An Elio Motors Rant

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Elio Motors is an automobile company founded by Paul Elio in 2009. The three-wheeled Elio P4 is engineered to attain a highway mileage rating of up to 84 mpg with regular features such as power windows, a power door lock, cruise control, and air conditioning, all in an aerodynamic, enclosed vehicle body. The vehicle is also equipped with a safety system that includes multiple air bags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, steel unibody frame, and crumple zones. Elio's first manufacturing site will be Shreveport, Louisiana.

Specifications[edit]
Elio Motors plans to manufacture a three-wheeled vehicle (two wheels in front, one in back) with a $7,450 base price ($7,300 for people with reservations). It is projected to achieve up to 84 mpg-US (2.8 l/100 km) on the highway and up to 49 in the city. As of June 2017 there are five prototypes and three validation vehicles (codename E1-A, E1-C, and E1-D) to test for safety, aerodynamics, and durability. Even though the E1-C is not used for testing, it is significantly closer to a production model than P5, with updated interior and a cosmetically-evolved engine. It was also produced using 80% soft-tooling. [clarification needed] The testing phase is concluded, and the company is going to build 100 pre-production fleet vehicles at its Shreveport, Louisiana, manufacturing facility in 2017.

The vehicle will be equipped with standard features such as AC/Heat (manufactured by RedDOT), AM/FM stereo, power windows/door lock, cruise control, three airbags, a reinforced steel roll cage, side intrusion beams, stability control, and disc brakes with ABS. Continental AG has created a tire specifically for the Elio. The Elio is designed to meet motorcycle standards because as a three-wheeler it is within the U.S. government's motorcycle classification. The company has lobbied, in most[1] states, to alter regulations that would otherwise require drivers to wear a helmet and, in many[1] states, to remove the requirement for operators to have a motorcycle endorsement on their driver license.[2][3]

Production[edit]
Elio Motors is based in Phoenix, Arizona and is preparing to manufacture its vehicles in Shreveport, Louisiana, using a portion of the former General Motors 3.2 million-square-foot plant.[6] It is estimated by the company that upwards of 1,500 will be directly employed at Shreveport facility plus an additional 1,500 at the supply base. In addition, Elio Motors is targeting 90% North American parts for its vehicle.[7]

100 pre-production fleet vehicles were scheduled to be produced in December 2016, however, CEO Paul Elio recently stated targeted production of the fleet vehicles had been postponed until late 2017. As of July 4, 2017, production on the first 100 has not started. The anticipated official service provider for Elio Motors is Pep Boys which can provide a nationwide network for vehicle service with more than 800 service centers and 7,500 service bays in 35 states. The company started accepting customer reservations on its website in January 2013 and has received 65,341 as of June 20, 2017.[8] On 2017 August 03, Elio filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to have an initial public offering (IPO) for its common stock in order to raise $100 million in capital. In the filing, it said that their vehicle won't be available until 2019 at earliest.[9]

Elio Motors has delayed the release date, which was originally in 2012. Since then, the date has been pushed back each year.[10] In December 2016, the date was announced to have moved to 2018. [11] This date has made automotive analysts question the company's ability to deliver this car on time or at all. A number of critics have drawn comparisons to the Dale automobile, which had a similar production scheme. In an effort to secure a Department of Energy loan, Elio is offering advance reservations where the buyer can reserve a spot in line to possibly purchase a vehicle for a base price of $7,300.

According to KTBS news, the car company had $123 million in debt with $101,317 in the bank as of Sept. 30, 2016. [12]