Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Are fuel cells street legal in the US? Attractive from a couple of different perspectives: cost, safety, and availability. A little more work to get the fuel gauge working, and fill from the fender, but I can live without that for a bit.

Starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel on my restoration. Almost ready to fire it up, but no key and no fuel tank yet.

Any opinions?

Thanks,
Tony

Lots of offerings in N America. Nothing custom, but most will work and fit. Depends on range and ease of use. I open the boot on one of mine, the other plumbed into filler neck.
Good ones $700
Cheap $200

Fuel cells are great, but they come at a cost. They have a finite life, much shorter than a steel or alu tank. The polyurethane over nylon fabric have a 10-15 year life. The foam will usually last about 7 years. I just replaced the cell bladder in my Lotus 23 with a custom one made by Harmon Racing Cells in Corona CA, Excellent quality at a reasonable price. If you wish, he can install a bladder in your old tank by removing the top of your tank and making a custom cell to fit inside. He did this for my Lotus 23B.

He also builds and stocks box type cells if that's what you want.
https://www.harmonracingcells.com/

Thanks for the info.

My old tank was in a chicken coop in Manchester, NJ for 23 years - not much left of it

A new tank from DBE or RD Ent is over $700 now, and probably over $100 to ship. Likely another $150 for a sender.

They are made of aluminum now, so corrosion isn’t such an issue, the filler neck will fit to the original fill cap, and the fuel gauge will work. But still the fire risk. I’m eventually giving this to my daughter, who has fond memories of us traveling in it when she was growing up, so safety is probably the most important issue.

Thanks again for your help.

Best,
Tony

While they do not give new tanks away, it is not something you will likely ever have to purchase again. If you buy from Ray, the shipping to the NE should not be that bad

I don't believe a fuel cell will save you any money. They are super expensive now since Fuel Safe has an effective monopoly. Fuel cells generally do not come with a sender, so you will need to factor in a sender into the cost.

If you fill from the boot (boot lid lifted) you will not need the adapter to the filler. If you use the stock location, there will be an extra cost. As mentioned, fuel cell foam is notorious for going out on you when you least expect it. There is the cost to replace and the hassle of pulling out the bladder.

By all means go for it if that is what you want, just know there are issues.

I remember Andy Wiltshire did some, too. Is he still in business ?