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The Ever Falling Hp Of The Elio.... :(

How slow are you willing to go 0-60 mph?

  • the faster the better!

    Votes: 23 15.2%
  • under 8.0 sec

    Votes: 6 4.0%
  • under 9.0 sec

    Votes: 7 4.6%
  • under 10.0 sec (original Elio claim)

    Votes: 89 58.9%
  • As slow as necessary to ensure 84 mgp hwy

    Votes: 26 17.2%

  • Total voters
    151

Paladin4Elio

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I've been driving for a few decades and in that time I've discovered good acceleration -- like good handling, good brakes, or a good horn -- can help you avoid accidents.

I heard about the Elio several years ago. (Watched Aptera fold during that time....) About 6 months ago I heard Elio was still coming to market. A few weeks ago I heard more Elio news so I read up on it.

Going thru old info on the web, I read it was coming w/70hp, then 60 (w/Mr. Elio saying he's willing to go down to 50 hp to get 84 mpg hwy), and today I read in a new Forbes article it says twice the Elio will come with 55 hp engine.... (Unless Forbes confused the Geo Metro engine's hp w/the production model's.)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorz...e-wheel-car-that-could-be-the-next-big-thing/

Assuming the weight stays the same, falling hp means decreasing rates of acceleration. So, instead of a poll re. hp ("How low are you willing to go?"), I thought I'd cut to the bottom line: How slow are you willing to go 0-60 mph?
 

Ty

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You could have added a couple that were slower than the original estimate. Some.people may be will I.g to take much longer (not me) but it wouldn't make sense for.someone to pick a shorter time than Elio advertised. That would be saying "I am getting an Elio but am not willing to go as slowly as they advertise".
 

Paladin4Elio

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You could have added a couple that were slower than the original estimate. Some.people may be will I.g to take much longer (not me) but it wouldn't make sense for.someone to pick a shorter time than Elio advertised. That would be saying "I am getting an Elio but am not willing to go as slowly as they advertise".
IIRC, the "sub 10 sec" 0 - 60 mph estimate was w/the original 70 hp claim. I have not read elsewhere if that acceleration time has changed w/the changing HP claims. I'm just assuming you can't go from 70 hp to 55 hp (a loss of >20% of your hp) w/o losing some acceleration.

Since I can't edit the poll, feel free to post how much slower than 10 sec for 0 - 60 mph you'd be willing to go.
 
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2.ooohhh

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I love fast cars, in my sports cars I won't put up with slow, but in an elio that costs a fraction of any modern performance car's cost that I plan to commute in I can deal with it being quite slow from the factory.(I can always fix that later)

My 1971 VW bus only came with 57 hp and it weighs more than 2x what the elio is supposed to yet it gets from A to B acceptably considering it's age and the fact that it's also dragging around a extra bedroom and kitchen.;)
 

bowers baldwin

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IIRC, the "sub 10 sec" 0 - 60 mph estimate was w/the original 70 hp claim. I have not read elsewhere if that acceleration time has changed w/the changing HP claims. I'm just assuming you can't go from 70 hp to 55 hp (a loss of >20% of your hp) w/o losing some acceleration.

Since I can't edit the poll, feel free to post how slow you'd be willing to go 0 - 60 mph.
The HP has gone down but I don't see where the torque has changed.
 

Ty

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IIRC, the "sub 10 sec" 0 - 60 mph estimate was w/the original 70 hp claim. I have not read elsewhere if that acceleration time has changed w/the changing HP claims. I'm just assuming you can't go from 70 hp to 55 hp (a loss of >20% of your hp) w/o losing some acceleration.

Since I can't edit the poll, feel free to post how slow you'd be willing to go 0 - 60 mph.
That's true for sure... unless you lose quite a bit of weight in the process! 0-60 in a Prius takes 10.9 seconds according to Motor Trend... that is pretty slow. The Elio would almost feel sprightly.
 

2.ooohhh

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Assuming the weight stays the same, falling hp means decreasing rates of acceleration. So, instead of a poll re. hp ("How low are you willing to go?"), I thought I'd cut to the bottom line: How slow are you willing to go 0-60 mph?

Actually, they could also change the final drive ratio slightly and take a little of the top end off in exchange for faster acceleration with the reduced HP as well.
 

Ty

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Actually, they could also change the final drive ratio slightly and take a little of the top end off in exchange for faster acceleration with the reduced HP as well.
That is a very simple explanation of how torque and horsepower are related. I like it.

A theoretical racecar and tractor both have same horsepower but through gearing, tractor has more torque. The racecar doesn't require as much work (torque) to make it move so it is geared for higher speed. The racecar may use all of its power (horse power, kw/hrs.... whatever) to reach its top speed of 200mph while the tractor uses that same power to pull thousands of pounds but at a much slower speed.

Torque * RPM / 5,252 = Horsepower

For anyone still confused, if you were to have to push your Elio, it would take a hard shove to get it moving... that is you applying torque. Once moving, it takes very little push to keep your Elio moving (assuming you are on a flat road and your driver is keeping it straight). Now, since it is moving, you may be able to keep it rolling by barely pushing it. To speed up, you increase your speed while pushing a little harder. Now, you should notice that you can either use your energy (power) either to change the speed quickly OR to keep it moving at a faster pace. Torque changes speed, Horsepower maintains speed. Now, to further muddy the water, without torque, Horsepower is useless and without horsepower, torque is useless. LOL... not sure why I wanted to try to explain that. But, I did.
 

ArthurKent

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To clarify - torque is a unit of FORCE, measured in pound feet or newton meters.
horsepower is a unit of WORK, or force across distance (rpm in equation).
Torque varies as engine speed varies and so does horsepower. Manufacturers only
report PEAK horsepower figure and PEAK torque figure, and at what rpm level they
occur (rarely the same). Torque is what an engine dyno actually measures. Horsepower
is then calculated using the rpm and torque figures to show the horsepower available at that particular rpm.
I looked back at some acceleration figurs and they might surprise some folks. IN 1967, the Austin-Healey 3000
Mk2 recorded published road test acceleration : 0 to 60 times of 11 seconds, slower than the Elio.
The Austin-Healey was driven in many races, had a top speed of probably 110 MPH and was considered a
quick sports car. Go figure.
 

Jim H

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Going slower to improve fuel mileage should be a choice of the driver. I want to be able to accelerate on to the freeway or make a pass as rapidly as possible rather than be restricted by the capabilities of the vehicle. Any vehicle that doesn't have the speed to get out of the way so protect myself it is the wrong vehicle for me.
 
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