Dual Sun Roofs, Either Flip Up Or Sliding..

[3 Card]

I believe the best answer to a scenario of flipp over, front or rear crash , one opening above driver another above rear seat..Easy and not so expensive options for Elio to offer but should be standard.That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it..Oh by the way, probably could be done at almost any trim shop that offers moon roofs..

 

[Jayne Shelby]

The roof of the Elio would be a great place for a solar panel. This could keep the battery fully charged over extended periods on non-use (vacation house vehicle) and also allow for constant charging of various devices. Just a thought.

 

[3 Card]

The roof of the Elio would be a great place for a solar panel. This could keep the battery fully charged over extended periods on non-use (vacation house vehicle) and also allow for constant charging of various devices. Just a thought.

That seems to be a bit expensive plus you'd have to leave it outside.. A 15 dollar trickle charger would let ya keep it inside..I use them on all my toys and lawn equipment over the winter ..Never on a car though , I've left My little Fiat Pop in a garage 5 months, cranked right up..Small batteries like in My harley and lawn tractor will drain but the real reason I use the trickle charger on them is to keep the battery from freezing / cracking...

 

[goofyone]

I have seen many small solar trickle chargers retail for $15-$25. Larger panels that produce more power are really not a whole lot more expensive.

Solar power is my business so I can tell you from experience that if you shop around solar power systems at all capacities are not nearly as expensive as they used to be. For the systems I design and build the batteries to store the power are actually more expensive than the solar panels themselves.

 

[3 Card]

I have seen many small solar trickle chargers retail for $15-$25. Larger panels that produce more power are really not a whole lot more expensive.

Solar power is my business so I can tell you from experience that if you shop around solar power systems at all capacities are not nearly as expensive as they used to be. For the systems I design and build the batteries to store the power are actually more expensive than the solar panels themselves.

But you still have to leave the car outside for panels to work, I (ASS-U-ME).. Plus the cost of connection to battery, Installing, not to mention damage to roof.. I think for a just keeping a car battery charged I'd stick with the trickle charger or just start it up now and then..

 

[Ty]

But you still have to leave the car outside for panels to work, I (ASS-U-ME).. Plus the cost of connection to battery, Installing, not to mention damage to roof.. I think for a just keeping a car battery charged I'd stick with the trickle charger or just start it up now and then..

I used to have a little solar trickle charger that was just a panel that you set on your dash when you stopped and plugged it into a cigarette lighter. It was cheap, even back then.

 

[KN16]

The roof of the Elio would be a great place for a solar panel. This could keep the battery fully charged over extended periods on non-use (vacation house vehicle) and also allow for constant charging of various devices. Just a thought.

If you were to design a system from scratch OK cheep solar chargers can do more damage than good and of course are a waste of time if you aren't parked in direct sunlight. Since you've mentioned that this will be a recreational vehicle for you and spend more time parked than not. here's what you want.

http://smartercharger.com/

You'll want the 4.3 charger. It is complete however if you want to get fancy get the pigtail with the built in LED charge indicator. This charger is so worth the money and fool proof. It's darn near pocket size and water proof. Stick those LED pig tails on everything you own from the car to you lawnmower and you'll have an instant visual indicator of state of charge. If need be just plug in the charger and forget. It will rehabilitate worn standard lead-acid batteries or properly charge AGM batteries. I have no connection to this company It's just some of the best money I've ever spent.

PS I have an old school boat anchor/battery charger for sale.

 

[2.ooohhh]

If you were to design a system from scratch OK cheep solar chargers can do more damage than good and of course are a waste of time if you aren't parked in direct sunlight. Since you've mentioned that this will be a recreational vehicle for you and spend more time parked than not. here's what you want.

http://smartercharger.com/

You'll want the 4.3 charger. It is complete however if you want to get fancy get the pigtail with the built in LED charge indicator. This charger is so worth the money and fool proof. It's darn near pocket size and water proof. Stick those LED pig tails on everything you own from the car to you lawnmower and you'll have an instant visual indicator of state of charge. If need be just plug in the charger and forget. It will rehabilitate worn standard lead-acid batteries or properly charge AGM batteries. I have no connection to this company It's just some of the best money I've ever spent.

PS I have an old school boat anchor/battery charger for sale.

^this, after figuring out a few years ago that my factory supplied Porsche charger was a ctek and seeing how it resuscitated a lead acid battery that I thought was toast I purchased them for amazon from ALL my cars that spend any time in storage. I now use a CTEK 7002 for programming/fast charging my camper and CTEK 0.8 chargers for maintaining all my parked vehicles.

CTEK 0.8 on amazon (Great for lead acid battery maintenance)
CTEK 4.3 on amazon (This is the cheapest charger for AGM battries such as Optimas)
CTEK US 7002 on amazon (large enough to charge the battery bank in my camper or fast charge/supply power for control module programming on new vehicles)

 

[KN16]

^this, after figuring out a few years ago that my factory supplied Porsche charger was a ctek and seeing how it resuscitated a lead acid battery that I thought was toast I purchased them for amazon from ALL my cars that spend any time in storage. I now use a CTEK 7002 for programming/fast charging my camper and CTEK 0.8 chargers for maintaining all my parked vehicles.

CTEK 0.8 on amazon (Great for lead acid battery maintenance)
CTEK 4.3 on amazon (This is the cheapest charger for AGM battries such as Optimas)
CTEK US 7002 on amazon (large enough to charge the battery bank in my camper or fast charge/supply power for control module programming on new vehicles)

I'd be careful on Amazon. Many of them are "gray market" and don't carry a factory warranty.

 

[2.ooohhh]

I generally buy from amazon(not third party sellers) and have never had any of the near dozen I own fail except for one that fell off a shelf into a bucket of rainwater in our shed.(My fault obviously) They could be grey market but I doubt it.

Looked back to check for S&G, I look to be about 50/50
4 from etrailer(authorized seller)
3 from amazon(unauthorized seller)
2 from Racer parts wholesale (authorized seller)
1 from newegg (unauthorized seller)
1 from Hoerr Racing products (apparently authorized since not listed?)

forgot-
1 from Porsche of Nashville for about 3x what it was worth for that nifty porsche logo.