Elio Crowdfunding

[Ekh]

Lilly, EM just posted this on FB
"We have an upcoming supplier summit on August 13-14 where one of the main focuses is finalizing the timeline now that funding is becoming clearer. These are certainly exciting times, and the best place for new information is through our weekly Three Wheeling blogs as well as Momentums!"

All the news that's fit to print, I guess.

 

[Ekh]

I get about 12 lobsters and here's that P5 View attachment 6394

Ooooh! I want one of those trikes. Can I have one, please?

 

[Ekh]

I believe some people may be looking at this a little wrong. There are certain parts that are going to be off the shelf and just put on the Elio... The Steering wheel and Steering Column, for instance. Those are easy to get (if they haven't already purchased them). So, They will use their jigs and CAD models and build the frame for P5 and then see if everything else fits where they think it will. If it doesn't, they'll update their CAD drawing and fix P5... Then, they'll fab P6. Did that fix the issues? Yes? They can then start pumping out P7-30 (they could have any number of false starts but I'm keeping it at just the one). Now, as soon as they see that P6 is good, they'll start attaching all the body panels and such to make sure they fit right. If they don't, they'll change the body attach points to match the now finalized frame. Odds are, they'll either already fit or be really close.

What you'll see is this type of timeline:
f=frame, e=engine, t=transmission, b=body, I=interior, r=rework, c=complete (I'm skipping out on paint because it'll happen before panels are applied to the frame and it is most likely that P5 will be unpainted until it is assembled at which point they'll disassemble it in order to paint the panels.

Here's that Timeline:

P05----ffffffffffeeeeer---ffffffffffeeetttttb-----r---b----I----r---I--c
P06----------------------------------fffffffffeeettttttttttttttttbbbbbbI----c
P07------------------------------------------fffff--------------eeetttbbbbI----c
P08-----------------------------------------------fff------------------eet----bbI--c
P09--------------------------------------------------fff--------------------et-------bI-c
P10-----------------------------------------------------fff--------------------et--------bI-c
P11--------------------------------------------------------fff--------------------et---------bI-c
P12-----------------------------------------------------------fff--------------------et----------bI-c
P13--------------------------------------------------------------fff--------------------et-----------bI-c

This assumes that the same shop is making all the Prototypes and that they have areas for all the major components but only one area per section. For instance, they only have one frame jig so they can't be making two frames at the same time. Further, they CAN work on frames while another Elio is having it's body assembled.

This is notational, of course. My point is that the first one will take much longer than all subsequent ones. At the P4 stage in my example, everything is finalized and they are just becoming more efficient at assembly. I would think that once they hit P08, they'd start finalizing Shreveport's line more. They'll know how the frame needs to be assembled for example.

Anyway, If it were to take a day to make a frame for P08, and a day to assemble the suspension parts, a day to install the engine/tranny set up, a day to install painted body panels, a day to put in the interior... They'll be able to pump out one Elio per day... given just 5 work stations. (They won't be efficient by any stretch of the imagination... remember, Shreveport will be putting out one Elio every 54 seconds. So, this method is 533 TIMES slower... and still should be able to put out one a day. (painting the panels... ALL the panels, can occur as soon as the design is verified.)

I would wager that they'll be able to make more than one frame a day by the time they are on P07... The engine and transmission are easy to stab in. I've done it in less than an hour with the body in the way from a beam in a carport... surely professionals will be faster (plus, the Elio engine will be much lighter than that crappy Nova V-8!). It's harder to bolt on a transmission that is already mounted in the car versus putting the two in as a single unit. I just can't see any of these operations taking more than a day once the design is proven... In fact, I'd bet that I'd be able to do it with about 3 helpers. (after shown how to make the frame... never was much of a welder) I mean, really, the Elio is pretty simple and light enough that it's associated parts won't be hard to move around.

Thanks, Ty. This one's a public service, for sure. I think you meant "notional" in para 2, not "notational," but we get the idea. I wonder how much 2 frame jigs would speed things up?

 

[LillyMayPatterson #1685 & #5648]

Lilly, EM just posted this on FB
"We have an upcoming supplier summit on August 13-14

HEY JOHN ! That is right before the 'maybe' Woodward Dream Cruise in Michigan. I got plans to be there a day early. I wonder if I could attend the supplier summit Friday? OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY !!!

 

[Ekh]

Looking at the $26,814,400 now recorded, I'm beginning to think that EM might actually REALIZE $25 million out of this effort, assuming the percentage of fake bids is really low and the percentage of realistic "bids" is pretty constant. I have no way to tell about the fake bids, but my sense of things is that the expressions of interest are running consistently and steadily enough to be an expression of the whole thing. In other words, the overall picture painted by these numbers is increasingly accurate as time goes on. In TQM terms, the process is looking pretty stable. That is GOOD NEWS.

