Elio Amendments

Now "up to" 84 mpg, and a "targeted" $6,800 base price.

Starting to squirm! Which might actually be an indicator of getting closer to actually making the darn thing.

Ah yes, the classic marketing term of "up to". Another way of saying "guaranteed to make less than 84 mpg", so technically, it could make 10 mpg and still satisfy their claim.

Also, I'm "targeting" my weight to be 165 lbs.

What's worse is "up to 84mpg or more!".

I wonder what their CAFE mpg would be given the new footprint based standards?

In reply to ProDarwin:

The MPG will be the same regardless of the foot print. It's just that the requirements will be higher given a smaller footprint.

Then again, the Elio is a motorcycle, so I'm sure they will find a way to weasel out of that, too.

Edit- BTW, it's not CAFE anymore. That's the old NHTSA thing. Not that it matters much.

Uck, I just wandered around their website and got a gross, my brain has just been "used" feeling. Heavy on tooting their own horn and with solid science like:

"Gas mileage is determined by how much wind resistance there is on a vehicle. Because Elio is half the width of a regular car, it gets twice the mileage."

Hmm. So weight, volumetric efficiency, drivetrain losses and gearing don't play in at all? I'm definitely going to get a no fat chicks sticker for my cars now! (for the fuel mileage)

Yawn.

Once optimistic, now I'm glad I haven't put money down.

This looks like way more fun!

OK that does look fun; it even rolls the right way.

Didn't somebody on the board roll his own 3 wheeler from a kit a few years ago? Maybe based on a big scooter drivetrain?

Also, anyone else remember this from the 80s? I spent months as a frustrated 14 year old trying to convince my dad of the inherent awesomeness of such a design. He was obviously smarter, but less adventurous than me.

Oh, check it out!! You can still buy plans!!

Tri-Magnum

Sweet!

Another Challenge spec class?

Just make your own!

https://denver.craigslist.org/pts/5445409794.html

A couple years ago, a guy showed up at a local bike night in this. He said he whipped it together with scraps he had around the shop. I don't remember what was powering it or what the front suspension was. Cooler than an Elio, and already on the road.

foxtrapper wrote: Now "up to" 84 mpg, and a "targeted" $6,800 base price. Starting to squirm! Which might actually be an indicator of getting closer to actually making the darn thing.

More than likely means they've finally hired a lawyer.

Gah, my son just came home and informed me that the TriMagnum is weird. Plus he says my parachute pants are lame. Really?

Kids these days have no appreciation for the awesomeness that was the 80s . Reagan was President, and Clint Eastwood had his own police force.

Son? I have no son.

Toyman01 wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: Now "up to" 84 mpg, and a "targeted" $6,800 base price. Starting to squirm! Which might actually be an indicator of getting closer to actually making the darn thing.

More than likely means they've finally hired a lawyer.

What it means is now that they are soliciting actual investors, as opposed to "buyers" with non-refundable deposits, they have to keep their nose squeaky clean, or the SEC will be on them like white on rice.

In reply to XLR99:

If I buy/build a trike kit for anything, I want a replica of a Morgan.

...which I want to believe can be done for less than the $40K+ Morgan wants for them.

Kreb wrote: Just make your own! https://denver.craigslist.org/pts/5445409794.html

But not that...

Ian F wrote: In reply to XLR99: If I buy/build a trike kit for anything, I want a replica of a Morgan. ...which I want to believe can be done for less than the $40K+ Morgan wants for them.

Kreb wrote: Just make your own! https://denver.craigslist.org/pts/5445409794.html

But not that...

I'm not a single-seater guy, but that looks like a blast. What I don't quite get is how the fabrication looks really good, but there's not much triangulation ????

Just like the real Morgan...

airwerks wrote: Uck, I just wandered around their website and got a gross, my brain has just been "used" feeling. Heavy on tooting their own horn and with solid science like: "Gas mileage is determined by how much wind resistance there is on a vehicle. Because Elio is half the width of a regular car, it gets twice the mileage." Hmm. So weight, volumetric efficiency, drivetrain losses and gearing don't play in at all? I'm definitely going to get a no fat chicks sticker for my cars now! (for the fuel mileage)

Actually they're pretty much correct, in practical terms. Weight only affects city mileage and the rest are very easy to optimize. Wind resistance is the major limiting factor in the MPG of a modern car, and having a skinny little pod car will roughly halve the drag and double the MPG.

That's also why a 1khp supercar will only just touch 400kph while a 1khp missile-shaped landspeed car can reach almost twice that much (they have very different gearing too, but putting the landspeeder gearing in the supercar sure won't help)

Whoops http://www.autoblog.com/2016/03/02/elio-sec-lost-53m-so-far/

Oh well. I still think it's a cool concept and would have loved to see it come to market.

Well I have to take back my earlier "yawn" comment. I found out yesterday that we're doing the HVAC system for this vehicle.

GameboyRMH wrote: Actually they're pretty much correct, in practical terms. Weight only affects city mileage and the rest are very easy to optimize. Wind resistance is the major limiting factor in the MPG of a modern car

Yup. This is also why you see large sedans achieving higher HWY mpg than "econobox" hatchbacks.

How hard would it be to set up the front steering geometry to induce lean on a three wheel vehicle when you turned the wheels? Lean the body to the inside of the turn to preweight it a little? Do these tadpole cars do that?

I really like the white homebuilt. Cool sharpie graphics too.

ultraclyde wrote: How hard would it be to set up the front steering geometry to induce lean on a three wheel vehicle when you turned the wheels? Lean the body to the inside of the turn to preweight it a little? Do these tadpole cars do that? I really like the white homebuilt. Cool sharpie graphics too.

You could make the geometry do that automatically if the roll center was significantly higher than the COG, though you can do that on a 4 wheel vehicle, too.