And Now... The P5!

[CrimsonEclipse]

 

[outsydthebox]

there is no doubt it can happen .... thankfully, it appears to not happen very often

Yup. Happened to a friend of mine just a few weeks ago. The pump failed to shut off, spilling about 5 gallons on the ground. He blamed the pump. The reality is, He failed to heed the sign " Never leave vehicle unattended while fueling." He admitted to trying to save some time by going in the store to get a soda while the tank was filling.
I know of a few stations locally that have removed the little device that allows you to pump gas "hands free." I agree...For me it is not an issue.

 

[WilliamH]

Yup. Happened to a friend of mine just a few weeks ago. The pump failed to shut off, spilling about 5 gallons on the ground. He blamed the pump. The reality is, He failed to heed the sign " Never leave vehicle unattended while fueling." He admitted to trying to save some time by going in the store to get a soda while the tank was filling.
I know of a few stations locally that have removed the little device that allows you to pump gas "hands free." I agree...For me it is not an issue.

I think there is a lot more chance of spilling gas using those miserable "CARB compliant" gas cans.
Incidentally, does anyone know what the Elio filler is like? Is it like that thing on the Ford pickups that don't really have "gas cap" inside the door? Where you have to have a special funnel thingie inserted before you can pour in fuel? If someone has a chance, take a look please.

 

[Rickb]

 

[Ekh]

Elio P5 and P4 roofline comparison.


View attachment 5869

As for the exhaust being near the fuel intake: ever re-fueled a motorcycle? Really hot engine parts right under the tank. Not a problem, I never blew myself up.
It is doubtful that the exhaust port of the Elio even gets all that hot. Can you even remember the last time when you spilled fuel? I can’t, because modern pumps at the gas station always shut off before fuel could spill.

This comparison is really interesting to me. The roofline in the new version forms almost straight or maybe slightly concave at the front while the curve is convex in the P4. The effect is to carry the full height of the roof further aft and to make the whole car look sleeker and less "humpy." I wonder if the rear seat is being moved forward an inch or so as well as lowered. These are subtle changes but with a large impact. All in all, the P5 looks a lot more civilized than the P4 -- and I'm not at all sure I like it as much!

 

[Stephen Workman]

I was thinking more along the lines of running out of gas and needing to fill up with a plastic gas can used for my lawn mower.

84MPG and you worry about running out of gas? You really must cut it close...I start to fret when the needle goes below 1/2 tank! I last ran out of gas in the car that was a wedding present to my wife & I, a 1964 Corvair. My wife still tells the tale of being stranded with me on the side of a highway during our honeymoon trip. I'll NEVER run out of gas in my Elio - whether she's in the backseat or not, my friend!

 

[JEBar]

I wonder if the rear seat is being moved forward an inch or so as well as lowered. These are subtle changes but with a large impact. All in all, the P5 looks a lot more civilized than the P4 -- and I'm not at all sure I like it as much!

having sat in the P4, it will be interesting to sit in the P5 and see just what difference it makes .... it has long been reported that the back seat in the production models will be much more comfortable than the one in the P4 .... my wife said she could handle it but found the rear seat in the P4 to be a bit claustrophobic .... even a couple of more inches of headroom should help

 

[WilliamH]

View attachment 5874

Thanks Rick! Can you imagine having to fill that with a CARB compliant gas can? I can see half of the gas on the ground as we speak.

 

['lio]

I can agree with the exhaust being cooler when off; maybe. Depends on how hot the engine exhaust temp is.
Spill gas, yeah, a bunch of times but it has since been fixed from a Chrysler repair notice (aka minor recall) so it does happen.
Depends on the filler neck venting.

I just noticed something else, did you reverse the picture of the P5? Because in the picture you used for the P5 there is a fuel filler door and no entry door.

Yes, the P5 image is reversed.

 

['lio]

I was thinking more along the lines of running out of gas and needing to fill up with a plastic gas can used for my lawn mower.

Running out of gas in a modern car isn’t a good thing. Luckily with that reach on a full tank, finding a gas station before runninng out shouldn’t be that hard.