Door on the "Right" Side

[edavisc]

All of the images I have seen seem to show a single door on the left side. That makes little sense in the United States where it would be much more dangerous to enter the vehicle if parked correctly curbside and also much slower in the rain. Am I missing something or is the left side the wrong side for the door?

[AZEqualizer]

Many people have approached this subject... the only answer was that it was more traditional in the US to have the door on the Left side and that the vehicle is only 1/2 as wide as a minicooper so it should give you sufficient space to maneuver on that side of the vehicle. I'm with you but I don't think we have gotten anywhere with the door on the right thing.

[RAN]

It actually does make more sense to put the door on the right side. Since this is a revolutionary vehicle, what in America would say that better?

[WarpedOne]

Sorry, but only prudent decision would be to create left AND right door. Such a model could also be sold unmodified to UK and other 'left-sided' countries.
But the decision has already been made - only one door on the left and no UK costumers.

[Miracleman89]

I like the idea of the door on the right as well! my driveway is on the left side so if they put the door on the right I can go straight to the door without having to walk around the car first. This is a great option during monsoon season! I am sure AZE knows what I am talking about!

[tugboatwilly]

Yes mm89 but such a nice view while you walk around.

[rogwild]

As stated on the FTR forum, although the right side 'might' seem more convenient; there are 'right side obstacles' that need to be considered. A high curb, building, a parking meter pole or a street sign may not allow you to open the door. As for 'safety', with a '1/2 wide' vehicle, I would still hope people LOOK before opening their doors into traffic.
Two scissor-style doors (similar to the new Raven, 100mph <$10,000) would end this discussion:

[Skemcin]

I just assumed that there would be doors on both sides . . . I think I'd prefer that.

[RAN]

There are 2 good reasons for not putting doors on both sides: Structural integrity (more weight to offset loss caused by door), and cost. Since this is a Man Wide Vehicle, there's really no reason for a door on each side (that fact also offsets the "obstacles on the right" argument). While I would prefer the door on the right, probably the biggest reason not to do it is that it might put many potential buyers off, giving them "one too many new things to get used to".

[WarpedOne]

You want scissor doors, doors that lower to open, satnavs, DVD players and what-nots but when someone mentions 2 doors you are suddenly all concerned about the price? Take a look how much more expensive is a 4 door hatchback car in contrast to a 2 door version. And it has TWO more!

Structural integrity? There is nothing in the right side that ads anything substantial to structural integrity. Why? Weight distribution!

The Only reason I can see to not create two doors is that there really wouldn't be much space to route various cables. Only some in the bootom of the thing and maybe sideseals. Maybe not enough.

[Skemcin]

I understand the points about one door vs. scissor door(s) vs. two doors. I can't say I agree with the structural integrity point though - but I'm no engineer and its really no that big of a deal to me.

Honestly, until this topic came up, I hadn't really looked (again I simply assumed it would be symmetric). But as I literally look at the wallpaper (an image from the carver-worldwide library) on my second monitor as I type this post, I can see that the carver (in the lean right showroom stance) doesn't have a right side door at all. Maybe the front control arm elbow and other steering mechanism and perhaps running all the cables on the right side help even the weight distribution out, I dunno (again, engineering disclaimer).

All I can say is, scissor doors would be the last thing I'd like to see. Heck, I'd take removable, Jeep style, doors on both sides with a Carver style removable roof over a single scissor door.

[rogwild]

I believe Ian did mention that the 'un-door' side would be used to house the 'Gear Shift' (Forward-Park-Reverse lever) and to route all the wiring (since the floor will now house the batteries) for easy access via a side panel. But with a good roll-cage design, the 2-doors should not be THE problem; just seems that they decided that two were not 'needed'. IMO

[swb455]

im new to this whole thing but i thought both sides opened

[Derwin]

swb455,

Hello! And Welcome to the club. The V1 vehicle will only have 1 door that opens on the left side, at least that is the latest information available. The main reason for this is exactly what Rogwild pointed out. The gear shift and other items are going to be located on the right side. A good thing to do is go and look at all of the photos, and watch some videos of the Carver, which is what this vehicle is based on.

Again, welcome to the club, and enjoy!

Derwin

[Skemcin]

Maybe its mentioned in the FTR.com forum (sorry I didn't look) but I can't see a good case (in the US anyway) for a right side only door - I know someone had mentioned they preferred it. I though about his on the way home today and realized the right hand side only would be very frustrating to anyone who ever dropped some change in the drive thru or a deposit envelope or anything else you pass from the convenience of your vehicle. Could you imagine being at the ATM and dropping your card or money and having to get out and walk around the car to pick it up.

Right hand only is definitely out of the picture and a single left hand door also makes more and more obvious sense. I only hope that the right side panel(s) are configured in a way that makes replacing/repairing them to not require replacing the entire side of the vehicle.

