Elio Lighting (head, Tail, Brake, Signal, Fog, Auxiliary, Blinking,etc...)

Alan, actually, I would say that the Elio is being marketed to both camps, both those who do and do not modify their cars. I say this due to the accessory route that they're taking, the "cafeteria" approach, if you will. Personally, I can't leave my hands off of one of my vehicles; Elio's approach will accommodate both groups nicely. And if you're curious about the aftermarket for a niche vehicle, take a look at what grew up around the Mazda Miata.

BilgeRat said:

Alan, actually, I would say that the Elio is being marketed to both camps, both those who do and do not modify their cars. I say this due to the accessory route that they're taking, the "cafeteria" approach, if you will. Personally, I can't leave my hands off of one of my vehicles; Elio's approach will accommodate both groups nicely. And if you're curious about the aftermarket for a niche vehicle, take a look at what grew up around the Mazda Miata.

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It was interesting listening to PMs comment on the mounting and power points built in for future modifications on the Coast to Coast interview.

To me, auxiliary lighting for the wheel fairings might best be served with Electroluminescent tape tape. EL lighting is available in a wide range of colors including the required yellow (front) and red (rear), and produce a fair amount of light - certainly enough for this application. Only about as thick as a credit card, these tapes can be found in widths from 1/4" to 6". may be wrapped over curved surfaces, consume a negligible amount of power, and their estimated life is in the tens of thousands of hours - even in a severe environment.

These tapes, which may be sandwiched in plexiglass for additional protection, are currently being used on military aircraft - providing night-vision-enhanced visibility for aircraft in formation. If it'll survive Mach 2 and carrier landings, I'm sure it'll survive the daily freeway slog.

Connecting the tapes to the headlight/running light circuit would require running a lightweight 12v supply to each fairing from a single power supply, with the connection to the tape made on the inside to keep it neat. When the power is off, they appear to be a light grey, but when illuminated they can provide even daylight illumination.

Idea (not sure if this is a good idea) put balanced magnets in the Elio's rims, then magnets on the fenders, easy way to produce electricity while moving without having to run wires.

Joshua Caldwell said:

Idea (not sure if this is a good idea) put balanced magnets in the Elio's rims, then magnets on the fenders, easy way to produce electricity while moving without having to run wires.

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It sounds good to me, but I wonder what happens when you slow down, do the lights dim out like they did on my old scooter when you chopped the throttle and the magneto-powered headlight dimmed out to the output of a lightning bug in a jar?

That would depend on the lighting technology used. I wonder if the electroluminescent paint only shines when actively powered or if it keeps shining for a bit afterwards.

Joshua Caldwell said:

That would depend on the lighting technology used. I wonder if the electroluminescent paint only shines when actively powered or if it keeps shining for a bit afterwards.

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no power no light

BlioKart said:

no power no light

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Maybe if we could put some nano battery chargers in with the paint and don't tell anyone. They will think you've created perpetual energy. Of course we'd both know that the nano chargers absorbs their energy from the Sun God Rah.

Joshua Caldwell said:

That would depend on the lighting technology used. I wonder if the electroluminescent paint only shines when actively powered or if it keeps shining for a bit afterwards.

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The EL stuff they use for inside buildings (emergency egress lighting) is powered by the lights while the regular lights are on, and after the lights are off, it glows for about 1-2 hours, I don't know if it is the same thing.

JNR said:

The EL stuff they use for inside buildings (emergency egress lighting) is powered by the lights while the regular lights are on, and after the lights are off, it glows for about 1-2 hours, I don't know if it is the same thing.

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aren't batteries the fall back?