Elio P5 At Detroit Auto Show

[Ekh]

I checked with EM on the .84 G skid resistance. They said, "Simulation -- like everything else." So they haven't been quietly out hot rodding on skid pans. Sigh.

 

[Ekh]

For some perspective, Road and Track had very high remarks in 1982 for the Trihawk, which was a front wheel drive three-wheeler with similar specs to the Elio (1300cc engine, engine located ahead of the drive axles, 0-60 in 9.7 secs, top speed of 97 mph). R&T measured the Trihawk's performance on the skidpad as 0.83g, which it noted at the time was bested only by the BMW M1, Porsche 930 Turbo, Ferrari Boxer, and Lamborghini Countach.

I know skidpad numbers have climbed since then because of improvements in tires, suspensions, etc., but it does give some perspective to the numbers. R&T's very positive review of the Trihawk can be found here: http://yellowtrihawk.com/Trihawk304_RT_05-1982.pdf. There's also an interesting article on dynamic stability of three-wheeled vehicles here: http://www.rqriley.com/3-wheel.htm

Did you have that R&T with the Trihawk article lying around and scan it? Wow! One thing that interested me about it was that despite the somewhat similar specs, the Trihawk only got 26mpg in normal driving. Perhaps not having a body to speak of might have something to do with that ... but still, powerplants today are vastly more efficient, and we should be grateful.

 

[floydv]

Did you have that R&T with the Trihawk article lying around and scan it? Wow! One thing that interested me about it was that despite the somewhat similar specs, the Trihawk only got 26mpg in normal driving. Perhaps not having a body to speak of might have something to do with that ... but still, powerplants today are vastly more efficient, and we should be grateful.

I read about the Trihawk in that R&T article back in 1982 and really wanted one, but I was too young to buy it. And by the time I was old enough, it had gone out of production. Fast forward to 2015, I'm getting excited about the Elio and reading everyone's comments on this forum, and a comment in another thread triggered the memory about the Trihawk. I had to google what I recalled because I couldn't remember its name, and I ran into that article while searching for past attempts to market a successful three-wheeler to see if Paul Elio had learned the key lessons from those past attempts.

 

[RUCRAYZE]

I checked with EM on the .84 G skid resistance. They said, "Simulation -- like everything else." So they haven't been quietly out hot rodding on skid pans. Sigh.

speaking of the E being out and about
Do we know the number (if any) of the 25 "test" units under construction / production. Is the schedule still dependent on the stock offering?
Will these be hand built ?
thanks

 

[WilliamH]

speaking of the E being out and about
Do we know the number (if any) of the 25 "test" units under construction / production. Is the schedule still dependent on the stock offering?
Will these be hand built ?
thanks

You might want to ask those questions over on Facebook ---> https://www.facebook.com/ElioMotors <---
or at ---> tellmemore@eliomotors.com <---
You may have better luck getting an accurate answer at those sites.

 

[Sethodine]

speaking of the E being out and about
Do we know the number (if any) of the 25 "test" units under construction / production. Is the schedule still dependent on the stock offering?
Will these be hand built ?
thanks

With the +$16m raised by the stock offering, they've already begun the E-series process. We don't know what "begun the process" means in terms of timeline though. It seems like a no-brainer that EM would start posting construction pictures and blogs once the actually build begins. Just having some pictures of Elios being built on an assembly line will be golden for marketing.

 

[RUCRAYZE]

With the +$16m raised by the stock offering, they've already begun the E-series process. We don't know what "begun the process" means in terms of timeline though. It seems like a no-brainer that EM would start posting construction pictures and blogs once the actually build begins. Just having some pictures of Elios being built on an assembly line will be golden for marketing.

Write on!

 

[Rickb]

It doesn't seem logical that they would start the process of building the Es until the P5 is completed, track tested, and E Build certified.

 

[John Painter]

speaking of the E being out and about
Do we know the number (if any) of the 25 "test" units under construction / production. Is the schedule still dependent on the stock offering?
Will these be hand built ?
thanks

The best guess is they have not started building yet.

I think it's reasonable to think that month 0 on Elio Motors timetable is February 1 - when they close the offering, though they have not verified that. For the first couple of months they will be releasing the engineering drawing to partners e.g. body panels, wiring harness, etc. The vehicles will be built pretty much at the same time over a three to four week period. According to EM, the engineering vehicles will be built on a pilot manufacturing line to simulate the production build so that issues with the process or parts can be addressed by various engineering and components teams. Yes everything is dependent on the stock offering, though we do know that it was successful and they will be building the 25 engineering vehicles with that money. Below is the timeline Elio Motors used to illustrate how they expect the process to flow. I still think we will know before August whether the ATVM will happen or not and whether Elio Motors will go into production or, potentially, go bust. I think this is very exciting, and slightly patriotic to watch as the story unfolds in an age when most manufacturing is done overseas and knowing this company's dedication to US manufacturing.

 

[RUCRAYZE]

The best guess is they have not started building yet.

I think it's reasonable to think that month 0 on Elio Motors timetable is February 1 - when they close the offering, though they have not verified that. For the first couple of months they will be releasing the engineering drawing to partners e.g. body panels, wiring harness, etc. The vehicles will be built pretty much at the same time over a three to four week period. According to EM, the engineering vehicles will be built on a pilot manufacturing line to simulate the production build so that issues with the process or parts can be addressed by various engineering and components teams. Yes everything is dependent on the stock offering, though we do know that it was successful and they will be building the 25 engineering vehicles with that money. Below is the timeline Elio Motors used to illustrate how they expect the process to flow. I still think we will know before August whether the ATVM will happen or not and whether Elio Motors will go into production or, potentially, go bust. I think this is very exciting, and slightly patriotic to watch as the story unfolds in an age when most manufacturing is done overseas and knowing this company's dedication to US manufacturing.
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thanks for your effort and clarity