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Actually, counselor, I disagree with that statement, since fenders can be viewed as helmets. They may not stop everything but they can deflect many things and soften blows. On many cars the "fender" consists of a foot or more of front-end plus the hood. Something falling from a truck or a rock...

"Spacious" sound may be tricky in such a narrow cabin, but at least you'll be centered for good stereo imaging. If we all listened to home stereos as we do car stereos we'd be sitting next to the left speaker(s) all the time, though it seems to work out somehow with all that sound bouncing...

I hadn't heard of that - good concept. http://www.eliomotors.com/press-release-elio-motors-teams-with-infinite-skyz-turns-84-mpg-elio-into-connected-internet-vehicle/

It's a tougher looking vehicle than the Aptera people waited on, but it's still prone to the vaporware curse like anything this radical. It's also dependent on a shortsighted buying public whom mass marketers must appease. Geologically-ignorant people are being fooled by this temporary shale...

Good point about ATV exposure to worse stuff than most cars see. I'm not going to sweat about much except vandalism. It reminds me of exposed engines (e.g. Baja Bugs) where some cretin can just walk by and tear off a part; visual temptation, not just ease of access. Carry on with the positive...

I'm going to view it in the same way I wonder how horses can run on such spindly looking legs; obviously they do. I mainly want to see this contraption get to market and get on with the business of saving fuel and money. This is the very sort of car I'd design on my own.

But on regular cars there is indeed protection on all sides except the outer edge and bottom. Not sealed protection, just a first defense barrier against debris. Fenders exist to protect more than just tires. I'm not here to bash Elio, just to get details that seem in need of getting.

Has that rig ever sat outside in an ice storm? I live in an area where that can happen. Wouldn't want to have to chip away at both the windshield and the suspension just to drive. I'd probably improvise some covers if it was predictable weather. The tendency in this thread has been to dismiss...

Well, that's my point. Stuff coming straight at them with no barrier is new to me.

I agree to a point, but a well integrated barrier in front of the axles wouldn't be much different than cowling or bumpers in a regular car, which I'd always prefer if given a choice. I'll file this under "it is what it is" and see how it fares in consumer reviews.

Useful to know. I've just never driven anything that looks that fragile and exposed. For the price and high MPG I'll take the chance.

I do like the Elio, but not in a faith-based way (Murphy's Law adherent). If they don't protect those linkages I'd look into aftermarket kits or invent my own mod. At least the CV boots seem to be inside the body cowling. I've had one punctured on a truck, and not even during serious...

Do you have an example of something similar to it that's withstood many road miles? I can't think of anything mass market besides Can-Am, and those look stouter somehow (can't find details on their luck offhand). Hitting debris could take out the Elio brake line if something started spooling...

I like the steering linkage protection vs. the Elio's outriggers. It looks like vaporware in general, though. Don't forget the Aptera.

You'd better believe oil prices will rise again, and not by random chance. Short attention spans ignore geology. There have been many price swings since that first big 2008 spike, with a major one right afterward as world demand collapsed. Prices are low right now because of unexpected (but not...

My biggest safety & reliability concern is the whole exposed outrigger linkage, especially what appears to be braided brake lines (emphasized in this view). Wind will be battering that area constantly, along with random debris. A cowl to at least partly protect it would make me a lot more...

Drivers coming toward you could also misjudge the width of the vehicle, even with reflectors all around. It's similar to a one-eyed car mistaken for a motorcycle; the left headlight is the most risky one to lose. If there's a way to put guide-lights on the Elio fenders they should add those. Or...