Posted on 08/15/2014 12:57:38 AM PDT by Olog-hai
Your next commuter car could have two seats, three wheels and get 84 miles to the gallon.
Elio Motors wants to revolutionize U.S. roads with its tiny car, which is the same length as a Honda Fit but half the weight. With a starting price of $6,800, it’s also less than half the cost.
Phoenix-based Elio plans to start making the cars next fall at a former General Motors plant in Shreveport, Louisiana. […]
Because it has three wheels—two in front and one in the rear—the Elio is actually classified as a motorcycle by the U.S. government. But Elio Motors founder Paul Elio says the vehicle has all the safety features of a car, like anti-lock brakes, front and side air bags and a steel cage that surrounds the occupants. Drivers won’t be required to wear helmets or have motorcycle licenses. …
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Elio Motors and the Three Wheeled Car - A Moonshot Project ($6800, 84 mpg)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3119736/posts
Yikes! Not a lot of weight for that king of speed.
How much does a 500cc motorcycle weigh? How fast can it go?
It would probably make a good summer commuter car.
A motorcycle leans when it turns. A three wheel car doesn't.
I don’t see the relevancy of that as it would turn like a car, but sharper.
I’m looking at getting 84mpg for 9 months of the year and being protected better than any motorcycle garb could protect me.
Plus AC and shelter from the rain. Make sure you get one with a cup holder.
I gotta admit, I’m intrigued. It looks like it could be a great little runabout for running errands or a weekend getaway. If it’s nimble enough, it might even pass the Neighbor’s Suburban Test*** I apply to all these new micro vehicles.
***I have a 93 year old neighbor who drives a 1987 Suburban. Great guy, bad driver. Before I’ll get behind the wheel of any vehicle, I ask myself “does this vehicle make me feel reasonably comfortable at the prospect of sharing the road with Jerry?”
(true story, though the names were changed to protect the innocent).
That could be called the first three-wheeled minivan too. A V8 that got up to 30 mpg, though?—that’s a stretch.
The Elio’s more reminiscent (to me) of the old Messerschmitt bubble cars, especially the KR175 three-wheeler, even though the driving wheel on that one was the rear wheel and it just had a single-cylinder 9-horsepower motor with a top speed of somewhere above 50 mph.
Last I read, Elio hadn’t produced the cash and signed on the line for the plant.
Doesn’t stop the AP from shilling for him, though.
His alleged starting price for his dream car would be about $1,107 in 1970 dollars, going by the BLS’ CPI inflation calculator.
I want this!
http://www.airwheel.net/q3.html?gclid=CJzVvNb8lMACFUMLMgodmHIA3w
The ultimate convertible!
I’ve been following the Elio for over a year now, and am on their emailing list. I love the concept, the looks of it, the safety features, and above all the price. Oh, and it comes in really nice colors. I love my small SUV crossover (a 2003 Pontiac Vibe, in mint condition w/low mileage) and have hopes it will last forever (it might). But if it doesn’t, I’d love to get an Elio. It’s cool, and the mileage it gets is amazing. Tall people can easily fit in it (lots of head room). Would make a great in retirement vehicle. I’m sold on it, and I believe it will revolutionize the automobile industry in the USA and elsewhere. Plus it will be a low cost mode of transportatiin giving auto mobility to poorer folk throughout the world. Go Elio!
So no one is going to b!tch that Elio has applied for a $185 million dollar loan from the US Dept of Energy aka da gubmant to launch his company and actually get that former GM plant ?
It's called physics. Being able to lean into a high speed turn changes the center of gravity and allows compensation for centrifugal force.
Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?
Looks way overpriced. Is the plant unionized?
My Jetta diesel gets 41 combined. Plus, how are they touting this as a commuter car getting 84mpg? What a scam!
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