What Do We Know About The Elio Chassis?

[JEBar]

I really am juiced to see we're going steel tubing or something like it. Square tubing is not as strong as round tubing but I'll take either.

from the pictures above, it looks like they are using a blend of round and square tubing with possibly some channel thrown in .... I do some metal working if if the welds are solid, I believe the frame will hold up well

Jim

 

[pistonboy]

No, just trivia. I meant to say tubular steel. The answer is the bicycle. However WW I The Folker D VII was the first aircraft to use tubular steel in it's construction and is considered acceptable construction in light aircraft to this day. It's just a trivia thing to me because I like air craft.

I have heard many of the people who like the Elio also like aircraft, as I do.

Is this true?

 

[PJ]

Yes we do. Especially when they have 3 big fans on them.

 

[Ekh]

Tube chassis with FRP composite body panels and floor bonded to the frame. This is what will be on the production car. The benefit is a ridged frame will make the Elio handle well. Elio has more in common with a Nascar stock car than a conventional street car.

Where in heck did you get this drawing? Is this a sample tube construction, or the actual Elio chassis design? This sure looks massively stronger than the prototype pix suggest.

 

[Ekh]

The composite material would be much quieter than metal and less prone to carry vibrations through the car. I wonder if they will undercoat the Elio.

Not to beat the subject to death, but this is why I wondered if there is enough metal in the floor to trigger the traffic sensors in the pavement at traffic lights. You pointed out the composite material will form the floor pan and thus the bars will be the only metal in the floor.

I've only had the insufficient metal problem once with my bike. But once was enough! Maybe the steel wheels and engine and steel tubing will be enough to trigger stop light sensors.

 

[Ekh]

'Naked' P4 rolling chassis here.

[Broken External Image]

It is my understanding that this is actually very close to what they intend to do on the production chassis however it is still missing some details and some refinement some of which can be seen when comparing it to the crash simulation images I included below.

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Regarding that bottom picture, OUCH!

 

[Folks]

Yes we do. Especially when they have 3 big fans on them.

If you're a scale modeler you'll wet your pant at the sight of this lipoly brushless electric motor powered model flying indoors no less. Retract, running lights flaps and all. Scale models are hardest pressed to fly in a realistic scale speed. So be impressed ......very impressed.

 

[RKing]

I probably will regret pointing thiis out, but.. the bumper looks just the same as on my K75 bike

As far as triggering the prox sensors at lights, niether my K75 nor my son's Ninja trigger the things over half the time. I have just learned to go right if I am in front at he lights. I think the Elio's engine and trans will present plenty of "signal strength" to trigger, I sure hope so !

 

[goofyone]

I don't think it will be an issue in a vehicle the size of the Elio however to be safe I would make sure to place the Elio engine compartment over the center of the inductive loop if it is a single coil or if it is a double coil over the center line of the double coil.

I know on my motorcycles I have learned to place my engine just to the left or right of the center line in the ground of the double loops we have installed in our area and I trigger the light every time.

 

[ross]

'Naked' P4 rolling chassis here.

[Broken External Image]

It is my understanding that this is actually very close to what they intend to do on the production chassis however it is still missing some details and some refinement some of which can be seen when comparing it to the crash simulation images I included below.

View attachment 3905
View attachment 3906

That is a beautiful chassis. Try to find another car in production today with a full space frame and roll cage for any kind of money, and you're looking at a Porsche or C6 Corvette. The new Mustang, Camaro, or even Viper doesn't offer that kind of rigid chassis, let alone roll cage for 10 times the money, and P.E. will sell me one for under $7,000? Where do I sign up? This is going to be fun. I just can't get mine soon enough!