Several potential antidotes to the supersized and high-priced EV trend died this year. That’s terrible news for everyone, even if you’d prefer a huge Cybertruck to a little Kei vehicle.
Cars, in general, are inefficient ways of transportation, such as railroads and bicycles. But another tank-like vehicle or SUV is the last thing the environment or most finances need. Large, heavier electric cars need more materials and energy than smaller EVs, resulting in higher unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions during and after manufacturing. Despite these disadvantages, automakers build large vehicles because they sell well.
Several automobiles from startups and certain legacy manufacturers defy the concept that “bigger is better” with compact designs and lower prices. However, their resistance usually has little effect. This year, we saw numerous failed EVs, including the ElectraMeccanica Solo, Sono Sion, and Mazda MX-30.
We’ll look at the little and low-priced EVs that didn’t make it—the flops, launch disasters, u-turns, and holdouts of North America’s size- and range-obsessed EV market.
ElectraMeccanica Solo
ElectraMeccanica’s little EV, which was really a motorbike, had one seat, 100 miles of range, and a $18,500 price tag. The three-wheeled vehicle was marketed to both city inhabitants and delivery fleet managers. I never got to drive a Solo, but I sat in one last year and felt claustrophobic with the doors closed.
ElectraMeccanica recalled every Solo in April because of power failure concerns. At the time, the business said that it was shifting its focus to four-wheeled vehicles. ElectraMeccanica quickly agreed to join with electric vehicle manufacturer Tevva. ElectraMeccanica abruptly terminated that departure in October.
Honda e
The Honda e launched in Europe and Japan in 2020, with a 100-mile range and a price tag of $36,000–$43,000 USD. The car wowed critics with its compact size and sweet-yet-vacant expression. However, in terms of sales, it was a complete failure, owing in large part to its poor price-to-range ratio. Honda never launched the e to additional markets, and by December of this year, the company announced that manufacturing of the little buggy would end in January 2024.
Sono Sion.
With the five-seater Sono Sion hatchback, German carmaker Sono once led the drive to add solar panels to electric vehicles. Sono priced the Sion (unrelated to Toyota’s Scion nameplate) at $25,000, with manufacturing set to begin in 2023.
Sono instead shifted its focus to selling to third-party automakers, laying off 300 employees. Sono is no longer an automotive brand but now specializes in integrating solar technology into other vehicles.
GM and Honda’s low-cost EVs
General Motors and Honda announced in April 2022 that they would collaborate to build millions of tiny and inexpensive EVs. They teased sub-$30,000 electric vehicles for North America, with a target delivery date of 2027.
However, by October 2023, they had canceled the agreement, claiming “extensive studies and analysis” as the reason. The news comes as General Motors stalled its move to electric vehicles and Honda promised a “new global EV series” of its own.
Mazda MX-30 (United States)
The Mazda MX-30 is modest by Cybertruck standards (Tesla’s vehicle is 25% longer and broader), but the MX-30’s only genuinely small features are its 100-mile range and availability. Mazda offered the MX-30 only in California, the state with the most EV chargers by a ratio of five.
By the end of 2023, according to Mazda’s July statement, the EV will no longer be available in the United States. However, the EV will continue to be sold in Japan and the EU.
Revel motorcycles
This year, Revel, the Blackrock and Shell-backed moped-sharing company, ditched its two-wheeled EVs in favor of regular-old electric automobiles. According to Revel, their moped ridership peaked in July 2020, with approximately 600,000 rides that month. In the years after, the company’s moped ridership has plummeted due to many fatalities using Revel mopeds, while e-bikes have gained popularity in places such as New York and San Francisco.
VanMoof
VanMoof, a Dutch e-bike firm, rode the COVID-19-era cycling boom to a $128 million Series C fundraising round. VanMoof declared at the time that the firm was the “most funded e-bike company in the world,” and co-founder Taco Carlier bragged that the company was “reinventing, redesigning, and re-engineering every component of the bicycle.”
VanMoof’s quick expansion and emphasis on proprietary components contributed to its demise. By 2023, the firm was apparently losing money on each bike owing to expensive maintenance, and it was struggling to seek extra funding to remain alive. VanMoof halted sales, and Taco Carlier quit when the company filed bankruptcy this summer.
In August, Lavoie purchased what remained of VanMoof for “tens of millions,” bringing it out of bankruptcy. Months later, it seems that the purchaser has yet to recommence VanMoof manufacturing or repairs.
On the other side, it’s been a tough year for enthusiasts of little electric vehicles, but all is not lost. For example, municipal bike-sharing schemes are thriving and becoming more electrified. In May, Capitol Bikeshare set a new record with 428,000 rides. In the same month, New York’s Citi Bike program logged 867,838 rides in a single week, and the service is still growing.
Beyond e-bikes, Arcimoto is the only three-wheeled EV holdout in the United States. The Fiat 500e will be available in North America (in limited numbers) in 2024, some years after its debut in the EU. Telo Trucks is building a pickup with the footprint of a two-door Mini Cooper in an effort to show that Americans will purchase tiny trucks again. Furthermore, although GM previously said that it would discontinue the Chevy Bolt and the bigger Bolt EUV, the firm has recently stated that the latter Bolt would be retained.
