Thoughts About Elio From A Pickup Lover

[Critter]

I have a 2006 Dodge Dakota 4 wheel drive 4 door with 178000 + miles. it is a v8 with plenty of pulling power. I need the truck for most weekend activities. The Elio will be my main vehicle and will use the truck when needed. My truck will become the "and " vehicle to drive when I must. I love the Dakota and if they still made it would replace it with a new one. The Elio will make my truck last a lot longer by not driving it everyday for my 38 mile one way commute to work every day. Often my 45 mile one way commute to my parents can be done in the Elio.

 

[CompTrex]

I have a 2006 Dodge Dakota 4 wheel drive 4 door with 178000 + miles. it is a v8 with plenty of pulling power. I need the truck for most weekend activities. The Elio will be my main vehicle and will use the truck when needed. My truck will become the "and " vehicle to drive when I must. I love the Dakota and if they still made it would replace it with a new one. The Elio will make my truck last a lot longer by not driving it everyday for my 38 mile one way commute to work every day. Often my 45 mile one way commute to my parents can be done in the Elio.

Sounds similar to my story, except 2000 Tundra and 55 mile one way commute. And my parents live a lot further.

 

[Rickb]

I realize I have posted about this but I think Elio has some what of an issue. You guys are saying it is an AND car and fair enough I am not disputing that fact and totally agree. However my impressions from Elio Motors is not that.

In fact some of their polished videos come across as this will replace your sedan, truck, SUV, etc. I haven't put nearly the time into research as most of you and if that is my reaction it will be a lot of other people's too. There is a well known principle in business. You should have your seven second elevator "speech" ready. So perhaps it should be something like "The Elio is an extremely fuel efficient small commuter vehicle that fits well in your current collection."

I also think some of you are painting a little more into the part of me explaining Elio "owners" need to becareful about how they talk about the car. I am not claiming you will personally try to sell someone on the idea of replacing their SUV. It is just something to be mindful of is all.

I again go back to the Segway. If you remember it was billed as it will replace walking and everyone will own one. I just think as a more outside observer there is a gap there of potentially sounding like you should replace your current veh

Thankyou, I'm very happy to be here and very grateful for the friendly reception I've been given, especially as something of an outsider in many respects.

There are no Outsider Future Elio Owners! You are most likely to be the first UK Elio Owner.

 

[Edward43]

I can think of only a few who might buy the Elio as an only car. This is a special purpose (and fun) vehicle.

Agreed, But, even John Wayne would embrace an Elio, compared to the ultimate freedom machine, (the Horse that is), a bucket o oats, saddle, and a hat full o water. The Elio is as close as anyone has ever come to freedom to move about on the open road. I do not have a large household to haul around anymore, and I would like to hire my friends, and neighbors to do my hauling, but the states are not open to that. I would be happy to sign a disclaimer, and assume the risk, but the ins. cos. get upset when there is a slight decline in welfare payments.

 

[Mike W]

After a conversation with Goofyone I decided to list my reasons for some interest in the Elio project. You see I am really a truck guy at heart. My dream vehicle is a Nissan Titan Crew Cab with a diesel engine. I completely believe diesel technology is far superior to gasoline in almost every way. I am 100% sold on diesel engines.

Now before I get into the Elio let me explain why I find trucks (and to a degree suv/cuvs so appealing). For starters I really like pickups and have owned some (2003 Dodge Dakota and 2006 Nissan Frontier). I really enjoyed both vehicles. I like the way pickups look (some more than others), I find their beds extremely useful, and I like riding higher. (I personally can't stand sport cars as I feel like my butt is being dragged across the payment.) Also there is the added head room. Pickup trucks (suv's and cuv's too) offer more head room in general. My mother finally left sedans and agrees how she prefers the increased head room and feels less boxed in. I got to say see told you so!

Of course the main disadvantage of bigger trucks, especially full size pickups, is fuel economy. That is beginning to change thanks to diesel technology. In fact the RAM now gets 28 highway mpg which is impressive considering not that long ago 15 or so was the best. There is a race now among Ford, GM, Nissan, Toyota, and Chrysler to see who can develop the most fuel efficient full size truck. The target is 30+ highway and 22+ city which again is a huge jump over the 15ish highway and 12ish city that was common not that long ago. However the advancing engine technology for these vehicles is another thread and discussion in and of itself.

