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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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @07:24AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 17 2016, @07:24AM (#389038)

    We make funny laws over here. Our lawmakers have just legalized lane-splitting. [lanesplittingislegal.com]

    Anyone driving a full-sized vehicle, SUV, truck, or van knows the roads are striped with the minimal spacing.

    I had no problem with lane splitting being illegal, but generally unenforced, as if it was safe to do so and someone did it, no harm, no foul.

    Kinda like those "California stops" where people do not come to a complete stop at a stop sign. As long as they slowed down enough to be aware of impending cross traffic and negotiate safely, who cared? But if an accident resulted, the illegality of not coming to a complete stop came into play, and the one who broke the law had some explaining to do.

    Now that lane splitting is supposedly legal, despite the roads not being re-striped to a width to accommodate this, now we have generated all sorts of legal maneuverings for those who get hurt trying to wedge between trucks.

    I say this because I am noticing when driving my van, I am often clearing other large vehicles on the road by about two feet. There is NOT enough room to wedge a motorbike in there. Especially when both me and the guy next to me have those mirrors sticking out an additional foot or so.

    My old boss had a big F350, and had so many motorcyclists damage his mirror that he had a special one made... you could pick his truck up by the mirror if you needed to.

  • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Wednesday August 17 2016, @11:46AM

    by LoRdTAW (3755) on Wednesday August 17 2016, @11:46AM (#389072) Journal

    Legalized lane splitting? How do you share a lane? Making special exceptions for bikes and then burdening the motorist with such laws is absurd.