Photo via Elio Motors.

Photo via Elio Motors.

Elio Motors has unveiled a 0.9 liter, 3-cylinder engine prototype for the enclosed, three-wheeled vehicle the company is developing.

The vehicle, which Elio Motors plans to sell for $6,800 when it launches in the first half of 2016, is expected to get up to 84 miles per gallon and reach a projected top speed of more than 100 mph, according to the company.

Engine developer IAV created the technology used in Elio Motors’ engine, which is designed to operate efficiently at two different loads — lower loads representative of highway driving, and more demanding loads associated with the fast starts of city driving.

Several engine components were developed specifically for Elio Motors. The final parts were recently machined and assembled, and the prototype was started and run through several tests on a dynamometer, Elio Motors said.

Elio Motors and its manufacturing partner Comau will build the vehicle at a manufacturing facility in Shreveport, La., where General Motors previously built the Hummer H3 and Chevrolet Colorado.

0 Comments