Elio Motors to debut engine February 6

In engine release issued Wednesday, Jan. 14, Elio Motors said the company would become the first start-up vehicle manufacturer to build an engine from the ground up in more than 60 years — the last one being independent Nash Motors in 1951, according to Elio. The 0.9-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine prototype reportedly will have its “first start” — the quotation marks were Elio’s, not ours — at a private event for investors, media, and suppliers on the above date.

Company Founder and CEO Paul Elio said, “When you are on a monumental journey such as the launch of a new transportation company, sometimes you have to blaze your own trail. We looked at existing engines and couldn’t find anything that met our needs. We challenged IAV to develop something from the ground up and they delivered. We believe this engine is the heart and soul of this vehicle.” CEO Elio said, “Ultimately, the decision to build an engine that was completely ours will pay off by meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations for fuel efficiency and performance. In addition to a vehicle that is fuel efficient and has a unique look, our customers will find it fun to drive as well.”

Elio has been teasing us with its homebrew engine development process. Now they have set a date of Friday, Feb. 6 for the first public start-up of the completed engine.

Elio Motors said in the press release that engine development partner IAV started with a three-cylinder architecture previously reported to be based on the Suzuki Swift/Geo Metro G10 three-cylinder from the 1990s. From that base, IAV reportedly developed several Elio-specific components, including cylinder block, heads, cam cover, front cover, oil pan, crankshaft, camshaft, valvetrain, pistons, connecting rods, bearings, and water pump. The press release said these unique components allowed the engine development team flexibility to keep the design simple, efficient, and easy to manufacture, while striving for the brand’s target 84 MPG highway efficiency goal.

The release also saw Elio Motors quote a zero-to-60 MPH sprint time of 9.6 seconds and a top speed of more tan 100 MPH. We had heard the 100 MPH figure before, but we can’t recall seeing a zero-to-60 time so specific in past company press releases. The company said the car currently has nearly 40,000 reservations from early adopters. Though a firm production date still has not been issued by the company, the release said Elio Motors expects to employ approximately 1,500 people once the car goes into production, with another estimated 1,500 jobs at suppliers coming as direct result of the three-wheeled, tandem two-passenger car going into production. Furthermore, the company said outlying supplier-related jobs could number as high as 18,000, with all of the above numbers being based on the car having 90% American parts content.

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