Sondors Electric Car

[Rob Croson]

It isn't clear if Electra Meccanica is planning to provide a safety rating but if we eventually get true autocycle legislation and safety tests identified that are appropriate to 3-wheel vehicles the buying public will be guaranteed that Electra Mechannica, Elio Motors, Polaris, T-Rex, etc. will need to start not only producing safety conscious designs but also telling the buying public how well they did at making a safe vehicle.

Great post, Jeff. You've very clearly laid out what I've tried several times to say, and better than I ever did.

 

[booboo]

Another E car, this time in AZ
https://electrek.co/2016/11/29/lucid-motors-electric-vehicle-factory-arizona/

 

[Maurtis]

Another E car, this time in AZ
https://electrek.co/2016/11/29/lucid-motors-electric-vehicle-factory-arizona/

Luxury Tesla Model S competitor, not very interested. And US company but with Chinese backing? Even less interested.

It looks like Sondors has a minimum investment of $120, I might throw down the minimum just to see where it goes. A $10,000 EV that looks more car-like than the Elio and seats three might take off. Especially if the battery upgrades are not too expensive.

One thing I wonder about is their "deliver to your door" system. Shipping for their $500 ebike was $200 extra and there was no option to pick it up locally anywhere. I have no doubt the car will have a similar charge, but hopefully not at that scale. That would put it at a $4,000 delivery charge, LOL.

 

[Rickb]

LOL on the $4K delivery! I'll be more interested in Sonder's delivery system after my Sonder's test drive experience. It has potential if he can get a prototype built.

 

[Sailor Dog]

Is their some indication that safety is a non-issue for Sonders in the development of his trike EV Concept? Perhaps he will set the standard?
Quite frankly, once the Solo is crash tested we may find that Electra Meccanica has set the standards of safety for enclosed three wheeler motorcycles. Defensive driving and a highly maneuverable vehicle and accident avoidance is key to motorcycle safety. The Elio will be as maneuverable as the average mid sized family sedan and how much safety can EM build into a $7300 vehicle? Perhaps autocycle owners should be required to have a MC endorsement.

The car buying public expects to see an acceptable measured safety rating on the window sticker or they will not buy the vehicle. It's going to be interesting to watch public acceptance of any of the anticipated enclosed three wheelers struggling to get to production. The anticipated 5 star safety may not make a difference since smaller is considered to be unsafe by the average driver and always will.

I question the five star safety rating of any small vehicle platform unless it has an engineered NASCAR roll cage like the Tango Commuter Car's.

Haha haha...that's not funny actually...but someone who used to ride a Ducati said the same thing...ask him why he wants an Elio...side curtain roof to rail airbags and a roll cage, driver's airbag, crumple zones...you have most of the survivability of something between a formula race car and a passenger car. Elio Motors is way ahead of the autocycle & motorcycle competition in SAFETY!!!

 

[Rickb]

Keep in mind that a formula race car connected team and a custom coach building partner designed and engineered the Solo. I'm guessing safety was a consideration with the front/rear crumple zones, roll cage, seat belts/harness, Wilwood brakes, performance tires, aerospace composite frame, and carbon fiber body panels. The reality is I don't know which vehicle is safer until after crash testing. I hope they are both reasonably safe for their future owners. Accident avoidance plays a big roll in safety and based on the Solo track test videos and the Elio on the street videos, the Solo may excel in 0-60, acceleration, agility, performance, and handling. Time and test results will validate our assumptions regarding Elio's safety rating. My biggest assumption is that we will actually take delivery on our motorcycle of choice.

The guy that used to drive the Ducati, is getting to old and wise to ride safely or their much wiser spouse hid the key or sold the bike.

Frankly, I won't feel safe driving any of the lightweight three wheeler platforms, but for me the around town commuting fun factor outweighs the safety factor. I hope to be pleasantly surprised by both the Elio and the Solo regarding safety. The good news is I won't have to worry about a Takata like airbag malfunction in the Solo's relatively small cabin space. Go three wheels!

 

[Sailor Dog]

Keep in mind that a formula race car connected team and a custom coach building partner designed and engineered the Solo. I'm guessing safety was a consideration with the front/rear crumple zones, roll cage, seat belts/harness, Wilwood brakes, performance tires, aerospace composite frame, and carbon fiber body panels. The reality is I don't know which vehicle is safer until after crash testing. I hope they are both reasonably safe for their future owners. Accident avoidance plays a big roll in safety and based on the Solo track test videos and the Elio on the street videos, the Solo may excel in 0-60, acceleration, agility, performance, and handling. Time and test results will validate our assumptions regarding Elio's safety rating. My biggest assumption is that we will actually take delivery on our motorcycle of choice.

The guy that used to drive the Ducati, is getting to old and wise to ride safely or their much wiser spouse hid the key or sold the bike.

Frankly, I won't feel safe driving any of the lightweight three wheeler platforms, but for me the around town commuting fun factor outweighs the safety factor. I hope to be pleasantly surprised by both the Elio and the Solo regarding safety. The good news is I won't have to worry about a Takata like airbag malfunction in the Solo's relatively small cabin space. Go three wheels!

Your knowledge of the expanding 3 wheel vehicle market is impressive...but you must realize that mass production is the only way to ensure bottom line success and brand longevity...the Bug laid the foundation for VW's success...build up from your ICE bootstraps... basic Bug mobility laid the foundation for the Tiburon exclusivity. Being able to diversify the powertrain will likely only be pulled off by the 4 wheel big manufacturers and Elio Motors...operating at a higher level in order to play with the 4 wheelers... with 3 wheel excitement but cutting edge safety!!! At a price below the inflation adjusted 49 Bug for $1999!!!

 

[Sailor Dog]

And what again are the prices $$$$$$ for the Solo, Sondor etc ... without EV credits since they are going away soon more than likely. And tell me what the battery pack $$$$ will cost after 5 years?

 

[Hotscoots]

Wait ....Wait ......I can post a beautiful rendering of one of my car doodles and thousands of folks will send me money to build it ? Yea baby !!

 

[Sailor Dog]

Wait ....Wait ......I can post a beautiful rendering of one of my car doodles and thousands of folks will send me money to build it ? Yea baby !!

But hey... after an E bike...the sky is the limit...