Manufacturing Rate

[Mel]

I just don't see the reality of the Elio ever being a fleet vehicle for smaller municipalities...most employees would refuse to operate such a small vehicle...just is not in our cultural behavior...there's a reason the F150 is best selling vehicle in America!

Maybe not for municipalities, but how about pizza delivery. These guys are always looking for unique, economical vehicles.

 

[Muzhik]

Over at "an organization on base, they have several of those stupid Gem golf cart things for commuting around base... The Elio would haul just as many people and is cheaper. There is a market at this one base for about 100 Elios. (As work vehicles alone)

I thought the GEM was an electric vehicle, limit of 35MPH?

 

[Maurtis]

Maybe not for municipalities, but how about pizza delivery. These guys are always looking for unique, economical vehicles.

It was said that a large pizza would not fit in the back of an Elio without being tilted. So they would want either a roof mounted insulated carrier, or a trailer.

 

[Muzhik]

Maybe not for municipalities, but how about pizza delivery. These guys are always looking for unique, economical vehicles.

None of the pizza places around here provide vehicles. You have to provide your own transport, which meets certain standards -- my 21-yo Honda Accord with the taped-on-bumpers wouldn't qualify, for example, just on appearance alone -- and it has to have enough space to carry the franchise's "pizza warmer" box. Assuming the P5 is the final word in the interior design, the next time the P5 swings around your area, you should take some measurements and see if the back seat would be large enough to be used as a pizza delivery vehicle. (You'll get mileage for using your own car, BTW.)

(EDIT: Blast. Just missed Maurtis' post!)

 

[BlioKart]

IMO your recent posts are write-on. I too cannot imagine using E in any large business/governmental application. It's gonna be a hard enough sell, with no track record-long term reliability
For example, it will go to market w/o a rear window. A no brainer for an ex biker (me), might be too "risky" for a corporation to make that investment.
Is there a market for a small CAR indeed. When I lived in FLa, the water meter reader drove a pick-up!
Haven't seen mentioned and perhaps I overlooked it, will there be leasing as an alternative? give 'em out for test drives- I remember awhile back Chevy(?) built a limited edition car (EV?) that they didn't try to sell,and gave them out- high profile famous. They loved them. Chevy took them all back and crushed them- saw a vid of people crying when they were removed- and a crowed wailing when they were destroyed

EV1 GM really did screw the pooch on that one if they had continued development they could have realistically competed against Tesla.

 

[Muzhik]

IMHO, Smart had two problems: Price was too high, and mileage was too low. You got a tiny car for almost the same price, and barely better mileage than you could get with other cars.

Now I can't help but wonder what it would take to put the new Elio engine into a Smart Car, and what the results would be.

 

[BlioKart]

Smart car problem was the amt I drove one I like the car but thought it was clunky. The new smart car has a proper manual and I think it looks better too

 

[RUCRAYZE]

None of the pizza places around here provide vehicles. You have to provide your own transport, which meets certain standards -- my 21-yo Honda Accord with the taped-on-bumpers wouldn't qualify, for example, just on appearance alone -- and it has to have enough space to carry the franchise's "pizza warmer" box. Assuming the P5 is the final word in the interior design, the next time the P5 swings around your area, you should take some measurements and see if the back seat would be large enough to be used as a pizza delivery vehicle. (You'll get mileage for using your own car, BTW.)

(EDIT: Blast. Just missed Maurtis' post!)

wow tight requirements to buy a pizza, I'm impressed that there is pizza for sale in Iowa- me smiling

 

[Kuda]

wow tight requirements to buy a pizza, I'm impressed that there is pizza for sale in Iowa- me smiling

Iowa has indoor plumbing too!! ))

 

[Muzhik]

wow tight requirements to buy a pizza, I'm impressed that there is pizza for sale in Iowa- me smiling

Seriously, you (as a driver) show up to work, you clip some advertising board on the top of your car to identify you, like "Manny's Sicilian Pizza -- serving the college community since 1972". Put your pizza warmer in the trunk or the passenger seat, wherever, shove your pizzas into it along with the list of addresses, and go. Same as everywhere.

And for the record, we have every niche, nook, and cranny of the food service industry here -- ribs (several different varieties), fish, Greek, Italian, German, what have you. The only thing we don't have is a decent Indian or Middle Eastern restaurant. We've had them here, but they weren't decent -- had to travel 90 minutes to get to a decent one. Then it got closed down because the owners were shipping weapons to Lebanon. That's life in Iowa.