Ekh
Elio Addict
Neither fish nor fowl nor good red herring ....
The vehicle is now classified as a motorcycle: Cars are defined as having four wheels.
This is a simple-minded definition, but, then, consider the people who wrote it -- and that nobody had imagined a serious 'automobile" with 3 wheels when the legal definition was drafted.
In the long run, being defined as a motorcycle will have very negative effects on Elio Motors. No matter what they actually achieve in terms of safety standards, the very word "motorcycle" is chilling to many, many people -- especially to women. Motorcycles, people think, are dangerous -- and so they are. If it's classed as a motorcycle, it must be dangerous, right? To expect thought from the buying public is asking a lot ...
In the short run, Elio benefits from the motorcycle classification. I don't have a list of all the safety requirements from which the Elio can be exempted, but I imagine it's extensive. Not that Paul Elio WANTS to avoid auto safety standards. (I'd like to see such a list; do any forum members have one)
The main advantage for Elio in being classified as a motorcycle is that he can avoid the restrictions most states have placed on the sale of cars, requiring dealerships be established to handle all sales. This is slamming Tesla in many states, especially New Jersey.
I do not know for sure, but suspect, that in most states makers and sellers of motorcycles don't face the same legal barriers to direct sale as do auto makers. What is certain is that adding middleman -- i.e., franchised car dealer -- would lift the cost of the Elio far above the magic $6800 that Elio swears by (and probably at, in his private moments).
In the long run, the various states (and possibly the Federal Department of Transportation) will need to re-define "automobile" to include vehicles like the Elio (3-wheeled, but enclosed, safety cage, automotive engine and controls, etc). I think the essence of such a definition will be "an enclosed vehicle with 3 or more wheels, carrying 2 or more passengers but fewer than 14, intended to be operated primarily on streets and highways". (To distinguish among trucks, busses, and ATVs)
Once the definition of "automobile" is amended, Elio will need to face into the battle of dealership law.
In conclusion, there's no free lunch here. Being a motorcycle skirts restrictive and expensive sales laws, but hurts acceptance of the vehicle in the long run. Just another set of rapids to be safely navigated...
The vehicle is now classified as a motorcycle: Cars are defined as having four wheels.
This is a simple-minded definition, but, then, consider the people who wrote it -- and that nobody had imagined a serious 'automobile" with 3 wheels when the legal definition was drafted.
In the long run, being defined as a motorcycle will have very negative effects on Elio Motors. No matter what they actually achieve in terms of safety standards, the very word "motorcycle" is chilling to many, many people -- especially to women. Motorcycles, people think, are dangerous -- and so they are. If it's classed as a motorcycle, it must be dangerous, right? To expect thought from the buying public is asking a lot ...
In the short run, Elio benefits from the motorcycle classification. I don't have a list of all the safety requirements from which the Elio can be exempted, but I imagine it's extensive. Not that Paul Elio WANTS to avoid auto safety standards. (I'd like to see such a list; do any forum members have one)
The main advantage for Elio in being classified as a motorcycle is that he can avoid the restrictions most states have placed on the sale of cars, requiring dealerships be established to handle all sales. This is slamming Tesla in many states, especially New Jersey.
I do not know for sure, but suspect, that in most states makers and sellers of motorcycles don't face the same legal barriers to direct sale as do auto makers. What is certain is that adding middleman -- i.e., franchised car dealer -- would lift the cost of the Elio far above the magic $6800 that Elio swears by (and probably at, in his private moments).
In the long run, the various states (and possibly the Federal Department of Transportation) will need to re-define "automobile" to include vehicles like the Elio (3-wheeled, but enclosed, safety cage, automotive engine and controls, etc). I think the essence of such a definition will be "an enclosed vehicle with 3 or more wheels, carrying 2 or more passengers but fewer than 14, intended to be operated primarily on streets and highways". (To distinguish among trucks, busses, and ATVs)
Once the definition of "automobile" is amended, Elio will need to face into the battle of dealership law.
In conclusion, there's no free lunch here. Being a motorcycle skirts restrictive and expensive sales laws, but hurts acceptance of the vehicle in the long run. Just another set of rapids to be safely navigated...
Z
