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Elio makes list of Top 10 Automotive startups at LA Show

$6,800 Trikes Will Get 84 Miles Per Gallon

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The Los Angeles Auto Show's Connected Car Expo (CCE) will tout 10 startups whose amenities range from ride-sharing services to speech-recognition technology to drunk-driving-prevention features. Fortunately, there's also an automaker mixed in there as well, which is kind of appropriate for an auto show. It's Elio, and the company will promote its super-high-MPG three-wheeled vehicles at the show in November.

Elio will tout its street-legal vehicle that will get an estimated 84 miles per gallon. And while such high-MPG vehicles can be expensive, Elio says it will sell the trikes for about $6,800 a pop.

The Louisiana-based company most recently made news on these pages in June when it said it raised over $25 million in crowdfunding investments through its StartEngine page. There was a little hiccup, since the initial total of $25 million included some funny business with some of the investors, the company said. There was a happy ending, however, after the suspect investors were filtered out and that total fell back to about $21 million, Elio climbed back up to its $25 million goal. In all, Elio says it's raised $70 million worth of investments, has taken in $18 million worth of reservations and has attracted a whopping $290 million in vehicle pre-orders.

Elio and partner Comau will build the vehicles in a Shreveport plant formerly used by General Motors. Elio is slated to start building the trikes next year. Take a look at the Auto Show's press release below.

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LA AUTO SHOW'S CONNECTED CAR EXPO UNVEILS TOP TEN AUTOMOTIVE STARTUPS

Top 10 to exhibit at the Connected Car Expo, Nov. 17

LOS ANGELES, CA (September 14, 2015) – The Los Angeles Auto Show's Connected Car Expo (CCE) today released its list of Top Ten Automotive Startups™ (Top 10). The startups were chosen because of their potential to shape the future of the new automotive industry and make cars safer, more accessible and more exciting.

The CCE Advisory Board chose the companies based on vision, innovation, unique perspective and the likelihood of technology adoption and success. The Top 10 are considered true standouts among an increasingly crowded field of technology companies emerging in the automotive space.

The Advisory Board is comprised of senior executives from companies including Aeris, AT&T, City of Los Angeles, Elektrobit, Ellis & Associates, Google, Microsoft, Mobile Electronics Group, NVIDIA, Pandora and Strategy Analytics.

Each of the Top 10 will be recognized as well as have their solutions on display at the award-winning Connected Car Expo. Part of LA Auto Show's Press & Trade Days, CCE will be held at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live on Nov. 17.

2015 Top 10 Automotive Startups:

Capio is developing the next-generation speech recognition and natural language processing technologies that are redefining human computer interaction. Built on deep learning and parallel computing principles, Capio's unique architecture delivers an unmatched combination of speed and accuracy for speech recognition and contextual understanding. The result is a human-like and conversational interface that connects with devices of all types, enabling a quantum leap forward for in-car, voice-activated experiences.

Driversiti is a cloud-based, situational awareness technology company focused on enabling mobile devices to transform from driving distractors to driver assistance systems. Its proprietary algorithms detect a broad range of driving behaviors and road conditions with an existing mobile device, then sends the data to its cloud-based platform which gathers and interprets the data in real time to provide valuable information back to drivers to keep them safe and informed. This is accomplished by combining machine learning with the ever-evolving array of built-in smartphone sensors without adding any additional hardware. To learn more, visit www.driversiti.com.

Elio Motors is an American startup automaker that produces three-wheeled personal transportation vehicles as a solution for today's generation of drivers. Elio Motors delivers a fun-to-drive, supereconomical, environmentally friendly personal transportation alternative. The Elio is designed to achieve up to 84 MPG with a targeted $6,800* base price. To learn more, visit www.eliomotors.com.

Getaround empowers people to safely share cars by the hour and day. Combining Getaround Connectâ„¢, their patented connected car technology, with auto insurance coverage backed by Assurant, Getaround creates a seamless and fun sharing experience. Getaround members can conveniently rent nearby cars and save money on auto payments, insurance and maintenance. Owners share cars ranging from a Smart Fortwo to a Tesla earning thousands in extra income each year to offset the high cost of car ownership, while making a positive impact on the environment. For more information, visit www.getaround.com.

High Mobility makes cars more responsive to a user's presence. Its software framework enables cars to securely identify and communicate with users via wearables and other devices. This includes linking autonomous drive features with wearables to take advantage of a multitude of real-time health data from heart rate monitors or other devices like FitBit. To learn more, visit www.high-mobility.com.

HopSkipDrive, a ride service for kids, was founded by three experienced professionals who are also working moms. They understand the stress of getting kids where they need to go and created HopSkipDrive to address this pain point for all families. Parents books rides through the app or website and can track their child's ride in real-time. All CareDrivers have at least 5 years of childcare experience and are fingerprinted through the TrustLine registry. The HopSkipDrive platform includes built-in stringent safety features that monitor things like driver speed and whether a driver is using their phone while driving. To learn more, visit www.hopskipdrive.com.

Nebula Systems developed a secure, cloud-based, vehicle data analytics platform, MECH5®, which accesses the vast and unexploited data generated by modern vehicles. This platform addresses the main connected car concern: limitation in obtaining key data from virtually any car, and aims to become the defacto data enabling platform for the connected car ecosystem. To learn more, visit www.nebulasystems.com.

Quanergy has developed smart sensing solutions for real-time 3D mapping and object detection, tracking, and classification. It is the leading manufacturer of 3D time-of-flight solid state LiDAR sensors designed to meet all four key commercialization criteria: cost, performance, reliability and size. Mapping is critical for the future of safer vehicles and delivering autonomous solutions. To learn more, visit www.quanergy.com.

Sober Steering, the world's only touch based alcohol interlock, has developed groundbreaking technology to prevent drunk driving. Its sensors, inserted directly into a steering wheel of a vehicle, have proven that alcohol can be detected at the palm of the hand in less than five minutes after initial ingestion. If alcohol is detected above a preset limit, the vehicle is immobilized. Random retests ensure the driver maintains sobriety while en route. Its Zero Tolerance System is designed for fleets like school buses, coaches, hazmat, and construction vehicles. To lean more, visit www.sobersteering.com.

TriLumina, a semiconductor laser technology company, has developed a family of fast, powerful and cost-effective semiconductor lasers that will allow cars to see, think, predict and react. TriLumina is focused on lasers for solid-state automotive laser radar (LiDAR) technologies and smart illumination products in driver monitoring sensing applications. TriLumina lasers are a platform technology as use cases extend beyond the automobile to 3D depth sensing, human machine interfaces, and IR sensing in robotics, industrial applications and in the home. To learn more, visit www.trilumina.com.

"The startups being honored as this year's Top 10 are truly innovative and are enhancing the automotive and tech industries to change the future of transportation," said Andy Gryc, CCE Conference Director. "We're excited to introduce these companies at CCE in front of our audience of media, industry experts and automotive thought leaders."

Top 10 media partner, Fortune, dives deeper into each of these startups in its latest issue on newsstands now.

CCE is the award-winning conference and trade show that unites innovators, manufacturers, futurists and influencers to further the convergence of technology and the automobile. CCE will be followed by LA Auto Show's press and trade events at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Nov. 18-19. CCE exhibitors and attendees with a premium pass can witness this year's vehicle debuts and have access to an all-new CCE networking destination at the convention center.

For more information visit www.ConnectedCarExpo.com and www.LAAutoShow.com.

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