@SeraphimDawn
Wait, you’ve seen one of those on the road? Like, in private ownership? That’s a very rare bird; last I heard Elio has only released 100 “test models” so far. I did get to see one of their prototypes up close a while back, it seemed like it ought to be a great little commuter, assuming the company can ever get into decent volume production.
Legally, a three wheeled vehicle is considered a motorcycle in the US, and that’s generally the point of them. The Reliant Robin, for example, was designed as a 3-wheeled “motorcycle” so that it would be treated differently (more cheaply) for tax and licenseing purposes.
Elio is a little weird about that, though. They’ve spent a considerable amount of time getting most (or possibly all, by now) of the states to consider the Elio a “cyclecar” or “autocycle” or something similar. That way, it can be operated without a motorcycle license (so Elio can sell to more people) and without a helmet (Elio says that wearing one would actually be more dangerous). But, since it’s federally still not a “car,” they get to adhere to motorcycle standards, instead of the stricter car standards.
The only reason I can think of to put the single wheel in the front is if you really want to keep the back wheel from intruding into the cabin. I’d take the Elio’s compromised trunk and good stability over the Robin’s large trunk and instability any day, though.