9/14/2014 - Gas2 - 7 Best Possible Uses For An Elio Motor

[#491]

Interesting article that got me thinking about what else an Elio engine can be used for. This makes sense as an additional source of revenue if Elio will sell the engine to other OEM’s. I’m sure you’ll be able to order an engine through Pep Boy’s as well.

http://gas2.org/2014/09/14/7-best-possible-uses-elio-motor/

Another use that popped to mind as a private pilot who once sought out a Geo Metro engine is with experimental aircraft. The Geo engine became highly sought out for home builders looking for a lightweight engine. If the engine is produced you can guarantee it will be in the air as well as the road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wHqQqhNVYY

 

[Mike W]

Interesting article that got me thinking about what else an Elio engine can be used for. This makes sense as an additional source of revenue if Elio will sell the engine to other OEM’s. I’m sure you’ll be able to order an engine through Pep Boy’s as well.

http://gas2.org/2014/09/14/7-best-possible-uses-elio-motor/

Another use that popped to mind as a private pilot who once sought out a Geo Metro engine is with experimental aircraft. The Geo engine became highly sought out for home builders looking for a lightweight engine. If the engine is produced you can guarantee it will be in the air as well as the road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wHqQqhNVYY

That article is sounding downright friendly, considering the source! Nice for that to happen. It's also tongue in cheek, but I like that.

 

[goofyone]

That article is sounding downright friendly, considering the source! Nice for that to happen. It's also tongue in cheek, but I like that.

Yes it was nice little article for a change. I think some time talking directly with Paul Elio has really made a big influence on Jo Borrás who was definitely not a fan of EM in the past. Hopefully as more good news continues to roll out he will continue to become more friendly towards Elio Motors.

 

[Smitty901]

The ELIO engine could be used as a power source for a generator

 

[goofyone]

I will have to find the source however Elio Motors has actually discussed discussed the possibility of selling these engines before and specifically mentioned aviation as one of the possibilities.

 

[#491]

I will have to find the source however Elio Motors has actually discussed discussed the possibility of selling these engines before and specifically mentioned aviation as one of the possibilities.

Even if you had to buy an Elio just to get the engine it would still be about 50% less expensive then buying some of the top experimental engines out there.

 

[carzes]

sorry if I'm kind of ignorant here, but what attributes of this particular engine would make it especially suitable for aviation? My understanding is that it is specifically designed to perform very efficiently within a somewhat narrow workload range. How much aircraft would translate to the same workload as pulling a 1200 lb. car at 60 ish mph? As I understand you also need an engine capable of producing a lot of power for takeoff and then throttle back to high efficiency for cruise. Is this the best one for that job? I can't help but think that this motor was designed for efficiency and cheap production, with possibly SOME consideration for weight. Cheap is not a word that associates itself readily with aviation, and is the power to weight ratio of this engine actually going to be that impressive, compared to other options? Might other engines like the 1.4L twin-turbo in the Dart be a better match for aviation use?
I'm all for finding other opportunities for what is looking like a very interesting motor, but it just seems to me also, that the more you purpose-build something, the less flexible it becomes for other applications.

 

[AriLea]

sorry if I'm kind of ignorant here, but what attributes of this particular engine would make it especially suitable for aviation?

It may not make a lot of sense, until you consider that the ultra-light community is already using the Geo-Metro/Swift engine. As those get older, the Elio becomes an easy, low cost replacement. So what ever the category is that likes that range of power and weight, and especially the price....

 

[#491]

sorry if I'm kind of ignorant here, but what attributes of this particular engine would make it especially suitable for aviation? My understanding is that it is specifically designed to perform very efficiently within a somewhat narrow workload range. How much aircraft would translate to the same workload as pulling a 1200 lb. car at 60 ish mph? As I understand you also need an engine capable of producing a lot of power for takeoff and then throttle back to high efficiency for cruise. Is this the best one for that job? I can't help but think that this motor was designed for efficiency and cheap production, with possibly SOME consideration for weight. Cheap is not a word that associates itself readily with aviation, and is the power to weight ratio of this engine actually going to be that impressive, compared to other options? Might other engines like the 1.4L twin-turbo in the Dart be a better match for aviation use?
I'm all for finding other opportunities for what is looking like a very interesting motor, but it just seems to me also, that the more you purpose-build something, the less flexible it becomes for other applications.

It will have better attributes than the Geo Metro engine that is used in numerous experimental aircraft. It's light weight and has plenty of HP to power light aircraft in the range between 400-1000 LBS. I almost built a CGS Hawk (Google it) which is a proven platform for a Geo engine. Geo engines are hard to come by now (good ones) but having a new 3 cylinder engine available through Elio will mean more small aircraft flying with the Elio engine. The engine is coupled to a redrive for a propeller (think transmission) which matches the required turn ratio for the desired thrust.

 

[goofyone]

The power to weight ratio of the IAV/Elio engine is very favorable. Keep in mind that the Elio engine is detuned for this vehicle and it can produce about 65 HP with a stated weight of 'about 100 lbs'. For comparison the old Suzuki engine, with an iron head, weighs 130 lbs so with modern aluminum alloys, and other improvements such as no iron cylinder liners, it is very realistic for this engine to be close to 100 lbs of weight.

The Elio engine actually already has a dual stage intake valve lift system and dual intake cam lobs which allows for two modes of operation, high power and high efficiency. There is also no reason why this engine can't be fitted with an even more advanced head design and/or a turbo as this has even been discussed by Elio Motors and they are even leaving room on the assembly line for turbo installation. For uses requiring more power getting 100hp+ out of this engine and keeping the total weight under 150 lbs should not be difficult at all. It should also be relatively inexpensive.

For comparisons sake the much more high tech, and expensive, Ford Ecoboost 3-cylinder 1.0L produces 100-120 hp depending on configuration but weighs about 215 lbs. Even at the lower 55hp and higher weight estimate of 120lbs the Elio would have about the same power/weight ratio as the 100hp/215lb Ecoboost.