Elio Motors is the start-up vehicle manufacturer which planned to launch a fuel-efficient three-wheeler vehicle that will get up to 84mpg and a base price of $7300. Recently, the company introduced its vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The E1c engineering vehicle from Elio Motors represents a major step forward for the company, moving from prototype stage to production stage. The exterior appears to be quite similar to the earlier prototypes from Elio. However, the E1c engineering vehicle comes with structural and foundational improvements to the suspension, frame and safety systems, which has given rise to an overall satisfying driving experience on the vehicle.
The E1c is a part of the E series vehicles from Elio Motors, and they were being built for validation and testing purposes. Soft tooling was used to assemble more than 80% of the E1c. They made use of a short term, low-cost production tools so that repeatability of individual parts and manufacturability could be duly proved before full production.
According to founder and CEO of Elio Motors, Paul Elio, the E1c showcases continued progress in the company’s long-term plan to introduce low-cost, highly fuel-efficient vehicles to the market. He further mentioned that the company had assembled a great team of suppliers and engineers who indulged in every aspect of the vehicle.
It was done to make sure that the entire thing meets or else exceed all of their goals. One of the company’s greatest strengths is the creation of a game-changing vehicle. During the vehicle engineering phase, the company has made loads of refinements, and some of them have been a lot more impactful on suspension, safety systems, and frame while providing greater functionality and enhanced comfort.
The E1c engineering vehicle from Elio Motors comes with a unibody frame. It provides enhanced absorption of energy and also better safety tuning of the mentioned vehicle. The unibody frame was specially developed for the company by its engineering team Schwab Industries and Roush Engineering. Besides the safety benefits, the new unibody frame will also improve the fit, finish, and manufacturability of the vehicle.
Aerodynamics will be improved, and handling will be sharpened by the new modified suspension. This will improve long-term vehicle durability while reducing vibration, harshness, and noise. It is also the first vehicle from Elio Motors to have airbags, which is also a key component of the Safety Management System of the company.
It also comes with a driver airbag located in the steering wheel and two Roof-rail side curtain airbags.Elio Motors’ Vice President of Engineering, Jeff Johnston said that the soft tooling system is essential for their long-term success as the company progresses from hand-built prototypes to more refined vehicles built through production tooling. He mentioned that the new vehicle is a monumental leap forward and features 80% production level systems and components.
Elio Motors was founded by Paul Elio, back in 2009 and it showcases a revolutionary approach in the manufacture of ultra-high mileage vehicles.
The new trike from Elio has been engineered to achieve an 84mpg highway mileage rating while providing the comfort of various amenities like power door lock, power windows, air conditioning and cruise control, accompanied by multiple airbags safety and an enclosed, aerodynamic vehicle body. The first manufacturing site of Elio Motors will be Shreveport, La.
Meanwhile, regarding Value Composite Score, Elio Motors, Inc. has a rank of 86. The scores are based on a range of 0 to 100 with a lower score indicating an undervalued company while a higher score indicates an overvalued or expensive company/firm. James O’Shaughnessy develop this ranking process back in 2011.