You misspelled Paul Moller 
One hundred dollars… and I get a shirt.
Hope you get the shirt.
There’s probably a picture of it on the website.
Perhaps a mock-up 0f the shirt…and exciting news about plans afoot to produce the shirt as soon as contracts are signed with a garment manufacturer in Minnesota.
All snarkiness aside, I’d buy one. Right now I’m about 48.5% ready to do a deposit to get my place in line. Only thing holding me back really is a factoid I saw in one of the online articles that pointed out that Elio would need (by their own projections) to sell at least 150,000 vehicles annually to stay afloat. Mazda doesn’t even sell that many, and they have multiple products to appeal to various needs.
Actually I 'm not super concerned about them staying in business for years and years, I’m concerned they won’t reach the critical point of making and delivering MINE. I’ve had vehicles before where there was no longer a dealership to stand behind the product, and usually the aftermarket can supply just about anything.
If I jump in line now, I’d consider going with one of the “all-in” levels. Assuming the 45,000 deposits they have to date, I’m guessing at least 50% are in the lower level of commitment. Doing the nonrefundable “all-in”, at least theoretically, would get me into the top 25%. So, lets say I would be number 10,000 in line.
So do I have confidence that they will get production going, and deliver 10,001 vehicles? That’s my conundrum.
[ul]
[li]I already have an M endorsement on my license, so no barrier there[/li][li]Going to work and back is just me and my laptop bag, so the storage space is no issue[/li][li]I already ride a motorcycle to the office some days, so the “risk” of a smaller vehicle is no issue.[/li][/ul]
Ride the motorcycle on nice days, drive the enclosed motorcycle on the other days. Perfect for me.
If I had a 75% confidence level that I would eventually get a vehicle, I’d drop the $1000 All-In deposit in a second.
Oh, I know they’re real, but Tesla has pushed back the Model X a couple of times now (and it’s possible they may do so again), and the “affordable” car (I think it’s the Model 3) is perennially coming out “next year.” From what I’ve seen and heard in the auto industry, a more realistic assesment is that the Model 3 is at least a couple of years away at best.
Basically, Elon Musk has a habit of overpromising.
Here’s the enclosed motorcycleI want, but it will probably also never make it to production, at least not at a price point I could afford.
Being a motorcycle, has it heating and A/C?
Supposedly will have all creature comforts, heating, A/C, seat belts, airbags, etc. It’s not really a motorcycle, but most states will apparently license it like one.
Under the “Support” section of their website, they say
That would mean that in Nebraska, at least, I’d have to wear a helmet while driving it. That would suck.
They don’t have money to buy senators.
I’ve seen several of these in the Atlanta metro area. Technically, it’s a motorcycle since it doesn’t have many of the required automotive safety features.
Sorry, but no. Not the same as the Elio at all. Those things give you all the disadvantages of a motorcycle but none of the advantages of a car. Worst of all possible options. If it’s a nice enough day to ride exposed to the elements, I have a motorcycle for that. Which is actually fun.
The appeal of the Elio is the car-like experience of the enclosure.
Yeah, to add to the sucktitude of Nebraska, it’s one of 5 states that show a helmet would be required.
http://www.eliomotors.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/helmetlaws.pdf
News bump.
Still no cars for all you investors, and the “plan” is now to make 100 pre-production prototypes sometime in the fall of this year to go to fleets, with cars for all the true believers that actually paid good money to be made sometime next year…if funding can be found and current contract and financing complications can be worked out.
Anyone here still holding their breath?
Huh I didn’t notice they’d pulled in some Reg A+ money. I don’t know that $17MM goes very far.
I haven’t heard anything recently re: their DOE loan office application, and the article you link echoes that.
The article mentions how the financial hole keeps getting deeper and deeper:
edited to add: I wonder if they’ll even have a Shreveport factory to make cars in by the end of the year?