ElectraMeccanica Begins Electric Vehicle Production in New Mesa Manufacturing Facility Projected to Bring 500 Jobs

Neil Jones

Electric vehicle manufacturer ElectraMeccanica (EM) began production in its new Mesa facility Monday, which is projected to create 500 new jobs in the state and produce upwards of 20,000 cars every year.

“We are thrilled to bring production of our vehicles onshore and introduce an enhanced, U.S.-built 2023 model year SOLO EV to market,” said Susan Docherty, CEO of ElectraMeccanica. “It takes a village to do what we are doing. Bringing our manufacturing facility and vision for our company to life only works if there is a true partnership between local and state government leaders who are committed to economic development, along with solid business partners who share a vision to create products that consumers crave.”

The company’s flagship vehicle, the Solo, is designed to fit a single passenger, and while the front looks like an average Nissan, the rear houses only a single wheel. As reported by the Phoenix Business Journal, the vehicle is designed primarily for people who travel to work alone or do not need the space provided by a traditional car. It will come at an $18,500 price tag and can allegedly get up to 100 miles out of a full charge. Recharging can be done with a standard 110-volt outlet in roughly 15 hours for a full battery. Solo models were previously imported from China, but the 2023 model will come from the new Mesa facility.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey toured the factory on its opening day, calling it another win for Arizona manufacturing.

“Arizona has long been a driving force of innovation. ElectraMeccanica, with its one-of-a-kind vehicles, is further proof of that,” said Ducey, “the vehicles produced here will not only be Arizona-made, they will be American-made.”

EM is the fifth electric vehicle manufacturing facility to open in the state since 2016. AZ Big Media shared that Arizona ranks seventh in the nation for electric vehicle adoption, with four vehicles registered for every 1,000 residents.

Moreover, Mesa Mayor John Giles (R) said the city has been looking forward to the factory’s opening.

“We’re beyond pleased to have one of the leaders in innovative and cost-effective EVs opening their first U.S. facility in our city. Mesa has become a magnet for advanced manufacturing and supply-chain innovation – a thriving ecosystem for ElectraMeccanica’s new assembly and engineering facility,” said Giles.

EM is not the only recent news for Arizona manufacturing. On Tuesday, when President Joe Biden visited the state, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced it would increase its planned investments into Arizona to $40 billion to create a second facility in northern Phoenix, making one of the largest foreign direct investments in U.S. history. The new projects are expected to bring over 10,000 tech jobs to the state.

American Battery Factory (ABF) also announced a first-in-the-nation “gigafactory” for producing lithium iron phosphate battery cells in Tucson. The $1.2 billion investment is projected to have a $3.1 billion impact in Pima County and create over 1,000 jobs.

“This investment represents a generational opportunity both for us as a company and for Tucson as a community as a means to truly make energy independence a reality for everyone,” said ABF President and CEO Paul Charles.

In more battery news, electric vehicle battery manufacturer Sion Power plans to expand its current operations in Tucson. The company has worked in Tucson since its inception from a small group of researchers. It currently has 100 employees and plans to more than double that number with its expansion.

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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “New ElectraMeccanica EV Factory” by Doug Ducey.

 

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