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I'm not interested in a car that gets me to 90% of the destinations I need to go to. Odds are those 90% are able to be handled in lots of ways (including borrowing the neighbors car). I'm interested in the other 10%. Do they have an electric vehicle that can carry lumber and sheets of plywood from the hardware store? Do they have electric vehicles that I can take on a remote and rough dirt road so I can watch the sunrise from a vista? Do they have an electric vehicle that I can put the kids in along with all their friends? The answer is NO. The solution is simply to not replace the standard vehicle but to add an inexpensive and highly efficient vehicle such as the Elio that can be used for 90% of the tasks. Then I can use the truck / off road vehicle / minivan for the other 10%.

There is a vehicle in the works that will sell new for well under $10k: The Elio

It's anticipated base price is $6800, gets 84mpg hwy and has power door lock & AC/heat standard. They are currently building 23 engineering units for validation testing (safety, handling, ABS & PCM calibration, etc.) and plan to start full scale production in the second half of 2017.

Banning trucks might be a difficult task, but we could drastically reduce the average vehicle weight and reduce commuter fuel consumption/emissions to 1/3 of what it is today if everyone drove these to work: Elio

~1300lbs, 84/49 hwy/city mpg, fully enclosed, A/C, heat and seats two. The best part is that they will only cost $6800. That's low enough that it will pay for itself in just fuel savings so you can buy one to go alongside your family vehicle.

Current CA gas prices are $3.80/gal. If he's spending $8/ day in gas that means his Accord must be using 2.1 gal per day for the 45 mile commute, giving 21.4mpg. That's about what my mid-size truck gets (and the list cost was less than a base level Accord).

The thing that really makes it uneconomical is that (unless your current vehicle has been totaled) the cost of gas saved per year should be compared to the total purchase price of the Volt less the difference in operating/maintenance costs over 2/5/10 year intervals, not just the "EREV/hybrid premium" alone. This type of calculation almost always comes out in favor of keeping your current vehicle until the cost of repairs gets to be a large portion of what a new car payment would be. In fact, the only vehicle that I know of that can actually pay for itself in gas savings is the Elio and that's because the thing only costs $6800 and will likely get over 60mpg (assuming they eventually go into production).

in my cars.

There are two cars I want right now (well, one is being released soon).

1. The Elio for getting to work and back. Perfect for getting me and my backpack the 30ish miles there and back, and even good for going to lunch with a coworker. Excellent fuel mileage, and unlike a Smart Car (which doesn't really get that great of fuel mileage considering) I wouldn't be concerned about having to defend my manhood every time I stepped out of it or worry about random strangers trying to give me a wedgie for driving it.

I am actually hoping to be able to get something like the Elio in about 7 years or so when my current commuter car (a 2014 Focus) gets at or near end of life. I would love having an extremely cheap, efficient car like an Elio for my commute (40 miles each way), which would hopefully get my wife to let me have a jeep or motorcycle for the lifestyle/local driving

in my cars.

There are two cars I want right now (well, one is being released soon).

1. The Elio for getting to work and back. Perfect for getting me and my backpack the 30ish miles there and back, and even good for going to lunch with a coworker. Excellent fuel mileage, and unlike a Smart Car (which doesn't really get that great of fuel mileage considering) I wouldn't be concerned about having to defend my manhood every time I stepped out of it or worry about random strangers trying to give me a wedgie for driving it.

2. The Subaru Outback as my vacation and haul the family around ride. The ability to easily carry many bicycles, kayaks, luggage, and people offroad, at good high cruising speeds Not to mention, great gas mileage for a rugged/versatile vehicle.

I don't care about data platforms, just the ability to interface with what's there. The Elio would let me put whatever I wanted in there and tie it to the stereo, I'm guessing a Nexus 9 would be perfect. The Subaru support Bluetooth audio so I'll put my Nexus 9 in there too!

Here's to hoping that they actually go into production:

http://www.eliomotors.com/

84MPG, only $6800 -- that's not a typo.
http://www.eliomotors.com/

Yes, it's an enclosed motorcycle, but it drives like a car. You will not need a helmet in almost all states. It will solve more problems than the Tesla will, which is a just a Green toy for Rich people. This is an actual vehicle for you and me, regular people that earn less than 6 figures a year.

Is the Elio -- 84MPG with no hybrid nonsense!
http://www.eliomotors.com/

I'm going to visit the museum in an Elio!

Yes Slashdot, I even left your gclid in the URL so you get another ad credit for each click. :-P

Agree, it's an interesting solution.

If the price point were more like to that of Elio Motors, $6,800: http://www.eliomotors.com/

it'd be a lot more interesting, and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing someone make an electric version of the Elio or something like it.

William
(who rode his daughter's bicycle in to work today)

200 pre orders?? Screw that. The Elio has 20,000 pre-orders, and it's not built yet, has a nice low (projected) cost of $6800 and gets 84mpg. And I'd much rather have the Elio than the C-1 (although for a brief moment, I considered the C-1)... But for the long range I need, the Elio fits my requirements better. http://www.eliomotors.com/

An interesting concept, and at less than a 3rd of the price of a C-1 I can see why this is a popular idea. However, the Elio is still a gasoline-driven vehicle and even if it were possible to get 85 MPG all the time, that would not even be twice as efficient as my old Honda Civic and nowhere near as efficient as will be possible with the C-1 (0.6 cents per mile). In fact, the C-1 is so much more efficient, that here in the Netherlands it could mean saving the cost difference between an Elio and a C-1 within four years (note, however, that in the Netherlands gasoline currently sells for about $9.00 a gallon -- the highest price in the world). The C-1's 200-mile range-limit may make it an unacceptable option for you today, but battery technology has come a long way and performance is only getting better. And I've been told that battery upgrades for the C-1 will be possible.

200 pre orders?? Screw that. The Elio has 20,000 pre-orders, and it's not built yet, has a nice low (projected) cost of $6800 and gets 84mpg. And I'd much rather have the Elio than the C-1 (although for a brief moment, I considered the C-1)... But for the long range I need, the Elio fits my requirements better.
http://www.eliomotors.com/

And looking forward to Elio Motors as well:

http://www.eliomotors.com/

Indeed. I recently spotted the Elio, which seems to have real potential if they can pull it off. A spacious three-wheeler with automotive safety features, a large back seat, 84mpg, a top speed over 100mph, and a price tag well under the cheapest mainstream cars. Doesn't look nearly as fun to drive as a C1 or Carver, but better than a normal car, and at a price point that could give it a place as something other than an expensive toy. Definitely gonna take a test drive at least, should it make it to market.
http://www.eliomotors.com/
http://fox40.com/2013/09/17/be...

The one hang-up with these "cars" is that you need a motorcycle endorsement with your driver's license in order to operate one of these vehicles. That isn't really too difficult and can be obtained by simply visiting a local motorcycle dealership when they are offering classes (often several times per year) or finding a motorcycle club of some sort to help out, but it does take some extra effort and money.

I do like Elio Motors as a company, and it is something to check out if you want a cheap commuter vehicle. Elio Motors is also following behind Tesla in terms of using the "gallery" style stores and direct sales to consumers over the web. That could be a good thing for Tesla as well since it shows they aren't the only company trying this business model.