The Elio Engine

[goofyone]

I was told that for EM installed options (using leather seats as an example), the trike will be built and shipedd with standard cloth seats .... when it gets to where the options are installed, the cloth seats will be removed and shipped back to the factory.... the leather seats will be installed and we will be charged for the difference in cost .... if we order the seats from Pep Boys we would be responsible for the install, pay full price and retain the OEM seats

It doesn't make much sense to ship the seats back and forth though. Plus, the way you describe, the marshalling centers would fill up with brand new items that had been installed once already. Would you want your Elio to be shipped with seats in it that had already been installed in 20 or 30 other Elios? They'll probably develop a temporary seat for shipping purposes... Each truck would only need one. The Eli is may even ship sans fenders, rear covers, etc. None of that takes very long for a couple of people to install.

I have also heard the same answer as Jim however we will just have to wait and see what plays out as I have no doubt EM will try and run this operation as efficiently as possible. It is possible that we are getting the simplified version of the answer when we ask this question which is that when we order an upgrade option with our new vehicle these upgrades are installed at the marshaling center and only pay the difference in cost over the base item to receive the upgraded item. How EM decides to actually do these upgrades very well could vary depending on the item and the demand for the item.

 

[RUCRAYZE]

It doesn't make much sense to ship the seats back and forth though. Plus, the way you describe, the marshalling centers would fill up with brand new items that had been installed once already. Would you want your Elio to be shipped with seats in it that had already been installed in 20 or 30 other Elios? They'll probably develop a temporary seat for shipping purposes... Each truck would only need one. The Eli is may even ship sans fenders, rear covers, etc. None of that takes very long for a couple of people to install.

I thought that they would not be shipped with the bodies, to be able to provide a 24 hr turn-around, the centers would have to have the 7 different body colors, and 14 engine/frames- (7 automatic,7 Stick) "in stock" which would suggest that the fenders too would have to be out in the centers

 

[JEBar]

It doesn't make much sense to ship the seats back and forth though. Plus, the way you describe, the marshalling centers would fill up with brand new items that had been installed once already. Would you want your Elio to be shipped with seats in it that had already been installed in 20 or 30 other Elios? They'll probably develop a temporary seat for shipping purposes... Each truck would only need one. The Eli is may even ship sans fenders, rear covers, etc. None of that takes very long for a couple of people to install.

we've been told that the only differences in the trikes that roll off the assembly like will be color and AMT or Standard transmission .... when production starts, the options will have to be added at the factory .... I have a hunch that much will be learned from that process .... who knows what the process will be by the time they open the centers where options will be installed prior to their delivery

 

[RUCRAYZE]

we've been told that the only differences in the trikes that roll off the assembly like will be color and AMT or Standard transmission .... when production starts, the options will have to be added at the factory .... I have a hunch that much will be learned from that process .... who knows what the process will be by the time they open the centers where options will be installed prior to their delivery

as my note above the centers have to have the frames and body panels as the store orders will come directly to these centers, and then the factory will re-stock- which will allow for precise restocking, low inventory, shipping loads and a national picture of colors etc.

 

[goofyone]

we've been told that the only differences in the trikes that roll off the assembly like will be color and AMT or Standard transmission .... when production starts, the options will have to be added at the factory .... I have a hunch that much will be learned from that process .... who knows what the process will be by the time they open the centers where options will be installed prior to their delivery

To my thinking this is one of many benefits EM gains from the reservation system. We know it will take quite a while to work through the backlog of orders which will all be produced and upgraded within the Shreveport plant complex. All this will be a great learning experience for EM where they will learn what works and what does not in terms of doing things on the assembly line vs in the marshaling center. This experience will help EM set up the remote marshaling centers in a more efficient manner as they will have already have a good idea of what exactly needs to happen and what sequence of events works best.

 

[Bert]

Huh. I thought that is what the purpose of having the two oxygen sensors in the exhaust path was.

Cold start and "open loop" base lines depend on the barometer and previous "starts". The O2 sensors are used for "closed loop" applications, contributing to real time baseline changes as the car warms up and goes.
Both work with a lot of other sensors to give very quick and accurate readings, as well as changes to the air-fuel ratio.
I really don't know how fuel injectors did was well as they did in early applications, without BOTH sensors? LOL
BTW, the O2 sensor "after" the converter, is usually measuring the health of the converter. (Blockage, rich, bad fuel, etc.)

 

[ecdriver711]

I have also heard the same answer as Jim however we will just have to wait and see what plays out as I have no doubt EM will try and run this operation as efficiently as possible. It is possible that we are getting the simplified version of the answer when we ask this question which is that when we order an upgrade option with our new vehicle these upgrades are installed at the marshaling center and only pay the difference in cost over the base item to receive the upgraded item. How EM decides to actually do these upgrades very well could vary depending on the item and the demand for the item.

With the exception of the spare tire it's not much different than the Harbor Freight model and costs twice as much

Will the factory location be one of the marshalling centers?

 

[Ekh]

That is a good question. It would make more fiscal sense to both customer and manufacturer to not assemble (or pay for) parts that are not wanted. Personally, I see the price of the original equipment offsetting the optional. For example: Using your fender example. Elio could say "Motorcycle fender price is $500 or $250 if you don't take the stock ones" or something along those lines.

I wouldn't be surprised if Elio didn't ship parts to the marshalling centers and just not attach them in the first place. I'll bet the fenders and rear cover come with the car though as paint differences may be obvious. Maybe not though.

My guess is that they haven't thought this issue all the way through as yet. They should hire us all as consultants, fee: one free elio (without parts that have been optioned out).

 

[goofyone]

Will the factory location be one of the marshalling centers?

Yes there will be a marshaling center as part of the Shreveport factory.This will be the only marshaling center for the first year while EM produces vehicles for those of us with reservations. This should assist EM in refining how this process will work once retail sales begin.

Other than a few flagship retail locations in places like New York and Los Angeles, which EM will open early for marketing purposes and to test store layout concepts, there will not be retail stores or remote marshaling centers to service them until towards the end the first year. Even then EM does not expect to simultaneously open all retail stores at once but this process will take months to accomplish which is actually a good thing as it will give the entire distribution system time to ramp up instead of needing to operate at full capacity from the very first day.

 

[goofyone]

My guess is that they haven't thought this issue all the way through as yet. They should hire us all as consultants, fee: one free elio (without parts that have been optioned out).

EM has the distribution system very well thought out however have only shared the general overview of what will happen with us. EM's level of planning is such that I have even been allowed to see a map of the areas where marshaling centers will be located. These areas were carefully chosen due to their proximity to rail lines, which allows for the efficient transportation of vehicles from the factory to the marshaling centers, and for their proximity to the retail centers thus allowing ordered vehicles to be loaded onto trucks overnight and delivered by morning to retail centers up to several hundred miles away.

We all know that EM has been very reluctant to share information which is likely to change, even though changing plans is common for a new business, as whenever changes happen it never fails that the naysayers accuse them of lying. As the details about how exactly the distribution system will work is definitely one of those items that is subject to change based on what they find once things get going it is in EM's best interest to avoid issues by giving us the general overview of how this will work.