So that brings me to Elio.

Why in the world would someone who likes big heavy vehicles even give Elio a second look? Well for starters let me be honest. I have no current desire to own a Elio. None. So does that mean I think Elio is silly or stupid? No, not at all! I believe Elio can fill some niches. I also think Elio can help bring some changes to the automotive market in other ways. However Elio has some short comings too.

I am going to look at the short comings first. Elio is being touted as the next big thing in the transportation market that will change everyone's life. The same was said about the Segway. There is obviously some marketing hype in the statements I have reviewed from Elio Motors. However that is to be expected from the marketing team. I have no issue with Elio Motors trying to put the best light on their product. That is business 101 and a brings up a duh!

Still Elio falls short in several key areas. Of course for families you aren't going to load up four, five or six people. You aren't going to be towing the family boat to the lake. Nor are you going to be able to bring home a lot of goods from a bigger shopping venture. So the "car" if obviously going to fall short for many people. I think this is where Elio future owners need to becareful. I am not calling out anyone just saying if you are talking to a family with a Nissan Quest trying to push them into the greatness of Elio when the vehicle won't fit their needs it will only build resistance. So clearly Elio is far from the car that we will all be driving in the future.

I also noticed Elio is pushing the idea of fleets for businesses. There is some potential here for sure. A lot of businesses like painting companies, tree removal, window replacement, insurance companies, etc have estimators. The Elio would fit that niche extremely well. I recently needed some foundation work done on my home and every company estimator showed up in smaller vehicles instead of full size pickups. Of course work crews and people like plumbers, electricians, painters, etc will continue to need much bigger vehicles to hold all their tools, supplies, and transport bigger items from home improvement stores and suppliers. My point here is what I mentioned above.

Fuel economy is nice but it is far from the only reason a vehicle is purchased. So that goes back to Elio enthusiasts needing to be a little cautious about preaching their love to others. Of course that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't talk about the vehicle but clearly this vehicle isn't going to replace vans, pickups, or suv/cuv's. Plus people often buy vehicles because they like the form factor or style and gas has little to do with the equation, although that is certainly high on many people's list these days.

If you have made it this far you might be thinking all I am doing is running down Elio and dumping negative energy into this forum. This is where you will probably start to smile. I believe, again being a truck fan, Elio has done many things well and it is for this reason I have some interest. I first must credit Goofyone's talking about this as when we speak on the phone or meet up in person as he has kept me very up-to-date.

So what IMO has Elio done that deserve's kudos?

Well for starters this isn't some silly electric car. Do electric cars have some potential? Sure. Are we there yet? No freakin' way. I laugh when Nissan Leaf owners brag about not spending money on gas and/or saving the environment. Oh really? So you get electricity free? Oh and that electricity is pollution free, eh? Seeing how most of the US still uses coal I say "yeah, yeah, yeah". Pure nonsense. If someone on here drives a Leaf oh well. I am not against anyone owning them. It is your money. I totally understand and am not against the idea of wanting to be removed from gas pump stops, but we still need technology to improve. I think the better idea for "electric" vehicles is using a gas generator and following the diesel electric train type idea. Anyway I digress; back to Elio.

I like how Elio has been designed to use standard off the shelf parts for most of the vehicle. This adds cost savings and basically you are subsidizing the car off the parts designed for other vehicles. So thank the owners of other cars for buying the high priced version and paying for the R&D.

My geekiness and engineer antennas start to twitch when discussing the in's and out's of the Elio design. I, like goofyone, was the kind of kid that took things apart to see how they work, and yes I didn't always get them back together. I enjoy science and technology and reading and learning how things works so it has been entertaining to hear about the way Elio has been designed. So my hat's off to the Elio design team.

I also like new and creative ideas. I like discussing businesses and find it very interesting when new line ideas pop up. I believe the gas payoff solution is extremely novel. Of course we will have to see how well it plays out but it has the potential to cause some changes in the market. Sure most vehicles won't use that method but, assuming it works, it will spur other vehicles to follow suit or at least start thinking of other ways than traditional payment methods. That is nothing short of a win for the consumer and for the businesses that come up with such ideas.

The idea of the retail center sounds very promising too. It could help alter the monopoly traditional car dealership. Those won't be going away but the idea Elio has, along with others, is starting to put cracks in the traditional buying experience. It will be very interesting to see how it all plays out.

