The P5: What Would You Change?

[Sethodine]

If nothing else at least the idea of an enlarged trunk got people thinking about it. From a personal perspective I believe the tiny trunk of the Elio is it's biggest drawback in making it a practical car. How often will an Elio owner be forced to take "the other car" when they want to do some serious grocery shopping or take the wife and go on a little trip? Great mileage is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't do you any good if you have to drive your other car because of a lack of room in your Elio.

A number of saddlebag type devices have been proposed, and will certainly be a prime area for the aftermarket to fill.

 

[outsydthebox]

When I get home I'll do a mock-up in 3D, using the sketchup model of the P4. If you continue the body lines as they are, then it won't make the proposed shape--it will just make a "shark fin" looking tail on the back of the Elio (or perhaps a pyrimid, I'm not 100% sure without actually making the model).

But, that could work for Pizzas!...if you stack the boxes vertically!

But seriously, I am thinking of a different approach. Trailer hitch (which I plan to make anyway) with a (square platform) hitch carrier. Make it specifically to hold that "special" pizza delivery hot box, and set it low enough that the tail lights are visible. This way, when your shift is done, just take it off and leave it at work.

 

[IdahoDuffer]

If nothing else at least the idea of an enlarged trunk got people thinking about it. From a personal perspective I believe the tiny trunk of the Elio is it's biggest drawback in making it a practical car. How often will an Elio owner be forced to take "the other car" when they want to do some serious grocery shopping or take the wife and go on a little trip? Great mileage is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't do you any good if you have to drive your other car because of a lack of room in your Elio.

When I go grocery shopping it is typically by myself. Between the truck space and the rear seat I should have no issues hauling a weeks worth of groceries for my family of 4. Now the dog food bag might be another issue.

 

[W. WIllie]

Dog food bag on the rear seat , everything else stacked on top.?

 

[RUCRAYZE]

Thanks for the mockup. Maybe my dad didn't throw me into the air enough when I was a toddler, but I'm still having trouble seeing the spatial relationships and visualizing the issue you're raising. If I have a hatch that's the same width as the OEM hatch but has tall triangular sides to provide the added height to increase the trunk volume, why would opening the new hatch and seeing the existing opening to the trunk be any more of an issue than it is with the stock Elio?

He did throw you up enough, it was the few times he missed you coming down

 

[TCBronson]

He did throw you up enough, it was the few times he missed you coming down

LOL Good one!

 

[floydv]

He did throw you up enough, it was the few times he missed you coming down

Of that I have no doubt

 

[Sethodine]

Alright, so here are my 3D mockups.

First is the "shark fin" I mentioned. This follows the existing curves of the Elio, so it should be close in aero/drag to the standard Elio.

You'll notice that the rear hatch (in blue) is actually quite long and large compared to the amount of space created by the shark fin. There is even less room for a door than there was before!

The second one here is a "deliverator" model with more vertical walls and a rear hatch that is just as wide as the stock hatch (although much shorter length-wise)

Because the door is just as wide as the stock hatch, you don't really gain any horizontal space. And even so, the bottom-right picture shows the original body lines where metal frames would be, which would get in the way. However, it would be able to hold more luggage than the stock Elio!

And finally, just for fun, here are some alternative storage options I doodled during my lunch break:

The first one is an extension of the rear skirt. The license plate is attached to it. It adds enough volume for about a backpack or a few grocery bags.
The second one is a set of cargo bins made to look like jet intakes, and even have banks of red LEDs in the "exhaust" that can be wired into the brake lights. (Some solution will need to be found to access the gas cap).
The third one is a set of cargo bins made to look like the rocket pods found on helicopter gunships (see picture below).

 

[Rickb]

Interesting sketches! Corbin motors does storage saddlebags and rear storage extensions both with liners. My guess is Corbin would after market custom storage options the Elio. They have options for the CanAm Spyder and Slingshot why not the Elio.

 

[Frim]

But, that could work for Pizzas!...if you stack the boxes vertically!

But seriously, I am thinking of a different approach. Trailer hitch (which I plan to make anyway) with a (square platform) hitch carrier. Make it specifically to hold that "special" pizza delivery hot box, and set it low enough that the tail lights are visible. This way, when your shift is done, just take it off and leave it at work.

I plan to adapt to medium size pizza as part of my weight loss program. How many of them can you stack in a 10" space?