I never understood how anyone could believe that. It's probably 80% of a normal cheap car but not 50%. Even if it was 50%, that would mean his operating cost would have to be 50% too. So, utilities, taxes, maintenance and insurance need to be 50%. You then need to pay the employees 50% or somehow do it with 50% less employees than anyone else. This is not just the plant but the whole operation. Last time I checked, when you are a startup and buying parts, you don't get the best deal. A company that makes window regulators is not going to give Elio the same price as a company like Ford. Ford consumes way more window regulators. They probably buy more regulators in 2 weeks than Elio would in a year.
"I never understood how anyone could believe that" really??? Try the 77K+ reservation holders who "understood" (key word here) the risks involved and no matter how crazy the idea was sent their money anyways to "support" (key word here) a newcomer in the industry.
Agreed, actually not given up, and believes in Elio that it is going to happen. Miracles do happen and when you least expect them to.
At one time there was an Elioer member that lived close to the future Elio factory. Maybe he is still here and can go by and see "whats happening".
That's a good idea. It would be good to go up to the door, walk in and see what the Elio employees are doing. I also checked up on their investor relations page. So, something big is going on and hope it's good news. Look for yourself: http://ir.eliomotors.com/
Another option is to log into your Elio account and see if there's some new information: https://reservations.eliomotors.com/customer/account/login/
It must be a glitch. So go to the official Elio motors site and then to Investor Relations or Customer Login. That will work.