Things Still Up In The Air ...

[bunchathrees]

If you're going to leave it in the driveway for the neighbors to see, don't forget to leave the price sticker on, it helps build up the envy....

... and the stock price.

 

[Lil4X]

Hmmm . . . Fender lights. I'll still go with EL tape. Available in various widths, it should be easy to install and nearly permanent; showing yellow forward, red aft on the front fenders. It's plenty rugged as you'll find them used as "formation lights" on the F-22 and other aircraft that are adopting the feature. As far as wiring is concerned, I'd just tie-wrap it to the existing suspension arms or brake line if it couldn't be run inside a suspension tube.

http://electroluminescence-inc.com/ELtape.htm

Now, as to that belly pan: The aerodynamic gain from a full belly pan might be minimal, but I like the idea, especially under the engine compartment. Even a short pan that runs back as far as the centerline of the front wheels should be a big help not only directing air under the car, but helping extract heat from the engine compartment at speed. The only problem is that it needs to be aluminum or steel in order to be beaten out when you high-center something. Plastic is a no-go.

In the '90's, Lexus did a lot of work on streamlining the underside of their initial LX series offerings, just being careful where they placed a lot of those under-car bits, like the exhaust system, wheel arches, wiring, plumbing, and driveline. The floor pan was developed with longitudinal "ridges" that helped direct airflow under the car while adding stiffness. It turned out that by designing the underside of the car with an eye toward air management, they could achieve about 90% of the effectiveness of a full belly pan without the cost or maintenance issues.

 

[Sethodine]

View attachment 10947

The fenders are so beautiful with its clean lines, I hate to add anything to them.
Maybe lights can shine on the fenders from the body, like airplanes.
Could lights be added to the body to illuminate the front and back of the fenders? How would that look?
Of course, there is no way of illuminating the outsides of the fenders, but maybe an led "artistic" pattern can be added to the outside.

I've never heard of doing this with a car, but then again the Elio is not a normal car. I love it! I can see mounting a few white lights on the body, pointed toward the fenders with perhaps some reflective tape on them as well. It would certainly be easier than installing/maintaining lights attached to a vibrating fender body.

 

[Coss]

Unless EM makes some design changes, yes.

View attachment 10946

It's orange, that's the P4 and there have been a lot of changes since that prototype.

If you're going to leave it in the driveway for the neighbors to see, don't forget to leave the price sticker on, it helps build up the envy....

Why not a whole signboard done up in lettering large enough to read as they drive by?

 

[skychief]

It's orange, that's the P4 and there have been a lot of changes since that prototype.

I used that photo [P4] because it was the only one I could find that showed the brake line. The E-1 has the brake line exposed as well. A flexible brake line should never be secured to any suspension component because the hose must turn and move with the front wheels.

 

[Ty]

Speaking of suspension. I wonder if they'll do something about the turn-in or angle the tires can turn or whatever... Something to get the Elio to turn a sharper corner (I didn't italicize the Elio this time)

 

[Jeff Porter]

They might deliver the very first reservation Elio to the buyer's actual house. For a photo-op and press promo. But unless your reservation # is 000001, you'll most likely need to pick up your Elio from somewhere.

I understood there will be marshalling locations around the country. You will need to choose the one closest to you and that is where you will "take delivery".

If I remember correctly, Elio has said that the marshalling centers will not be up and going when production starts. The only marshalling center will be located at the plant when production starts.

It's possible that one or more of the centers will be up and going by the time vehicle 5000 or 10,000 or 15,000 is produced, but no specific plans on that yet.

And has been stated already, even if the marshalling centers are up, you won't pick up your Elio from a center. If a retail store is close to you and up and running, you can pick it up there. If not, your options are traveling to Shreveport or arranging for delivery to or near your home. The low numbers of spot-in-line most likely will be choosing from these last 2 options.

 

[skychief]

I wasn't aware that Elio would be building retail outlets, but yes, they promise to. Heres what they say on their website. https://www.eliomotors.com/find-us/#retail-centers

Ordering your Elio at the Retail Center will be seamless and intuitive. We will have computers you can access on site along with and some techy interactive kiosks, all programmed to connect you and the Elio you were born to drive.

Our specialists will assist you through your selections, including body color, manual or automatic, and any extra customization you have in mind. Feel free to ask questions along the way. They will be on hand for one purpose, to make sure you get your Elio your way.

When you finish ordering, you might even want to just hang out a while longer and take it all in. Please do. Coffee will be on us.

Once you order, you’re going to want it in your hands as soon as humanly possible. How does 24 hours sound? That’s right. We’re talking clean and ready with all the extras – waiting at the Retail Center – within 24 hours* of your order.

* The Vehicle Wrap option does not apply to the 24 hour delivery.

 

[Ty]

I wasn't aware that Elio would be building retail outlets, but yes, they promise to. Heres what they say on their website. https://www.eliomotors.com/find-us/#retail-centers

Ordering your Elio at the Retail Center will be seamless and intuitive. We will have computers you can access on site along with and some techy interactive kiosks, all programmed to connect you and the Elio you were born to drive.

Our specialists will assist you through your selections, including body color, manual or automatic, and any extra customization you have in mind. Feel free to ask questions along the way. They will be on hand for one purpose, to make sure you get your Elio your way.

When you finish ordering, you might even want to just hang out a while longer and take it all in. Please do. Coffee will be on us.

Once you order, you’re going to want it in your hands as soon as humanly possible. How does 24 hours sound? That’s right. We’re talking clean and ready with all the extras – waiting at the Retail Center – within 24 hours* of your order.

* The Vehicle Wrap option does not apply to the 24 hour delivery.

Correct. Except, they won't be building retail centers. It is their plan to locate in a strip mall type of area and rent space. They won't be getting into building centers... at least not for a while.

 

[Grumpy Cat]

I am not an engineer. But I do have a working knowledge of fundamental aerodynamics (I'm a pilot). Anytime you increase the frontal surface area of an object, drag increases. Adding lights to the [existing] Elio fender will increase drag because of the necessary wiring harness which is needed to power the lights. This will cause drag unless the wiring harness was integrated into the A arms of the front suspension.

Also, the optional "classic" fenders just don't have sufficient space to house any light assemblies - they hug the front tire very closely and there just isn't sufficient room. They would need to be redesigned to accommodate lights and I doubt EM will making any radical changes to the E1-A production model.

We'll see! Lots can happen between now and the day the first guy takes delivery on his Elio!

You can see some ideas here:

http://www.elioowners.com/threads/elio-p5-at-detroit-auto-show.6885/page-3#post-130160

I don't see the brake line in the P5:

http://www.elioowners.com/threads/elio-p5-at-detroit-auto-show.6885/page-31#post-131897