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posted by janrinok on Tuesday August 16 2016, @11:08PM   Printer-friendly
from the can-I-touch-one-yet? dept.

Elio Motors has locked in the base price of $7300 for non-refundable reservation holders for their 84mpg 3-wheel "autocycle". Reservations can be made for as little as $100 or as much as $1000 with higher values getting priority delivery when they go into production. The price is above the $6800 target that had been quoted for the last few years, but those who are willing to make a binding commitment to purchase a vehicle can sign an additional online form to knock their price back down to $7000. The locked-in prices will be available until they reach a total of 65,000 reservations (~57,000 have been made to date).

The startup car company is attempting to disrupt the auto industry by producing an efficient, affordable vehicle similar to what VW did with the $1699 Beetle in 1968, but at an even more affordable price (the Beetle cost $11,768 in 2016 dollars)

The vehicle itself, while technically a motorcycle under federal law, is controlled like a car with a steering wheel and pedals. Most states have enacted legislation exempting such vehicles from the extra license endorsements or helmet requirements that motorcycles and trikes normally need. Standard features of the base model include an enclosed cabin with A/C, heat, cruise control and power windows & door lock.


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  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 16 2016, @11:32PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 16 2016, @11:32PM (#388892)

    I hear your stressed, twentysomething-pilot. Putter yourself home where you can imagine your mommy tucking you in.

    Disrupt away, millenial unicorn-chasers, but your wannabe trendy shit is too expensive for the bama ecomony unless your marketing exclusively to yuppie scum.

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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @01:46AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @01:46AM (#388947)

    As a personally-responsible self-owning individualist (one might even say: wildly individualistic), I'm very interested in vehicles like this as a transporation tool.

    - Not a motorcycle (I don't have one and don't want one)
    - Enclosed cabin to keep the elements out
    - High fuel efficiency to keep transporation costs low
    - Doesn't appear to come with much of the garbage found in late-model cars (phone-home OnStar type stuff, wildly-overengineered and fragile "media consoles") with few exceptions (airbags and anti-lock brakes)
    - Price point close to reasonable for a second vehicle for a small household (I'd prefer to own a truck to do my own heavy lifting but can't justifiy my one vehicle being a truck. With a ~$7000 3-wheel car, I could potentially justify the cost of owning two vehicles with the 3-wheel car doing 95% of the transportation with the truck being used for the 5% heavy work.)

    If the market for new vehicles of this sort pan out, I salivate at the thought of what the market for used vehicles of this price point will enable.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:02AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:02AM (#388977)

      Kinda worried about upkeep and parts availability.

      Here's to hoping the build quality/engineering is high enough for it to operate more like a transportation appliance than a kit car. Even mundane things like getting the vehicle on a lift becomes complex being square peg.

    • (Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday August 17 2016, @01:01PM

      by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 17 2016, @01:01PM (#389087)

      Doesn't appear to come with much of the garbage found in late-model cars

      I found this easy to avoid about two years ago. Simple non-modal mechanical controls I can manipulate by touch while keeping my eyes on the road, no gimmicks and stuff.

      Basically sounds like you want a Yaris for a Yugo price. Good luck with that.

      Apparently the current model Camry has one of those hideous multifunctional tablet things in the dash, but the HVAC is an intermediate UI of buttons and dials and a panel. I prefer the HVAC UI of my Yaris to either the intermediate UI on the Camry or once of those hideous touch screen controlled UIs.

      The old days of a BMW having the worlds worst tablet interface such that it takes 5 minutes of endless eyes off road clicking to turn on the air conditioner are over, thankfully.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @01:56AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @01:56AM (#388948)

    OP is trolling. And not very bright.

    The mean age of reservation holders is in the low-60's.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @02:11AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @02:11AM (#388955)

      twenty one pilots - Stressed Out [youtube.com]

      Music video features men who ride tricycles around a stereotypical suburban neighborhood and sing about their mothers.

      Currently charting at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @02:56AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @02:56AM (#388974)

        So, you're saying the thread parent was making an obscure reference?

