Three companies were part of the Internet Week panel, discussing what they are doing that may change how we drive, what we drive and how cars are owned.
Elio Motors is building a three-wheeled car. It will be made in Shreveport, La. The retail price is expected to be $6,800 and it promises to deliver 84 miles per gallon. Elio CMO Tim Andrews says cars are “inefficient because they are fat and heavy.” The Elio will be neither. They hope to launch in the 3rd quarter of 2015.
Ulrich Quay, managing director of BMWi Ventues, discussed that company’s new line of electric vehicles. Unlike the Elio the BMWi represents the premium sector of the market. They are made of carbon rather than steel, the former being 50% lighter. They just unveiled the BMWi8, an electric vehicle with the look of a sports car. The starting price of this one is $137k, roughly the same as 20 Elios.
Dash is a startup that promises to link your car computer to your smart phone. “We can make any dumb car smart,” says co-founder Jamyn Eclis. The early iterations of the Dash device offers services like diagnostics on your car’s performance, location of the cheapest nearby gas and information of road conditions.