The Elio Automatic Transmission

[Kuda]

Directly from the Elio Motors' site (I changed only the text color):

What does IAV supply to Elio Motors?
IAV is the engine designer for Elio Motors. They will design and develop the entire powertrain for the vehicle (engine, transmission, powertrain control system? Including performance, emissions, validation and endurance testing.

They may decide to use an Aisin transmission, of course, and I've seen that name floated around but I don't think it is in stone yet.

When I talked to Jerome in May he said 'Aisen'. Cost number has floated from
no difference back in '13 to not over $1,000. most recent...............
[Broken External Image]

 

[Jambe]

If I understand this now, iAV will not be doing the manufacturing of the engines--some other company will be producing ~700 engines a day (second year).

 

[goofyone]

They still haven't picked a tranny supplier. The tranny will be a single-clutch transmission, but no clutch pedal. In the automatic version the computer chooses the shift points; in the manual version the driver does it by moving a selector lever.

Not having a clutch pedal would likely be a deal breaker for me!!! o_O

What PE said in the Town Hall is that the gearbox is the same in both which will allow for flat towing in neutral. The manual transmission will still have the usual manual clutch pedal and gearshift while the automatic removes these and replace the gear shift with a drive mode selector and adds electro-mechanical actuators and a computer to control the clutch and gear changes. This is why the automatic is an extra cost option as it does cost extra money to add the actuators and computer to control the transmission.

 

[goofyone]

If I understand this now, iAV will not be doing the manufacturing of the engines--some other company will be producing ~700 engines a day (second year).

Do you know where you heard this information? I have not heard anything about an outside company actually building the engines however what has been discussed is that the castings would be produced by an outside firm as Elio Motors would not set up their own foundry and Comau is providing all the equipment and tooling needed to machine and assemble the engine along with engineers to support the process. From what we have heard all this work would happen in the plant in Shreveport with Elio employees doing most of the work.

 

[skygazer6033]

It is my understanding IAV doesn't build anything. They provide the engineering design in this case to foundry to cast the blocks, heads, cam covers etc. The foundry then ships all components to Shreveport for machining and assembly.

 

[Ekh]

Somewhere on here, I read they would be Aisin. I'll try to find that when I get home from work.

At the town hall Mr. Elio said tranny was still in discussion.

 

[Ekh]

What PE said in the Town Hall is that the gearbox is the same in both which will allow for flat towing in neutral. The manual transmission will still have the usual manual clutch pedal and gearshift while the automatic removes these and replace the gear shift with a drive mode selector and adds electro-mechanical actuators and a computer to control the clutch and gear changes. This is why the automatic is an extra cost option as it does cost extra money to add the actuators and computer to control the transmission.

If so, I'd need to test drive the automatic to make sure it wasn't a dog. But I would really prefer not to go back to a 5-speed at this point in life.

 

[dgruis]

It is a deal-breaker if the transmission does NOT offer "BOTH" forward and reverse,. Otherwise as long as it is reliable, I don't really give a flyin'-flippity-flip what tranny it uses.

It would be a 'plus', if the wheels to turn to a perpendicular position, so the Elio could move side-to-side. I would pay another $1 for this option; maybe more if it could travel side-ways at highway speeds.

 

[Snick]

It is my understanding IAV doesn't build anything. They provide the engineering design in this case to foundry to cast the blocks, heads, cam covers etc. The foundry then ships all components to Shreveport for machining and assembly.

In that case, they are an outsourced subassembly contract manufacturer.

 

[Jambe]

Do you know where you heard this information? I have not heard anything about an outside company actually building the engines however what has been discussed is that the castings would be produced by an outside firm as Elio Motors would not set up their own foundry and Comau is providing all the equipment and tooling needed to machine and assemble the engine along with engineers to support the process. From what we have heard all this work would happen in the plant in Shreveport with Elio employees doing most of the work.

If I understand this now, iAV will not be doing the manufacturing of the engines--some other company will be producing ~700 engines a day (second year).

Let me restate my quote...
If I understand this now, iAV will not be doing the manufacturing of the engines--some company other than iAV will be producing ~700 engines a day (second year). That other company may well be Elio at Shreveport.

Sorry for the confusion. I was just emphasizing my understanding that iAV will not be the manufacturer.