Elio Crowdfunding

[AriLea]

What does this mean;
He will need better luck than Aptera Motors. The startup, . . .Is that something that might be a problem after elio gets their DOE Approval?

I'm heard at least two issues about that. Here is my recap.
The investors had a big hand in mismanaging the funding such that they ended up focussed entirely on funding through the government, and undershot the requirement to remain viable without it. Then the gov program suddenly shut down for a number of reasons and the loan was never approved. Given they had no alternative set up, and could not wait it all out, they failed.

The second issue was that they burned through too much money for reaching the point they were at. Again they could not continue with out more. Once over exteneded they did not have leverage to go on.

So, does Aptera profile appear to be similar to the Elio? Well, there are many of the same chalenges. But Elio does differ in thier control of money and the way they have created relationships and thier path to reach thier accomplishments.

Is Elio enough different from Aptera to make it? That IS the $64,000 question. The project is in a lot better condition now than Aptera was back then. And the AVTM does not sit in the crosshairs of a shutdown as it did when Aptera needed them most. It was a shocking occurance.

Elio has definately taken the Aptera experience to heart, exactly how effective thier coutermeasures are is a trade secret, or at minimum closely kept knowledge. Certainly Elio Motors has had more time to plan for the funding chalenges than Aptera did.

Yes, EM does say some interesting/positive stuff addressing the issues that had also been Aptera's. But the details are a bit obscure, and even if well addressed must remain so until it is beneficial to be otherwise.

 

[John Painter]

What does this mean;

He will need better luck than Aptera Motors. The startup, which had developed an electric three-wheeler, folded in 2011 when the recession made it difficult to line up money from private equity firms and venture capitalists to match a low-interest loan from the DOE's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program, or ATVM.

I found it in ;

http://www.autonews.com/article/201...luck-and-patience-keep-paul-elios-quest-alive

Is that something that might be a problem after elio gets their DOE Approval?

OMG Kathy Vincent is on new drugs. (in the comments)


AND SUPERMAN IS A BLOGGER ... INTERESTING.............

While there's some similarities with Aptera, there are more differences. Aptera wasn't as focused on safety, they were not as focused on cost, they never got more than several thousand preorders, they couldn't hold on long enough as a preproduction company to qualify for ATVM - they couldn't raise around $150 million to build a four door family sedan, which brings up the biggest difference.... they tried to develop multiple vehicles both ev and hybrid, a two seater and then family sedan. The company was, as they say, 'all over the place'. It's a miracle they made it as far as they did.

Oh, and Kathy has a messiah complex, there's no medication for that.

Just my two cents.

 

[pistonboy]

What does this mean;

He will need better luck than Aptera Motors. The startup, which had developed an electric three-wheeler, folded in 2011 when the recession made it difficult to line up money from private equity firms and venture capitalists to match a low-interest loan from the DOE's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program, or ATVM.

I found it in ;

http://www.autonews.com/article/201...luck-and-patience-keep-paul-elios-quest-alive

Is that something that might be a problem after elio gets their DOE Approval?

OMG Kathy Vincent is on new drugs. (in the comments)


AND SUPERMAN IS A BLOGGER ... INTERESTING.............

I do not know about Aptera or other companies, but I find it difficult to believe any other motor company has its act together like Elio Motors. I truly find Elio Motors amazing. How many other companies go to other states and get their laws changed to better the motor company? And, they have been successful at changing the state laws. They have a tour company to prove people are interested gathering deposits. They get a US Senator to introduce legislation just for them. They are part of the two largest auto shows in the nation. (NY and LA). They manage to secure a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with very expensive equipment for a pittance. They get suppliers to help design the vehicle. They come up with a totally new sales, service, and distribution system. The list goes on, and on.

Anyone who is not thoroughly impressed by Elio Motors is an idiot!

 

[HonestTex]

Finally got my email from SE saying funds have cleared... Took the full 10 business days. Guess they were going alphabetically.

 

[Kuda]

I do not know about Aptera or other companies, but I find it difficult to believe any other motor company has its act together like Elio Motors. I truly find Elio Motors amazing. How many other companies go to other states and get their laws changed to better the motor company? And, they have been successful at changing the state laws. They have a tour company to prove people are interested gathering deposits. They get a US Senator to introduce legislation just for them. They are part of the two largest auto shows in the nation. (NY and LA). They manage to secure a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with very expensive equipment for a pittance. They get suppliers to help design the vehicle. They come up with a totally new sales, service, and distribution system. The list goes on, and on.

Anyone who is not thoroughly impressed by Elio Motors is an idiot!

Ever thought of a career in PR?

 

[AriLea]

I do not know about Aptera or other companies, but I find it difficult to believe any other motor company has its act together like Elio Motors. I truly find Elio Motors amazing. How many other companies go to other states and get their laws changed to better the motor company? And, they have been successful at changing the state laws. They have a tour company to prove people are interested gathering deposits. They get a US Senator to introduce legislation just for them. They are part of the two largest auto shows in the nation. (NY and LA). They manage to secure a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with very expensive equipment for a pittance. They get suppliers to help design the vehicle. They come up with a totally new sales, service, and distribution system. The list goes on, and on.

Anyone who is not thoroughly impressed by Elio Motors is an idiot!

Oh yes, that was a big success for Elio. Aptera never tried to do anything for fixing laws. Apparently, Aptera were just going to hope that after the car was out there, the states would do their own effort to make sense of it.

