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Momentum V93 - C

Rob Croson

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If an always on rear facing camera screen was mounted like a rear view mirror, IMHO, it would help with safety and driving for those folks (most of us) who use rear view mirrors in other vehicles .
There are regulations regarding the placement of video screen in sight of the driver. Many manufacturers would love to get rid of side mounted rear view mirrors and replace them with cameras and screens. It would greatly help the aerodynamics of the vehicle, possible provide expanded vision angle and reduce blind spots, and reduce potential vehicle damage due to the projecting mirrors. However, the feds won't let them. Manufacturers cannot mount always-on video screens in sight of the driver.
 

RSchneider

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Matching paint color to plastic mold color is difficult. Companies have pretty much got to the point where they can paint plastic at the same time as the metal. You have to remember, we've been using plastic bumper covers that are painted for 30+ years and the technology as of today is better than ever. The downfall is that they will still chip but it take much more abuse to get it to chip. If you are looking for something to be perfect then doing a metal cover in chrome will give you a better result. It's just that, it's more expensive to make and heavier.
 

CheeseheadEarl

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Im not sure if I've seen this blog before or if its just common knowledge regarding Elio. In any event, they are singing to the choir. The primary reason for my interest in the Elio is a the commute. My commute is 1.5hrs. Around 160 miles round trip. So yes, Fuel efficiency is important to me. Cost is also important because I will have worn this car out in about a year an a half and Ill need a new one. Reliability then comes into play. So yes Elio, you will make a significant impact on my commute and as a result, my quality of life as well. So just build the thing already....... I have saved every gas receipt(some flew out the window last summer) from the moment I started following Elio in 2012/13. This year in total the delays in production have cost me the amount of the original list price of the vehicle in gas and were concerned about rear view mirror paint? I wish I had that luxury.

While I agree with most of what you say,

"My commute is 1.5hrs. Around 160 miles round trip. So yes, Fuel efficiency is important to me. Cost is also important because I will have worn this car out in about a year an a half and Ill need a new one"

- how do you wear a car out in 65000 miles or so? At that rate, it'd take nearly 5 cars to replace what my 16 year old commuter car has done. Currently at 310,000+ and showing no signs of tipping over soon. When it does, can I have your next "worn out" car? :D

Like I said, I agree with you, just picking on ya a little. I consider stuff worn out only when the only buyer is the junkyard.
 

NSTG8R

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jevans64

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You should try a smart...........
Here's my stats for the last 8 years:
i67.tinypic.com_c3pjk.jpg

As you can see, in 8 years and 115,000 miles I have spent less than $10000 in gas.....and that premium gas :D

That's the one thing that bothered me about the Smart... too much compromise for too little gain. I keep a physical log book of my mileage and then enter that data into an Excel spreadsheet I designed myself. I don't count the number of fill-ups, but that isn't hard since I could just do a row count of populated fields to get those numbers.

I have a 2004 Pontiac Sunfire with a slightly-improved engine that is around 160 horses. The lowest MPG I got was 25.31 when I put on a set of Sumitomo tires that weren't that efficient. It has hovered around 30 MPG since I put on a decent set of H-rated Goodyear Eagle tires. My stats are 127159 miles costing $10,909.15 and using 4413.17 gallons.

I bought a 2016 Honda Fit and that gets a solid 40 MPG on my commute. That little car has a nice, big opening in the back big enough for a lot of things. Only disappointment for me is the size of the fuel tank. I still have to fill up once a week but these two vehicles will tide me over until I can finally get my Elio. Just put a lot of money into the Sunfire to keep it in good running condition but it is getting to a point where it is not worth the cost to keep it.
 

Ty

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I've been reading this forum since last year but this comment required that I sign up as a new member. Frim, this is an excellent idea. I sent an email to Elio suggesting the same thing. I received a non-committal type reply. If an always on rear facing camera screen was mounted like a rear view mirror, IMHO, it would help with safety and driving for those folks (most of us) who use rear view mirrors in other vehicles .
Video in line of sight during driving is illegal most places. That's why cars with rear cameras have it set to be off when moving forward or perhaps a slight delay.
 

Burg

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While I agree with most of what you say,

"My commute is 1.5hrs. Around 160 miles round trip. So yes, Fuel efficiency is important to me. Cost is also important because I will have worn this car out in about a year an a half and Ill need a new one"

- how do you wear a car out in 65000 miles or so? At that rate, it'd take nearly 5 cars to replace what my 16 year old commuter car has done. Currently at 310,000+ and showing no signs of tipping over soon. When it does, can I have your next "worn out" car? :D

Like I said, I agree with you, just picking on ya a little. I consider stuff worn out only when the only buyer is the junkyard.

Easy! Talking to those engineers who actually build automobiles ( including the very nice and very smart folks at Elio that I have met at various shows) and you would be told that generally they don't build the cars to last 300K miles, but many just do last that long anyway. Others not so much. My truck has some 200K on it and its doing pretty good. So the reference is mainly to what they will warranty, which every car I have bought since 1998 has had a 30/60K mile warranty. I believe the Elio will be in the same range but don't quote me on that.

Ultimately I hope the Elio will last longer than its warranty and from what I see and what they are promoting, we should be able to take care of much of our vehicles on our own. Thats something I haven't been particularly excited about doing myself since front wheel drive took up all the space under the hood.
 
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