ELS and non-ELS vehicles
Understand what ELS and non-ELS mean for an emergency vehicle's lights, and pick the right version of a download.
- Applies to
- V
- Multiplayer
- Last checked
Emergency vehicle downloads are marked ELS or non-ELS. The label says how the lights are driven, and a model built for one does not light up properly with the other.
What ELS is
ELS, the Emergency Lighting System, is a script mod for single-player GTA V. It takes over a vehicle's emergency lights and sirens and gives you separate control of each stage: rear warning lights, full code 3, takedowns, alley lights, a traffic advisor, and several siren tones.
An ELS vehicle has its lights modeled as extras that the script switches on and off. Without ELS installed, those lights stay dark.
ELS is an ASI script, so it needs ScriptHookV and an ASI loader. Its files go in the game folder, with an ELS folder beside them.
VCF files
Each ELS vehicle needs a vehicle configuration file, a VCF. It is an XML file that says which extra is which light, what color it is, and what pattern it flashes.
The VCF is named after the vehicle's model name and goes in:
ELS\pack_default\
A car in the police slot needs ELS\pack_default\police.xml. An add-on named sheriffcvpi needs sheriffcvpi.xml. If the name doesn't match, or the file is missing, the car has no lights. ELS vehicle downloads ship their VCF, and the readme says what to name it if you install the car in a different slot.
What non-ELS is
A non-ELS vehicle uses the game's own siren system. Its lights and patterns are set in data files:
carcols.metaholds the siren settings: each light's color, flash pattern and timing.carvariations.metagives the vehicle a siren setting ID that points at one of those.
You need no script. Press the horn or siren key and the lights run. Two vehicles that use the same siren setting ID clash, and one gets the other's pattern, so a good download uses an ID unlikely to be taken and names it in the readme.
How they compare
| ELS | Non-ELS | |
|---|---|---|
| Needs a script | Yes | No |
| Control over stages and patterns | Detailed | Lights on or off, with siren tones |
| AI police use the lights | Not fully | Yes |
| Setup per vehicle | A VCF file | Data files in the pack |
| Breaks after a game update | Until ScriptHookV updates | Rarely |
Which to pick
Pick ELS if you want to work the light bar yourself and don't mind one more script to keep updated. Pick non-ELS if you want cars that work with no setup, and lights on the AI units around you.
You can run both kinds in one game. Don't install the ELS version of a car without ELS, or the non-ELS version with a VCF.
On FiveM
The single-player ELS script does not run on FiveM. Servers use resources that do the same job. Some read ELS-style VCF files, so ELS models work with them. Others add stage control to non-ELS vehicles. Which to download depends on what the server runs, so ask its staff or check the vehicle's description.
Non-ELS vehicles work on any FiveM server with no extra resource.