Right Side - No Door

[H2odog]

Considering the door being on the right side - - WHY? Why not have the door on the left side, instead. From a safety view point, especially when parallel parking, the occupants would exit on the sidewalk curb side. Thus eliminating any chance of rear oncoming traffic hitting exiting occupants, especially when there is no rear window on the Elio. Just a thought.

My best guess is structural and cost!

 

[KN16]

The door location makes sense as is however how about a half rear door to make getting into the back seat simple?

Wana' pay <$7K or over 8

 

[KN16]

I think anything hanging off the side would look stupid. Jmo.

In most all jurisdictions anything hung blocking a factory mirror is an invitation for the local constabulary to write a citation for obstructed vision.

 

[KN16]

Considering the door being on the right side - - WHY? Why not have the door on the left side, instead. From a safety view point, especially when parallel parking, the occupants would exit on the sidewalk curb side. Thus eliminating any chance of rear oncoming traffic hitting exiting occupants, especially when there is no rear window on the Elio. Just a thought.

It's designed to be as comfortable to as many people as possible. The shifter is on the right where people are used to it. Crawling over the shifter would be a tad bit inconvenient.

Besides that the Elio isn't very wide. Legally parked the proper distance from the curb you've got about a 1/4 mile buffer between you and traffic.

Well maybe not that much, but if you can't park this thing in a way that keeps you out of traffic you probably shouldn't be driving anyway.

 

[Ty]

It's designed to be as comfortable to as many people as possible. The shifter is on the right where people are used to it. Crawling over the shifter would be a tad bit inconvenient.

Besides that the Elio isn't very wide. Legally parked the proper distance from the curb you've got about a 1/4 mile buffer between you and traffic.

Well maybe not that much, but if you can't park this thing in a way that keeps you out of traffic you probably shouldn't be driving anyway.

Astute, this one is.

 

[2.ooohhh]

The door location makes sense as is however how about a half rear door to make getting into the back seat simple?

Getting into the back seat isn't bad from the videos I've seen(will confirm in person on the 22nd), it looks easier than my BMW coupe and quite a bit easier than my old Porsche. Between the size of the door and the fact that there shouldn't be a seat belt hanging in the way since it can be mounted at the driver's right shoulder instead of the left it should be great. Keep in mind though that all this is relative, ingress/egress of all 3 of the aforementioned vehicles look terrible when compared to say a vintage VW bus.

 

[Navigator]

Considering the door being on the right side - - WHY? Why not have the door on the left side, instead. From a safety view point, especially when parallel parking, the occupants would exit on the sidewalk curb side. Thus eliminating any chance of rear oncoming traffic hitting exiting occupants, especially when there is no rear window on the Elio. Just a thought.

I know I will probably catch flack for advocating changing the planned Elio design but I feel it would be a marked improvement. I believe a two door design would increase the appeal of the Elio tremendously due to improved convenience and safety without impacting the structural integrity. The tranny and other controls planned for the right side could be transferred to the steering column and foot control thus eliminating ingress and egress issues. Granted this change would add to the base price but I believe it would be more than offset by the added appeal to consumers.

 

[Jim H]

See #14 above. You would have to redesign the location of the shifter and anything else on the right side. Unlike the UK we are accustomed to entering the drivers side (left) so I don't see a need to change our customs. I also understand it would increase the costs and impact the safety rating.

 

[KN16]

All these years driving a car and I've only been using one door. I don't know how I made it this far.

 

[zelio]

All these years driving a car and I've only been using one door. I don't know how I made it this far.

I agree. In fact when some else drives my car I have a hard time figuring out how to get in the car. I know there is a door there but everything is on the wrong side and I have to go the wrong way! LOL :-) Z