84 Mpg

[NSTG8R]

...Ad nauseam, for sure!

 

[skygazer6033]

With the front wheels in the ruts from previous vehicles keeping the rear wheel centered between the ruts will be like trying to stand on a basketball. Crossing ruts could be challenging too. Particularly if the rear wheel drops into a rut and doesn't want to climb out. You could end up with the right front and rear in one rut and the left front in the other. Probably fun at 5 MPH. At 25 or 30 MPH probably more fun than you really want to have.

 

[CompTrex]

With the front wheels in the ruts from previous vehicles keeping the rear wheel centered between the ruts will be like trying to stand on a basketball. Crossing ruts could be challenging too. Particularly if the rear wheel drops into a rut and doesn't want to climb out. You could end up with the right front and rear in one rut and the left front in the other. Probably fun at 5 MPH. At 25 or 30 MPH probably more fun than you really want to have.

Well said. Fun when you want it to be fun. When trying to get to work, probably not so much.

 

[HHH]

Insurance will be the major deciding factor with respect to "And vehicle" savings. If it costs me 1200/yr to insure the thing, I'm saving nothing. If it's insurance rates are more motorcycle-like, it'll be a different story.

You make an excellent point that may well be the unheralded deciding factor for many future car shoppers. This can upset the economics for many Elio buyers. Classifying the Elio nationally as an Autocycle would have an unknown effect on insurance ratings. And Inigo93's 35 year breakeven analysis assuming only a $400 insurance cost brings the message home.

For some, the storage and maintenance headaches of an additional vehicle, along with the frequent refrain, "Oh, that's in the other car" will put off some potential buyers initially swayed by the "and vehicle" argument.

Fortunately, car buying still remains an emotional decision for many, despite the claims of it being a carefully considered rational decision. Witness the unrealized breakeven for the many hybrids sold.

 

[Rickb]

Elio is marketed as an & commuter, a second or third vehicle for many. Snowy days drive the AWD/4x4. It will impact only the few that decide to make the Elio their only vehicle and many of those owners may live in warmer climates.

 

[JEBar]

companies can market their vehicles for specific uses but once they are sold, all bets are off .... people will use them the way they want to use them .... some will be modified to where they are radically different from when they rolled off the assembly line .... to me this will be a wonderfully exciting time that I'm really looking forward to following

 

[Jayne Shelby]

I feel strange saying this but I don't care about the 84 MPG. What I long for is getting behind the wheel and taking a road trip to make my first experience one that will be remembered for the rest of my life. Perhaps driving the length of Route 66. Mileage is important but the experience will out weigh it every time.