I also have to say the idea of hooking up with PepBoys is another ingenious solution. I am sure Paul and co were sitting there going how do we service these "cars" all over the US without some huge dealer network. This is a win-win-win-lose. It is a win for Elio because they don't need to invest in service centers and adds to the selling point that Elio owners will have certified service centers near by (for most markets). It is a win for the customer because they will get official certified Elio support. It is a win for Pepboys as they will pick up business. It is a lose for traditional dealerships because it shows startup "car" companies can have access to instant ready-to-go service centers without the cost or build out. This is another win for the consumer.

Well written! You are absolutely right about the advantages of the truck- room, mpg going up, hauling capabilities and some of them look, well, your heart just flutters (in a manly sort of way of course!!). And you are absolutely right about some of the short comings of the Elio. It is no family sedan, no real room for storage or luggage. Not even room for a spare tire, not even the universally hated donut! The pluses you saw were what those of us that have their reservations in have seen too. Thanks for your even handed look, it really helped to get that sort of evaluation.

The only thing I might have to disagree with, only a little though, is that Elio isn't the car of the future. You are right there as well. Kind of. I don't want to stretch the Henry F and Model T illustration too far but it seems the Elio can be put in that same general camp. Was the Model T all that much different from other cars of its time? Not really, there were other cars that were generally like that. It was the the foundation of a whole raft of changes not only to cars themselves but to the industry. That's the potential that this little 3-wheeled flivver brings to the table. It doesn't hurt that it's built to be safe, fun and yes, fuel efficient!

 

[cleverwise]

Poll: Since many were saying they have multiple vehicles I modified the poll so you can modify your vote and select more options. I also added van as I left that off the list.

As for the AND "car" idea I offered my more outside POV. As noted earlier most on this board are following the Elio with great zeal. However I am getting most of my news via Goofyone. Yes I have visited Elio Motors' site as I mentioned. Still that idea isn't clear cut and like it or not you often have to spell it out for people. If anyone here works in customer service you know what I am talking about. "Have you tried turning it off and on again" IT Crowd (UK).

Anyway...

It doesn't hurt to point that fact out because not everyone will automatically think along those lines. This vehicle is going to be viewed by many as a car not an enclosed motorcycle. Also if you look around there are other enclosed motorcycle concepts (Google, Bing, etc them if you aren't aware). Elio will, at times, be lumped into them.

When you work on a project or get super involved in one it is often hard to step back and see what may or may not be obvious. To you something may be of course and duh but someone just investigating or getting involved may go what the heck.

As for the Segway take from that what you will. I realize for some I may have dare questioned your faith in this vehicle. I will state again I think the Elio is a very interesting project and hope it works not only for Elio's sake but for showing the way for others to create new and interesting vehicles. Elio has a lot of promise.

This thread has been interesting and if it weren't for Goofyone I might not have posted it. I just wanted to share my thoughts about this project from a more neutral perspective in that I have no desire to actually own one. I still would like to see one, sit in it, probably even drive one for fun, and look forward to seeing them roll down the street. Elio kicks the butt out of the "smart" car.

So for now I will continue to follow the project with interest and who knows maybe one day I will want one. I wish Elio Motors the best with their product and raise my digital glass to an American Manufacturer! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

 

[Neal]

All views and comments are welcomed and appreciated

 

[UCF'73]

You would have a hard time living on acreage in this rural area without a pickup truck. On about half my trips I am hauling cargo of some kind. On the other I am driving empty and watching the gas gauge. So the Elio will come in handy for about half my trips. I'll end up paying more in insurance overall and doubt I'll ever save $6800 in gas, but it's the right thing to do and should be a heck of a lot of fun.

 

[JP]

You would have a hard time living on acreage in this rural area without a pickup truck. On about half my trips I am hauling cargo of some kind. On the other I am driving empty and watching the gas gauge. So the Elio will come in handy for about half my trips. I'll end up paying more in insurance overall and doubt I'll ever save $6800 in gas, but it's the right thing to do and should be a heck of a lot of fun.

When I cut down one of my trees, I fill the 8' bed and then some for a small tree, I'd hate to see how many trips it takes the Elio to move it all lol

 

[D Borland]

I can see some college and high school students and people who live in cities having this as their only "car". Still most will want another vehicle.

These are some of the few I was referring to.