除雾功能，空调可选。银色、红色、黑色和白色4种外观颜色以及15英寸无烟煤灰色或铂金银色轮胎可供选择。

目前Solo还未通过审核，但车商希望今年年底能通过，售价预计为19,888加元。

虽然Solo不可能成为特斯拉Model 3的竞争品牌，但作为有趣的通勤车，可以替代日产Leaf或三菱i-MiEV这样基础的电动汽车。

（本文编译自blog.caranddriver.com）

http://blog.caranddriver.com/electric-onesie-electra-meccanica-urban-three-wheeler-claims-100-mile-range/

Electric Onesie: Electra Meccanica Urban Three-Wheeler Claims 100-Mile Range

If you want to find the Wild West of street-legal vehicles, look no further than those with three wheels—and vehicles like the Electra Meccanica Solo, an all-electric three-wheeled car that was just revealed in its production specification today.

Three-wheeled cars like the Solo are a persistent trend at the fringes of the automotive landscape, and in this era of more flexible thinking about mobility they could be closer to latching on now than a decade ago. Look to the classic, century-ago retro looks of the Morgan 3 Wheeler (and its very limited-production, steampunk-sexy EV3 electric version), and the Mad Max–zany Polaris Slingshot, as proof that trikes can offer up some unparalleled elemental open-wheel-roadster thrills. And then there’s the efficiency extremist approach, seen in the highly ambitious (and now defunct) Aptera, the Corbin Sparrow (and subsequent Myers Motors), and the Elio.

The Solo follows closest in the footsteps of Elio Motors in aiming for fiscally responsible commuters, although from the front it eschews the open-wheel look of the Elio in favor of a closed-fender design—and more of a conventional small-car look from the front. In back, however, it has the same tapered, teardrop shape that you’ll find in the Elio and others.

On the outside, the Solo is just 120 inches long (just over a foot longer than a Smart Fortwo), rides on an 80.5-inch wheelbase, and measures 50.5 inches high (only slightly higher than a Mazda Miata). It’s 47.5 inches wide at the front wheels (about two feet narrower than the typical subcompact), and it tapers to about half that at the rear.

Like Elio, and the makers of other trikes that have preceded it, Electra Meccanica sounds like it’s wearing some very special goggles while considering at the appeal of its vehicle. Elio has targeted annual sales of 250,000 vehicles, and although Electra Meccanica declines to talk numbers, COO Henry Reisner said in a release that they believe the Solo will “become the commuter vehicle of choice for the masses.”

Perhaps a Good Idea, But a Bit Fringe

Although it looks like a good idea, it’s a fringe factor that Americans—and our lanes, parking rules, and safety regulations—simply aren’t ready for.

One of the Elio’s least charming aspects, as we’ve experienced it in an early prototype drive, was its rattly three-cylinder engine. In contrast, the Solo’s a strong, silent EV, with an estimated top speed of 80 mph and zero-to-60-mph acceleration in the eight-second range. Braking is handled by three-wheel disc brakes, and a low 0.24 coefficient of drag should help keep highway commuting quiet and efficient.

The Solo gets a claimed (and definitely not EPA verified) 100-mile range out of its 16.1-kWh lithium-ion battery pack—which could suit the average round-trip commute of under 40 miles—and it can charge in six hours on a 110-volt household AC socket or just three hours with 220-volt Level 2 charging.

In part because of its chassis, made of aerospace composites—and because it doesn’t comply with passenger-car standards—the Solo has an official curb weight of just 992 pounds. The Solo is slated to be built in Vancouver, Canada, drawing from Intermeccanica’s decades of experience building replica-bodied roadsters.

Although there’s just one seat in the Solo, it looks like a proper passenger-car seat, with plenty of legroom. A carpeted trunk offers up about 10 cubic feet—enough to stow away a briefcase, a backpack, and a gym bag.

Power windows and keyless entry are on the Solo’s equipment list, as is a sound system with Bluetooth connectivity and a USB port. Air conditioning will be optional, although all Solos have heating and defogging; and, with outward visibility often a challenge in models like this, we’re relieved to see a backup camera included. And with Titanium Silver, Electric Red, Raven Black, and Arctic White exterior color choices and Anthracite Gray or Platinum Silver 15-inch alloy wheels, Solo owners will have no problem finding their trike in a sea of other Solos in the commuter lot.

Street Legal? Not Quite Yet

There’s one very significant asterisk: The Solo isn’t yet DOT approved. Although the vehicle maker expects approval by the end of the year, when deliveries are slated to start and the Solo will sell starting at ,888 Canadian, about ,500 using the current exchange rate.

“It has also been engineered to take advantage of existing rebates, incentives, and credits,” hinted spokesman Jeff Holland. That could include a Canadian clean energy credit of up to 00 Canadian. In the U.S. there’s a ,500 federal tax credit for passenger vehicles, although if the Solo is classified as an electric motorcycle (the likely outcome), an Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit of 00 would apply.

While we can’t see the Solo leading anyone to cancel a Tesla Model 3 order, this trike could land as an interesting solo-commuter alternative to basic EVs like the Nissan Leaf or the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, in cases where there’s really no need for another “real” car in the driveway. Check back, as we do plan to drive the Solo soon and report about whether this model is worth going solo for.