Car Tipping

[Truett Collins]

it can't and won't. It'll meet only m.c. standards not a car and will not be tested as a car

Really, no the feds might not test it to the standards of a car's safety test, however there are private testing facilities who will and it has been stated repeatedly that those will be the ones to do the test.

 

[goofyone]

that wasn't the info you shared when I asked about insurance testing and federal testing of the Elio You said it will be tested as a m.c., which you also mentioned comes after production starts. BUT that'll be terrific if it does happen. !!! A 1200 lb (thin) car taking the side impact of the test? was it 3500lbs at 30mph? hummmmmm

The answer really does vary depending on the question as there are several different things going on here. One is what Elio Motors has said they will do voluntarily, another is what needs to happen per federal law, and then we have what the insurance institute decides to do. Testing the vehicle to the car standard is purely voluntary by Elio Motors and actually really does not count for much legally however it does mean a lot to EM's marketing strategy as with this information they will be able to claim that the vehicle meets automotive safety standards as they can back the claim up with testing data from a certified testing laboratory. There are also federal safety standards that motorcycles must meet which will be a mix of documentation ahead of time and testing to verify the manufacturers claims on production models. The last bit is what the IIHS decides to do as they are an independent group and can choose to treat the testing any way they wish however they only test random production models purchased at retail.

Many people mention the side impact test as a concern however in my opinion this is really the easiest test for this vehicle. Dissipating the energy of front, rear, and offset impacts is likely more difficult in such a narrow vehicle as there is simply less material to crumple. For a side impact the door and door frame designs on the Elio vehicle will be standard designs as used and well proven in most modern vehicles and the roll cage style chassis is extraordinarily stiff. At the same time it is a fact that the narrower the cross-members between the two sides of the vehicle are the less likely they are to buckle.

 

[ross]

Hi all,
I was looking through some smart fortwo pictures online and noticed several where the cars where placed on their sides in parking lots, driveways, and streets as a prank. Because the car is so lightweight, three or four people could potentially flip the smart car on its side or back door and really cause some serious damage. The Elio is far lighter, and seems a perfect candidate for punks with too much time on their hands to pull with the Elio. Is this more worry than reality? Just a thought...

Slightly off the subject, but anyone else remember back in the early 70's when they shipped the Chevy Vegas vertically in specially designed rail cars?

 

[goofyone]

Slightly off the subject, but anyone else remember back in the early 70's when the shipped the Chevy Vegas vertically in specially designed rail cars?

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/01/vert-a-pac-train-cars-kept-your-chevy-vegas-price-in-check/

 

[Mark Ambrose]

Try this: http://carzapper.info/

How would that work on the Elio which doesn't have any metal in it's body?

 

[harlan stephens]

ElioHas a metal frame.
I would think that would be the point to dog it down.

 

[BilgeRat]

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/01/vert-a-pac-train-cars-kept-your-chevy-vegas-price-in-check/

I sure do. One of the guys I went to college with grew up on the family farm along the Burlington Main Line near Princeton, Illinois. Roger was plowing one spring, and heard this crunch, crunch, crunch sound, looked up, and saw a Vega flipping end for end through the field from a westbound freight. He got a chain out, dragged the carcass off to a corner of the field and called the railroad. The adjuster showed up a few days later and made arrangements to have the wreck hauled off. Roger asked if this happened often and the adjuster said, "Yeah, we get about four a week system wide."