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We would like to seat the driver as low as possible to keep the center
of gravity as low as possible. We would like the driver to be able
to see the road. |
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| We
find that with the seat directly on the floor, the driver does not
see the road. We raise the driver by 3 inches and the driver can see
fine. This means we can put a single row of batteries beneath the
driver. We tilt the seat back a little and find the approximate point
where the driver is as low as he can be and not compromise his vision.
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Next
Side to side: We would like the driver as close to the center line
as possible for best vision and protection. We do not want the driver
bumping the motor. We slide the seat towards the middle until the
motor stops it. It is clear from this positioning that we will need
to weld in an extra bar beneath the seat for the inner bracket of
the driver seat to rest on.
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| Next
Fore and aft: We do not think we will have too much trouble achieving
a 50/50 weight balance front to rear by moving batteries. So we are
less concerned about where we put the driver. We decide how we will
mount the brake pedals and where they will go and move the seat forward
until the driver can reach the pedals comfortably. We check that the
steering wheel can be set comfortable to this spot. It can. |
| We
also check moving the seat backwards and forwards to accommodate other
drivers. We put the seat back as far as we can and test the fit with
the tallest driver we can find. We mark the fore and aft range. The
seat brackets have an 'L' shape to them. The standard way to fit them
is with the 'L' pointing away from the seat. By mixing left and right
from two seats, we can get the brackets to fit with the 'L' going
under the seat or sticking out. This gives us some flexibility in
getting the horizontal face of the 'L' firmly emplaced on the solid
structure that makes up the battery boxes. 'L' bracket out on the
outside and 'L' under in the middle. Spacers between the side of the
seat and the bracket allow us greater flexibility. |
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| We
are also putting in a passenger seat. The Electric Imp has a dual
mission of racing and demonstrating the power of EV's. Racing requires
one seat, but there is no better way to let people see what EV's can
do then give them a ride. To keep them as safe as possible, we will
give them a full racing seat and belts. Since the seat will be removed
for races, we can double stack batteries under it. This raises it
an extra 2 inches giving maximum visibility. It also does not need
to be adjustable. The seat goes as far back as it will fit for maximum
leg room. |
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We
decide to firmly anchor all the seat brackets in the frame of the
car. We set up a small production line to create threaded spools.
Cut crome-moly tubing to 3 inches. Drill one end out to accept the
tap. Drill the top ¼ inch even larger. This way if there
is any distortion from welding the piece in, we can drill the hole
out without damaging the thread. Use the tap to cut threads.
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| The
new spool goes through all the way through the car frame. |
 |
| And
is welded both top and bottom. |
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| The
seats will bolt right in place. |
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