Electric Elio May Be Closer Than You Think. Or Not.

[BilgeRat]

The battery may well be a game changer, guess we'll just have to see what happens. I have no problem with the idea of an electric Elio, but that possibility was not what got my interest up. I had been researching what I wanted to do with our vehicle "fleet" with retirement on the horizon, and had seriously looked at a Nissan Leaf. The fly in the ointment was that my wife's folks live about 45 miles away from us, which would put it at the extreme end of the Leaf's range for a round trip in warm weather and with a fairly new battery, with nothing left over for a run into town for carryout or the like. In fact, to be on the safe side, she'd really have to plug it in to 120 VAC while she was visiting. I do periodic runs from Northern Illinois to the company offices in Paducah, KY for training and such, and a Leaf, or any other current EV can't do that trip. My Honda Fit will do the round trip for about 26-28 gallons of gas, but the Elio could get me there and halfway home on 8 gallons. The appeal of an Elio is that it uses what's already out there (and therefore easy to get) far better. I have no doubt that battery technology will continue to advance as your information here points out, but for right now, the idea of something both economical to buy and to run has a LOT of appeal for me. And ( I am guessing here) it looks like Paul Elio's idea is to get the company up and running and build a customer and cash base before pursuing any alternate motive power. Like Jim, I have no problem with anybody that wants electric, at this moment in time, it isn't my first choice, and it looks like Elio wants to get the party started first, and truthfully, it looks like they have a pretty good plan. Maybe electric a bit further down the road

 

[Folks]

I'm curious, how can you have a completely fossil fuel free EV when the electricity needed to regenerate a battery is created, in most cases, by fossil fuels? Z

Not to mention Paul clearly illustrates the Elio moves that green needle superbly better than any other vehicle out there. Unlike the bellowing and blustering Al Gore who got a "D" in his College physics class, Paul Elio can add and subtract.

 

[BilgeRat]

I've owned one electric vehicle designed to be run on public roads.

Jim

Jim, what did your EV do about heating and cooling?

 

[Rickb]

I would like to see an Elio 2.0 EV a couple years out.............instant torque, quick 0-60 mph, quiet, 200 mile range commuter/city car. I won't use the Elio for long road trips.................from a geezer perspective.

 

[BlioKart]

Interesting. Another battery tech Dual carbon battery

 

[Tony Gore]

I would like to see an Elio 2.0 EV a couple years out.............instant torque, quick 0-60 mph, quiet, 200 mile range commuter/city car. I won't use the Elio for long road trips.................from a geezer perspective.

Yeah, that's my range expectancy too. If I can get 200 miles, it can do anything I need without worry. I do understand that there are still some fossil fuels involved with electricity generation in most areas and I think it's still around 65% coal/natural gas production or something in that range. My goal is to use as little as possible, including looking at alternative ways to produce electricity for my home, using the grid as a backup. Solar / Wind are more affordable than they have been, but that's getting way off topic...

IF the new batteries suddenly give the possibility for a 300 mile range then that is a game changer for my opinion, and something I would certainly invest in and love to see as an option for a future version of the Elio. Even a hybrid that could combine the reliability of the Elio's 84 mpg with the low cost mileage of these newer battery technologies.

 

[Devilstower]

The answer for me was simple. I bought a Chevy Volt. I just bought one that's a couple of years old.

$18k at Carmax, leather, every option, another 60k miles coverage on the drivetrain and batteries.

I'm averaging 105mpg. My daily commute (73 miles round trip) is all electric, but the occasional long trip burns some gas.

 

[Devilstower]

By the way, on a national basis, coal has dropped from greater than 51% of electricity production ten years ago to less than 32% and is still dropping rapidly. Many coal plants have been retrofitted to burn gas, but there have also been several months where all new capacity has been renewable.

Don't believe the "war on coal" rhetoric. I'm a geologist and have worked in the coal industry over thirty years. It's pure market forces sinking coal. It would be going down just as quickly if the EPA didn't exist. It's mostly an economy of scale issue. Coal plants, by their nature, have to be huge and require investment in the billions. Gas (and now wind, as well) can be brought on line incrementally, and new units can be added quickly to meet needs. Gas and wind can also be idled without incurring big shut down / start up costs.

As long as gas is readily available, coal will die. Gas doesn't even have to be cheaper on a BTU basis. External costs swamp the difference.

Anyone who uses "war on coal" is selling you something.

 

[JEBar]

Jim, what did your EV do about heating and cooling?

it didn't have either .... as was the case years ago, you could raise or lower the windows ... they did have a provision for a portable propane heater but I didn't buy one

Jim

 

[BillZ]

I'm curious, how can you have a completely fossil fuel free EV when the electricity needed to regenerate a battery is created, in most cases, by fossil fuels? Z

THIS is why I changed my position on the Telsa. (I sold the stock too.) Once I considered the implications relating to the inability to recharge without fossil fuel I determine, in my opinion, that it's only an EV in principle and until they manage an alternate charging method it'll always be a fossil fuel vehicle to me.

However, I do think that Elio has a hybrid in their future. Chevrolet's spark is a good example and could lead research to create a hybrid Elio like Toyota.