The revolutionary car company the oil industry hopes you never discover... 84 mpg, super-affordable vehicle

Friday, April 22, 2016 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer
Tags: Elio car company, oil industry, fuel efficiency

---

(NaturalNews) Can you imagine a more game-changing automobile than a commuter car that gets 84 miles per gallon (mpg) and has a $6,800 MSRP? That car is the vision of automotive enthusiast Paul Elio and his company Elio Motors.

The mission statement of Elio Motors is to "provide a fun-to-drive, super-economical personal transportation alternative, that's affordable, safe, and environmentally friendly. We are committed to the American dream, creating American jobs, and bringing American automotive ingenuity to every vehicle we build. This is, and will remain our mission at Elio."

Due to an overwhelmingly positive response from investors, plans for the Elio are moving forward and design of the safety testing prototypes is underway.

'Half the car, twice the mileage'

The Elio is conceptualized as a three-wheeled, two-door, two-seater automobile that gets 84 mpg. The remarkable gas mileage is achieved primarily through design of the vehicle's slim profile.

"Gas mileage is determined by how much wind resistance there is on a vehicle," the company's website explains. "Because Elio is half the width of a regular car, it gets twice the mileage."

Other factors associated with the vehicle's low price, including its relatively low weight, also contribute to improved fuel efficiency.

According to the company, the Elio's mileage would lead to $1,500 per year in fuel savings compared with a car that gets 22 mpg, presuming a gas price of $4 per gallon and that the vehicle is driven 12,000 miles per year.

At that rate, the gas savings would pay for the suggested $6,800 retail price within less than five years.

High standards, low price

According to Elio, the $6,800 MSRP is achieved through a combination of large engineering decisions and small cost-saving tweaks to the basic car design. Large changes include the use of the lightest, strongest materials available to keep the overall weight of the car down, as well as the inclusion of only three wheels, one door and two seats. These choices add up to a vehicle that weights only 1,228 pounds; in comparison, the average entry-level vehicle weight is around 2,400 pounds. Even with the use of some more expensive materials, such lower overall materials needs add up to substantial savings.

Other cost savings comes from finding ways to include fewer expensive parts, even if those parts wouldn't add much to the final weight of the vehicle. As an example, the company cites the inclusion of only one hood latch, rather than the usual two.

The reason that a standard car has two hood latches is as a backup, in case on latch fails. Without the second latch, failure of the first latch would cause the hood to fly up and block the driver's view. But the Elio's hood is designed instead to open from the front of the vehicle, rather than the rear. That means that if the first latch fails while driving, the wind will keep the hood from popping up.

Addition of a second latch boosts a typical vehicle's price by $20. Further savings were achieved on the Elio by redesigning the first latch to cost only $3.

Despite the cost-saving measures, the company says the car is "designed to meet the highest safety standards," and standard features include three airbags, Anti-Lock Brakes, a reinforced roll-cage frame and even a 50 percent larger crush zone than other similarly sized vehicles.

Other standard features include heating and air conditioning, AM/FM stereo and traction control. The $6,800 base price does not include additional features, however, or delivery costs, taxes or registration fees.

Although the Elio has not yet begun commercial production, the company is accepting reservations for deposits ranging from $100 to $1,000. There are two reservation options, including an "I'm All In," nonrefundable option. Because the company makes no guarantee of vehicle delivery even to those who have paid a nonrefundable deposit, however, interested buyers are advised to instead select the refundable "I Want In" option.

Sources for this article include:

ElioMotors.com

SeekingAlpha.com

Science.NaturalNews.com