Posted on 08/13/2013 11:40:37 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The folks from Elio Motors dropped by the Philadelphia Business Journal offices in Old City on Monday to show off their new concept car (see attached photo gallery). Small in stature and containing three wheels (two in the front, one in the back), the car costs just $6,800 and gets 87 mpg highway (49 mpg city).
Although still in the concept and fundraising stages, Elio’s top brass has been showing off the vehicle across the country – from its headquarters in Shreveport, La. to New York to Detroit. For the first time, they revealed a prototype of the car’s engine, which has not yet been seen by any other news organization (see photos.)
The company plans to eventually have showrooms and dealerships across Philadelphia and all of the top 60 markets in the United States.
But starting a car company from scratch is no easy grind....
(Excerpt) Read more at bizjournals.com ...
The Elio is bigger than the Jetta in height, front wheel track, and wheelbase. It’s about the same as most compact cars in those dimensions. It has a roll cage and air bags. It is on track to get a 5 star safety rating. It’s not as safe as a Hummer but comparable to many vehicles out there today.
I have a degree in mechanical engineering, and this design is a no-brainer. I've been saying for years, just give me a covered bike, or trike, with two in-line seats.
The rocket-shape is crucial, because it cuts waaaay down on drag.
This is what practical, low-mpg transportation looks like. A great second or third car, as others have said.
Most gas is used to displace air. This car has half the air displacement of a small car and probably half the weight. No magic, but that reasonably gets you to 84 mpg.
It’s more aerodynamic than a motorcycle even if the weight is higher.
Low drag coefficient. Compare the front-view profile to a four-seater profile. It's probably less than 50%.
A/C. Heat. Lower drag. Better mileage. More cargo space.
Other than that, nothing.
It's like comparing a motorcycle to a car. Why would I buy a motorcycle when a car is bigger, more comfortable, etc? Apples and oranges.
It's a car for a city-dweller, single person, commuter vehicle, around-town car, or a second, third, or fourth car. I'd love to have one as a third car. I hate paying for gas.
Their was a homebuilt 3 wheeler on Ebay a couple of years ago built for grins and giggles by a Ford Enganeer. it was Tadpole, Cro-Mo Chassis, bubble Canopy ( Sonerai or RV-4 homebuilt aircraft is my guess), Lotus 7 front suspension parts, and a Kawasaki 250cc engine in the rear.
He claimed 125mpg on the highway and was asking $12,000.
Yes this is do-able, CNG will make it even more of a quantum leap.
But you and I would agree, I think their price-point is way off. And, they are very coy about what engine etc they are using. My guess maybe Generac.
IMHO the people to pull this off who should buy the whole Shaboygan and it is a can-do culture is Polaris Industries. IMHO with their foray into electric / over-sized golf carts for the streets and their ATV DNA, they are natural, and I have been saying for EON's they are a threat to the big three that no one sees coming...
One more thing, can you see the Lotus 7 DNA in this thing? I can, and in other high mileage vehicles and conversations that I can't get into here....
Makes sense. They already have the Spyder trike.
But they weren't shooting for mileage, just a motorcycle experience for older folks. I'm sure they did their market research. I'm surprised that their research didn't tell them that there is a market for high-mileage, covered trikes. I would definitely go for one, if they can get anywhere near that price point.
I can certainly see “Super 7” in this Elio ... the engine seems made for turbocharging ... just get me a set of “R” compound tires and a week to tune the suspension! I could probably gain 50-70% on the hp and salvage 80%+ of the mpg by simply having dual modes in the computer or branch off to “sport” mode when the TPS registers greater than 50% or anytime the MAP sensor shows positive values... with no more than a 40-50 lb. weight gain. It would be SWEET with a CVT...nothing to upset the suspension mid corner.
The Wittman Tailwind :-)...
That’s a MAN Baby!!!
That was my first thought also. The founder of that company was transgender, back when transgender wasn’t cool. Went to prison, I think due to some, uh, problems with the, uh, financing of the company.
Not long ago there was an article about VW’s efforts in the high-MPG dep’t, read the article in the car mag at the dentist’s office, and clearly I should have stolen it, because I couldn’t find it online or at the office when I had my next app’t.
Basically, VW’s go-get’em fearless leader set a goal for a 200+ mpg vehicle which VW’s engineers missed by a few years, but the company is actually going to build in small quantities.
It can maintain 60 mph with less than 7 hp, stunning.
The problem with the vehicle is, the weight reduction needed for this kind of performance means no sound-deadening, so earplugs will probably need to be worn. It won’t be sold in the US.
The upshot is, we’ll probably see 100+ mpg vehicles on the market, from VW at least, within a few years.
Suitable as a town car. And I’m all for the notion of bringing back the town car. A two-worker family doesn’t need both cars to be also suitable for making family trips to visit the folks.
>> Why have a motorcycle/scooter with walls? Ridiculous. <<
Lemme guess... you’re from the South?
nailbiter
You think you hate it now, wait until you drive it.
“Ok Sven tell the audience about your days fighting air battles against the Germans.”
“Vell, dere vuz dis one day I was fighting and dere vuz a Fokker up above me and a Fokker below...”
“Wait, maybe you better explain to the audience that a Fokker is a type of German Airplane...”
“Oh, yah yah, it was, but dese fokkers vas flying messerschmitt’s “
I have a Honda 250 Reflex. With a large car tire on the rear it gets over 80 mpg and does fine on the highway.
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