Another "typo" In The Latest News Article. (back Of Vehicle?)

[Sr.MailMan]

Three-cylinder engines have always been a problem in the automotive world in that it’s usually two-cylinders up and one cylinder down, which creates a rocking couple. It’s a high vibration situation usually addressed by balance shafts. It’s not clear how Elio will address that, as they’re using a very small and compact power plant package in the back of the vehicle.

 

[WilliamH]

Three-cylinder engines have always been a problem in the automotive world in that it’s usually two-cylinders up and one cylinder down, which creates a rocking couple. It’s a high vibration situation usually addressed by balance shafts. It’s not clear how Elio will address that, as they’re using a very small and compact power plant package in the back of the vehicle.

For those who don't have the link ...................

http://www.engineering.com/Advanced...6148000&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

End if sixth paragraph ........"using a very small and compact power plant package in the back of the vehicle."................

 

[Coss]

I saw that and thought they must be looking at it and thinking regular trike rather then reverse trike.
Driving backwards would be a trick

Or maybe P5 has a spare engine in the rear

 

[goldwing06]

Three-cylinder engines have always been a problem in the automotive world in that it’s usually two-cylinders up and one cylinder down, which creates a rocking couple. It’s a high vibration situation usually addressed by balance shafts. It’s not clear how Elio will address that, as they’re using a very small and compact power plant package in the back of the vehicle.

engines, regardless of number of cylinders, have evenly spaced throws on the crank, to provide even firing pulses and give the crank an inheriant smoothness of rotation. the firing pulses can produce a rocking motion, such as opposed aircraft engines and the vw with opposed cylinders, that fires on alternate sides but on the other end of the engine. another example example is the goldwing 1800 engine, that fires right front, center left then right rear, before switching that same pattern to the left side. one that is a bit more complicated is the chevy v6 with the crank pins at 120 degrees but the throws on the pins offset by 20 degrees. it still required a counter shaft to smooth out the rocking motion of the v6 but it had good torque. audi has had a 5 cylinder for decades and it is tauted as being quite smooth. then other things attached to the crank can make a difference in the final balance. triumph mc's had a 3 cyl that performed smoothly too. during the 60's and 70's, japan built 2 stroke motorcycles that had 3 cylinders and were screemers for their day. bottom line, there is nothing wrong with 3 cylinder engines. even the titanic had 3 cylinder steam engines and it was very smooth, even though each cylinder was a different size displacement. ever look at a straight 6 crank shaft and see how 2, 3 cylinder engines are hooked end to end. 2 cylinders every 120 degrees. but! the two cylinders are not adjacent to each other. they are on opposit ends of the block. that same number of cylinders on an opposed engine, would need only 3 crank throws, every 120 degrees. simpler, lighter and being opposed gives it more torque. it all depends on what u r trying to accomplish. the 3 cyl elio engine will do just fine, like the chevy metro engine that everyone(well almost everyone) assumed would be rough because of only 3 cylinders.