Elio Car/Motorcycle
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Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,476
Likes: 224
From: Frequently frozen MN
Elio Car/Motorcycle
I wonder if this thing will get off the ground -- it's kind of intriguing
Ultra High Mileage Car : Elio Motors
They're trying to manufacture a car(?) in Louisiana to sell for $6800. It's small and supposedly gets fabulous mpg.
The gimmick is that it's classified as a motorcycle by the feds. This simplifies the regulatory stuff considerably. It does give them trouble in Louisiana, as it supposedly means that you'll have to wear a helmet. Apparently they're trying to get around that.
I think that it could be a good deal -- especially if you can actually get to stuff in the engine compartment.
My concern is that the owner seems a little bit full of BS. He often speaks of 'five star crash rating'. In the FAQs, he says it's DESIGNED for a five star crash rating.
Even that claim sounds fairly bogus to me. But, if the thing IS half way decent, it could be kind of a good deal.
hj
Ultra High Mileage Car : Elio Motors
They're trying to manufacture a car(?) in Louisiana to sell for $6800. It's small and supposedly gets fabulous mpg.
The gimmick is that it's classified as a motorcycle by the feds. This simplifies the regulatory stuff considerably. It does give them trouble in Louisiana, as it supposedly means that you'll have to wear a helmet. Apparently they're trying to get around that.
I think that it could be a good deal -- especially if you can actually get to stuff in the engine compartment.
My concern is that the owner seems a little bit full of BS. He often speaks of 'five star crash rating'. In the FAQs, he says it's DESIGNED for a five star crash rating.
Even that claim sounds fairly bogus to me. But, if the thing IS half way decent, it could be kind of a good deal.
hj
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,196
Likes: 120
From: Carstairs Alberta
well he won't name engine/transmission suppliers, which makes the whole thing sound more like a dream, than an actual nuts and bolts running machine. let's see a real running machine in the parking lot with payload and fuel specs.
My 1000cc motorcycle gets about 45-48 mpg(us gal) motorcycles have notoriously bad co-efficient of drag ratio, so with better aerodynamics and decent fuel injection, and a power plant sized for reasonable performance instead of sizing and gearing for massive acceleration, mileage might be decent. So far motorcycles do not have to meet quite as ridiculous emmission specs as cars which mean the engines efficiency isn't choked quite as bad
My 1000cc motorcycle gets about 45-48 mpg(us gal) motorcycles have notoriously bad co-efficient of drag ratio, so with better aerodynamics and decent fuel injection, and a power plant sized for reasonable performance instead of sizing and gearing for massive acceleration, mileage might be decent. So far motorcycles do not have to meet quite as ridiculous emmission specs as cars which mean the engines efficiency isn't choked quite as bad
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,741
Likes: 3
ZOMG! That thing looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down!
It's a very interesting concept, but I wonder how well it will REALLY sell.... Ugly aside, I just don't see it going over very well. American culture (outside of certain coastal uber-liberal enclaves) doesn't really "do" the 1-person personal transportation, especially without the ability to carry serious amounts of "stuff."
Weren't there a lot of the same claims made about the Smart ForTwo? And we all see how well that one did...
I could actually see this going over a lot better in Europe.
-blaine
It's a very interesting concept, but I wonder how well it will REALLY sell.... Ugly aside, I just don't see it going over very well. American culture (outside of certain coastal uber-liberal enclaves) doesn't really "do" the 1-person personal transportation, especially without the ability to carry serious amounts of "stuff."
Weren't there a lot of the same claims made about the Smart ForTwo? And we all see how well that one did...
I could actually see this going over a lot better in Europe.
-blaine
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