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A Future on Three Wheels: Elio Motors

Elio Motors is an American startup automaker founded in 2008 by Paul Elio, engineer and company CEO. Based in Phoenix, Arizona this company is preparing to manufacture the first three-wheeled model (two wheels in front, one in back) with an 8 gallon fuel tank, and planned fuel efficiency of 84 mpg highway / 49 mpg-city and with a sticker price at around $7,800. It sounds like an amazing concept and people are flocking to it, but delays in hitting the market having people scratching their heads.

The Elio will reportedly have all of the bells and whistles that people expect. It is projected to feature a heater, defroster, air conditioning, power windows and door lock, stereo, two person seating capacity (one in front, one in back), three airbags, a reinforced roll cage, side intrusion beams, seat belts, windshield wiper, stability control, and ABS all in a very limited space. The top speed of the model is over 100 mph and it can go from 0-60 mph in approximately 9.6 second, which is fairly impressive for such a small car.

This means that this vehicle just might be the most cost and fuel efficient model to-date. Here is the company’s promotional message, which makes an excellent case for the Elio:

“With rising gas prices, crowded highways, and the increasing need to reduce stress and increase fun, Elio is an idea whose time has come. Elio has been made for the way you want to move – in a fun, extremely high-mileage and eco-friendly way. Say hello to Elio -- an American made three-wheeled, two-seated creation that revolutionizes personal transportation.”

So far, over 40,000 people have reserved their Elios by putting down $1,000. Are these people actually going to get cars? I'm really not so sure.  Elio recently announced that they're pushing the release date of their cars back to 2016 from 3rd quarter of 2015. This is after generously missing their July 2014 initial release date. As you'd imagine, this has many of their hopeful early supporters, who have dropped anywhere from $100 to a $1,000 apiece on the idea of buying an interesting car, very nervous and increasingly skeptical.

Will the future of automotive transportation be on three wheels? Only time will tell. The Elio is an exciting and intriguing concept, but until they hit the market, it is still only an idea, so stay tuned.  This new technology automotive blog is proudly brought to you by Huntington Park Collision Center.

Sources: Motor Trend, Parts & People and Forbes