Forget About Geo: Elio Motors Taps OEM for Diminutive Trike Engine
The long-suffering Elio Motors, whose ambition to launch a low-cost, high-MPG three-wheeler was recently revived by the launch of a weird cryptocurrency, is no longer seeking a custom engine for its novel automobile.
Early Elio prototypes carried a transplanted three-cylinder engine sourced from the illustrious Geo Metro, with the fledgling automaker claiming it had a 900cc triple of 55 horsepower in its sights. Well, plans change. The company, which hopes to start production in Louisiana next year, says it has secured a deal with an existing automaker for the car’s powerplant.
In a media release displaying a clear lack of knowledge of commas, the automaker claims it entered into a memorandum of understanding with a “Fortune 500 OEM” for the little mill. This arrangement, Elio says, will save the company piles of cash that would otherwise go towards R&D. Suffice it to say money is still tight at Elio.
The task of marrying the car with the new engine is the responsibility of performance parts developer Roush.
“Purchasing an OEM’s existing powertrain has an enormous impact on the project, it helps both expedite the timeline, and it directly reduces our capital requirement by about $120 million dollars,” said Elio Motors CEO Paul Elio. “This powertrain will also greatly enhance the Elio’s performance by nearly doubling its horsepower while still maintaining class-leading fuel economy at an affordable ultra-low price.”
If you’re thinking the engine in question is Ford’s 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder, you’re not alone. Elio claims the mill “should offer nearly a 100% increase in horsepower rating when compared to initial Elio prototype vehicles,” leading to “excellent driver response and a highly improved acceleration time.”
It’s anyone’s guess as to whether the company will achieve its target of 84 miles per gallon with this mill, but the bigger question remains whether production will ever actually start in Shreveport.
[Image: Elio Motors]
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With double the power, this could be a fun car. But a tiny city car isn't going to travel far, so why have an internal combustion engine in it at all? Unlike the six-figure luxury SUVs we keep hearing about, a city car is a really sensible use case for electric propulsion. Compared to an Elio, a Fiat 500e electric would be faster, safer, funner, and better looking -- and it's a screaming used-car bargain. Or if you want something even cuter and live in Europe, how about a Microlino -- a modern electric Isetta? Or if you must have a trike, there's the sexy Sondors for those who are willing to wait (possibly forever) and the not-so-sexy Electra Meccanica Solo for those who aren't...both electric. I suspect the gasoline city car is basically obsolete at this point. So does Smart, apparently: they're shifting to all-electric in some markets. And BMW is dropping the gasoline range extender version of the i3.
I Don’t believe ICEs are totally defunct yet. And I Know there are 65,000 reservation holders who agree with me. AND When you start seeing these around, for under $10,000 , getting 65+ mpgs - you canbet they’ll sell ALL they can make the first few years ! Even Millenials and Me generations will take notice. The current offerings of $50,000 plus SUVs and expensive EVs do not...