Momentum V104

[airforceguy6]

With this familiar tangent back toward the technical feasibility of possible electric hub motors or similar setups for the rear wheel - which this forum has dived into before - the mention of burning up a starter/generator got me thinking:

Elio's chief fuel economy claim is its EPA estimate of 84 mpg on the highway. While the estimated 49 mpg city is nothing to squawk at, I wonder what's technically involved in incorporating electronic engine auto start/stop technology in order to improve it further.

I recently rented a 2017 Chevy Cruze with said technology, and obviously the OEM packaging included a unique tachometer gauge on the instrument cluster that clearly indicated when the engine was turned off when stopped at a red light with the brake pedal fully depressed. But that sort of nicety isn't really necessary since it's apparent when the ICE is shut off and comes back to life when pressure is released from the brake pedal.

Technically speaking, I assume a more robust or specialized starter/generator and some type of computerized controller(s) and brake position sensors are required; does anyone know what would be involved in adding engine start/stop technology to a vehicle not pre-packaged by an OEM to offer such a feature?

This technology/vehicle feature is very common in Europe. Its technically illegal to sit at idle too long without turning your vehicle off, so many auto companies incorporate this into their design. Its been around for long time, so I'm sure that it could be easily incorporated into the Elio if they engineers worked at it. My 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid has the feature, and helps a lot when stuck in traffic.