Why Hasn't The Elio Been Built Yet?

[lafrisbee]

Another note...IAV probably is in this century, if they took a current engine and tweaked it, and simulated all the crap on a computer to see what would happen(and got that bit right) then the only bit left is to physically tweak some of the already proven engines and actually test them to see if they behave.
Not anywhere near the expense of starting with an idea and some metal stock.

 

[goofyone]

probably because of this statement, and it cannot be stressed enough.
"Bringing a new engine to market is not a trivial matter however sourcing an engine that meets Elio's requirements for cost, power, weight, and production volume is also not easy.

IAV works with oem's what is Elio contributing? If IAV is doing ALL the engineering, that costs a significant amount of money, so what is Elio contributing to engine? Specs and a blank check?

Why are you so certain 100 -250k Elio's will be sold a year?

The Smart has a 1.0l 3 cylinder, already certified. Sales are far below expectations. Let Elio put their negotiating skills to the test. Negotiate right to use design.

IAV is a company that specializes in engine design and testing so Elio Motors just has to negotiate the price for IAV to develop, test, and certify this engine. While this is not cheap it is also not as expensive as it may appear as it is updating an existing engine, mostly working around the existing engine block, instead of developing a brand new engine from scratch.

The number of engines EM will need comes from their own predictions and they have to find a source that can meet those numbers or else they risk not being able to produce enough vehicles to meet volume demands which is how they expect to keep prices low.

The Smart engine is produced as a joint venture between Mitsubishi and Daimler. Like I said earlier a joint venture would be a nice option however it is also not cheap and there just may not be a joint venture partner available and/or willing to work with a startup. I understand why people would think sourcing the engines makes sense as I have the same thoughts however when you dig into the details you come to realize that it is not an easy task to source an engine that meets their specs, is made in the USA, and is available in the quantities they could need.

 

[redhedman50]

Do you remember your original point? Here it is "
Mr. Elio has made his mark by utilizing already produced parts (except maybe a few) and bringing them together, eliminating the need for producing your own propriatary parts. I don't know why this hasn't been done with cars already. How many companies make a 4 cylinder engine for example? I imagine there are problably 20 or more. " And what did I do? I pointed that very few of the major parts are off the shelf. Chassis not off the shelf, body panels, fenders, engine, transmission, lights, wiring harness. These are more than a "few." And because I pointed that out, you had a problem with that. Major parts cost money to develop. Like that engine you mentioned. Elio would not need to pay for expensive certification tests if they used one already in production. Elio could use their negotiating skills to get a good price on the engine..............I never said Henry Ford "only" argued the patent of the automobile. Your making things up...........you ask why this hasn't been done (utilizing already produced parts). I guess you never heard of AMC (American Motors Corporation), but was really known as All Makes Combined. They used "off the shelf" Ford and GM parts in their vehicles.

So is Elio paying IAV to develop/modify/upgrade an engine? Manufacturing engine for Elio's? Sounds expensive.

LOL @ DBN477,

Sorry, I've moved on. When you wrestle with a pig you both get dirty and the pig likes it. I'll stay clean, enjoy thinking about my Elio, and not be poisened by coming back and rehashing ideology that isn't important to the main reason we're all here; to support the Elio, and hopefully have one to drive around the end of the year.

Have a great day.

 

[lafrisbee]

LOL @ DBN477,

Sorry, I've moved on. When you wrestle with a pig you both get dirty and the pig likes it. I'll stay clean, enjoy thinking about my Elio, and not be poisened by coming back and rehashing ideology that isn't important to the main reason we're all here; to support the Elio, and hopefully have one to drive around the end of the year.

Have a great day.

Pigs lie...she told her friends you were the worst she ever wrestled.

 

[redhedman50]

Pigs lie...she told her friends you were the worst she ever wrestled.

And she said she enjoyed it most with you!

 

[Double D in Ohio]

probably because of this statement, and it cannot be stressed enough.
[quote="goofyone, post: 10421, member: 531"Bringing a new engine to market is not a trivial matter however sourcing an engine that meets Elio's requirements for cost, power, weight, and production volume is also not easy.

IAV works with oem's what is Elio contributing? If IAV is doing ALL the engineering, that costs a significant amount of money, so what is Elio contributing to engine? Specs and a blank check?

Why are you so certain 100 -250k Elio's will be sold a year?

The Smart has a 1.0l 3 cylinder, already certified. Sales are far below expectations. Let Elio put their negotiating skills to the test. Negotiate right to use design.[/quote]


Unless something has changed in the last several years the " SMART" engine runs on Premium gas ... Not so Smart.

 

[karl]

The more of this I read the more happy I am we are not doing this vehicle and the better what the Elio team is doing looks.

 

[zelio]

The more of this I read the more happy I am we are not doing this vehicle and the better what the Elio team is doing looks.

LOL You are so right! I'm still laughing. :-) Z

 

[Kuda]

The number I heard in Savannah last week was 200 million to turn production on.

Well that's an improvement...........Warren write the check!!!

 

[DBN477]

LOL @ DBN477,

Sorry, I've moved on. When you wrestle with a pig you both get dirty and the pig likes it. I'll stay clean, enjoy thinking about my Elio, and not be poisened by coming back and rehashing ideology that isn't important to the main reason we're all here; to support the Elio, and hopefully have one to drive around the end of the year.

Have a great day.

Right you moved on after a couple of more shots, fine. No big deal. Consider this, if Henry Ford did not fight and win(overturn) the patent of the automobile. What good is an assemblyline? You have cars and cannot sell them. You don't think there would have been an injunction? Or would Mr. Selden allowing Ford to sell the cars but Ford would have to pay increased royalties. So that affordable car is no longer affordable. Look at what happens when a company violates a patent.