Right, this is not an EV problem per se. But since EVs are range compromised, and efficiency is a selling point, the temptation is to move the A pillars as with the Leaf.
On Sun, Dec 15, 2013 at 12:38 AM, Cor van de Water <[email protected]>wrote: > It looks like the top half of the A-pillar is about the same width > as the distance between your eyes. That is significant, because for > the majority of drivers (with 2 good eyes) the only true blind spot > is the area that neither of their eyes can see, so a pillar with > a width not more than the distance between the eyes is not obstructing > their complete view, only each eye has a partial obstruction, but > they do not overlap. > If the pillar is wider (especially for shorter people, since the pillar > becomes significantly wider for the lower half, even sprouting a small > port window, the only way to see around the pillar is moving the head, > which is good practice anyway and you will see experienced drivers > move their head every few seconds. > My problem is different - since I am tall and usually my head almost > touches the roof even with the seat in the lowest setting, I usually > have my view obstructed by the rear view mirror, so my blind spot is > in a different position and I need to move my head to make sure I can > look underneath the mirror to check the crosswalk when turning right. > I did drive in the Leaf and did not find it bad in terms of visibility > only was uncomfortable driving backwards since I am not used to a > camera view behind the vehicle. But I have driven enough big vans with > even worse rearview to still be safe. > > Cor van de Water > Chief Scientist > Proxim Wireless Corporation http://www.proxim.com > Email: [email protected] Private: http://www.cvandewater.info > Skype: cor_van_de_water Tel: +1 408 383 7626 > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of Michael Ross > Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2013 1:14 PM > To: Electric Vehicle Discussion List > Subject: Re: [EVDL] nissan leaf visibility issues > > Every car has an A post that you can't see through. The thing Nissan > did > was bring them forward, lower the roof, and narrow the cabin to reduce > frontal area and improve aerodynamics. Efficiency leads to sales for a > car > like the Leaf, so the compromised in that direction. Every design > choice > is like this. Lowering the roof will turn off some taller people. A > narrower car is less sporty. I bet the look started in concept cars. > They > wanted to differentiate the appearance in this direction. > > You can be sure it was a conscious decision by the engineers and > management. It comes down to, if you don't like it, don't buy it. That > is > about all the influence the car buying public has. It is a feedback > loop > with an enormous time constant. > > View from the drivers seat: > http://www.caricos.com/cars/n/nissan/2011_nissan_leaf/1024x768/20.html > > -- Put this question to yourself: should I use everyone else to attain happiness, or should I help others gain happiness? *Dalai Lama * Tell me what it is you plan to do WIth your one wild and precious life? Mary Oliver, "The summer day." To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk. Thomas A. Edison<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasaed125362.html> A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought. *Warren Buffet* Michael E. Ross (919) 550-2430 Land (919) 576-0824 <https://www.google.com/voice/b/0?pli=1#phones> Google Phone (919) 631-1451 Cell (919) 513-0418 Desk [email protected] <[email protected]> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20131215/0c80ee64/attachment.htm> _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
