L.a. Auto Show...gimme Input

[Ekh]

that sure looks like a firewall to me. Not like you can kick the engine
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Whatever it is, it sure ain't production quality design or execution! Prototype for sure.

 

[HonestTex]

I think I see part of a cupholder behind the e-brake for the passenger. Don't see one for the driver... Is the radio behind the tablet?

 

[JEBar]

I assume they're kill switches, probably for ignition and accessories.

such switches could really come in handy on a display vehicle

 

[goofyone]

any curiosity about the function of the two electrical switches

I assume they're kill switches, probably for ignition and accessories.

Kill switches is correct, I was told ignition and fuel pump.

Things you find in an engineering prototype.

 

[goofyone]

Sure looks like that clutch pedal would hit the foot rest.

That is just an optical illusion due to the angle of the camera. You can see a difference in these.

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[larryboy]

Hi, G1. Appreciate your efforts on our behalf, and I'm sure you had a ball.

The shot I found most interesting was the shot of the clutch, brake, and gas pedals. There was nothing between your feet and the inside of the engine compartment -- no firewall of any sort. So maybe they didn't get the P5 quite as finished as they planned? Or maybe it's just a case of prototype-itis and they just hadn't thought of that (or found a good solution).

The next most interesting shot (to me) was the Elgin dash -- why does this car need a speedo registering to 140 mph, or was that kph? (which would only be 86.8 mph, and so not adequate the OTHER direction). It dawns on me that if they recalibrated the dial to read 0 - 110 mph, they might be able to refine it to 5 mph increments and make the damn thing useful. The rest of the dash strikes me as way too bright, making dazzle a real possibility, way to blank (all that brushed metal accomplishing exactly nothing), and way too bland (ditto the brushed metal).

I hope to goodness somebody whacks Paul Elio upside the head and tells him that thing is out of keeping with a forward looking car, ugly, inefficient, and WILL HURT SALES in the long run.

Anyhow, thanks for the reporting and the pix, though I recommend against going into biz as a photographer -- of course I recommend that to ANYBODY these days!

e

W regard to the Elio dash; I think it might be a positive if you get pulled over by the cops. Ask the officer to look at the display and see if HE would be able to figure out how fast HE was going On a more serious note, I don't think you will be able to sway Paul's determination to have his dash in his car. Perhaps we could ask that the dash be easy to remove and easy for an aftermarket or optional dash to plug in.

 

[goofyone]

An important point I want to make is that I believe there is a disconnect in the way EM views the P5 vs what many people following along may have been expecting. From many of the comments I read there appears to be a common belief that the P5 is a near production ready vehicle however from EM's perspective this is merely the first step of the E-series engineering development program which, after building 25-30 additional engineering vehicles along the way, will take them from the hand built P5 prototype to the production ready vehicle design.

 

[cantwait]

An important point I want to make is that I believe there is a disconnect in the way EM views the P5 vs what many people following along may have been expecting. From many of the comments I read there appears to be a common belief that the P5 is a near production ready vehicle however from EM's perspective this is merely the first step of the E-series engineering development program which, after building 25-30 additional engineering vehicles along the way, will take them from the hand built P5 prototype to the production ready vehicle design.

That sort of sums it up: "disconnect". I like that. I was hoping for a home run, a significant step up from the previous show-car prototypes. The forum warned me that this would not be the case, and they were correct. The P5 is not the autocycle I'm looking for. I was looking for something I could point out and say, "See, Elio does know how to build the vehicle they've been advertising. This one is for real."

If it's not Technosports' fault for not being able to build a real car, that only leaves Elio as being unable to design one. The disappointment is palpable. After all the criticism for not having a proper wiper/washer or a real exhaust on the previous units, you'd have thought that they would make an effort to get them right on this one. The P3's shifter was ~6" too far forward, and unless the pics were all taken with the seat in it's rear-most position, the P5's shifter is 3-5" too far forward. Regardless of the camera angle, the clutch and brake pedals are 2-4" too far offset from the accelerator. The missing ABS & traction control. Does the engine have VVT and the flame-sprayed liners? Whatever they are paying their designers and Technosports, it is too much.

Here's hoping they are able to get their ducks in a row with the E-series. Since this is Thanksgiving, I'm grateful that my transportation needs are not based on the functionality of the P5. Among lots of other things. Happy Thanksgiving. (I did the family thing yesterday, so have some free time today.)

 

[WilliamH]

That sort of sums it up: "disconnect". I like that. I was hoping for a home run, a significant step up from the previous show-car prototypes. The forum warned me that this would not be the case, and they were correct. The P5 is not the autocycle I'm looking for. I was looking for something I could point out and say, "See, Elio does know how to build the vehicle they've been advertising. This one is for real."

If it's not Technosports' fault for not being able to build a real car, that only leaves Elio as being unable to design one. The disappointment is palpable. After all the criticism for not having a proper wiper/washer or a real exhaust on the previous units, you'd have thought that they would make an effort to get them right on this one. The P3's shifter was ~6" too far forward, and unless the pics were all taken with the seat in it's rear-most position, the P5's shifter is 3-5" too far forward. Regardless of the camera angle, the clutch and brake pedals are 2-4" too far offset from the accelerator. The missing ABS & traction control. Does the engine have VVT and the flame-sprayed liners? Whatever they are paying their designers and Technosports, it is too much.

Here's hoping they are able to get their ducks in a row with the E-series. Since this is Thanksgiving, I'm grateful that my transportation needs are not based on the functionality of the P5. Among lots of other things. Happy Thanksgiving. (I did the family thing yesterday, so have some free time today.)

Maybe I can put your problem in context by saying that this is no "Overhulin'" or "West Coast Customs" or "Bitchin Rides".
This is the real world. Where you have an idea and a bunch of parts and you build what you don't have.
And you plan how to build it better and more efficiently with each version.
It takes time.

 

[Coss]

Just a little side comment on the pedal placement; I feel it's perfect the way it is; too many cars today have the pedals so badly positioned (aka too close together) so that someone like me that wears a 12 1/2 EE shoe has a really hard time with pedals too close together. My foot has gotten stuck under the brake which will scare the Sh** out of you in certain situations. Also with no tranny hump and only one person wide, it has the room to spread them out. I'm probably never going to be doing any heel/toe throttle/brake sport racing with it, so close together isn't necessary.