Zoleco: custom aerodynamic car, 1.0L Suzuki drivetrain

[AeroModder]

Having tandem seating reduces frontal area, but as a side effect, it reduces track width. This can lead to cars rolling over easier unless you plan on utilizing a Formula 1 type suspension, or borrowing parts from the Plymouth Prowler.

[RobertSmalls]

Or if you mount a thousand lbs of batteries low in the chassis.

[Bicycle Bob]

I like James Lancaster's advice on patents. If you have ideas worth patenting, and less than about a billion dollars, publish everything until someone pays you to shut up. It really is a rich man's game. I even know one patent lawyer who blew a 4mil nest egg trying to use a patent he took out himself. I'm usually just cagey enough that if a patent lawyer wants to join as a partner and work on spec, he'll have something new to work with.
Companies hate independent patents even more than unions, and budget ten times as much to avoid royalties instead of paying up, if they can't just do something else and wait you out. One classic was a new plastic injection-molding machine invented in Czechoslovakia, and backed by all the state attorneys who thought they had an ironclad international patent. The Italians just bolted the plunger to the floor, put the mold on rails, and had their own version.

[user removed]

The vast corporate giant Toyota tried to use an inventors idea without paying for the innovation, and now they are paying a royalty on every hybrid they sell.

Never give up on your dream.

Never surrender to the belief that a little man of small means can never succeed.

That is the purpose of a Patent, to protect the spark of innovation, from the overwhelming efforts of corporate greed.

regards
Mech

[zoltanbod]

Wow Frank ,you could do well as a spelling checker.Caught my miss spell on tract.Way to go .

[Frank Lee]

Feel free to gloat when you prove me wrong! I welcome it!

[zoltanbod]

Hey Robert ,i went out and measured up my car.My using the photo and scaling it was not accurate at all.Once i did all the math it worked out to just over 21 sg ft of frontal area.The roof peaks at 49.5" of the ground.The max width is 75".The cabin width is 57" at the windshield base.The curved hood slope average is 17 degrees.Windshield slope is 62 degress.Side windows tilt in at 24 degrees.The roof and back window slope is 17 degrees. Nose taper starts at 24 degress and increases from there.The underbody slope is 3 degress up at the rear.Starting just behind the front tires at the lower body edge the body tapers in at 24 degrees each side to the rear of the car.Those are the numbers.What do you make of it?

[zoltanbod]

Old mechanic ,thanks for the information and your input.I am really excited to get this car finished and baselined so that the experimentation on ways of improving it can commence.The energy you speak of to stop a car is definitely a good recapture source.The trick of course will be to impliment the best way.I think the regen on EVs is some around 13 %.Kind of low but a good start.I feel for you on your patent issue,best of luck there!

[zoltanbod]

I got you those body dimensions you wanted if you want to play with them.Using a photo and scaling to get the frontal area is,well ,kind of inaccurate.Nothing like actually measuring ever single dimension and angle.Live and learn.My reply to Robert has all the numbers.Also added a few photos to my album for more perspective.

[zoltanbod]

I know that the tandem seating arrangement has less frontal area .But my goal is to build a car that would be able to be used for more than just driving one or two people around.So i have put up to four people in this car and attempted to shape it the best i can for it's size.If it was just areodynamics that i wanted to maximize it would a much smaller cross section and be much less contoured.My first scale model that i built was a true tear drop,no contouring just a tear shaped smoothie.The styling did nothing for me.So then i started to transform the shape to what i saw in my minds eye as being a beautiful futuristic car based on the tear drop shape.I hope that when it is finish more than a few people will like the way it looks! Thanks for the input.