Is Elio Still Saying Mid 2016 To Start Production?

[Gizmo]

I don't understand the physics but allegedly the placement of the gas cap has much to do with it. I though I saw somewhere that MPG was already at 80-81.

Don't forget yellow paint is also more aerodynamic!

 

[Mel]

I don't understand the physics but allegedly the placement of the gas cap has much to do with it. I though I saw somewhere that MPG was already at 80-81.

Last I saw listed in the low 70s; and I don't even remember where I saw that.

 

[Oldned911]

They haven't made 84 yet, but that's their goal. With that said.... For their size, motorcycles get terrible gas mileage. Their engines tend to be tuned for power rather than efficiency and their aerodynamics could hardly be worse if you tried to make them worse.

Put it this way: There's nothing difficult about building a vehicle that can get 84 mpg. What's difficult is building a vehicle that gets 84 mpg that people will actually buy!

Well said... I remember the EMU craze a few years back... I know folks that lost lots of money on that craze... But good news for me... I have already bought an ELIO.... I have pictures... And 50 shares of stock.... Wonder if I will live long enough to see it... I did however buy TESLA stock when it was $ 22.00... Thought I had screw up on that...now wish I had bought more... Hope the same with ELIO...

 

[WilliamH]

Well said... I remember the EMU craze a few years back... I know folks that lost lots of money on that craze... But good news for me... I have already bought an ELIO.... I have pictures... And 50 shares of stock.... Wonder if I will live long enough to see it... I did however buy TESLA stock when it was $ 22.00... Thought I had screw up on that...now wish I had bought more... Hope the same with ELIO...

Emu? You're not talking about those stupid birds people used to shoot over on the YO Ranch are you?

 

[Coss]

Emu? You're not talking about those stupid birds people used to shoot over on the YO Ranch are you?

EMU these things

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu

 

[WilliamH]

EMU these things

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu

Those are the ones. Some of my neighbors still have them on their ranches.

 

[Jeff Porter]

Anyone know how they arrived at 84 MPG.... I'm doing good to get upper 50s my 500cc motorcycle ?

Hi Ned,

The short story: Paul is quoted as saying "the vehicle is half as wide so we need to move only half the air". And as others have mentioned, a motorcycle is not very efficient aerodynamically. I drive a motorcycle, and I know things like my shoes block a lot of air.

 

[Mel]

Not quite sure where this "half as wide" comes into play. The overall width is not much less than a car, and 3 bodies have much more drag than one.

 

[slinches]

The number of bodies really isn't a factor in drag, at least not directly. It essentially comes down to how much a vehicle disturbs the air as it travels, which in a simplified sense can be represented by two numbers; the frontal area (silhouette as seen from the front) and the drag coefficient (a measure of how effectively the shape minimizes turbulence compared to a flat plate, long narrow tapered shapes are better at this). Even though the Elio has a similar width and height, the overall frontal area is much smaller than a standard 4 wheel car as you can see below. Also, considering that the length is still similar, the drag coefficient for the main body should be extremely low by automotive standards, but the less aerodynamic wheels and suspension hanging off the side may put the total coefficient for the vehicle only slightly better than traditional designs. So the net outcome is ~1/2 the drag.

 

[Coss]

Not quite sure where this "half as wide" comes into play. The overall width is not much less than a car, and 3 bodies have much more drag than one.

Plus the big deciding factor: It's what Paul Elio has stated.

His car, his dialog, why argue with it?