Comments From A Mechanical Engineer

[NSTG8R]

But the Elio isn't a car.....

Thank goodness! It'd never see the light of day with the bull**** US regulations.

 

[JEBar]

Yes, ABS, Traction Control, and Electronic Stability Control are all standard on the Elio as part of their fiver star safety rating goal and these are required in all cars today.

But the Elio isn't a car.....

since day one earning a 5 star crash rating has been a cornerstone of the concept behind Elio Motors .... I don't know of any motorcycle ever undergoing automotive level crash testing .... if they are able to obtain the 5 star rating, it will give them a strong marketing tool to help get folks who don't feel small vehicles are safe to drive to take a look at an Elio .... it may well help folks who buy an Elio with the cost of insurance .... when it comes to dealing with both governmental and public concerns, the company is walking a fine line in trying to position itself to get the best of both worlds

Jim

 

[goldwing06]

since day one earning a 5 star crash rating has been a cornerstone of the concept behind Elio Motors .... I don't know of any motorcycle ever undergoing automotive level crash testing .... if they are able to obtain the 5 star rating, it will give them a strong marketing tool to help get folks who don't feel small vehicles are safe to drive to take a look at an Elio .... it may well help folks who buy an Elio with the cost of insurance .... when it comes to dealing with both governmental and public concerns, the company is walking a fine line in trying to position itself to get the best of both worlds

Jim

it is impossible for a mc to ever have a 5 star crash rating. if u call the elio a mc for lic purpose, u would seem to exclude the elio from being worthy of the rating. i'm not gonna try to figure this out but it just seems that elio motors is setting its self up for some clever lawer to pull the rug from under the sales gimmick of calling it something it isn't . gonna be interesting to see where this winds up.

 

[BillZ]

I don't want to be one to be picky, but I thing you mean that EM is seeking a 5 star safety rating and not a crash rating. From the pictures, I don't think the Elio will survive any kind of actual crash very well.

 

[Charlie G]

I don't want to be one to be picky, but I thing you mean that EM is seeking a 5 star safety rating and not a crash rating. From the pictures, I don't think the Elio will survive any kind of actual crash very well.

Those are the same thing if we're talking about NHTSA. I don't think it's unimaginable that they'll be able to be equivalent to 5-star (motorcycles don't get gov tested).

The 2015 Smart is smaller than the Elio will be and manges 4 stars overall, with lacking categories being frontal impact and rollover.
Elio will be longer (more crumple in front of the driver) and have a lower center of gravity (possibly less rollable).

Edit: the Smart is also nearly 1k pounds heavier. More mass means more smash.

 

[R]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion which could be right or wrong...
Reviewers often loose sight of the design function or reason why the a particular design was adopted.....the Elio is a commuter car and was not intended for racing fast into corners although I believe Elio Motors had taken this into consideration (in case of emergency) and will make very effort to make it safe within reason.
The 5 star safety rating would be a tough call if they use the same methods as a 4 wheel car, but considering it is classified as a motorcycle and a first in the industry, this is something we just have to sit out, await results and hope for the best.

All reasons considered, I am still looking forward to see one in my driveway.

 

[goldwing06]

I don't want to be one to be picky, but I thing you mean that EM is seeking a 5 star safety rating and not a crash rating. From the pictures, I don't think the Elio will survive any kind of actual crash very well.

actually bill, it's not that it won't survive a crash test, after looking at the computer simulations and seeing the frame construction, it appears that the vehicle will hold up very well in all but the most violent collisions. can't say the same for any occupants, because of the very limited crush area to absorb impact, especially side impact. hopefully, that's where the air bags will come into play. one very vulnurable part of the vehicle is the front wheels. it is just too delicate to imagine it surviving a simple fender bender without sustaining fairly expensive damage. all of these issues are an acceptable risk for me and thats why i'm all in, but for the market segmet that has not considered all the possibilites and are simply lured by the price of the vehicle, i think it may create some unhappy campers.(low information voters come to mind)

 

[zelio]

I don't want to be one to be picky, but I thing you mean that EM is seeking a 5 star safety rating and not a crash rating. From the pictures, I don't think the Elio will survive any kind of actual crash very well.

If I was a gambler for things other than my Elio, I would be curious about the kind of odds that would be placed in Las Vegas on this topic. I personally feel the Elio's light weight will aid and abet it in being pushed away from crashes. The exception being if/when it is being hit from two sides at once or is hit against a solid object by another vehicle. Both situations would be very bad in almost any car but especially small cars. Of course that is my totally biased and not the least bit humble opinion. :-) Z

 

[Dusty921]

The Elio and it's passengers will fare far better than the "Dumb Car" with or with out the rating. look at the picks of the chassis/crumple zones/airbags etc. Watch the animations of front and rear collisions. I trust this design better than much of the crap on the road today. I'm no engineer, but I've had some really hard hits in race cars that I built or had a hand in building and I like what I see. I managed a parts dept. in a large collision center for seven years, so I've seen, up close and personal results with Rio, Sonic, Fiesta, Yaris, Fit, Aveo, Soul, Accent, Scion, Versa, Juke, etc, They all scare me more than the Elio.

 

[BlioKart]

When the power is abruptly reduced in fwd cars in a corner they tend to tuck the nose in tighter because of the forward shift of weight causing increased traction. And to beat all else, when a fwd sporty car is hard in a corner, it lifts the REAR tire.

I

was hard to find this picture if you watch a lot of sports car racing as I do FWD cars 3 wheel it around turns sometimes.