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Friday Blog Is Out

Trusting

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Elio Motors had to have IAV design an engine for them because no currant (at that time) supplier could or would sell them an engine in the power range, price point and volume, Elio required.

Fast forward to yesterday. Things have changed at an OEM supplier. They are now willing and able to at least talk about selling, not only engines, but transmissions!

Some have said Paul made a mistake by having his own engine designed. This not true. Paul did what he had to do. I believe he is doing that now. He is doing what he has to do to build the best autocycle at the lowest price and quickest time possible with the money available today.

I'm sure we all hope you're right....
 

Johnny Acree

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Myth Busting: Three Wheeled Edition
October 5, 2018



Happy Friday Elio’ers! Over 17 seasons, the show Myth Busters has been one of the most consistently thought-provoking and entertaining programs on television. If you’ve never seen it, the show begins with a common myth and then proceeds to test the myth and come to one of three conclusions: busted, plausible, or confirmed. The topics range from if shooting fish in a barrel is actually easy to slipping on a banana peel to whether a clean vehicle gets better gas mileage than a dirty one. There have been quite a few automotive topics over almost 300 episodes. We thought today we would have our own Myth Busters: Three Wheeled edition.



Myth: Three Wheeled Vehicles are Unstable

A large factor in the Elio’s stability is our reverse trike configuration- that is, two wheels in the front and one in the rear. A traditional trike configuration is inherently unstable because it puts too much momentum on a single front tire. For instance, if you’re cruising down the road and have to make an abrupt stop with a turn, your momentum is moving forward and the dual wheel configuration in the front is much more able to handle the stop. The Elio is a front engine and front wheel drive (FWD) which places most of the weight over the front wheels, which means a lower center of gravity and better stability.

Our wheelbase (which refers to the center of the front wheels to the center of the rear wheel) and track are more reasons the Elio will stay stable. The Elio’s wheelbase is 110’’, about the same as the Hyundai Sonata or the Toyota Corolla. Our front wheel track is 66.8’’, which is above average compared to average passenger vehicles on the road today. Another reason the Elio is not average! If that wasn’t enough, we are also including stability and traction control as standard equipment. The Elio will be a very stable vehicle.

Myth: All Three-Wheeled Vehicles are the Same

Wrong! For starters, some three-wheeled vehicles have a single rear in the front and two in the back. While the Elio and Reliant Robin have the same number of wheels, they are very different vehicles.

There are many other reasons the Elio is different than other three-wheeled vehicles. First, we have full automotive controls, while other three-wheeled vehicles may not. Also, the Elio is fully enclosed, comes with anti-lock brakes, three airbags, seat belts, LATCH for car seats, a steel frame, A/C, heat, defrost, an AM/FM radio, and the list goes on.

Myth: Since the Elio is a Three-Wheeled Vehicle, You Will Need to Wear a Helmet

Incorrect! Our Governmental Affairs Team has worked with legislatures across the country to make sure that Elio owners will be able to drive without a cumbersome helmet on their heads. With the safety features outlined above, a helmet just doesn’t make sense in an Elio. We’ll count that as a victory for common sense!

As always, thanks for your support and thoroughly enjoy your weekend!
 

Johnny Acree

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A Day in the Life…
October 12, 2018



Happy Friday Elio’ers! If you’ve been following us for any length of time, you know that we publish two blogs each week (with a corresponding email): the Momentum and the Three Wheeling Friday Blog. There is a difference between the two, as the Momentum deals with the more nuts and bolts and technical aspects of the Elio while the Friday Blog is a little more casual and shows the lighter side of Elio. In that vein, this week we’re going to take a look at what an average day in the life of an Elio driver might look like.

First, no matter the time of year, the Elio driver will be covered. Air conditioning, heat, and defrost all come standard, so drivers are covered if it’s a blisteringly hot day or a teeth-rattling winter morning. Additionally, as a front wheel drive vehicle, the Elio will be able to pull through some snowy conditions, but it won’t replace your SUV.

Our Elio driver opens the garage door and backs out of the garage. The Elio has a reverse gear, but not a rear window. Why? Frankly, with our front-to-back seating configuration, it’s unnecessary and the side mirrors provide the driver with more than enough rearward visibility. For drivers that want 100 percent visibility, we plan on offering a rearview camera as an option.



Our first stop this morning is a drive-through coffee shop just around the corner. Turning down the standard AM/FM radio, we make our order. The driver will easily be able to reach a fast food counter. Once we have received our steaming hot cup of Joe, the coffee can be placed in the cupholder located to the right of the driver. If we have a passenger, they also have a cup holder in the back seat.

Now, it’s time to head to work. We’re running late and there’s unbearable traffic up ahead, but luckily, with our autocycle/motorcycle designation, we can sail past the morning traffic in the HOV lane. We make it to work with 5 minutes to spare and can easily parallel park in the closest spot. Another win!



After a solid 8 hours of our nose to the grindstone, it’s time to head home. Unfortunately, it rained during the day and our Elio is looking a little dirty. While a custom cover will be available as an option, we neglected to bring it today, so we’ll head over to a car wash. The Elio will easily go through a standard car wash, and now we’re heading home in a fresh and clean Elio. We’ll stop at a gas station for some beef jerky, but don’t need to fill up because we filled up a couple of weeks ago. At up to 84 MPG on the highway and an 8-gallon tank, we sometimes forget where the closest gas station is. We’ll take the long way home because the Elio is simply a fun vehicle to drive.

Thanks for spending a day with us and we hope you have a fantastic weekend!
 

Elio Amazed

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Elio Motors had to have IAV design an engine for them because no currant (at that time) supplier could or would sell them an engine in the power range, price point and volume, Elio required.

Fast forward to yesterday. Things have changed at an OEM supplier. They are now willing and able to at least talk about selling, not only engines, but transmissions!

Some have said Paul made a mistake by having his own engine designed. This not true. Paul did what he had to do. I believe he is doing that now. He is doing what he has to do to build the best autocycle at the lowest price and quickest time possible with the money available today.
I have to totally disagree with the first sentence. There were other engines available. Paul stated that they were not optimal for the Elio and that he thought that going that route would prove to be more expensive for EM in the long run. As far as a day in the life of an average Elio driver... There aren't any.
 

Trusting

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A day in the life of an Elio driver...

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Made in USA

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I wonder about the carwash statement. Most around here are flat concrete and can handle anything that fits into the space, but I think some of the carwashes have a center track that pulls the vehicle through.

And just to be clear, they said ".......we’re going to take a look at what an average day in the life of an Elio driver might look like." (Emphasis mine). Besides, there is one prototype Elio driving around. Right?
 
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