        Or are you insinuating that a metric used for judging the relative popularity of one song among all other mainstream music is relevant to the desires of USian society at large for cheap enclosed transport vehicles?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:28AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:28AM (#388988)

          It's not even an obscure reference when the song peaked at #2 and has been all over the radio this year.

          Don't hesitate to reply by telling us all about how you never listen to mainstream music because such mundane commoner tripe is beneath you.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:42AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:42AM (#388990)

            So you are insinuating that a metric used for judging the relative popularity of one song among all other mainstream music is relevant to the desires of USian society at large for cheap enclosed transport vehicles.

            Well, good for you. Remember to buy the new iPhone and keep working hard to make payments on your mortgage, credit cards, car loan, and student loans while mocking the potential for cheap, efficient personal transportation.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @05:47AM

              by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @05:47AM (#389014)

              cheap, efficient personal transportation

              Fuck you illiterate fucking asshole.

              "too expensive for the bama ecomony unless your marketing exclusively to yuppie scum"

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @06:31AM

                by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @06:31AM (#389023)

                Your opinion is so very obviously not law of either the legislative nor economic type.

                The fact that you're claiming a $7300 pseudocar is "too expensive" when the closest comparable alternative is - wait for it - more expensive in terms of sticker price (and presumably operating costs) should clue you in to how dumb your opinion sounds when read aloud. Try it.

                Now, a very reasonable criticism is that some of the poorest USian people also happen to be among the fattest, which could for them pose a serious barrier to entry. Literally. Could you wedge yourself into a twenty-inch seat?

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by tibman on Wednesday August 17 2016, @01:58AM

    by tibman (134) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 17 2016, @01:58AM (#388951)

    Well, this says it can go 100 mph and gets around 84 mpg. The website says it is made in the US and even using 90% US made parts. As far as price goes, 8k$ is really cheap for a "car". Oh wait.. you said it threatened your manliness? Guess you'll have to go back to the gym for a few months before buying one of these. Wouldn't want anyone to think you're like a wimp or something. Should probably get a gun-rack accessory, mossy-oak antler stickers, and truck nuts just in case they can't see your muscles through the tinted windows : P

    I think this thing is cool. Currently driving a four seater toyota car to work everyday. Driving a jeep/truck to work just isn't practical. Was costing around 5k$ a year in just fuel and oil. This Elio thing is cheap enough that people with decent jobs could get one of these for work commute and keep the fuel sucking truck for after work fun.

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    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:02AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:02AM (#388978)

      Dead on. [soylentnews.org]

      A primary concern for me is what the maintenence costs are expected to be. Such as if they're using a prototype engine that burns itself out after 20,000 miles and/or has effectively no repair parts supply chain. My current "go kart" is an older Japanese car which had a five figure sticker price, but whose upkeep costs are ridiculously low. It'd be a real shame if such an awesome concept like the Elio 3-wheeler has an appealing purchase price but ends up always being in the shop.

      • (Score: 2) by slinches on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:18AM

        by slinches (5049) on Wednesday August 17 2016, @03:18AM (#388983)

        While I don't know if the build quality of the chassis will keep up, the powertrain seems like it should be solid. Roush is in charge of the final tuning and fit-and-finish. The motor is new, but the design work was done by IAV, who have worked with many of the major automotive manufacturers. The transmission is an Aisin 5-speed manual (with an option for the same in an automated-manual configuration), which has been used in other vehicles with good reliability. And many of the suspension parts and engine accessories are sourced off-the-shelf and designed for larger vehicles.

        None of that guarantees that $7k can buy you a sturdy vehicle, but it seems to me like they are doing all the right things to make it happen.

    • (Score: 3, Informative) by Nuke on Wednesday August 17 2016, @10:33PM

      by Nuke (3162) on Wednesday August 17 2016, @10:33PM (#389341)

      Should probably get a gun-rack accessory, mossy-oak antler stickers, and truck nuts just in case they can't see your muscles through the tinted windows : P

      All that, but I'm waiting for the off-road lift kit too.