Another Year Gone By...has Anything Changed?

[Ty]

So I said I would check back in July....I assume they are available and I can take delivery now...right? (LOL)


I read they are hand building 25 units for crash testing. Any other testing?
I read they plan to build 100 units to give to someone for fleet vehicles...are these going to Roush for testing and improvements? Are these to be more hand-built units?

Is there a hard and fast production date yet? ( AND I do mean a real date, not yet another tentative date )
Are they to be made of steel instead of the plastic body panels? I thought I heard that in the video of the plant...maybe I heard it wrong
I saw video of the plant, but there was no actual tooling set up for the Elio...any big changes to that yet, or still basically as it was when GM left?
I see they want money from a fund that is specifically designed for MPG improvements, but has never given anyone any money...what if that fails?

Did they complete any tests on the new engine for fuel efficiency?

Any other important updates I missed?

Thanks for keeping me updated

They are hand-building 23 for testing... not crash testing. The first went to Continental so they can finish up the traction control system. Some will be crashed, some for durability testing, others for NVH testing... the list goes on. The 100 are not going to Roush. Roush will be done with the engineering by that point (if they aren't already). Plastic or Steel? Don't know for sure yet. GM plant is being reworked. A lot of the equipment has been moved around. It doesn't look the same as it did when GM was there. Some things are still in place though. The vehicle dollies haven't been built yet. The ATVM loan HAS actually "given" money to people... Ford, Nissan, and Tesla come to mind. They've done MPG testing on the engine though I don't know how that fared.

 

[Ekh]

Well....

• Elio Motors sold $17M worth of stock to non-qualified investors as part of a Regulation A+ crowdfunding campaign, and is now listed on the OTCQX stock exchange, publicly traded.
• The funds are being used to build and test the 25 E-series models.
• The frame and engine cradle designs have been finalized and sent to the fabricators so they can build those parts for the E-Series
• They are still quoting 4th quarter 2016 as the start of production
• AFAIK the factory is not yet being set up. The creation of the tooling is, I believe, part of the E-series build goals

Not really. It's looking more and more like mid-2017 for full production. The 100 test cars will be built in Shreveport, but they really can't get the doors wide open without $270 million more in capital.

 

[Jeff Porter]

Ty is right about the number of test vehicles being built... it's a small detail, but the number is 23 as stated by EM recently.

 

[johnsnownw]

Not really. It's looking more and more like mid-2017 for full production. The 100 test cars will be built in Shreveport, but they really can't get the doors wide open without $270 million more in capital.

Really? I don't mean to be a "Negative Nancy," but as I recall that mid-2017 figure was given with the idea that it was the best case scenario if everything went smoothly. That is, that the E-series testing doesn't uncover any major design modifications...but I believe that's the entire point. It seems unlikely that the testing will not uncover issues.

Again, not saying it's impossible...just that it would seem counter to the point of E-series build.

 

[KScarguy]

OK...It's now late March 2017. What is the latest bet on a production date?

 

[KenK]

OK...It's now late March 2017. What is the latest bet on a production date?

With the stock price currently about 50% its opening value, the Trump administration trying to trash the ATVM program, loan repayment dates coming due, an upset crowd of Shreveport locals and officials, and no major investors being revealed... how about never?

 

[BaldGuy]

OK...It's now late March 2017. What is the latest bet on a production date?

There was a good thread that had people guessing on when production would start. The admins since closed. Personally, I liked the thread.

Any rate, my last guess on that thread was December of 2017. I would update it to December of 2018 if I was able too.

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

OK...It's now late March 2017. What is the latest bet on a production date?

Production needs money, no money, no production.

When you see the thread headline "Production FINALLY Funded", then add 6-12 months.
Until then, it'll be 6-12 months away on a rolling basis.

 

[3wheelin]

With the stock price currently about 50% its opening value, the Trump administration trying to trash the ATVM program, loan repayment dates coming due, an upset crowd of Shreveport locals and officials, and no major investors being revealed... how about never?

I won't go so far as saying never but it must be frustrating as hell for EM being unable to fund and complete the necessary testings for the engine and the remaining E-series so they can present a "finished product" to the ATVM group for approval. I'm of course assuming that that's EM's current situation at the moment.

 

[Ekh]

The folks at EM are NOT sitting around singing the blues. They are actively pursuing major investors, but it's not a rapid process.
As for the ATVM, the program does not depend on physical cars -- they have seen the physical car, which was in DC recently. What ATVM cares about, and has cared about all along, is getting the big loan repaid -- so it's the business case that's giving them hissy fits. That was telegraphed last summer when they said 65,000 paid reservations were not real evidence of demand.

What is needed is a directive from on high, and that's not easy to get -- but there are some properly placed people who DO understand the social and economic importance of this project, even in the topsy-turvy world of today's Washington. Do not give up. There's no need to do so.