Arrow Ev

[JEBar]

Yes, definitely the rag-top version with a bigger engine. They may find in testing they can add a low boost turbo, and there you have the sport-police patrol model ! ;-) Didn't we have some paint-concept on the police model?

in its standard format, I can see some police departments using them for officers monitoring parking meters and such ..... I remember the police department in Myrtle Beach using some Studebaker Avanti patrol cars .... I wish I could find a picture

Jim

 

[goofyone]

Chip Stempeck, Elio Marketing VP mentioned a few years back.............a tilting version would be interesting. It doesn't have to be high performance to be a fun tilter. The little Toyota i-Road City Car has a top speed of, as I recall, 45 mph and the test drivers said it was a blast to drive! A 100 mph tilter Elio more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Elio is perfect for now..........but who knows what the future Concept Elio may bring bring to the table......maybe an EV Tilter.

just a point of interest in the tilt or articulated suspension and steering, would be the tire requirements for that mode of operation. the round profile would give less patch contact and probably increase the effeciency of the rolling friction loss, to give the mpg a boost. a simple test might be as simple as installing regular mc tires on the elio and do a mileage check to compare the friction loss against the regular flat tread current on the vehicle. don't think i'd want to five up the traction for a few more mpg. maybe just add a couple of more lbs of air to each tire and motor on. then there is the hydroplane issue with low tire pressure and light weight vehicles but that can be a simple tire tread selection ot solve that. so much to contemplate and so much unknown. gonna be fun to watch.

As much fun as a tilting three wheeler sounds to drive I just don't believe we will see one produced for a reasonably low price anytime soon. Long lasting tires are one issue however some other big issues are the added cost and complexity of the electrically or hydraulically assisted suspension and steering systems it takes to make one of these function. If you want the vehicle to be operated with a steering wheel then there is a whole other level of complexity and cost added on because of the drive-by-wire steering system it takes to have a tilting vehicle counter-steer while being driven like a normal automobile. These system also get even more complex and expensive the faster you want to go.

On top of all that there is the fact that a wide-tracked tadpole trike (two front, one rear) such as the Elio is actually the kind of three wheeled vehicle which benefits the least from a tilting system. Delta trikes (one front, two rear) and any trike with a narrow track are the kinds that benefit from a tilting system. A delta trike is inherently unstable while turning, example... Reliant Robin, so they benefit greatly from the tilting maintaining some stability. Any trike with a narrow track, distance between the parallel set of wheels, also benefits because tilting in the turns eliminates the tendency of these vehicles to flip over sideways which is why the mentioned Toyota i-Road City car employs tilting as it is a very narrow vehicle. As the Elio is a tadpole trike with a wide track it is inherently designed to overcome the instability issues and tilting would only help by reducing some of the Elio's tendency to understeer like any other front wheel drive vehicle however a limited slip differential and sporty suspension tuning can also do this at lower cost.

 

[goldwing06]

As much fun as a tilting three wheeler sounds to drive I just don't believe we will see one produced for a reasonably low price anytime soon. Long lasting tires are one issue however some other big issues are the added cost and complexity of the electrically or hydraulically assisted suspension and steering systems it takes to make one of these function. If you want the vehicle to be operated with a steering wheel then there is a whole other level of complexity and cost added on because of the drive-by-wire steering system it takes to have a tilting vehicle counter-steer while being driven like a normal automobile. These system also get even more complex and expensive the faster you want to go.

On top of all that there is the fact that a wide-tracked tadpole trike (two front, one rear) such as the Elio is actually the kind of three wheeled vehicle which benefits the least from a tilting system. Delta trikes (one front, two rear) and any trike with a narrow track are the kinds that benefit from a tilting system. A delta trike is inherently unstable while turning, example... Reliant Robin, so they benefit greatly from the tilting maintaining some stability. Any trike with a narrow track, distance between the parallel set of wheels, also benefits because tilting in the turns eliminates the tendency of these vehicles to flip over sideways which is why the mentioned Toyota i-Road City car employs tilting as it is a very narrow vehicle. As the Elio is a tadpole trike with a wide track it is inherently designed to overcome the instability issues and tilting would only help by reducing some of the Elio's tendency to understeer like any other front wheel drive vehicle however a limited slip differential and sporty suspension tuning can also do this at lower cost.

and the weight that it adds. a power assisted tilt steering system could be tied to a ride control that would would give u just the amount of lean to match the speed of travel, otherwise, a sharp turn in a parking lot would look akward! mechanical only would be hard to get the proper amount of travel coordination or geometery in the linkage.

 

[AriLea]

On top of all that there is the fact that a wide-tracked tadpole trike ... tilting ......understeer...sporty suspension tuning....

Man, the knowledge level here is awesome! There are about six to eighteen of us here that should start a company. We'll make a luxury sport model using Elio parts. Then we either join with Elio or do a kit car product. ( Hey! I like dreaming ) Most of the major makers do have a bench built dream car they sell as a marketing stunt, why not Elio Motors?
But on the aftermarket side, there's a million things that could be developed for the Elio. For example, since it's a MC with out bumper requirements, and Elio will only do crash-worthy versions, any number of nose panels could be made fairly easily, each one giving the Elio a totally new character at very low investment. There are a few interesting ideas I don't even want to talk about online. 'Cause I might do one or two. Just dreaming as usual.

Or wow, just add these things to the Elio Owners store! I might also consider that, I like product design and development but am adverse to running a store.

 

[goofyone]

Man, the knowledge level here is awesome! There are about six to eighteen of us here that should start a company. We'll make a luxury sport model using Elio parts. Then we either join with Elio or do a kit car product. ( Hey! I like dreaming ) Most of the major makers do have a bench built dream car they sell as a marketing stunt, why not Elio Motors?
But on the aftermarket side, there's a million things that could be developed for the Elio. For example, since it's a MC with out bumper requirements, and Elio will only do crash-worthy versions, any number of nose panels could be made fairly easily, each one giving the Elio a totally new character at very low investment. There are a few interesting ideas I don't even want to talk about online. 'Cause I might do one or two. Just dreaming as usual.

Or wow, just add these things to the Elio Owners store! I might also consider that, I like product design and development but am adverse to running a store.

More great ideas! I expect to see a lot of interesting projects and products develop from this forum as the Elio moves to production.

AriLea, You, and some others on this forum, have posted links and a lot of information which really helped me to understand the differences between the various configurations of three wheelers and how they compare to the more well known two and four wheeled vehicles. When I started researching Elio Motors i had a pretty good understanding of how cars and motorcycle operate yet the dynamics of three wheeled vehicles were completely new to me.

 

[AriLea]

Thanks! It is a bit of a alternate-dimensional world. It gets really weird when you start putting rear wheel, all wheel steering, or fly-by-wire into the mix, but let's not go there, ever. lol. (and we won't talk about top-wings, side wings and ground effects either)
The reduction of one wheel put's in a constraint that the auto industry had taken 100 years to remove. But in the process eliminated the potential benefits.
The other thing they systematically(and unconsciously) try to eliminate is 'minimum motoring', in an effort to increase revenue. By having the option of an Elio, we're in effect fighting back by removing the 4wheel/2wheel monopoly.(let's continue ignoring the mono-wheel)
One day we may have to talk about autonomous driving, or path selectable mono-rails. (or hydro kite sail-boats, but now I'm showing off )
En-route rechargeable EV's? (Basically an intermittent power rail, allowing a smaller battery pack, imagine a 250lb 2pax car?) -I like dreaming-
ps. I've learned a super lot from you and others on this website.

 

[ecdriver711]

Good info guys. Thanks