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"i'm Afraid They Won't See Me." Whine, Whine.....
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IdahoDuffer
Elio Aficionado
slinches
Elio Addict
Mass is good in a collision. The amount of force you experience is directly proportional to your change in velocity and change in velocity is determined by the ratio of the masses involved. Think about a bicyclist getting hit by a truck. The truck barely slows down and the bicyclist accelerates to the original speed of the truck or possibly even faster.
The other major factors in a collision are how long it takes to change velocity and how much energy is absorbed by the vehicles. This is why crumple zones are effective. They minimize the change in velocity and spread it over a longer period of time.
The other major factors in a collision are how long it takes to change velocity and how much energy is absorbed by the vehicles. This is why crumple zones are effective. They minimize the change in velocity and spread it over a longer period of time.
slinches
Elio Addict
It is a bit unique in that the standard offset crash tests would result in a glancing blow. I think that makes it considerably safer than something of similar size in frontal collisions. It's probably similar or a bit safer in rear end accidents as well due to the long crumple zone, but worse in side impacts since either side is close to the driver.
John Painter
Elio Addict
Though EM is fairly tight lipped about even crash test simulations, the resistance to crash damage an Elio would have when struck by a truck or large car, also depends on its design, and the design and materials ability to absorb the specific energy transferred by the collision. I do think, one of the reasons Elio Motors went with SMC panels, and a Martinietic steel roll cage, in part, was due to their better energy absorption properties. Though I'm sure there's plenty of "heavier is better" folks on this forum, while there is obviously a reality to that, there has been a lot of work done, and ongoing, on the safety of light weight vehicles by DoE, Oakridge National Laboratory, Stanford and a number of other research labs. I thought I'd toss out, that virtually all the major auto companies are scampering to build lighter vehicles (think F150) to help them meet fuel economy standards. In the not too distant future, much lighter vehicles will be the norm. In other words, the Elio will become safer as the US fleet becomes lighter, just another factor in the equation that's positive for EM. I think Team Elio thought a lot of things out in a very smart way. Whether it will equate to the ATVM loan, more reservations and sales only time will tell. Overall I still think the Elio concept is exceptionally well thought out from a maximum use of existing technology perspective.
A brief, but informative article by ORNL (the big dogs of applied research) on the myth of lighter cars are less safe. http://web.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/v41_3_08/article14.shtml
Thanks for that tip, I was all ready to order some for another application.... HOWEVER, this got me searching and I found....
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006VEEKRI?psc=1
...which appears to be a similar product, but one that is permanent (well, as permanent as spray paint gets).
Even my old slide-rule can calculate better than that.
Great video. It is from that Insurance Institute for Highway Safety organization. They specifically say a large car gives more protection than a smaller car if a large and small car are in a collision. It is stated plainly at the end.
They say you can not repeal the laws of physics.