Here's an illustration with about 17% reduction in width, and a larger % reduction in trailing area and aerodynamic drag.
The battery problem is actually easier than you think. The next step is going to save you even more frontal area, so I'm going to target a battery 2/3 the size of yours to achieve the same range.
There are lots of places to stash batteries without having 100% of their volume add to the frontal area of the car. You could emulate the Leaf, and stash them under the seats. Or emulate the EV1, and if you leave space between the driver and passenger seats, wedge some batteries in there. There's room all around the rearmost seat.
Maybe some of my Photoshop (okay, MSPaint) won't work out, but you have to try. There's SO MUCH ROOM for aerodynamic improvement here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard
How *specifically* would you design a better electric car, that has the general "specs" that CarBEN does?
|
A lot like the CarBEN, but with as great an emphasis on Cd as A. So: longer, less tall, and narrower. It would have three doors: one for the front row, one for the rear row, and a hatch at the back.
The driver would sit near the left edge of the car, so he can better judge his position in his lane. Read up on RHD vs LHD cars on Italian mountain roads. Having the driver on center is best on the track, unless it's NASCAR and you only turn left. But not on the road.
I would also include a MUCH longer front crumple zone, especially if my crash test budget was small. And I'd give it a full boat tail. A Crown Vic is 17.7' long, so you can go at least as long as that.
But I've been saying so since the second page of this thread.
Have fun, Neil!