The Elio Engine

[carzes]

There has to be a limit to how much you can accomplish by adjusting the computer. Otherwise, we would have 40mpg SUV's on the road. My bet is that Elio is already squeezing about as much mpg out of the engine as they can, and the rest of it has to be figuring out ways of reducing drag, such as the fenders from the P3 to the P4.

Sure there are limits to what you can do by adjusting the engine/computer parameters, but for everything there is also a trade off. Americans are demanding consumers when it comes to cars. (For most other things they'll buy just about ANY Chinese CRAP out there.). You can gain a lot of MPG's by de-tuning an engine, but you soon hit the point where the vehicle is not 'fast' enough and suddenly 90% of your potential consumers vanish. Even as synical as I am, I'm amazed by the number of people who fully believe they'll DIE if they can't hit 0-60 in five seconds flat. So while there is plenty of MPG to gain by wimpifying the engine, they'll still have to look for other solutions if they want to be able to actually SELL the thing.
(And now follows a hundred people telling me they really WOULD die if not for having lots of power.....)

 

[goofyone]

Sure there are limits to what you can do by adjusting the engine/computer parameters, but for everything there is also a trade off. Americans are demanding consumers when it comes to cars. (For most other things they'll buy just about ANY Chinese CRAP out there.). You can gain a lot of MPG's by de-tuning an engine, but you soon hit the point where the vehicle is not 'fast' enough and suddenly 90% of your potential consumers vanish. Even as synical as I am, I'm amazed by the number of people who fully believe they'll DIE if they can't hit 0-60 in five seconds flat. So while there is plenty of MPG to gain by wimpifying the engine, they'll still have to look for other solutions if they want to be able to actually SELL the thing.
(And now follows a hundred people telling me they really WOULD die if not for having lots of power.....)

I completely agree as I know from my experience, with its expected weight to power ratio, the Elio vehicle will handle just fine out in the real world. However I also agree that keeping the 0-60 rating under 10 seconds will make a difference in how people view the Elio as many people really do not understand how useless a 0-60 rating is in real life.

My daily driver is a 1993 Honda Civic EX Sedan with a manual transmission. The car weighs 2500 pounds and has a 1.5L engine rated at 102 hp and 98 ft·lb of torque so even brand new my car actually had a lower weight to power ratio than the Elio and after 20+ years of service I am sure that a few ponies have managed to escape . My Civic handles getting me around town and flying down the interstate without any troubles at all and still gets 35 MPG in the city and 42+MPG cruising down the interstate at 75 MPH.

Anyone who has been to Atlanta knows that when not chocked full of traffic the drivers here move incredibly fast so having a slow vehicle would be very noticeable however my car handles moving in traffic and merging onto the interstates without any issues at all. Two of our members rdoearth and HHH even rode with me from Atlanta to Birmingham and back and during the trip we actually discussed this as it is very obvious that it will not be an issue at all when you ride with me. I don't even drive the car very hard as I want it to last and enjoy the fuel efficiency benefits as well as owning other cars to serve that function.

 

[CheeseheadEarl]

(And now follows a hundred people telling me they really WOULD die if not for having lots of power.....)

Hey, I did time driving a duece and a half - 0 to 50 measured in minutes. Sixty was just a number on the needle you didn't need. I want fast, but as long as Elio builds it, I'll handle the go fast part myself.

 

[wayne kemp]

Deuce and a half GAS TRUCK here. Keep the muffler blown off and kept it to the floor all the time.

 

[Ocean9000]

Sure there are limits to what you can do by adjusting the engine/computer parameters, but for everything there is also a trade off. Americans are demanding consumers when it comes to cars. (For most other things they'll buy just about ANY Chinese CRAP out there.). You can gain a lot of MPG's by de-tuning an engine, but you soon hit the point where the vehicle is not 'fast' enough and suddenly 90% of your potential consumers vanish. Even as synical as I am, I'm amazed by the number of people who fully believe they'll DIE if they can't hit 0-60 in five seconds flat. So while there is plenty of MPG to gain by wimpifying the engine, they'll still have to look for other solutions if they want to be able to actually SELL the thing.
(And now follows a hundred people telling me they really WOULD die if not for having lots of power.....)

Oooo!, oooo!, I'll be the first! I'll DIE if I don't have lots of power... I really hope the "eco/sport" switch is an option. However, I do own two motorcycles with weight to power ratios of less than five pounds per horsepower, so I won't feel too deprived, regardless.

 

[Cache Man]

Here is some really interesting information on the Elio engine:
http://www.eliomotors.com/jalopnik-elios-ceo-explains-how-he-can-sell-an-84-mpg-car-for-6800/

 

[Mrtoycrazy]

Elio's at 81.4 mpg and thinking they can get 84. Go for it !

 

[Smitty901]

Hey, I did time driving a duece and a half - 0 to 50 measured in minutes. Sixty was just a number on the needle you didn't need. I want fast, but as long as Elio builds it, I'll handle the go fast part myself.

But that 2 1/2 got you where you were going and the muilty fuel engine would burn. K1, diesel.gas, AV gas even oil thinned down. And get down in low it would climb most anything whit a good driver.

 

[Mark Ambrose]

just a casual observation based on no knowledge whatsoever ===> testing started in mid November .... Thanksgiving/Christmans/New Years taken into consideration, given 6 months to test the engine, if all goes well the motor should be ready to go into production sometime around June .... I can't help but think about all that has been released about the need for additional road and crash testing, building prototypes, setting up the factory, training the factory works, training techs at Pep Boys, and much, much more .... it appears certain that to get Elios rolling off of the assembly line EM is going to have to shift into high gear (actually into overdrive) .... its going to take a herculean effort to get into production in 2015

Jim

I never thought they'd make 2015. I always assumed it would be closer to Spring/Summer 2016 before the line is cranking out Eliomobiles.

 

[Edward]

Hey, I did time driving a duece and a half - 0 to 50 measured in minutes. Sixty was just a number on the needle you didn't need. I want fast, but as long as Elio builds it, I'll handle the go fast part myself.

Sounds like my work truck. I'll never understand why Isuzu thought a 3 liter engine in a 6 ton truck was a good idea. "It's not a highway truck," my bosses tell me as they keep sending me on road trips. And they wonder why the check engine light keeps coming on?