iMiEV as workhorse

[benswing]

Who knew our little car could handle so much work!?!?

Anyone else used your i for heavy duty towing or lifting?

 

[Zelenec]

Sure we do!

 

[JoeS]

benswing, great photo :!:
I added a small stainless eye on the inboard sloping edge of the hatch (so as not to ding one on the head) in order to attach a rope or bungie to hold the hatch down when it's partially open. Hey - we don't have exhaust fumes being sucked back into the cabin :mrgreen:

 

[aarond12]

What a great little hack. I had to look closely to realize that was not a factory eyelet.

 

[aarond12]

Sure we do!

Your photo 403's out (authentication needed) on our computers. Try uploading the image to IMGUR.COM. They even give you a IMG tag link for BBCode systems like this one.

 

[iDriver]

benswing.

your picture is amazing. thanks so much for posting it. Very fun!

 

[gatedad11]

Very interesting, I would not have bet you could do that with IKEA furniture that large...

Lou

 

[dakine]

Don't go over a bump with that load resting on the rear window.

 

[Zelenec]

Hope pic is visible now:

 

[aarond12]

Yep; we can see it now! I like the roof rack you have attached. Keeps the mattresses from scratching up your roof!

 

[NeilBlanchard]

The best thing about driving an EV with the hatch open - there is no chance of your exhaust fumes coming into the car!

 

[MLucas]

Yep; we can see it now! I like the roof rack you have attached. Keeps the mattresses from scratching up your roof!

Yeah, nice racks!

 

[jray3]

I added a small stainless eye on the inboard sloping edge of the hatch (so as not to ding one on the head) in order to attach a rope or bungie to hold the hatch down when it's partially open. Hey - we don't have exhaust fumes being sucked back into the cabin :mrgreen:

Not to rain on your parade, but any old bungie or strap hook up to about 5/16" rod diameter can be latched by the tailgate without modification. Just push the loop into the latch and it'll stay secure until you press the release button.

 

[JoeS]

I added a small stainless eye on the inboard sloping edge of the hatch (so as not to ding one on the head) in order to attach a rope or bungie to hold the hatch down when it's partially open. Hey - we don't have exhaust fumes being sucked back into the cabin :mrgreen:

Not to rain on your parade, but any old bungie or strap hook up to about 5/16" rod diameter can be latched by the tailgate without modification. Just push the loop into the latch and it'll stay secure until you press the release button.[/quote]

jray3, now you made me do it! To verify your concept (which I thought on the face of it was brilliant), I went out to the car, opened up the hatch, but then needed a screwdriver to press the latch closed (fingers alone can't do it). No problem, but threading anything more than a flexible 1/4" cord could be tedious. OK, it took me a minute to think about it, but simply normally raising the latch release lever on the outside of the tailgate releases the hatch latch just fine...

 

[aarond12]

With my Mazda 3 (hatchback), I kept a loop of nylon rope for just such a purpose. Its latch also required more force than a finger would give, but the key did just fine. I'm sure the i-MiEV is similar.

 

[Zelenec]

My rack is Thule. My dealer added it as a gift when i bought my c-zero. It's really useful when I need to carry long items.

 

[JoeS]

This is good thread to emphasize the iMiEV's versatility at carrying cargo. Inasmuch as I rarely have back-seat passengers, the aft seatbacks are normally down and I've cut-to-fit a rugged rubber-backed carpet from Home Depot to protect the thin iMiEV fabric. The first picture shows the carpet + three Rubbermaid Roughneck storage containers which are slightly wedged in so they don't slide around. The two outside containers are the lower ones so it's easy to drop in the groceries. Instead of taking groceries out of them, it's a simple matter of carrying the whole container into the house after a shopping trip.

Elsewhere I've shown off the bicycle with removed front wheel comfortably fitting inside the iMiEV (a prerequisite by my wife for purchase of the iMiEV). This week, following a late-night get-together after an electric vehicle symposium, I offered to take a young lady home after I realized she was about pedal her bicycle ten miles in the middle of the night. Turns out her bicycle didn't have a quick-release front wheel, and, unlike my other cars, I don't carry a toolkit in my iMiEV. It took a bit of experimenting (never give up!), but was able to get the bicycle in: the trick is to move the passenger seat forward and drop the front wheel between the passenger seatback and the folded-down back seats. Still plenty of room for the passenger.

Finally, bought a shopvac as a present for a friend (don't ask) a few weeks ago. Fit beautifully, and didn't even need to tip it over.

 

[jray3]

jray3, now you made me do it! To verify your concept (which I thought on the face of it was brilliant), I went out to the car, opened up the hatch, but then needed a screwdriver to press the latch closed (fingers alone can't do it). No problem, but threading anything more than a flexible 1/4" cord could be tedious. OK, it took me a minute to think about it, but simply normally raising the latch release lever on the outside of the tailgate releases the hatch latch just fine...

Joe, Joe, Joe... Don't thread the cord through the latch, just press the bungee cord's or strap's hook into the latch (with fingers alone). The latch will grab the metal hook securely until you press the release button (we don't have an actual release lever, the button activates a solenoid)...

Sorry for using the obfuscatory word "loop".

 

[JoeS]

Joe, Joe, Joe... Don't thread the cord through the latch, just press the bungee cord's or strap's hook into the latch (with fingers alone)...

DUH! :? Didn't have all the brain cells engaged... :| Perhaps today we'll go get the badly-needed carpet to protect a floor... let's see, if I remove the passenger seat I can then have wife sit in the port aft seat alongside the rolled-up carpet... I'll take a photo if we do it.

 

[alohart]

let's see, if I remove the passenger seat I can then have wife sit in the port aft seat alongside the rolled-up carpet... I'll take a photo if we do it.

And please let us know how difficult removing the passenger seat is.