Canadian company plans to build 3-wheeled electric vehicles in Mesa

PHOENIX – A Canadian company announced plans Wednesday to build its tiny three-wheeled electric vehicles in Mesa and bring 500 jobs to the city.

ElectraMeccanica said it selected the East Valley suburb as the site for its U.S.-based assembly facility and engineering technical center after a yearlong search.

“Southeast Mesa is growing, and we’re excited to welcome dynamic and innovative businesses like ElectraMeccanica,” Mayor John Giles said in a press release.

“I’m looking forward to watching their state-of-the-art facility take shape.”

The announcement didn’t include an exact location or timeframe for when the facility would be operational.

ElectraMeccanica will be able to crank out 20,000 of the company’s flagship SOLO all-electric vehicles per year at the site, according to the release.

The company also plans to work with government officials to develop a sharing system for the single-occupant vehicles in metro Phoenix.

“This decision is monumental for our business and will be transformative for our host city and state,” ElectraMeccanica CEO Paul Rivera said in the release. “When fully operational, we anticipate creating hundreds of new jobs for the local economy.”

The SOLO doesn’t have room for passengers, but it has a 100-mile range and can travel on highways with a top speed of 80 mph.

They are currently available for pre-order for $18,500.

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