Technology used on Mustang GT500 and Nissan GT-R is Key Element in Boosting Engine Performance, Fuel Economy for $6,800, 84-mpg Vehicle Set to Launch in 2015

Troy, Mich.,  (April 8, 2014) – Elio Motors, Inc., which will launch an enclosed, three-wheeled vehicle in 2015 has named Flame-Spray Industries, Inc., a leading supplier of cylinder coating technology as one of its key suppliers.

Flame-Spray will use its patented and award winning plasma-transferred wire arc (PTWA) technology. The process involves accelerating a fine mist of molten steel at high speed onto a prepared surface and then honing that surface into a piston-ready cylinder bore. The technology, which is used on high performance sports cars such as the Mustang GT500 and the Nissan GT/R, improves heat transfer and reduces friction. For Elio Motors, it is projected to boost engine performance by 10 percent, while reducing engine weight, helping Elio Motors achieve its 84 miles per gallon target.

“Flame-Spray is an outstanding addition to our supplier network and is indicative of one of the many small, but crucial details that it takes to engineer a vehicle with extraordinary fuel efficiency with the performance characteristics that are important to today’s drivers,” said Paul Elio, CEO of Elio Motors. “Flame-Spray’s cutting edge technology will help us reduce vehicle weight but will improve engine performance and durability and extend engine life, all key attributes for customer satisfaction.”

With a price tag of $6,800 and fuel efficiency of 84 miles per gallon, the enclosed, three-wheeled vehicle will launch in 2015.

In addition to launching a new vehicle, Elio Motors will create more than 1,500 jobs at its manufacturing facility in Shreveport, La., help reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil and provide a more environmentally friendly transportation solution for American drivers. Initial customer enthusiasm for Elio Motors is high, as more than 13,000 people have made reservations for the vehicle. The company already has more than 100,000 fans on Facebook and is averaging more than 250,000 unique visitors per month to its web site this year.

Currently, the vehicle prototype is on a 33-city nationwide tour, introducing the vehicle potential customers.

 

ELIO MOTORS: MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY THAN A COW’S WHAT?

Enclosed three-wheeled vehicle to launch in 2015, will get 84 mpg, trap less CO2 than a year’s worth of one cow’s farts                      

Troy, Mich.,  (April 21, 2014) – Yes, we said it. Elio Motors is more environmentally friendly than cow farts. The company’s revolutionary three-wheeled vehicle will launch in 2015, will sell for $6,800 and get an astounding 84 miles per gallon.

With Earth Day (April 22) approaching, Elio Motors, Inc., CEO Paul Elio challenged his team to put into context the vehicle’s positive environmental impact. Of course, the team came up with some compelling information. Driven 15,000 miles annually, the vehicle will save its owner $1,500 in fuel costs. Over 10 years,  the vehicle could save American drivers 4.7 billion gallons of fuel a year and reduce CO2 emissions by 91 billion pounds.

The team also found an interesting fact to put the vehicle’s environmental impact in every day terms. Elio Motors’ vehicle will be more environmentally friendly than a year’s worth of one cow’s farts. Here’s the science:

• One cow produces 242 lbs of methane a year through burps and flatulence.  Methane traps 20 times more heat than CO2 over a 100-year period. (SOURCE: Get Green Living) In a year, the average cow will emit 4,840 lbs of CO2 equivalent greenhouses gases.
• Elio Motors vehicle, driven 20,000 miles, will emit only 4,500 lbs of CO2. So… the Elio is more environmentally friendly than cow farts.

“I’ll admit, it’s not the most conventional measure for environmental efficiency,” Elio said of the cow comparison. “But, when you realize that we are more environmentally friendly than something found in nature every day, we are clearly on the right path. The internal combustion engine is going to be part of the transportation industry for many years into the future. The key will be for companies such as Elio Motors to come up with revolutionary vehicle designs to use existing technology in a more Earth-friendly way.”

Mr. Elio concedes that there are other futuristic technologies such as electric vehicles and hydrogen propulsion that will eventually reduce emissions even further. But, consumer demand and infrastructure needed to support these technologies might keep them from the mainstream for another 20 years. In the meantime, he sees the Elio Motors vehicle as an important bridge to the future – an affordable, efficient vehicle that meets consumer demand and can hit the road right away.

In fact, Mr. Elio has his own “Cash for Clunkers” plan, aimed at getting rid of some of the 95 million “clunkers” on America’s highways today. Most people drive a low-mileage, low-price clunker because they don’t believe they have any other option. With a vehicle from Elio Motors, clunker owners can get a new vehicle for a low price that is under warranty, inexpensive to insure and provides significant fuel savings.

“Many people simply don’t believe they can afford a new vehicle,” Elio said. “But, we are providing a transportation option that can get literally thousands of people into a new vehicle who couldn’t afford one before. A good outcome from this will be getting a lot of inefficient, gas guzzling vehicles off the road.”

Initial customer enthusiasm for Elio Motors is high, as more than 14,000 people have made reservations for the vehicle. The company already has more than 100,000 fans on Facebook and is averaging more than 250,000 unique visitors per month to its web site this year.

About Elio Motors: Founded by car enthusiast Paul Elio in 2008, Elio Motors Inc. represents a revolutionary approach to manufacturing an ultra-high-mileage vehicle. The 3-wheeled Elio will attain a highway mileage rating of 84 mpg while providing the comfort of amenities such as power windows, power door lock and air conditioning, accompanied by the safety of multiple air bags and an aerodynamic, enclosed vehicle body. Elio’s first manufacturing site will be in Shreveport, La., with plans for the first production vehicle to roll off the assembly line in 2015 and significant production, sales and distribution during the next two years. For more information, visit www.eliomotors.com or  www.facebook.com/ElioMotors.