E-series Engineering Completed!

[Jeff Bowlsby]

That chassis graphic is such a tease. Hope they publish a high res version and from different viewpoints.

That front sway bar is HUGE! The E should corner dead flat with a front bar that size.

Also notice the front cross beam that looks like its a bolt-on? Wonder why they want the removable...maybe ease of engine pulls?

 

[Sethodine]

SUPER COOL!

 

[Coss]

Extra small side window?

Save weight where possible; unless they're planning on having a fixed window into the trunk.

 

[msmith5150]

Remember, it's just the drawing of the chassis they made public, that is probably not the precise, complete chassis. They show us what they want us to see.

 

[Elio Amazed]

Elio Motors Delivering a ‘Classy Chassis’

Great news, all of you Elio fans! The Engineering team just finished its work on the vehicle’s chassis, which is the final element of design before the building of the E-Series vehicles can commence.

If you know much about vehicles, you know that the chassis is a critical element in how well the vehicle will handle, in terms of cornering and braking. With racecars, for example, the stiffness of the chassis, combined with the design of the suspension, makes a difference as to whether the vehicle will corner like it’s on rails, or if it will be sloppy, less responsive, and prone to understeer. While this agility may not be as important to drivers on a high-speed oval track, it is critical for road racers, who often compete through the streets of some of the world’s largest and most exotic cities.

Having a quality chassis on your personal vehicle also is important, since the better the chassis is constructed, the more precise your turning, braking, and other maneuvers can be completed and the less road noise, vibration, and ride harshness (NVH) are transferred to you, the driver. This affects not only safety and performance, but also your perception of the quality of the entire vehicle.

To ensure that the Elio has such a chassis, we brought in Roush


, a premier provider of engineering and product development solutions, which not only designs chassis, but also tunes or calibrates them so that they eliminate as much NVH as possible. Roush works with the latest engineering and simulation software to bring the design to a near-finished state, so that real-world drivability issues can be finessed out of the final design before it’s produced commercially for you to drive.

Elio Motors has completed the fourth and final stage of engineering for its E-Series vehicles with the completion of its chassis design.

From a performance perspective, because of the rigidity of the frame and the design of the suspension geometry, the E-Series vehicles are expected to be quite responsive. According to Jeff Johnston, Vice President of Engineering for Elio Motors, the Elio has an independent suspension consisting of unequal upper and lower control arms, incorporating a coil-over shock absorber design in the spirit of some of the world’s leading performance vehicles. This provides a low profile for better aerodynamics and lower weight than MacPherson struts, one of the most common suspension types for light vehicles. The rear suspension utilizes a swing arm, also with a coil-over shock system.

"Once our E-Series vehicles emerge from the pilot build, the Chassis team will conduct ride and handling development tuning to refine the vehicle’s driving characteristics prior to commercial production," Johnston said. "When this real-world and safety testing is complete, the team will be charged with continual chassis and suspension development for model-year updates.”

So when you’re able to take your Elio out for a spin around the block, around town, or perhaps on a nice long road trip, you’ll better appreciate the engineering that’s gone into its chassis and suspension. Our goal is for you to be able to tell right away that the Elio is both a great value in transportation as well as a real performer when it comes to handling, braking, and of course, those three important letters: N – V – H.

This is the first email from EM that I've been pleased with for a long time.
This almost looks like a completely different vehicle (under the skin).

Farming the final engineering of this vehicle out...
To Roush with it's experience, resources and skill sets...
Instead of trying to do the the entire thing 'in house'...
Was probably the best decision EM has made to date IMO.

Outstanding.

 

[Bamdalam]

If you look at the drawing, there are a lot of reinforcements made to the original chassis design. There seems now to be a sway bar of some kind across the front of the engine, a new reinforcing plate on the passenger right side, and general beefing up. My question is how much weight is all that adding?

It looks as if their claim that the vehicle will be more responsive and ride better is probably well-founded. Not that I am any sort of expert in Automotive chassis design, I'm not.

Just for fun, Buckeye Jake is visiting overnight and we are going to watch Comptrex's team tear up the robotics competition in St Louis tomorrow.

I hope you'll take some killer photos for Comptrex and this site!

 

[Avards]

Elio Motors Delivering a ‘Classy Chassis’

Great news, all of you Elio fans! The Engineering team just finished its work on the vehicle’s chassis, which is the final element of design before the building of the E-Series vehicles can commence.

Elio Motors has completed the fourth and final stageof engineering for its E-Series vehicles with the completion of its chassis design.


Grumpy Cat:

Thanks for including the line drawing. I hadn't seen it previously.

The bolt-in cross member may be the answer to a question which was raised by some of us quite some time ago about whether, or not, the Elio would be towable for RV use. The answer given then was that it would be, but no further information was provided.

The crossbar at the front of my 2013 Honda FIT is quite similar in design. I had a Trailmaster tow kit/adapter plate installed on that vehicle. The crossbar assembly was unbolted and replaced with a replacement unit which included the fitments to accept the other towbar parts. The installation is such that almost all visible portions of the system are removed when it is not in use. Very neat and clean. And, very little additional weight remaining when not rigged to towing.

Let us hope that something similar will be available, probably by an aftermarket vendor, shortly after the Elio is released, again, hopefully.

***************************

While looking at the drawing, I am a little concerned that there does not appear to be an impact bar of some sort across space between B and C pillars on the non-opening side of the vehicle. I would expect that one would probably be built into the door assembly of the vehicle, and therefore would not be included in this chassis drawing. Just wondering.

I've only recently resumed looking at site, and have probably missed many inputs. Please forgive me if I'm bringing up anew something which has been discussed to death in the past.

 

[BiloxiGeek]

Interesting that the door opening is symmetrical. Maybe a RH door option will be available for delivery services?

Or future export to the UK.

 

[RUCRAYZE]

Interesting that the door opening is symmetrical. Maybe a RH door option will be available for delivery services?

Isn't the shifting mechanism built into the right side (blocking the possibility of a door on American models?)

 

[Grumpy Cat]

Isn't the shifting mechanism built into the right side (blocking the possibility of a door on American models?)

They shift with their left hand...