Two electric vehicle companies recently unveiled plans to open retail stores in two of Denver’s most sought after shopping meccas: Park Meadows Mall and Cherry Creek.

Swedish EV company Polestar announced Monday it plans to open 15 new retailers – dubbed Polestar Spaces – across the United States, including Denver. The company’s website lists the address at 257 Fillmore St. in Cherry Creek – not far from the Tesla store. Other cities tagged for a spring opening include Austin and Boston.

The second is upstart Canadian company ElectraMeccanica, which will use the Park Meadows location to roll out its one-seater EV SOLO. The company, which had an IPO in 2018, is opening seven new retail locations in the western U.S., including Portland, Seattle, Sacramento and others.

“Coming to Colorado is exciting for us – we’re hoping for a June 1 opening at Park Meadows,” said CEO Paul Rivera in a phone interview. “It’s actually not our first endeavor in Colorado. We’ve had a fleet of testing vehicles there since 2019.”

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The two EVs are markedly different – the SOLO is $18,500 and the Polestar 2 is about $60,000. But both are obviously going after Tesla, which has been in the Denver market since 2017 with locations in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, South Broadway and Park Meadows.

Park Meadows Sr. General Manager Pam Schenck Kelly said the Brookfield Properties-owned shopping center has always tried to get the trendy, new retailers first.

“We’ve always been on the cutting edge for retailers,” Kelly said via phone. “We were the first to open a Tesla store in a mall, and only its second retail location in the country.”

She said the SOLO vehicle will be “a wonderful thing, especially in Colorado where we have enormous transportation problems.”

The SOLO is not a car. Technically it’s classified as a motorcycle, with two wheels up front and a single rear tire. It’s got all the benefits of a car, like heat and AC, blue tooth capabilities and safety measures like a roll bar and side/front impact protection. It can go up to 80 mph, and about 100 miles per charge.

“We’re not saying people are going to completely move away from trucks or SUVs,” Rivera said. “But how many times do you go somewhere by yourself – to the office, or the grocery store? This can be a solution to urban driving challenges.”

Even though it’s classified a motorcycle, SOLO drivers in Colorado won’t be required to get a motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s licenses – but they might have to wear a helmet.

Rivera said the company has two other growth areas planned in addition to retail outlets: fleet vehicles and shared cars.

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“Think about the companies with delivery like pizza or fast food, grocery stores are delivering more, and security – even at the Park Meadows Mall,” Rivera said. “It’s the perfect vehicle for that kind of stuff.”

As far as shared vehicles, Rivera said he’s aware of others who have tried in Denver and failed (remember Car2Go?), but he thinks starting with a “pod” or home-base business model – like a college campus or a high-rise apartment building – would alleviate some of the issues other car-sharing companies faced here.

And as far as getting around in Colorado winters? This first-generation model is not optimal for navigating snow and ice, but others will follow, Rivera said.

“We don’t endorse driving it in the snow,” he said. “That said, in our Colorado testing, it’s performed pretty well.”

While the cars are made now at a China manufacturing facility in a partnership with Zongshen Industrial Group – a large motorcycle manufacturer, the company is looking to build a U.S. facility. That will likely be in Arizona or Nashville, Tenn. A decision will be announced within weeks, Rivera said.

Meanwhile, if  a Colorado resident plunks down $250 to reserve a SOLO now, they might get it about this time in 2022.

“We’ve got a long waiting list,” Rivera said. “We’re going to roll out in L.A. first, then move to Arizona and Oregon. Lone Tree is going to be a great community for us.”