Another bad move for Aptera, focusing too tightly on California sales only. No! just cause you can swing it in CA, doesn't mean the rest of the US would follow. Just isn't as much marketing opportunity with Aptera compared to what Elio has positioned for.

The more we talk about it, the more you can see how Elio Motors is a much better effort than other attempts at a new car. What we should compare against is something like the DeLorean. And that brings up the second worry. Starting a company is one thing, getting past the first 5 years is another. My guess is that Elio is a lot more realistic than DeLorean, but that needs more data to prove it.

 

[NSTG8R]

I do not know about Aptera or other companies, but I find it difficult to believe any other motor company has its act together like Elio Motors. I truly find Elio Motors amazing. How many other companies go to other states and get their laws changed to better the motor company? And, they have been successful at changing the state laws. They have a tour company to prove people are interested gathering deposits. They get a US Senator to introduce legislation just for them. They are part of the two largest auto shows in the nation. (NY and LA). They manage to secure a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with very expensive equipment for a pittance. They get suppliers to help design the vehicle. They come up with a totally new sales, service, and distribution system. The list goes on, and on.

Anyone who is not thoroughly impressed by Elio Motors is an idiot!

For the record. I'm thoroughly impressed with Elio Motors.

 

[HonestTex]

For the record. I'm thoroughly impressed with Elio Motors.

Ditto.

 

[AriLea]

BTW, EM just put out a email that references this article (link), and that article does take a swipe at the Aptera question.
Here's the Elio letter;

Mainstream Auto Media Starting to See the Light…

There are many milestones on any entrepreneurial journey. Some are large and obvious. For Elio Motors, our launch of the P5 and our stock sale announced at the Los Angeles Auto show come to mind.

Others, however, are more subtle. But, they are important nonetheless.

One of those subtle milestones was thisstory about Elio Motorsthat ran on Page 1, above the fold, in Automotive News this week.

Automotive News is considered to be the Bible when it comes to automotive trade publications. It has a subscription base of nearly 100,000 and it is widely read by industry leaders and luminaries. Automotive News also helps set the agenda for other auto writers and journalists seeking to understand the auto industry. It’s nice to get the attention of such an important opinion leader. And, it’s a nice sign of progress in terms of winning over the mindshare of some of the industry’s harshest critics.

“We Don’t Cover Anything with Three Wheels”

Since Elio Motors launched, and particularly since the launch of the P4, the team has reached out to Automotive News on a consistent basis. A familiar refrain from multiple reporters and editors was “we don’t cover anything with three wheels.” Hey, we get it.

In addition, as a start-up, we were often met with skepticism, which we understand. The veteran reporters at Automotive News have seen it all and they are used to covering century-old companies such as Ford and General Motors. We are clearly the new kid on the block.

{duplicated text removed}

Undeterred, we keep knocking on their door. Finally, after a steady stream of positive news and accomplishments, they are starting to listen.

Momentum is Undeniable

The change in perception by Automotive News is just the latest in a long line of obstacles Elio Motors has overcome. There is clearly interest in Elio Motors. With more than 48,000 reservations to date, we’re obviously onto something. Combine our reservations with a unique design, innovative business practices, a new way to invest, an engine built from the ground up, and a new prototype and even Automotive News had to agree. This is a great story.

We were thrilled when Gabe Nelson of Automotive News verified that he’d be at our Los Angeles Auto Show news conference. We want to share our story with anyone and everyone, especially an industry thought leader like Automotive News. To have Automotive News in attendance at the news conference, with another 100 or so industry writers, reinforced an important point - Elio Motors is catching the eye of the mainstream automotive industry.

The article itself is fair and balanced and creates a realistic sense of where we are today. It captures the human side of Paul Elio’s story, outlining how he was struggling financially in the early phases and how a little bit of luck combined with a whole lot of perseverance has kept the company moving forward. But, it also outlines some of the challenges the company still faces – fundraising, reaching fuel efficiency goals, and reaching price targets.

These are all things Paul has shared in town hall meetings, other interviews, speeches, our offering circular, and many venues. But, it’s good to have real journalists asking these questions and acknowledging that there are still a few mountains to climb. It keeps the company on its toes and sharpens the focus moving forward.

Perhaps what we like best about the article, and what Automotive News sees in our story, is a never-say-die attitude.

“I’ve never thought of conceding defeat. Ever,” said Paul Elio.

It’s nice that Automotive News is catching onto our efforts. We look forward to sharing even more positive stories with them…hopefully when we see them again at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month.

 

[AriLea]

One commenter on that article (post above) kind of nailed it.. good job Kelly!

Kelly Rutledge -
I understand there is pessimism. But some folks just like to trash good ideas just so they can say I told you so. I don't know what causes that. Maybe people have just been burned too many times. But even if you are not an Elio supporter, you should be. On the drive in to work today, 2 out of every 3 cars on the road were huge SUV's being piloted by one person. I have nothing against big SUV's. I own one. But one person driving a 5000 lb tank to work that gets 15 mi/gal and depreciates $.50 a mile for every mile you drive it is ridiculous. Maybe it will cost $8000 and only get 80 miles per gallon, but Elio can pull this off, it will create thousands of jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, make reliable transportation affordable to a lot more Americans and reduce carbon emissions more than any car out there (including Tesla since the majority of our electricity in this country is produced by coal and petroleum.) This country was built on the courage of people who dared to make a dream become reality. This is an idea who's time has come. If an idea like the Elio can't make it in this country, we shouldn't be asking what's wrong with Elio, we should be asking what's wrong with this country.