Elgin Poll Reality Check

[Marshall]

Write to EM and Paul and tell them that.
Want to guess what their answer will be?

It has been stated so many times that the Elgin gauge cluster is staying the way it is; it's a non-negotiable item.
The Elgin dash is a tribute to Paul's father, and it reminds him of good memories with his Dad; end of subject.
If you want something different, change it after you own it is their stance on it.

Thanks. I should have been more specific.

Adding digital as an aftermarket feature might be more cost effective than replacing the Elgin Dash gauges that WILL COME with the car..

 

[Coss]

My father passed away from heart failure at an early age but I have many fond memories of him. He did not leave behind much in material possessions, but one thing I do have is his watch. He was a flight engineer in the Marines when he was younger and sported a 24 hour analog Glycine Airman. I wore the heck out of it and cracked the crystal when I was in college, still need to have it restored some day.

So if I were to design a car using as many off-the-shelf parts as possible, would I opt to have custom made gauges with way too many numbers and dashes on them that make it hard for most people to read as an homage to my dad? Of course not. If I need something to remind me of my dad, I will pull out his watch. Or pictures. Or call my mom and say "hey mom, tell me a story about dad."

What good would it do me if thousands of people who I do not know and who never met my father have to use a gauge cluster they hate? Or at least dislike? Certainly using the Elgin gauges is not cheaper than using off-the-shelf gauges already available.

Elio Owners has 3,553.
There are 54,572 reservation holders, of those 54K+ people 18,500 <or so> have a $1K All In deposit.
EO isn't even 10% of all of the people that want an Elio, and even with that, the polls in here are at best a 25% sampling of the members and 50% of those 25% don't mind the Elgin dash.
You go to any of the shows, and most of the people that had a chance to sit in the Elio didn't even notice the dash.

It just comes down to a small percentage of the people that want the Elio, don't want the Elgin.
But it sure comes out that they are the vocal majority.

 

[Maurtis]

After having looked into gauges yourself, do you think that using the Elgins which AFAIK are not off-the-shelf existing parts is costing any extra? For a car that is about being frugal it seems odd to spend extra money as a wasted homage since it means nothing to anyone other than Paul and his friends and relatives. I wonder if his dad hated yellow?

I have not seen an Elio in person and there is a good chance I will not util they hit the show rooms, but from the pictures and videos my gut tells me that if the Elgin and traditional gauges were offered as $0 options that the majority would opt for traditional gauges. But I have not seen it live yet so I cannot say for sure.

 

[Coss]

After having looked into gauges yourself, do you think that using the Elgins which AFAIK are not off-the-shelf existing parts is costing any extra? For a car that is about being frugal it seems odd to spend extra money as a wasted homage since it means nothing to anyone other than Paul and his friends and relatives. I wonder if his dad hated yellow?

I have not seen an Elio in person and there is a good chance I will not util they hit the show rooms, but from the pictures and videos my gut tells me that if the Elgin and traditional gauges were offered as $0 options that the majority would opt for traditional gauges. But I have not seen it live yet so I cannot say for sure.

The gauges and sending units that will be needed are $650; which is actually cheaper than a lot of other gauges I looked at; it has nothing to do with the hook up into the Elio.
The one thing I had to adjust for is the size of the Elgin "disks", that's my limiting factor. I have X amount of space to work with; adjust to fit is what I had to do. The wiring and hook up aren't involved. The speedo is GPS so I won't reuse the Elio hookup.

 

[Hotscoots]

I don;t really care exactly how fast I'm going . I can judge speed fairly well . I plan on getting an automatic transmission , therefore monitoring the tach is a waste .
The only thing I need to read from the dash on a regular basis is the fuel level . The Elgin would not be my first choice but will be adequate for my use.
I wouldn't pay a nickle to change it .

 

[Elio Amazed]

Thanks. I should have been more specific.

Adding digital as an aftermarket feature might be more cost effective than replacing the Elgin Dash gauges that WILL COME with the car..

Hey! I got what you meant.
You just have to excuse some of us old tymers...
We can be just a bit slow on the uptick these days...

 

[Inigo93]

But Arcimoto and Elio are not rivals at all, and in all public mentions of the two they each applaud and support each other's efforts. Because they are two very different vehicles targeted at different markets. If anything, Arcimoto's rival is Zero Motorcycles (makers of electric motorcycles) and Elio's rival is Smart and the other two-place economy cars on the market.

In a market niche that doesn't really exist yet (3 wheeled commuter vehicle), it makes sense that potential competitors would be friendly towards each other. Each will have enough difficulties gaining mainstream acceptance without someone actively tearing it down. By being friendly they mutually gain legitimacy for the basic concept.

I am curious, however, about how you don't see them as rivals. Are they not both trying to bring 3 wheeled high mileage commuters to market? True, Elio tries to be more "low tech and car-like" while Arcimotor tries to be more "high tech and bike-like", but in the end they'll both fall under the same regulations and marketing towards people who largely travel alone and want affordable wheels. How are they not competitors?

 

[WilliamH]

In a market niche that doesn't really exist yet (3 wheeled commuter vehicle), it makes sense that potential competitors would be friendly towards each other. Each will have enough difficulties gaining mainstream acceptance without someone actively tearing it down. By being friendly they mutually gain legitimacy for the basic concept.

I am curious, however, about how you don't see them as rivals. Are they not both trying to bring 3 wheeled high mileage commuters to market? True, Elio tries to be more "low tech and car-like" while Arcimotor tries to be more "high tech and bike-like", but in the end they'll both fall under the same regulations and marketing towards people who largely travel alone and want affordable wheels. How are they not competitors?

I happen to agree with Seth on this one. They don't compete
Lets look at the differences.
1. Elio has HV/AC standard. Arcimoto does not.
2. Elio has a steering wheel. Arcimoto has handle bars.
3. Elio has an enclosed passenger compartment standard. Arcimoto has it as an option.
4. Elio has a foot brake. Arcimoto does not.
5. Elio has a gas pedal type throttle. Arcimoto has a motorcycle type throttle.
6. Elio has a projected 650+ mile range. Arcimoto is under 100 miles standard.
7. Elio can cruise at 80+ mph. Arcimoto tops out at about 80 mph.
8. Elio you sit in the seat. Arcimoto you straddle the seat.
I'm sure I left some out, but they both have 3 wheels and that's about where it ends.

 

[Inigo93]

I happen to agree with Seth on this one. They don't compete
Lets look at the differences.
1. Elio has HV/AC standard. Arcimoto does not.
2. Elio has a steering wheel. Arcimoto has handle bars.
3. Elio has an enclosed passenger compartment standard. Arcimoto has it as an option.
4. Elio has a foot brake. Arcimoto does not.
5. Elio has a gas pedal type throttle. Arcimoto has a motorcycle type throttle.
6. Elio has a projected 650+ mile range. Arcimoto is under 100 miles standard.
7. Elio can cruise at 80+ mph. Arcimoto tops out at about 80 mph.
8. Elio you sit in the seat. Arcimoto you straddle the seat.
I'm sure I left some out, but they both have 3 wheels and that's about where it ends.

Most of what you list is covered by "car-like" vs "bike-like". Beyond that....

If you define market niche by asthetics (what it looks like), I suppose you're right. I define it by mission (what it's supposed to do). I mean really, who gives a crap if you twist a knob or push a pedal to go faster??

 

[WilliamH]

Guess by your definition there's no difference between your 50 cal. and my Mini 14.