True car enthusiasts may have noticed this article posted back in June 2015 about the Elio P5 prototype vehicle.
We questioned the funding prospects and consumer support for the unusual car, but it looks like those doubts were misplaced.
The Elio P5 appears to have achieved its funding goals and is currently on display at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show with plans to reach the sales floor by Q4 2016.
A Not-So-Little Car
The Elio P5 is an industry-funded prototype that could soon populate our roads. (Video courtesy of Elio Motors.)
The Elio P5 is a three-wheeled tandem car with a custom internal combustion engine. It only seats two, but don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s small on the inside – it boasts more room per passenger than most other small cars on the market.
The cabin itself is fairly narrow, but the wideset front wheels give the P5 a presence comparable to that of a regular compact car.
Weighing in at 1,228 lbs., the Elio P5 is approximately half the weight of the average entry-level vehicle. The company attributes this number to a combination of lightweight, high-strength materials and a spatially-conscious bodyframe design.
The Elio P5 model is a narrow design for two riders. (Image courtesy of Elio Motors.)
The P5 owes its excellent fuel economy to its lightweight design. Because it’s half the size of an average small car, it has half the wind resistance.
In combination with the P5’s 0.9L three-cylinder engine, this allows it to reach a top EPA rating of 84 mpg on the highway. For reference, that’s approximately double the rating of a 2015 Chevrolet Spark.
This is big news for those concerned about CO2 emissions in the environment. As it is so neatly phrased on the company website, “the Elio will emit even less harmful emissions in the atmosphere per year than the average flatulent cow.”
Keeping Costs Low for Consumers
One of the defining characteristics for the Elio P5 is its affordability. It isn’t every day you see an environmentally-conscious vehicle like this tagged at less than $10,000 – never mind less than $7,000.
The P5 rings in at a targeted standard price of $6,800. The company, Elio Motors, attributes much of this cost reduction to the fact that the car has less stuff – fewer wheels and seats really add up.
Supporting Greener Vehicles
The Elio P5 is designed and produced by Elio Motors, an American start-up motor company aiming to bring about change in the automotive industry.
The project has been backed by a number of established companies in the industry, including IAV, Altair, Henkel and Continental.
For more information about Elio Motors and the Elio P5, check out the website.