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

[zelio]

All of the street motorcycles I've ever had did just fine with one headlight. I've never even had to ever use the emergency backup, which is the brights switch...seperate bulb.

That may be true for you but I have no desire to drive through the mountains of southern Oregon with only one headlight. I'm sharing the road with truckers not other motorcycles. :-) Z

 

[BilgeRat]

I thought about it but the food portions are far too big for me and you drive on the wrong side of the road.

It's simple, really. You eat the standard portion, ask for a take away box, and then have lunch from the remainder for the next three days... ;-)

Seriously, has anybody looked at the photo of the headliner with the LED lighting being offered as an option? I would definitely consider that if it's not too expensive.

 

[Alan Light]

A little introduction here - I like the Elio and have signed up to get one, but I'm not really an automobile enthusiast. I just want something that will get me where I need to go, inexpensively and with reasonable comfort and safety.

I posted this idea on the Elio Motors website forum, but there's not much happening there - so this is a repost:

My mechanic says it would be easy to add the lighting package I want aftermarket, but it occurs to me that many others might want the same package, so I offer my suggestion here. I want both of these as safety features - the safest accident is the one that is prevented.

(1) "Third" brake light.

I know the Elio has a nice, wide brake light as is, but I also remember the discussions when cars began to get third brake lights in the 1980s. Trials had found that cars with a third brake light were involved in significantly fewer accidents, so this is a safety feature. There are two significant points about the third brake light: they were higher than traditional brake lights, and unlike the other tail lights they only turned on when the brakes were applied. This means they are much more visible (especially to cars two or three places back) and also far more noticeable. If the driver behind looks away for a moment and looks back, there is no question whether the brakes have just been applied or if the tail lights have always been that bright (especially in daylight) - if it is on, the brakes are being applied - period.

I have recently seen brake lights on cars that stretch the entire width of the vehicle, incorporated with LED tail lights in such a way that it is immediately clear when the brakes have been applied (other than just a question of brightness). These often have an outline of LEDS around the brake light - the outline lights are always on, the far larger, far brighter middle only turns on when brakes are applied. This may also be a good idea for the primary brake light, if it is not already the standard.

(2) Lighting on the front wheels.

As a minimum, I want amber lights on the outside of the front wheels so that oncoming drivers can immediately see where the vehicle is. Ideally, I want those amber marker lights (always on), amber turn signals, red brake lights, and even a low-powered headlight that would light up perhaps a hundred feet in front - especially useful when making a turn, as these lights would be aligned with the wheels rather than the body of the car. These could be angled slightly down.
I would think all of these could be fashioned into a single streamlined piece the size of a small flashlight that could be fastened to the outside of the fairings on the front wheels.

Any thoughts? Would there be any legal issues with these?

 

[msmith5150]

Well I thin the third brake light thing was because passenger vehicles such as cars, trucks, vans, SUVs are wide and have tail lights that are set apart from each other, the third stop light creates a triangle basically. Like the warning triangles for safety.

The Elio is very narrow at the back so the lights are right next to each other, like a motorcycle, negating the need for a third light.

As far as lighting on the front wheel covers I doubt that EM is going to do anything there from the factory, maybe they will have available an aftermarket addon. I personally plan to wire in my own simple LED lighting on those fenders.

 

[BlioKart]

A little introduction here - I like the Elio and have signed up to get one, but I'm not really an automobile enthusiast. I just want something that will get me where I need to go, inexpensively and with reasonable comfort and safety.

I posted this idea on the Elio Motors website forum, but there's not much happening there - so this is a repost:

My mechanic says it would be easy to add the lighting package I want aftermarket, but it occurs to me that many others might want the same package, so I offer my suggestion here. I want both of these as safety features - the safest accident is the one that is prevented.

(1) "Third" brake light.

I know the Elio has a nice, wide brake light as is, but I also remember the discussions when cars began to get third brake lights in the 1980s. Trials had found that cars with a third brake light were involved in significantly fewer accidents, so this is a safety feature. There are two significant points about the third brake light: they were higher than traditional brake lights, and unlike the other tail lights they only turned on when the brakes were applied. This means they are much more visible (especially to cars two or three places back) and also far more noticeable. If the driver behind looks away for a moment and looks back, there is no question whether the brakes have just been applied or if the tail lights have always been that bright (especially in daylight) - if it is on, the brakes are being applied - period.

I have recently seen brake lights on cars that stretch the entire width of the vehicle, incorporated with LED tail lights in such a way that it is immediately clear when the brakes have been applied (other than just a question of brightness). These often have an outline of LEDS around the brake light - the outline lights are always on, the far larger, far brighter middle only turns on when brakes are applied. This may also be a good idea for the primary brake light, if it is not already the standard.

(2) Lighting on the front wheels.

As a minimum, I want amber lights on the outside of the front wheels so that oncoming drivers can immediately see where the vehicle is. Ideally, I want those amber marker lights (always on), amber turn signals, red brake lights, and even a low-powered headlight that would light up perhaps a hundred feet in front - especially useful when making a turn, as these lights would be aligned with the wheels rather than the body of the car. These could be angled slightly down.
I would think all of these could be fashioned into a single streamlined piece the size of a small flashlight that could be fastened to the outside of the fairings on the front wheels.

Any thoughts? Would there be any legal issues with these?

The third top brake light seems like a good idea not sure where it would be put my guess top edge of the trunk opening. I am sure it wont mess up aero that much to matter.

