We give an upper bound for the number elliptic Carmichael numbers $n \le x$ that have recently been introduced by J. H. Silverman in the case of an elliptic curve without complex multiplication (non CM). We also discuss several possible ways for further improvements.

Let $b_1, b_2$ be any integers such that $\gcd(b_1, b_2)=1$ and $c_1|b_1|<|b_2|\leq c_2|b_1|$, where $c_1, c_2$ are any given positive constants. Let $n$ be any integer satisfying $\{gcd(n, b_i)=1$, $i=1,2$. Let $P_k$ denote any integer with no more than $k$ prime factors, counted according to multiplicity. In this paper, for almost all $b_2$, we prove (i) a sharp lower bound for $n$ such that the equation $b_1p+b_2m=n$ is solvable in prime $p$ and almost prime $m=P_k$, $k\geq 3$ whenever both $b_i$ are positive, and (ii) a sharp upper bound for the least solutions $p, m$ of the above equation whenever $b_i$ are not of the same sign, where $p$ is a prime and $m=P_k, k\geq 3$.

Let $ E $ be an elliptic curve defined over $\Q,$ of conductor $N$ and without complex multiplication. For any positive integer $l$, let $\phi_l$ be the Galois representation associated to the $l$-division points of~$E$. From a celebrated 1972 result of Serre we know that $\phi_l$ is surjective for any sufficiently large prime $l$. In this paper we find conditional and unconditional upper bounds in terms of $N$ for the primes $l$ for which $\phi_l$ is {\emph{not}} surjective.