I just saw on the news that there is now a car with a built in vacuum. That solves half the problem. My idea is that the floor of cars be rubberized or at least waterproof, rather than carpeted. But the great part of my idea is that the floor of a car have a drain hole with plug at the lowest point. Then I could just hose out the junk and sticky stuff.
I know there is some flaw with my idea. Let the critiquing and other design ideas begin.
I read that headline, too. And I assumed it meant you could pump out all the air in the passenger compartment, and do neat experiments like dropping bowling balls and feathers.
It has already been done, I believe, and the public has spoken in response. It didn’t exactly fly high as it was expected.
The original Nissan Xterra was meant to be a rugged outdoor vehicle that you could hose out. I notice it is carpeted now.
The original Honda Element for the American market was largely plastic on the inside and out and was also meant to be hosed out after a day in the outback. (Note: I’ve owned a half dozen Outbacks and you can’t hose them out although they come with thick rubber mats to contain the mud and such). The Element devolved after a couple years of less than expected sales figures by replacing the flat grey plastic body panels in favor of shiny painted ones and the interior became less of an adventure to sit down on when the temps were really hot outside. It also had something to do with warranty repair costs for fixing electrical issues related to hosing out the interiors.
I still like the idea. Before I had surprise cardiac problems I was an avid cyclist, riding daily in all kinds of weather. I frequently drove to trail heads and had to shlump messy me and the muddy bike(s) home afterwards. Same after a wet day kayaking. I prefer to carry my bikes and kayaks in the car not on racks outside. Being able to hose out the vehicle would have been a joy.
So Honda now builds a vacuum into the Odyssey. Cool. But you could always carry your own anyway. I have for more than twenty years. The kids are grown and I’m the only messy one left.
Feadoggie
I wish they had a trap door that went down to a box over the manifold to make the traditional Car-B-Que easier to deal with. A hot water dispenser for road trips would be nice too. And no, a tiny shot of espresso isn’t enough.
The military’s HMMWV had the hose out ability. They were noisy and uncomfortable, but all you needed was a fire hose to get the things “clean”.
What I want is a car that runs on a built-in vacuum. That uses quantum fluctuations of the zero-point vacuum state to power the vehicle. Of course, that might destroy the universe. But the great mileage would be, like, totally worth it.
Before the Xterra and the Element, the VW bug had rubber or something like that on the floor. It didn’t exactly have a drain plug, but invariably after a few years, there were holes in the floor, so all the water drained out. I had a friend with one with the holes up near the front. So in the rain, water would wash up and collect back near the back seat, and when he braked, the water would wash up into the front and drain out. In my bug, the holes were near the middle – near the seats, which made for a really bumpy ride, and one that gave passengers not all that much faith in the structural integrity of my car.
Yeah, my wife saw that type of action up close and personal in her VW. Remember that the battery was under the backseat. She and her sister drove to Cape Cod from NE Pennsylvania once. They had to stop in Danbury because they were dragging the battery underneath the car. It was hanging on by the cables. Good cables!
My hope is that one day much of the automobile will be polymers and we can all print replacement parts on our in-home 3D printers. Get out the hose.
Feadoggie
I’ll hold out for the aluminum 3-D printers with built in shredding/recycling hopper. I don’t want to get stuck buying spools of one use polymer “ink” that cannot be reused over and over again.
Really I wish there was a different word for recycling that can be done over and over, like with glass and steel, and one for recycling where the stuff is just reused once or twice and then turned into some kind of filler. Come to think of it, that word is “reused” it’s just that people like to use the word “recycle”.
Why stop at a car that can be hosed out? I think buildings including homes should be hose-able. What bothers me is that disposable items are often made out of plastic, glass or aluminum but permanent things like cars and houses tend to be made of steel that rusts and wood that decays.
My dad had a topless jeep once 
The first time he drove it in the rain it filled up like a bath tub. It was only a few months later that he discovered it had a drain plug just like you suggested. It’s been done before but must have died out sometime.
Oil have to think on it a bit but it does remind me of sump-tin else 
You’re looking for “upcycling”, as opposed to “downcycling”. See, for example, the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart.
Found here
http://scienceblogs.com/zooillogix/2008/06/27/weird-fish-tanks/
Recycling! And it probably has a plug in the floor.
Then they would just want a built-in hose.
I know some people who drive in rally races. They strip their cars down as much as possible to save weight. No CD player, no back seat, no carpet. And you wouldn’t believe how much a car’s carpet cuts down on cabin noise. You’re in a Subaru, but it sounds like a Mac truck.
Glad I’m not the only one. You’d also have a good excuse if you got pulled over for speeding: "Sorry officer.(wheeze, wheeze)… There’s no air in this car.
So, that’s all that’s wrong with my design idea? That’s OK. I got ideas coming out my ears.
I do 2 - 3 hrs of driving on weekdays, most of the time on pleasant, familiar roads with very little traffic. For some reason, while I’m doing low-stress driving, my mind wanders off into a creative zone. I designed a hoop-greenhouse out of emt conduit, figured out what to give my mom for her birthday, etc.
Now, if you have ideas coming out your ears, and you can get the ideas to flow while you’re driving, then they would puddle onto the floor of the car. Once you get home, pull the plug and drain the ideas into clean, sterilized canning jars. Add brine. Since the ideas are fresh and boiling hot, the canning jars will self-seal. Save til needed.