As for the wheel pod lights its been discussed before but no word from Elio if it will be optional. My guess is the aftermarket will supply any changes you would like to add. It seems some just want an marker lamp to show the width of the front wheel pods to avoid being mistaken for a smaller vehicle..

 

[champsman]

I am going to put a white or amber (depends on color of factory turn signals) on the front and red on the backside of the front fender fairings, both front and rear wired for park and turn lights.

 

[BlioKart]

I am going to put a white or amber (depends on color of factory turn signals) on the front and red on the backside of the front fender fairings, both front and rear wired for park and turn lights.

I was planing to do the same. Something flat

or like this

depending on space

 

[carzes]

A little introduction here - I like the Elio and have signed up to get one, but I'm not really an automobile enthusiast. I just want something that will get me where I need to go, inexpensively and with reasonable comfort and safety.

I posted this idea on the Elio Motors website forum, but there's not much happening there - so this is a repost:

My mechanic says it would be easy to add the lighting package I want aftermarket, but it occurs to me that many others might want the same package, so I offer my suggestion here. I want both of these as safety features - the safest accident is the one that is prevented.

(1) "Third" brake light.

I know the Elio has a nice, wide brake light as is, but I also remember the discussions when cars began to get third brake lights in the 1980s. Trials had found that cars with a third brake light were involved in significantly fewer accidents, so this is a safety feature. There are two significant points about the third brake light: they were higher than traditional brake lights, and unlike the other tail lights they only turned on when the brakes were applied. This means they are much more visible (especially to cars two or three places back) and also far more noticeable. If the driver behind looks away for a moment and looks back, there is no question whether the brakes have just been applied or if the tail lights have always been that bright (especially in daylight) - if it is on, the brakes are being applied - period.

I have recently seen brake lights on cars that stretch the entire width of the vehicle, incorporated with LED tail lights in such a way that it is immediately clear when the brakes have been applied (other than just a question of brightness). These often have an outline of LEDS around the brake light - the outline lights are always on, the far larger, far brighter middle only turns on when brakes are applied. This may also be a good idea for the primary brake light, if it is not already the standard.

(2) Lighting on the front wheels.

As a minimum, I want amber lights on the outside of the front wheels so that oncoming drivers can immediately see where the vehicle is. Ideally, I want those amber marker lights (always on), amber turn signals, red brake lights, and even a low-powered headlight that would light up perhaps a hundred feet in front - especially useful when making a turn, as these lights would be aligned with the wheels rather than the body of the car. These could be angled slightly down.
I would think all of these could be fashioned into a single streamlined piece the size of a small flashlight that could be fastened to the outside of the fairings on the front wheels.

Any thoughts? Would there be any legal issues with these?

With all the new LED technology you can put just about any lighting you can imagine on a vehicle. A typical automechanic is NOT really the person for the job, especially if you want to be creative with it. If you don't want to learn to DIY, then maybe a car audio shop or tuner club could refer you to someone. For the most part, if you can dream it, it can be done. Most states, however, have vehicle laws against modifying lighting or using non-DOT approved equipment, so you should check your state and/or be aware that you may or may not be hassled about it.

 

[carzes]

A little introduction here - I like the Elio and have signed up to get one, but I'm not really an automobile enthusiast. I just want something that will get me where I need to go, inexpensively and with reasonable comfort and safety.

I posted this idea on the Elio Motors website forum, but there's not much happening there - so this is a repost:

My mechanic says it would be easy to add the lighting package I want aftermarket, but it occurs to me that many others might want the same package, so I offer my suggestion here. I want both of these as safety features - the safest accident is the one that is prevented.

(1) "Third" brake light.

I know the Elio has a nice, wide brake light as is, but I also remember the discussions when cars began to get third brake lights in the 1980s. Trials had found that cars with a third brake light were involved in significantly fewer accidents, so this is a safety feature. There are two significant points about the third brake light: they were higher than traditional brake lights, and unlike the other tail lights they only turned on when the brakes were applied. This means they are much more visible (especially to cars two or three places back) and also far more noticeable. If the driver behind looks away for a moment and looks back, there is no question whether the brakes have just been applied or if the tail lights have always been that bright (especially in daylight) - if it is on, the brakes are being applied - period.

I have recently seen brake lights on cars that stretch the entire width of the vehicle, incorporated with LED tail lights in such a way that it is immediately clear when the brakes have been applied (other than just a question of brightness). These often have an outline of LEDS around the brake light - the outline lights are always on, the far larger, far brighter middle only turns on when brakes are applied. This may also be a good idea for the primary brake light, if it is not already the standard.

(2) Lighting on the front wheels.

As a minimum, I want amber lights on the outside of the front wheels so that oncoming drivers can immediately see where the vehicle is. Ideally, I want those amber marker lights (always on), amber turn signals, red brake lights, and even a low-powered headlight that would light up perhaps a hundred feet in front - especially useful when making a turn, as these lights would be aligned with the wheels rather than the body of the car. These could be angled slightly down.
I would think all of these could be fashioned into a single streamlined piece the size of a small flashlight that could be fastened to the outside of the fairings on the front wheels.

Any thoughts? Would there be any legal issues with these?

Something like....
www.oznium.com/led-modules/photos
www.oznium.com/flexible-led-strips
www.oznium.com/silicone-encased-led-strip/photos
www.oznium.com/cob-led-drl/photos
Plenty of options out there, that's just one company.

 

[satx]

I wonder how LED lights on the front wheels will stand up long-term to road shocks.

What other highway vehicle has lights that take shocks with the wheels rather than being isolated from road bumps from shock absorbers or struts?