Polaris Slingshot Rollover Crash (w/ Video)

By the conventional wisdom of the internet, the Polaris Slingshot is inherently stable because it has two wheels in the front. Confused? The conventional wisdom regarding the stability of three-wheelers in online forums goes a little like this: two wheels in back = bad. Two wheels in front = good. That’s been the prevailing loudest argument from the Elio and Polaris crowds, anyway. Usually in response to people like me who want to see vehicles like the Vespa Ape-based Tuk-tuk or Deltawing eventually make it onto US roads. But what if the conventional internet wisdom is, you know, crap?

About a year ago, it seems like someone decided to put that thinking to the test. They began by setting up a slalom-style test at the IIHS testing facility in Virginia. Next, they added a decidedly three-wheeledPolaris Slingshot to the equation. Finally, they shut off the stability control.

What do you think happened?

Polaris Slingshot Rollover in Testing

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This was not intentional. (It happened at) the IIHS facility in VA. The stability control was turned off. Obviously, this did not turn out the way they wanted it to.

The test didn’t go very well for Polaris, and didn’t exactly support the conventional thinking found on a number of three-wheeled fan sites. Despite that, however, the test crash did not fundamentally alter my personal belief that three-wheel vehicles are perfectly safe. All it should do, I think, is emphasize that there are no shortcuts in engineering.

That’s just me, though. What about you? Watch the video, above, for yourself then let us know what you think of the Polaris Slingshot and its scary rollover in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

Source | Images: 646906GTO, via r/eliomotors

Elio Passes First Phase of DOE Loan Approval

If Elio wants to start building cars next year, it’s going to need a lot more money than it’s raised from pre-orders. In fact, Elio needs to raise about $200 million before the first batch hits the road. They’ve got a few million in the bank, and (like Elio’s factory) the rest may be coming from you and me.

That’s right, Elio Motors is looking to the government for the $185 million infusion of cash it needs to get production of its 3-wheeled autocycle going. That government money may come in the form of a Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan from the US Dept. of Energy, and Elio has already passed the first of the three phases of approval it needs to get the money.

It’s worth noting that Elio is the first company to have gotten this far since the program’s extensive revamp following the failures of Aptera and Fisker, among others. In that, Elio certainly has something to celebrate. It remains to be seen, however, whether or not the final production version of Elio’s autocycle will meet the company’s stated price and fuel economy targets- but we should know soon enough!

You can check out the official Elio press release, below, and let us know what you think of Elio’s chances to get the loan- and make it to production!- in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

Elio Motors Passes First Review Phase for DOE’s ATVM Loan

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Elio Motors Inc., makers of the ultra-fuel efficient Elio, announced today that its application for a DOE ATVM loan has passed the first of three phases of review. Now deemed “substantially complete,” the application will move to the due diligence phase.
Elio Motors is seeking a $185 million ATVM loan to accelerate the company’s plans to begin production of its enclosed, three-wheeled vehicle in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 2015.
The DOE ATVM loan program supports the production of fuel-efficient, advanced technology vehicles and components in the United States. The program has invested billions of dollars in projects by major automakers such as Ford and Nissan as well as startups like Tesla Motors. Congress created the ATVM program with $25 billion in loan authority in 2007; the program was revamped recently and resumed activity in April 2014 with more than $16 billion in remaining loan authority.
“While this is just one step and there is a long way to go, we are pleased that DOE has moved expeditiously thus far on our loan application,” said Paul Elio, CEO of Elio Motors. “With a $6,800 sticker price that makes ultra-fuel efficient transportation affordable to the general public, we believe Elio is exactly the kind of American-made innovation that the loan program was designed to foster.”
Elio Motors will create approximately 3000 jobs, 1,500 in Shreveport alone, where the company will occupy approximately 1.5 million square feet of a 4.1 million-square-foot former General Motors manufacturing facility. The company is in the process of working with its manufacturing partner, Comau, to sell surplus GM manufacturing equipment that Elio acquired along with the plant. Those sales will help raise additional funds toward the production of the new vehicle.
Elio already has more than 35,000 reservations for the innovative vehicle, which will get up to 84 MPG and sell for $6,800 – setting it far apart from other ultra-fuel efficient vehicles available to the general public. A prototype is attracting the attention of thousands of people during a nationwide tour.

Information provided by Elio Motors. Photo by Neil Blanchard.

Paul Elio’s Trike Will Baby – Will That Make a Difference?

“I still think you’re nuts,” I told Paul Elio, in an informal phone call after his official “town hall” meeting, last month. “You’re definitely growing on me, though. ‘Nuts’ is endearing.”

Elio chuckled, politely. We were talking about Elio’s fan base, the market that he thought the major auto makers were ignoring, and about why someone would choose to spend their $6800 (or $7300, as it stands, today) on his vehicle when there were so many bigger, more practical used cars out there for the same money.

“It depends what you consider ‘practical’,” he replied. “If you’re driving alone 99% of the time, then the & (one of the names being considered for the vehicle, which is set to begin production in the fall of next year) makes sense 99% of the time.”

“Here’s the problem,” I said, smugly. “Even if you’re totally right, imagine I’m driving my Elio and my kids’ school calls to tell me my daughter’s sick and I have to come pick her up. My wife can’t get out of work, and she has the big car. I can’t pick her up in one of these (Elio trikes), and that, right there, is why spending my money on a used hatchback or something is the right move.”

There was a pause on the phone for a second or two, like Paul was reasoning things out. I had him, or so I thought.

“Why can’t you pick her up from school?” he asked, confused.

“I can’t put a child seat in the Elio,” I said. Similarly confused. “Can I?” I asked, somewhat sheepishly.

Elio pondered the question, again. “We put the (LATCH) in the back seat. We designed it in, I know that,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen anyone physically put a child seat in it, though.”

We decided that it would be a great addition to the “practical second car” narrative that Elio Motors is trying to roll out with the trike, and Paul told me he’d give it a try once things settled down from the Woodward Dream Cruise (where the Elio crew was collecting reservations – more than 500, by the time this phone call took place). A few days passed, and I thought Paul might have forgotten about the idea. Or, hilariously, that a child seat didn’t fit in the thing. Then, a few days ago, my phone buzzed, and I saw the following image:

Paul Elio’s Trike + Child Seat

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WELL PLAYED, PAUL