Prepped And Ready For E-series Assembly

[Grumpy Cat]

Elio Motors Momentum v58


Body Panels, Powertrain Prepped and Ready for E-Series Assembly

Elio Motors’ Pilot Operations Center in Livonia, Mich., currently is a hotbed of activity in the building of the E-Series vehicles. In this week’s Momentum, we’re taking a look at the arrival of a shipment of body panels and engines/transmissions that have revved up our activities, so to speak.

If you recall, we have our own paint shop in the Pilot Operations Center. This means that the panels are shipped from our supplier, Molded Plastic Industries, primed and ready for paint prep. Because the E-Series vehicles will be hand assembled, the panels are individually painted before they are attached to the frame and vehicle buildup begins.

Elio Motors’ technician prepares the surface of a fender prior to painting.

Body Panels Shine in Anticipation of Assembly

After the body panel surfaces are prepped in the spray booth, our paint technician utilizes the latest in high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) spray equipment to apply the Elio’s water-based finish to the panels. Using HVLP technology is important because the technology increases transfer efficiency, providing better, more consistent coverage than conventional spray guns and minimizes messy overspray. As a result, more of the finish is actually applied to the panels, which is better for our environment, as well as being more cost effective.

Once the panels are dry, they receive a clearcoat, which helps protect the paint. From there, the panels are stored on their fixtures until they’re ready to be assembled onto the next E-Series vehicle.

The Elio’s body panels are painted with a high-solids water-based finish that is applied with high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) spray equipment to minimize waste and protect the environment.

 

[Grumpy Cat]

Powertrain – An Efficient Union of Technology and Efficiency

The other system we’re checking out this week is the Elio’s powertrain, which will help the Elio run as sweet as it looks. It consists of a .9 liter, 3-cylinder engine that was designed for us by IAV, mated to a five-speed manual or automatic transmission that is provided by Aisin. In addition to the Elio’s 55 horsepower and 55 lb.-ft. of torque, the vehicle’s up to 84 mpg fuel economy on the highway is expected to help it put more than a few dollars of gas money back in your pocket.

How can the Elio’s powertrain help it to get better fuel economy than some of the most fuel-efficient motorcycles that get 65 mpg, you ask? There are two key reasons. First is aerodynamics, the nuts and bolts of which we’ll talk about more in depth in an upcoming Momentum post. Despite the frontal area of a motorcycle being smaller than the Elio, the overall aerodynamic drag in a motorcycle could be higher, particularly depending on rider position, because the Elio has an enclosed, streamlined surface.

Designed for Elio Motors by IAV, the Elio’s engine has unique characteristics that will help it achieve up to 84 mpg fuel economy in highway driving.

The second reason is gearing. You may have noticed that most motorcycles, which are built for fun, are designed to maximize acceleration, not fuel economy. The Elio can achieve fuel economy of 20 to 25-percent more because it has taller (higher) gearing that reduced engine speeds. Because the Elio engine was designed to produce high torque on the low end, it doesn’t compromise acceleration from a standing start.

Fuel economy is an Elio Motors’ “Must Have” and one of the key drivers prompting the company to develop its own engine, versus using an off-the-shelf power plant. Because the Elio is significantly lighter than the vehicles that are powered by even the smallest existing engines, their power plants’ DNA destines them to fall short of our 84 mpg highway target.
Keeping costs low for our consumers and making a positive contribution to the environment are just a few of the long term commitments we are striving to achieve in our journey to production.

More on Hari Iyer, Elio Motors Board Member

Last week, we said farewell, and also congratulations, to one of our Elio Motors’ family members, Hari Iyer. Iyer was instrumental in the initial Elio vehicle design, and has helped the company in its strategic operations and engineering by formerly serving as COO. As Paul mentioned, "Hari Iyer has been an important part of the vision and execution in the early stages of Elio Motors, and history will show that he helped change transportation in the United States.”

Iyer will remain on Elio Motors’ Board of Directors and as a strategic advisor for the company’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program application as he launches and serves as CEO of his own start-up, joinyoyo.com, a car subscription service. And although joinyoyo.com is not affiliated with Elio Motors, it does share in the same philosophy to change the transportation world.
“Yoyo’s on-demand car subscription model with concierge service is another alternative to help usher in a new era of affordable access to cars,” Iyer said. “The more low-cost transportation solutions that become available, such as the Elio and Yoyo, the greater potential for significant impact.”

According to consulting firm McKinsey, ride sharing and vehicle subscription services could add another $1.5 trillion to the auto industry by 2030. It seems Iyer has launched joinyoyo.com at the right time, and we wish him well!

 

[W. WIllie]

To me, those pictures means there has been "A Lot of Progress".

 

[booboo]

Agreed, Nice to see the progress, especially in the powertrain dept.
The " Elio engine was designed to produce high torque on the low end" jarred something in my memory about Gasoline Turbo's at low R.P.M. I think it was when I was pondering Ford Ecoboost.
This is not the same article I read, but makes some of the same points.

AutoSpeed - Turbo'd for Torque

 

[pistonboy]

It says "Because the E-Series vehicles will be hand assembled, the panels are individually painted before they are attached to the frame and vehicle buildup begins." This means the production vehicles will have the panels attached to the frame and the vehicle painted as a whole. I thought the panels were painted first then attached to the frame.

Will the frame receive its own paint then body panel overspray will get on it? Or, will the frame and body both be painted together and thus the same color?

It says: "Once the panels are dry, they receive a clear coat, which helps protect the paint." This means Elio has a two stage paint scheme: paint and clear coat. I had assumed to keep price down, it would be single stage paint.

I see the items most frequent to replace (starter, water pump, AC compressor, fuel injectors, alternator) are behind the engine, under the long dash and difficult to get to. The exhaust manifold which seldom fails is in front of the engine and where it is more easy to reach.

 

[W. WIllie]

Weird facts. That article was written by "Julian Edgar" in 2006, a fellow Insight member.(He is in Australia). He finally installed a turbo on his Insight last year I believe, along with a lot of other mods. (No IMA use and an alternator)
I installed a turbo on my Insight in 2003, thinking along the same "theories" he states in the article.
The same turbo is still installed after app. 300K miles use without a rebuild..

 

[booboo]

300K without a rebuild is super impressive. I think Paul ELIO should consult you on this subject.

 

[Sethodine]

The thing I noticed was....

The body panels have some substructure beneath the rear tire skirt. Unfortunately, this means mods that involve removing and/or replacing the skirt will be a little more complicated. HOWEVER, it might also offer possible mounting points for "saddle bag" type additional cargo units.

 

[NSTG8R]

The thing I noticed was....

The body panels have some substructure beneath the rear tire skirt. Unfortunately, this means mods that involve removing and/or replacing the skirt will be a little more complicated. HOWEVER, it might also offer possible mounting points for "saddle bag" type additional cargo units.

I saw those too. Could be the structural support for the trunk deck and fuel tank [in between them]. You could still possibly get away with an abbreviated rear wheel fairing that exposes most of the rear wheel and still get the aesthetic effect you're looking for. I'm liking everything I see so far, and dig the gun metal grey coating on the engine....NICE!

 

[HonestTex]

So, E1 looks to be marshmallow. Any bets on E2?