Video: Paul Elio Presents To The Sec

[raptor213]

Scroll up to the YouTube video link posted by Rob Croson and the turbo comments are in the final 01:30 of the video, for Paul's exact statements.

He did mention that the IAV engine cylinders are already suitable for increased boost from an appropriately sized turbocharger, and mentions that an intercooler would be part of a factory turbo add-on package. It does in fact sound like a bolt-on solution with minimal changes or modifications to the stock IAV engine parameters.

 

[Rob Croson]

He's pretty blatant in his statement. "There's no turbo planned...." and "No work has been done on a turbo." and "You have to crawl before you can walk." and "...they have certainly projected for it."

But he seemed pretty confident in a 0-60 in under 5 seconds for a turbo model.

 

[Ekh]

I would probably cry a little if that was the case, LOL. I am waiting for the turbo model and if I could reserve and lock in a low price on one right now, I would. An Elio with a 0-60 on the 5s range? TAKE MY MONEY!!!

I always thought of the Turbo as a separate model, it did not occur to me that it might be the same model but with a turbo option. If the engine internals all stay the same and the turbo option just adds the turbo, exhaust manifold, new injectors, reprogrammed ECU, piping, and maybe a small intercooler then I could see that as an option.

If that is the case and the turbo is available as an option for the first round of Elios, I reeeeally hope they announce it before the 65,000 lock-in cutoff!

With a 6 quart sump for a .9 liter engine, I wonder how badly they'd need an intercooler.

 

[Ekh]

Scroll up to the YouTube video link posted by Rob Croson and the turbo comments are in the final 01:30 of the video, for Paul's exact statements.

He did mention that the IAV engine cylinders are already suitable for increased boost from an appropriately sized turbocharger, and mentions that an intercooler would be part of a factory turbo add-on package. It does in fact sound like a bolt-on solution with minimal changes or modifications to the stock IAV engine parameters.

Beyond that, the IAV engineers put a port and a mounting point into the engine block, right where the turbo would need to mount. They were thinking ahead!

 

[Maurtis]

With a 6 quart sump for a .9 liter engine, I wonder how badly they'd need an intercooler.

The intercooler in this case would be to cool the air intake charge that gets heated by the compression from the turbo, allowing for a higher energy density. You can do without one, but will get more power from the same amount of compression with one in place between the turbo and the intake manifold.

 

[raptor213]

I remember engine compartment photos of the white E1a that revealed the primary engine radiator is already in a compromised position, mounted at a slight backward angle in order to fit beneath the sloping curvature of the hood.

Turbocharged Subarus are notorious for having top-mounted intercoolers, which in most automotive applications would be a less optimal position since heat rises and the engine case including headers is typically only inches from the hood. But Subaru's trademark horizontally-opposed Boxer engines are flatter than inline or V-style configurations, and mounted toward the very bottom of the engine compartment. Plus, picture any WRX hood and they all feature molded scoops to direct air cooling over the top-mounted intercooler. It's a common misconception that those hoods funnel free-stream airflow into an engine air intake.

Given the apparent lack of maneuvering room on the leading edge of the radiator assembly as it is, they either managed to squeeze a micro-sized intercooler application in just behind the front grille fascia but forward of the main radiator, for a contemporary front-mounted intercooler, or they're planning on resorting to a top-mount application similar to a Subaru setup.

Personally, I've always wondered if there was any room between the front grille fascia and the radiator to install automatic grille shutters for increasing highway MPG when cooling demand wasn't as pressing. With a front-mounted intercooler AND radiator in need of constant air flow with a front-mount intercooler arrangenent, you definitely wouldn't want to install grille shutters. If you did, it'd be at the peril of your purpose-built heat exchangers.

But a top-mount intercooler configuration would open up the possibility of installing active grille shutters, since I agree with Ekh that a 6+ quart oil sump should be more than adequate for cooling a 0.9-L engine.

Additionally, I would be itching for an aftermarket hood design that featured strategically placed scoops, channels, fins, baffles, etc for cooling the top-mount intercooler. I'm sure Roush could fabricate something impressive and mean looking!

 

[Coss]

Paul has hinted at a turbo for a long time; I think the first time I heard him in a video is around the time they were doing engine testing.
a year to a year and a half ago, Paul was talking about how much fun it would be with a turbo; and he included "not in the first model, but most likely it would be offered in the second design" and a little icing on the hint he included "any turbo designed for a later model would fit on the first generation, so it could be offered as a kit, or something that a mechanic could install on the first gen Elio's"

I know, where's the link to it? If I had the time to go digging through all the video's that have been released to the public for the last 3 years I could provide that to you; I'm doing this stroll down memory lane over all the years I have been involved with the Elio.

 

[W. WIllie]

My turbo is on the shelf, in my shop waiting for my ELIO.

 

[Mandarin]

His comments about the turbo option at the very end are revealing.

It was reported over a year ago that IAV engineers had been tinkering on their own with the prospect of turbocharging the newly designed power plant outside the scope of their stated contractual obligations for design and engineering duties.

In the last year, it had been reported that Precision Turbo & Engine had been invited to and participated in a number of Supplier Summits.

In recent months, Paul himself made mention to Comau reserving an entire station on the assembly line specifically for installation of components associated with a turbocharger option.

In this July 19 SEC hearing, he made a passing remark in closing that 0-60 times are more than likely going to be just above the 10-second publicized target with the normally aspirated IAV engine, but that a turbocharged Elio is expected to achieve it in less than 5 seconds.

That suggests they have conducted more due diligence into researching the turbocharger option than avid Elio aficionados might have even presumed or that Elio Motors might have led us to believe. It sounded as though Paul had a very good idea what parts and components would likely be sourced (turbocharger, manifolds, gaskets, hoses, intercooler, mounting hardware, etc), if and how they would be configured and installed in the cramped space of the Elio engine compartment, and that detailed computer simulations or forecasts had been completed revealing anticipated performance metric improvements.

Bring on the Turbo Elio!

A turbo would be more than just nice. I live in Eastern Oregon where I drive long straight roads at 80 mph, freeways at the same speed and hilly curvy road on a regular basis. If a turbo is available on an aftermarket basis, I will do that right after it gets out of the paint shop; it really will go forthwith to the paint shop. Zero to sixty above 10 seconds will not work. Anyone have any info on the drivetrain. Is it up to the added power.

 

[Coss]

A turbo would be more than just nice. I live in Eastern Oregon where I drive long straight roads at 80 mph, freeways at the same speed and hilly curvy road on a regular basis. If a turbo is available on an aftermarket basis, I will do that right after it gets out of the paint shop; it really will go forthwith to the paint shop. Zero to sixty above 10 seconds will not work. Anyone have any info on the drivetrain. Is it up to the added power.

Where in Eastern Or is the speed limit 80?
The engine is a completely new design; it does have 12:1 compression, long stroke. Will it handle a turbo? Unknown, that's why it's undevelopement.
I think you'll be surprised what 0 to 60 in 9.6 seconds feels like, plus, if you are doing long stretch road, a turbo isn't need to keep you at that speed.
Top end is figured to be 100 but they have had it up to 108.

And if you have a reservation number in the 23,000's when did you put your $1K down on the Elio?