ElectraMeccanica Breaks Ground on Phoenix-Area Engineering Plant

ElectraMeccanica, known as being the creator of SOLO—the single-passenger, three-wheeled electric vehicle—has chosen Mesa, Ariz., as the home for its next assembly and engineering plant. 

The 235,000-square-foot facility will create up to 500 jobs and is aiming to produce 20,000 of its flagship vehicles every year. 

Based in Vancouver, B.C., it took more than a year of searching before landing on the Phoenix suburb as its newest location. According to MesaAZ, the company began its search last February and sent out requests for proposals to the chief economic development and local authorities to seven states.

In June, the list was shortened down to five after reviews and site visits. Finally, in August, the list went down to three potential sites and, in October, ElectraMeccanica announced that the state of Arizona beat Tennessee in the final round for choosing the location of this $35 million facility. 

The company is eligible for more than $8 million in grants and tax credits from Arizona but has not yet received any incentives, according to the Arizona Commerce Authority. 

Movement in Mesa

The property will be located north of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and is scheduled for completion by next spring. Earlier this week, DAUM Commercial Real Estate Services broke ground on Gateway Executive Airpark, a three-hangar project also at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. 

The Mesa suburb is booming with activity and continues to be a chosen growth area for many companies. Also this week, Marwest Enterprises broke ground on Elliot 202, a 1.1-million-square-foot speculative industrial campus in Mesa.