Elio vs Tesla

Honestly? Both. The world needs both. I'm glad that Tesla is building a battery factory in Nevada, closer to the source of their critical Lithium supply. So long as Tesla had to import batteries build in factories, stage by stage, around the world, the costs would remain high and they were hostages to any part of the system that opted to go evil and ransom the materials. This is better. And Reno is Pro-Business so is happy to get the jobs and not cause trouble for the factory. The last time I went to Reno, it was cleaner than California.

 

As for Elio Motors, with their three wheel Elio-car, I want to tell folks, because the question keeps coming up: the motor is the water cooled version of the Triumph motorcycle engine from 1965. That same engine went into the Geo Metro, cars that you still see on the road today, 25 years later. Daihatsu is making them on contract, and put them into Suzuki Swifts as well. So the engine is well tested and reliable and despite being 3 cylinders and 70 HP, plenty enough engine for the little car. How those cars fare in highway crashes is a separate question. Elio claims they are tested and safe and will come with 3 air bags. Okay, possibly. Nothing does well in a crash with a big work truck or SUV, not even another SUV, and you always take your life into your hands when you get on the road, every single time. Even going to the store can kill you. Anything over 15 mph is potentially deadly. But real life is dangerous and if you wanted to be safe you'd stay home and order take out delivery food and pay for grocery delivery service till you ran out of money and then starved to death. Safety is just an illusion.

 

The Eliomotors car is a motorcycle for people who don't like motorcycles. You don't need a helmet. It has a windshield wiper and a roof. It has three wheels so won't fall over at the stoplight. It has a door and a lock. It gets way better mileage than a prius, and requires no lithium imports. Someday, when gasoline is closer to $40/gal, you can swap the engine for a diesel and run it on modified soybean oil based diesel or algal diesel. Not as convenient as the Tesla that plugs into your garage charger, but also not going to strand you when the powercell dies and requires a day to recharge. Getting stranded doesn't sound very convenient to me.

 

For most commuter needs, the Tesla is great, and this being an area with a lot of rich, retired people, I am starting to see them on the local roads. Eventually I'll talk to one and find out if they live up to the hype or have some drawbacks, like weight, or cornering on the slippery local roads in the wet time of year, which we have entered.

 

So yes, both vehicles are needed, and have value.