 

[John Painter]

Ooooh! I want one of those trikes. Can I have one, please?

Let me consult my crystal ball, PE gave me several cracked ones.

 

[John Painter]

I believe some people may be looking at this a little wrong. There are certain parts that are going to be off the shelf and just put on the Elio... The Steering wheel and Steering Column, for instance. Those are easy to get (if they haven't already purchased them). So, They will use their jigs and CAD models and build the frame for P5 and then see if everything else fits where they think it will. If it doesn't, they'll update their CAD drawing and fix P5... Then, they'll fab P6. Did that fix the issues? Yes? They can then start pumping out P7-30 (they could have any number of false starts but I'm keeping it at just the one). Now, as soon as they see that P6 is good, they'll start attaching all the body panels and such to make sure they fit right. If they don't, they'll change the body attach points to match the now finalized frame. Odds are, they'll either already fit or be really close.

What you'll see is this type of timeline:
f=frame, e=engine, t=transmission, b=body, I=interior, r=rework, c=complete (I'm skipping out on paint because it'll happen before panels are applied to the frame and it is most likely that P5 will be unpainted until it is assembled at which point they'll disassemble it in order to paint the panels.

Here's that Timeline:

P05----ffffffffffeeeeer---ffffffffffeeetttttb-----r---b----I----r---I--c
P06----------------------------------fffffffffeeettttttttttttttttbbbbbbI----c
P07------------------------------------------fffff--------------eeetttbbbbI----c
P08-----------------------------------------------fff------------------eet----bbI--c
P09--------------------------------------------------fff--------------------et-------bI-c
P10-----------------------------------------------------fff--------------------et--------bI-c
P11--------------------------------------------------------fff--------------------et---------bI-c
P12-----------------------------------------------------------fff--------------------et----------bI-c
P13--------------------------------------------------------------fff--------------------et-----------bI-c

This assumes that the same shop is making all the Prototypes and that they have areas for all the major components but only one area per section. For instance, they only have one frame jig so they can't be making two frames at the same time. Further, they CAN work on frames while another Elio is having it's body assembled.

This is notational, of course. My point is that the first one will take much longer than all subsequent ones. At the P4 stage in my example, everything is finalized and they are just becoming more efficient at assembly. I would think that once they hit P08, they'd start finalizing Shreveport's line more. They'll know how the frame needs to be assembled for example.

Anyway, If it were to take a day to make a frame for P08, and a day to assemble the suspension parts, a day to install the engine/tranny set up, a day to install painted body panels, a day to put in the interior... They'll be able to pump out one Elio per day... given just 5 work stations. (They won't be efficient by any stretch of the imagination... remember, Shreveport will be putting out one Elio every 54 seconds. So, this method is 533 TIMES slower... and still should be able to put out one a day. (painting the panels... ALL the panels, can occur as soon as the design is verified.)

I would wager that they'll be able to make more than one frame a day by the time they are on P07... The engine and transmission are easy to stab in. I've done it in less than an hour with the body in the way from a beam in a carport... surely professionals will be faster (plus, the Elio engine will be much lighter than that crappy Nova V-8!). It's harder to bolt on a transmission that is already mounted in the car versus putting the two in as a single unit. I just can't see any of these operations taking more than a day once the design is proven... In fact, I'd bet that I'd be able to do it with about 3 helpers. (after shown how to make the frame... never was much of a welder) I mean, really, the Elio is pretty simple and light enough that it's associated parts won't be hard to move around.

Interesting blog just put out by Elio, not sure I understand, seems like you do, can you describe more about the process sort of kind of one-off builds, but not really?
"The “E” vehicles will not be made in succession like the “P” vehicles, they will be made essentially at the same time. This will significantly shorten the timeline versus making 25 vehicles one after the other."

 

[Jambe]

According to a statement by PE the P6 and up are being built right now--end of July.

Edit: When I wrote this I hadn't read today's Three-Wheeling blog. I was going on what had been said previously and now the P6 and up vehicles are to be referred to as E1 and up.
Timeline remains as I stated.

 

[Ekh]

Correction, please. E1 through E... P5 is the last prototype. EM has told us in no uncertain terms that the remaining pre-production cars are Engineering vehicles, and they can be built at more or less the same time. http://www.eliomotors.com/what-is-p-to-e/

 

[Ekh]

Ty, how does this press release square with your chart of build steps and progress?