AltoidBox
Elio Aficionado
They only expect/hope/intend to get 49 mpg in the city. See the specs section of the FAQ on their website.
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Where Did 84 Mpg Come From?
- Thread starter Inigo93
- Start date
They only expect/hope/intend to get 49 mpg in the city. See the specs section of the FAQ on their website.
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raybonz
Elio Addict
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2014
- Messages
- 527
- Reaction score
- 689
Good point.. Seems that $6800.00 is unlikely unless they get great prices on parts and labor which I doubt.. If the price needs to be adjusted a bit and is justified I could understand that..
I doubt there's a vehicle out there that attains the claimed mfg or EPA fuel economy. They get their economy data by driving slower than real world speeds (whatever speed is the most efficient for the engine/trans/gearing setup), on a treadmill in an environment that is controlled (i.e. large test lab). No hills, wind, starts/stops, buffeting from other vehicles, etc.
There is no onus on the mfg for the vehicle to attain their claimed economy. If there were, every mfg would be continually sued for not meeting the claimed fuel economy.
They should get great cost to value on both. Most components are off the shelf parts; meaning no new, expensive design and tooling work.
Labor will be relatively cheap if they keep the unions out, and utilize lean mfg philosophy.
The sticker number is only supposed to help you gauge the relative fuel economy of one vehicle vs another. The truth is that what the label says and what you get in the real world are two very different things. Vehicle manufacturers are supposed to follow a very strict test procedure to determine the fuel economy numbers you see on the window sticker. In the real world variations in temperature, terrain, traffic, winds, driver driving styles, and who knows what else make it nearly impossible for any manufacturer to tell you what your actual fuel economy will be.
As could I. However, that would mean that the $6800 is a "nice to have" not a "must have."
This is how I rate Elio Motors' four goals in order from greatest importance to least important:
1. Made in the USA
2. 5-Star Safety Rating
3. $6800 starting price
4. $84 MPG
If I were running this project I would sacrifice some MPG to achieve the other three goals and would also raise the price some if I needed to. I doubt changing either one of those two a small amount would affect sales projections much if at all.
I believe building the car outside the U.S. at this point would negatively change the entire perception of the company and wavering on the 5-star safety rating would likely lead to the masses being hesitant to purchase the car which is what you need to remain in business if you are selling this car at with very small profit margins.
1. Made in the USA
2. 5-Star Safety Rating
3. $6800 starting price
4. $84 MPG
If I were running this project I would sacrifice some MPG to achieve the other three goals and would also raise the price some if I needed to. I doubt changing either one of those two a small amount would affect sales projections much if at all.
I believe building the car outside the U.S. at this point would negatively change the entire perception of the company and wavering on the 5-star safety rating would likely lead to the masses being hesitant to purchase the car which is what you need to remain in business if you are selling this car at with very small profit margins.
Funny thing is that if not for the business marketing advantage I believe a 5-Star safety rating holds for such a small and light vehicle I would actually completely agree with you. Safety is frequently much more about perception than reality.
Perception, in the case of the Elio, is 60% of the rating, I will give 20 to the seat belts and 20 to the air bags. JMO