The OP is asking for opinions so I’m going to move it to IMHO.
I’ve looked at it, it looks cool and I could see getting one as a commuter and backup car.
However since motorcycles cannot get 84mpg how can this car?
We talked about the Elio about a year ago here. I was curious if others thought the company was going to make it. Doesn’t look good for them for a lot of reasons, but wish they would succeed.
There is very little new info coming out about this car, and it’s one delay after another with them continuing to push the promised date back, and I see where they just did it again.
Motorcycles have considerable wind resistance and turbulent air going through them with the rider/riders taking quite a bit of it too, and generally nearly always built for acceleration.
I had a 1984 Honda CRX that the EPA sticker said got 51 city, and 67 highway (back when 55 mph were hwy speed limits). I easily exceeded those numbers even. Elio is even lighter and far more streamlined with less parts than it, so I’m convinced it’s realistic.
no, it won’t be a “big winner.” it’ll find some buyers, but it won’t be more than a curiosity. it’s a two-seater (one in front, one in back) with little storage space. and it’s preaching fuel economy while fuel prices are still stupidly cheap in this country. people are still buying crossover SUVs by the millions. If Elio can sell enough of these to run a viable business then more power to them.
but I posit that if you want a 1- or 2-up vehicle which gets 60+ miles per gallon, just get a damned motorcycle.
#1 highway speed limits have little to do with EPA test procedures.
#2 by the modern test standard, the best CRX would score 38 city/47 highway. nothing to sneeze at, but not the pie-in-the-sky 51/67 on the sticker.
According to this, the best CRX was originally listed as 52/57. Under the new (2008+) test, it would get 42/51. Your point remains valid, though; EPA tests got harder in 2008, and not a lot of people realize that. People fondly remember their old cars that got “30mpg highway,” not realizing that they’d only get 27mpg on the new test.
And yes, a crafty driver might stretch that 51mpg highway rated CRX to 60mpg or better, but the issue for Elio isn’t what hypothetical number a good driver might hit driving 10mph below the speed limit everywhere, the issue is what’s going to be on the window sticker. According to Paul Elio, it might not really get 84 mpg, but he’s not too worried about it.
[QUOTE=Paul Elio]
I think our initial target was 75, and then we realized we could do better. 84 was a stretch target if you will, and we’re very close to hitting it. Right now, I think we’re about 81.4, but we’re continuing to work on the design. So I don’t know that we’ll hit 84, but let’s face it, if we go into production at 81, did we fail? I want to hit it because I said I would. But from a social impact and product value, anywhere in that neighborhood is going to be dandy and I know we’re there.
[/QUOTE]
Honda created the NC700X with fuel economy in mind, and the highest reported mileage on Fuelly is 78 mpg. It’s EPA rated at 73 mpg.
Where are you getting that from? It just lists a 1986 Honda CRX, and doesn’t say it was the best CRX on gas mileage, does it? Look at this cite, it’s as I stated, EPA 51 city, 67 highway for the 1984 Honda CRX with 1.3 engine, and 5 speed transmission.
I’m sure it wouldn’t do as well with today’s tests, but do they give the figures of what it would do with the 1984 CRX with 1.3 engine and 5-speed manual?
It doesn’t matter to me what procedure they are using, my highway gas mileage has been fairly consistent on what has been on the sticker, so whatever they are doing, they have been very reliable indicator for me of what to expect.
Highway mileage might be closer to the 47 highway figure, I know when I would kick it up to 70 mph, my highway mileage would drop to about 53-55, but city driving was always consistently over 50, and when really taking it easy, got 63 mpg in the city on my personal best with this car.
Do you have a cite that says the 1984 Honda CRX with the 1.3 5-speed would only get 38 city by today’s standards?
I was just curious if the EPA had a cite where it was rating the older cars with the newer system, that’s all. Surprised the city mileage would show it was this low, kind of expected the faster highway speeds it would show roughly that kind of a drop. My figures also came from the EPA or if you prefer the damn EPA, and the 51 city 67 hwy was on the window sticker, and their old system was more reflective of my results than the newer EPA numbers.
It looks really bad. Like an oversized bike or something. The genius about Tesla is that it is not merely good for being an electric vehichle. The Tesla is a really cool car, which also happens to be electric. This oversize bike car is three steps back. I hope it never sees market.
I realize everybody has different tastes, but personally I like the look of it, and think most do than not. I like the enclosed two wheel versions even more in the looks department, but it becomes more complex to keep them upright.
I think they have several major problems though among many. Getting the rest of the funding is the most well known one.
Another one is that is new to them is the new lower gas prices. Historically, I doubt it’s a good time to be pushing miser cars.
Another problem is their credibility. They have pushed back production times four different times now. In 2013, Elio was stating June or July of 2014 for production times. In 2014, they were shooting for March of 2015, then changed it to the third quarter of 2015. Earlier this year, they pushed it back again to mid-2016. And when 2016 gets here…well, one should know how to do the Elio math by now.
Here is one cite where others are voicing their displeasure.
I think it’s a great choice for motorcycle riders who want an inclement weather vehicle and have the space in the garage for something they’re not going to drive every day. I could see lots of people here in the Twin Cities using them in winter, rainy season, when it’s 95 degrees…
If they ever make it to market, I will buy one. It is perfect for me. Motorcycles freak me out, and I would be the worst rider on the road, but I love driving small cars. I drive a beater 40 miles/day for my commute. I get paid every other Friday, so I need 400 miles range to make it on one tank every two weeks. My current car gets about 360 miles per tank, so I usually have to add $5-$10 on Wednesday afternoons. If this car gets at least 400 miles/tank, I would be sold on it. Even at current low gas prices, that would be about $13 every 2 weeks, vice the $30 I currently pay in my 2006 Cobalt. Even if they had to raise the price a bit to install safety features, I would not mind. I priced a Smart car, and the fuel efficiency did not balance out the cost of the car.
On the oither hand, I would never pre-order this car, since it probably won’t make it to market, and I will be out a ton of money.
Looks like they plan an 8 gal tank. City driving might drop it below 50 mpg though.
tonyfop, the Smart car isn’t particularly gas-efficient. It’s just really freakin’ small. The Fiat 500 gets better mileage, but costs more (go figure).
It’s not clear from the Minnesota Driver’s Handbook whether or not you’d need to have a motorcycle license to drive one of these; heck, it’s not even clear that this would be legally recognized as a motorcycle:
Best-cased scenario for Elio is that it’s qualified as a “none of the above” kind of vehicle and they come up with a separate set of rules for “autocycles”; you can drive it whether you have a motorcycle or a car license, you don’t have to wear a helmet, and it doesn’t need to meet car crash safety or emission requirements. Worst-case scenario (for manufacturing it at all) is if it has to satisfy all the car requirements, which will sink it. Worst-case for being marketable to more than a tiny niche is if it’s classified as a motorcycle.
Polaris has run into those issues with its Slingshot.
Plus the Smart car has to use premium gas.
MN won’t require a helmet for it according to Elio. Only a handful of states would require a helmet with the Elio, according to their map.
A few other states have minimum age requirements ranging between 18-21 where a helmet is required until you met that age.