Minneapolis Mn 5/29-5/31

Ty · May 29, 2015

CheeseheadEarl said:
Thanks for the report, Jeff. I just plugged in Southdale in the GPS. Sounds like 62 will be my route. I'll be there sometime tomorrow late morning, will update when I leave here.

Any questions Jeff missed I should ask?
I will check on the motor and P3.

Is Iola Speedway a typo for Iowa?

Hey, I have a couple of questions I haven't seen addressed in a while or ever. If you could ask a couple of them, I'd appreciate it.

Have they nailed down the body shape yet? (The crash test simulation seemed to show a raised rear roof)
How close are they to finalizing the thing?

MAIN ONE: Are they able to continue with testing with current funds?

Why haven't we heard a peep about the engine?
Are they raising the roof in the rear or lowering the seat?
How much will the Skyzmatic system cost? (will it be available without the subscription piece?)
Have they been working with the military to have the Elio exempted for helmets on and off bases?
Are they looking into making the trunk a little deeper?

JEBar · May 29, 2015

no change in production date and having about half the money needed for the next stage sounds good to me .... that says their efforts to raise considerable cash seems to be working

Smitty901 · May 31, 2015

JEBar said:
no change in production date and having about half the money needed for the next stage sounds good to me .... that says their efforts to raise considerable cash seems to be working

Good news I guess, but they told us before they had funding so we just have to wait a year or so and see.

JEBar · May 31, 2015

Smitty901 said:
Good news I guess, but they told us before they had funding so we just have to wait a year or so and see.

that's certainly correct .... at this point we don't know what changed to bring about the change in funding .... we could sit around and guess all day but the bottom line is we would be guessing .... eventually we will know one way or the other and for me the good news is, "eventually" is growing shorter .... right now they are saying 2016 and without any facts to discount that, I'm content to sit back and watch

ScarecrowRepair · May 31, 2015

Jeff Miller said:
I had an interesting observation while driving my truck home from seeing the elio. I normally have a bit of disdain for the small car owners that pull up close the rear of the truck and largely disappear behind the tailgate. Some day I'm convinced I'k going to back over one of them.

Well after seeing how short the elio is it will certainly fall into the category of being hiding behind my tailgate if it comes in too close. However, with the bulk of the elio being much narrower I suspect the chance of seeing it in my trucks side mirrors will also diminish.

So I guess this is a reminder to myself and others that when we drive our elios to make sure that we can see the driver in the vehicle either through their rear window or in their mirrors. If you are to close to do that then be ready to become road kill.

I have been driving an MR2 for years. I don't remember the exact figures now, but the Elio front track is 1" wider and it is 6" higher and longer. The only real difference is that the front width includes the fenders, so it will be less visible that way. But if I have had no problems with pickups backing into me with the MR2, I expect even less with the Elio.

jimvw57 · May 31, 2015

I was up there Saturday morning and was able to slide my large frame into the car with relative ease. I had surgery on my right knee so it doesn't quite work yet, but was still able to get in and out, I am 6'5" and lets say 'maximum density' and leave it at that. Traffic around the mall was not great, but I have seen worse. 57 miles each way to get up there and back. Saw a lot of Elio shirts running around the mall.

notice the cane on the floor..

JEBar · May 31, 2015

jimvw57 said:
I was up there Saturday morning and was able to slide my large frame into the car with relative ease. I had surgery on my right knee so it doesn't quite work yet, but was still able to get in and out, I am 6'5" and lets say 'maximum density' and leave it at that. Traffic around the mall was not great, but I have seen worse. 57 miles each way to get up there and back. Saw a lot of Elio shirts running around the mall.

outstanding .... we found our 300+ mile round trip from home to Charlotte and back was well worth it and, without hesitation, we would do it again .... I'm a good bit short of 6' 5" but I can identify with having a knee which recently required surgery and being one with 'maximum density' .... I was surprised at how easily I was able to get in and out of the P4 .... much easier than our 2000 Buick Park Avenue

Jeff Porter · Jun 1, 2015

Jeff Miller said:
The booth is in the mall across from the apple store. The closet door is probably the mall entrance next to the theater.

For those coming from the north I'd recommend 62 to France and south to southdale. Going north on France from 494 works but you have to deal with a lot more shopping traffic.

My general impression was good and although the wife isn't as passionate about elio as I am she is looking forward to a creamsicle in her garage next year. Although roomy inside it is a LARGE change from driving a large cab truck. Using the 1971 VW bug analogy from another post I made the elio looks a lot longer and sleeker than the bug but the bug looks a lot taller. Inside there is a ton more room both in the elio. Sure the bug has side by side seating but all in I'd bet that the bug is only 1/2 seat wider than the elio. Getting in and out of the front wasn't bad but it was a bit more challenging from the back. The trunk is pretty darn small - DANG, I should have seen what it looked like with the back seat down but I forgot.

Some of the things I learned:

The production date has not changed and when I asked about it not being on the web site Pam said she wasn't aware of that.

Of the 30 pre-production vehicles 1/2 will be for safety testing and 1/2 for the engineers to tune and tweak. I suspect engineer vehicles will become the test drive vehicles.

They have about 1/2 the money needed to start the 30 pre-production vehicles

Currently all tires are the same but that may change based on tweaking. For example the fronts might get narrower to reduce rolling resistance if necessary to get to 84 mpg.

There is discussion of a locking hood but I forgot to ask if it would be standard or an option.

Gull wing windows in the back will be an option.

No update on DOE loan or other investors.

Upcoming but not yet advertised tour events:

Iola raceway in July

9 days following the great race

These are not on the website as they are subject to change. Big reason for changes are when the elio needs to be someplace else to woo a prospective investor

The power door locks only work remotely via the skyz system

Skyz appears to be quit embedded with Apple so there may be some question as to if/when it might work with android phones

The back seat will be padded more than what is in the P4.

Mirrors will be bigger

Things I wanted to ask but forgot:

Where is the P3

Engine information about torque and HP

Jerome was off doing an interview when I was there but Pam and the rest of the crew are certainly as gracious as everybody says. They do sound tired from the grueling pace so be sure to thank them for there efforts.

Thanks for all the info, Jeff!

Kuda · Jun 1, 2015

Elio Amazed said:
I agree with that rationale.

This might help: http://wonderfulengineering.com/air...-can-cut-vehicle-exhaust-gases-by-90-percent/

Hob · Jun 1, 2015

Made it to Southdale on Saturday. Fix my large self in and out of the Elio with ease.. even the backseat. Wife liked it .. wants me to reserver one for her too.

Found out a few things...

They are going to be adding a couple more inches of headroom to the backseat. Didn't know if it would involve lowering the seat, raising the roof or some combination of both.

Skyzmatic system cost is going to be $2K for everything. Can mix and match capabilities for less $ though. There will be a monthly fee for internet access. Didn't say how much that would be. I ask if there would be an option that would allow it to be tethered to one's mark phone, or simply be able to access a phone as a wi-fi hot spot. Got a big "I don't know".

One interesting number I heard in passing.. EM is planning a 1st year production run for around 60K units I.E. they're hoping to be in production before reservations go over 60K, so they'll be sure confidently able to fulfill all (pre)reservations in the 1st year. Which is a bit different from what I've heard Paul say. Still talking 250K/year as the projected max fully ramped up production level though.

I'll let y'all know if I remember anything else relevant.

Minneapolis Mn 5/29-5/31

Ty

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JEBar

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Smitty901

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JEBar

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ScarecrowRepair

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jimvw57

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JEBar

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Jeff Porter

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Kuda

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Hob

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