DOZENS of defunct single-passenger electric vehicles have found their final resting place in a junkyard miles from Phoenix, Arizona.
In an Instagram post, a driver said he found the broken EVs in a pile with other dead vehicles.
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Dozens of ElectraMeccanica Upturned Soils Were Buried in a Junkyard, According to a Video posted by Instagrammer Startupslick (@startupslick).
The video shows a series of distinctive three-wheeled electric vehicles abandoned and deteriorated by the elements.
Several drivers called the scrapped cars “waste.”
The ElectraMeccanica Solo was a unique single-seat electric vehicle.
Solos were considered urban vehicles with narrow frames and three-wheeled designs.
Production began in 2016, before the company moved factories several times, according to Electrify News.
The final models were built in Mesa, Arizona.
The Solo’s base price started at $18,000, according to the post.
But in 2023, the company issued a buyback program for all its cars built between 2021 and 2023.
The company found a defect that caused the car to lose propulsion.
Instead of investing in expensive program solutions, ElectraMeccanica’s parent company decided to buy back customers’ cars and dismantle them.
The Solo brand was sold to Xos Inc., an electric truck maker, in March 2024.
The company bought the struggling EVs for $48 million, according to Yahoo Finance.
Xos believes the acquisition will help it build more electric commercial trucks.
Electric vs gas vehicles
Pros and cons of electric vehicles versus gasoline-powered vehicles
EV PROS:
- Convenient (when charging at home)
- Cheapest (depending on the state or city)
- Cheaper maintenance due to lack of mechanical parts
- Great for commuting
- Reduced CO2 emissions
- Federal and state tax incentives
- More performance (speed, handling – depending on make and model)
EV CONS:
- Higher initial cost
- Higher Insurance Rates
- More frequent tire and brake replacement intervals
- Higher tare weight (thus causing faster wear on crucial parts)
- Low resale value
- High depreciation rates
- Lack of charging infrastructure
- Unreliable public loading (related: slow loading times)
- Poor performance in winter and summer
- Lack of clean energy alternatives means more “dirty energy” from coal and nuclear sources
- Range anxiety
PROS OF GAS:
- Highly developed refueling infrastructure
- Fast replenishment
- Cheapest insurance rates depending on make, model and configuration
- Established repair industry
- Lower initial cost
- Greater range before refueling, especially with hybrids
- Many manufacturers produce engines with almost fewer emissions
- Cheaper refueling depending on location
CONS OF GAS:
- Finite resource (related: heavy dependence on oil)
- Carbon emissions/greenhouse gases
- Higher repair costs
- Higher insurance rates depending on make, model and configuration
- Varied costs at the pump depending on the state, city and municipality
Source: Driver, Perch Energy, Automatic Week
CEMETERY TALKS
Now, the Instagrammer believes he has found most of the defunct vehicles in their final resting place.
The video gets up close and personal with some of the eye-catching vehicles.
But EVs are visible from afar.
Piles of Soil are taller than the solid, several-foot-high fences surrounding the yard.
The discovery of the Solos in a junkyard reignited conversations about the vehicle’s troubled history.
Several people said it was sad to see the decaying vehicles left at the scrap yard.
“Can’t they recycle the parts?” one commenter asked on Instagram.
“Why not remove the functional part for another use?” another commenter said. “It seems like a ridiculous waste.”
Other commentators said the cars were a reminder of the company’s production problems.
“These were amazing; I wanted one,” another commenter added. “Some people kept them, I believe.”
The US Sun contacted the Instagrammer for comment on the article, but they did not immediately respond.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
