ElectraMeccanica says its US EV assembly facility will be located either in Arizona or Tennessee

ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp (NASDAQ:SOLO) announced Tuesday that it has named Arizona and Tennessee as the two finalist states to house its future US assembly facility and engineering technical center.  The maker of the three-wheeled SOLO electric vehicle has selected two possible sites in the Phoenix metro area and Nashville region, respectively. The company has been working with BDO Corporate Real Estate to find a location since February, and the company expects to come to a final decision at the end of November after conducting final site and proposal reviews.  READ: ElectraMeccanica planning to produce an alternative 'utility and fleet' version of its flagship SOLO EV “We have been very impressed with the locations and proposals we’ve reviewed and are looking forward to reaching an agreement that would mutually benefit both ElectraMeccanica, as well as our future state and local partners,” CEO Paul Rivera said in a statement. In either case, ElectraMeccanica expects the proposed US facility to employ as many as 250 people and include a technical center with plans for multiple labs to support ongoing vehicle chassis and power electronics testing, as well as comprehensive research facilities. “We are excited to be a part of the catalyst for local and state initiatives to drive growth for the US economy and the EV sector,” Rivera said. “For ElectraMeccanica, we remain focused on guaranteeing the key components that will position us for long-term sustainability, most notably mitigating supply chain and tariff risk, thereby enabling the SOLO to become an American-made product.” Looking forward, Rivera said ElectraMeccanica wants to choose a partner that will work with it to establish a major proof-of-concept for the SOLO ecosystem, which includes developing urban solutions for personal, commercial, utility and fleet applications. For its part, BDO likes what it has seen of the company. “Despite the challenges of COVID-19 on the economy and the limits of domestic travel this year, ElectraMeccanica’s project remains on track to select a winner prior to year-end as originally planned,” Tom Stringer, leader of BDO’s National Site Selection & Business Incentives Practice, said. “Our ability to remain on track really is a tribute to how well our state and local partners have fully embraced the regional economic impact that the SOLO electrified ecosystem represents. The potential new jobs, construction of engineering and assembly centers, deployment of a pilot testing program, and the migrating supply chain to support this project will collectively serve as a game-changer for the winning region.” Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com Follow him on Twitter @andrew_kessel