by Laura Ritsche
It won’t be long and the city of St. Joseph will start seeing these little cars cruising around Minnesota Street.
This summer nine Opus Motor Cars, a low-speed electric vehicle made for driving around town, will be available for purchase.
Father/son duo Sean and Tom Skahen, owners of Sunset Manufacturing, located in St. Joseph, decided to look into the idea of selling these environmentally conscious vehicles.
With the impact of the pandemic affecting their family business they both knew it was smart to keep their options open for any opportunities that might come their way.
When his son Tom brought the idea of the little cars to his attention in 2020, Sean told him, “I hate it! Tell me more.”
Now, they are the proud owners of Opus Motor Car, and the future is looking bright.
The vehicles seat up to three passengers and the speed ranges between 20-30 miles per hour, perfect for running errands or heading to a community event in town.
They can be ordered in white or black and accessories include AM/FM radio with Bluetooth, a rearview camera, moonroof, electric windows, remote locks and heater.
The cars are similar to an off-road vehicle such as a golf cart, ATV or side by side with a couple extra bells and whistles. Priced at just $7,500 they won’t be too hard on your pocketbook either.
Currently, Opus cars are primarily manufactured overseas but it sounds like that could change soon too.
“We’re excited to expand our operations stateside,” Tom said, something his current business space could help support.
No special charging hardware is needed to operate the cars. They can be plugged into a simple 110V or 220V socket with its charge holding for up to 25 miles. At current costs, Opus cars operate at three cents per mile.
“Nowadays, there is a lot of interest in alternative transportation” Skahen said. “We want to have the ability to fulfill orders from basically anywhere in the U.S.”
Opus Motor Cars company will be at a few different events coming up to spread the word and give people an opportunity to test drive an Opus.
On Saturday, April 30, you can find them at the Recharge St. Cloud event at Lake George from 10-2 p.m. And then again at the Twin Cities Auto Show held May 14-22.
Keep your eyes peeled for information on these little wonder cars as new information comes out throughout this summer.
You can continue to get updates at Facebook Opus Motor Car Co. and Instagram page @opuslittlecars.
Posing with Opus car. Hope Rassier (left) a local friend of the family and Jack Skahen, son of Sean Skahen.
Tom Skahen (left) and Sean Skahen, father-son creators of the opus electric car.
