CarBEN EV5 Full Sized Prototype Construction - 5 Seat Electric Car From Scratch

[ron]

consider the function of the door/hatch and put some strength in the frame and the door/hatch it will be worth the added weight in the long run, Looking Good

[NeilBlanchard]

Ron, I'm planning on using multiple latches (at least 3, hopefully at least 5, plus the 2 hinges) to join the door to the chassis so it will be strong without adding very much weight.

[freebeard]

Will they be all connected by choke cables, or push-button electric?

[freebeard]

Will they be all connected by choke cables, or push-button electric?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by ron

consider the function of the door/hatch and put some strength in the frame and the door/hatch it will be worth the added weight in the long run

Would be a good option to provide some protection in case of rear-end collision. BTW is there any plan for an emergency exit in this vehicle?

[NeilBlanchard]

Eventually, the latches will need to be remote controlled, but this is a prototype.

Emergency exit is a kick to a side window.

[bennelson]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Emergency exit is a kick to a side window.

Just like on a school-bus!

[NeilBlanchard]

Okay, the hatch door is finally fitting down into the opening, but I still need to cut a full depth rabbet on the door so that it fits down flush. And I have a new tool - an oscillating saw, which is also a small triangular sander. It cuts fiberglass nicely, as well.



It got up into the mid 30's today, so it was quite comfortable inside the tarp shelter.

[rodaniel]

Neil, there's a small gaggle of us at work following your progress now and we're all champing at the bit for each new set of progress pics!

Do you have a mockup of what the interior will resemble? Passenger loading will occur only from the rear, correct? So how does the driver navigate his way thru the other seat rows to get to the front?

I recall that there had been talk at one point in this thread about making the seats foldable or such. Did you ever get a chance to see how the rear seats in the Honda Element fold flat, flip up, and buckle into the wall with simple carabiner clips? Low tech, but very efficient for creating a cavernous space. You'd never believe the size of some of the stuff I've hauled in my '03 Element!

In fact, you could probably scavenge the read seats, mounting posts and other needed bits from a totalled Element for next to nothing, provided the dimensions are close enough to be workable.

[NeilBlanchard]

Rob, the most recent animated video of the SketchUp model shows the interior fairly well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXrqz...-BttA&index=10

The driver sits in the center, and along with the two flanking passenger's seats, three people my height (6'-4") or taller should be comfortable with lots of leg room. The fourth seat is for someone about 5'-8" or so, and the fifth person can be up to about 5'-0" tall. The seats are staggered (because of the tapered sides) and there is an narrow aisle on the right side; kinda' like a small airplane. You have to stoop lower as you move forward. The only seat on the right side is a bit farther back from the driver, making enough room for the driver to pivot around to sit in the seat.

Here's some images - the first shows just the seats:



Then after I added the 3D human figure, I tweaked the front passenger's seats angling them slightly outward so the heads had more room under the roof: