Elio Motors

Elio Motors was a company founded by Paul Elio in 2009, to design and manufacture a three-wheeled, enclosed autocycle. Elio collected deposits from customers of more than US$28 million during 2013–2018, then went silent for three years before filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in September 2021 that there was "substantial doubt about its ability to stay afloat."

Since 2009 concept, the company illustrated and repeatedly delayed a release date for its original gasoline-powered vehicle, and pivoted to an electric-powered concept in 2021.

As early as 2015, The New York Times noted Elio Motors was selling "spots on the waiting list — and, more broadly, a dream." Elio was fined $7.5 million for failing to create promised jobs in Louisiana — and as of May 2022 had not neared production. By 2024, the company website became inactive.

Based on a host of speculative forward-looking statements, the company's petrol-powered three-wheel concept was marketed as the Elio P4; was illustrated to attain a highway mileage rating of up to 84 mpg and was to offer power windows, a power door lock, cruise control, and air conditioning, in an aerodynamic, enclosed bodywork. The design idea included multiple air bags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, steel unibody frame, and crumple zones and a three-wheeled autocycle configuration with two wheels in front, one in back. Advertisements in 2017 illustrated a base price target of $7,450 for the gas motor version and suggested to achieve up to 84 mpg-US (2.8 L/100 km) on the highway and up to 49 in the city.

As of June 2017, basic test mules and three validation vehicles (codenamed: E1-A, E1-C, and E1-D) were built to test safety, aerodynamics, and durability. Even though the E1-C is not used for testing, it was the most up-to-date interior with a cosmetically evolved engine. Elio claimed the autocycle could be produced using 80% soft-tooling. Elio's marketing suggested that 100 pre-production fleet vehicles could be built at its Shreveport, Louisiana manufacturing facility if additional funds are secured. By 2018, nearly all funds had been depleted, with nearly US$50 million in outstanding debt, and a projected US$376 million required to reach production.

The vehicle's design was illustrated to include air conditioning and heating (projected to be manufactured by RedDOT), AM/FM stereo, power windows/door lock, cruise control, three airbags, a reinforced steel roll cage, side intrusion beams, stability control, and disc brakes with ABS. Continental AG has designed a tire specifically for the Elio.^{[citation needed]}

Elio designs were purported to meet motorcycle standards as a three-wheeled autocycle, within the U.S. government's motorcycle classification. The company lobbied in most states, to alter regulations that would otherwise require drivers to wear a helmet and, in many states to remove the requirement for operators to have a motorcycle endorsement on their driver license.

The design targeted a curb weight of 1,350 lb (610 kg); three-wheel anti-lock disc brakes; an inline 0.9-liter three cylinder (designed especially for Elio by IAV), 55 horsepower (41 kW) engine; and front-wheel drive, with a top speed of 107 mph (172 km/h) and an acceleration of 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) in approximately 10.8 seconds. The vehicle design has an overall length of 160.5 inches (4.08 m) and an overall height of 54.2 inches (1.38 m). The front track is designed to be 66.8 inches (1.70 m) with a wheelbase of 110 inches (2.8 m). The trunk space is designed to be 27 × 14 × 10 inches, enough for one airline carry-on bag or golf bag with the rear seat folded down (47+ inches).