[edavisc]

I did not realize there was a history to this question when I started this thread. On the point of the gear shift, I would definitely agree that the door should be on the left if the V1 required a conventional manual gearshift. I have driven manual transmission cars in England and the left shifter is a bit disorienting for a Yank. But, hey, the V1 will have electric drive and only one forward gear. You really need only a switch to select forward and reverse. So I am not convinced by that argument.
On the linkages, wires, and cables that are mentioned in some posts, look at the link http://www.carver-engineering.com/technical/dvc.html. There is a single linkage rod, and I cannot imagine there are that many wires to present a problem. Plus all computer modeling programs have a simple mirror command to reverse the mechanics.
On the safety point, I was actually envisioning a driving rain where I would be tempted to dart out into the street to get into the vehicle. With a vehicle that is only 48 inches wide, I would just park a foot or so away from the curb to avoid any obstacles. Skemcin makes a better point above, but I dodge rain far more commonly than dropping something at an ATM, but then I am just coordinated that way.
On the issue of being more like a traditional vehicle, I think the idea of being able to enter and exit a vehicle gracefully when parked curbside on a heavily trafficed street strikes me as appealing. If traditional is what people want, I would assume some of the earlier “car-like” designs would be appropriate with a metal body. The V1 can drift dangerously into the territory of looking like a bloated Kawasaki with a plastic body and orange racing stripes.
This is in no way a deal breaker for me or I suspect anyone else. All things considered, I would vote for the right door. Perhaps this is something the club could make and tabulate a survey on similar to the raging ‘C’ vs. ‘D’ question. Seriously, I was just wondering.

[swb455]

i checked some photos,does anyone of the designs show the right side of the car, and how does the steering arm look on the venture?

[Skemcin]

Well, I guess I'm lucky to be able to type and think at the same time. In all sincereity, my comments were merely an example - I'm not prone to drop anything out the side of my car, but logistically speaking you do have to realize that everything done out of your car in the US is done out of the driver side window/door. And was that stab really necessary?

Anyway, since VV has a license to exclusively manufacturing it in the US as I understand the DVC Technologies license, then VV need only be concerned with this market (unless of course they branch out). Just back the VV in your parking space/driveway and the door will be right where you want it.
:)

P.S. Attached is the the photo I was referring to.
re: http://www.carver-worldwide.com/SubItem/SubItem.asp?S_ID=26&nc=1

[swb455]

not to butt in on the discussion but both windows will roll down right? so since your sitting in the middle of the car anyway cant you get to windows or such from either side:Beer:

[rogwild]

not to butt in on the discussion but both windows will roll down right? so since your sitting in the middle of the car anyway cant you get to windows or such from either side:Beer:

Yes, on BOTH counts; but I believe the 'point' was if you happen drop a toll, ATM card, or change at a fast food place (some 'servers' are uncoordinated also); you would have to exit and go AROUND the vehicle to retrieve the object, if you only had a 'right-side' door (unless you have very looong arms [especially with the 'high sills]).

[edavisc]

Sincere apologies to Skemcin. No stab intended actually.

I have discussed this with my wife, and for those of us who are interested in domestic tranquility, I think there is a large segment of the potential buying public who would feel safer if they could exit from the opposite side of the vehicle in an accident to one side rather than going through an electric window (as I understand will be used) that may not operate after a collision. The roof may be detachable also, but I don’t think that is the first thing most would think of after a traumatic experience.

Venture Vehicles is making a forceful point about being focused on safety and it would be difficult to argue that having the two doors would not be potentially more safe in certain accidents. If there are no technical reasons why two doors are possible (and I suspect there are none), and if the modular method of local manufacture is adopted, it would seem the ideal solution from the buyer’s standpoint would be to be able to make the decision to have a left, right, or two doors. I know that I would be willing to pay a few hundred extra dollars for the peace of mind and convenience. Perhaps I keep mentioning the rain because I do not live in California and it rains here a bit more frequently than solar eclipses.

After all, is this not similar to the reason that there are both sedans and coupes?

[edavisc]

Final point... it is illegal to park on the “wrong” curb side of the street, against the traffic, in many areas.

[Heraclid]

It would be nice to have a door on either side, but I don't see it as a big safety issue if it's just one on the left side. That's what everyone has now with whatever they're driving anyway, so what's the big deal? And it's narrow, so you're getting a space cushion that way too. Just be vigilant. And I can't see people needing to load much into one of these from any side of it - it's not exactly a station wagon, after all, and if you want to haul much, this isn't your best option. Just my opinion, though.

If you dropped something at a toll or whatever, it would be cool to stay in the vehicle and be able to lean it to reach down and pick up something. :-) Would need too much room for that probably though - wouldn't pull up to a drive thru window that far away I reckon. :-)

[MVRacing]

Some how I just can't see myself going thru the McDonalds drive thru then flying the road with a Big Mac balanced on my lap :-)

[Heraclid]

That's true. I wouldn't eat or drink in it at all either. Gotta take good care of it! Plus, I swore off fast food entirely a few weeks ago.

[Miracleman89]

why not??? G force will always be vertical to your position. You turn and the G force will push down Not across! Works better then current burger balancing. Although I will say I won't eat in mine! Just because I want to keep it clean!! Heck I plan on putting a rug down in my garage to wipe my feet off before I get in! I am still working on an option when I am not at home!=D

[WarpedOne]

The gear shift and other items are going to be located on the right side.

What gear shift? There is no gearshift. Only an electrical switch for forward / park / backward that can be easily mountend on the stearing wheel or whatever they will use for stearing. It could easily be mounted on the door also. I understand it isn't so easy with carver - it has a 5/1 gearbox and needs mechanical links from shifter to the gearbox. No such need with V1.

The press is likely to be very negative about one door thing. V1 is supposed to be the best of two worlds - cars and motorcycles. With a single door you bring a downside from cars that is even worse than in motorcycle world.

You drive your child to the scool and he / she is forced to exit onto the road.

[edavisc]

Warped One, you make an excellent point. And it really would be difficult getting out on the left side into traffic from the back seat even for an adult. Normally you slip over to the right side in that situation in a coupe. I find myself drifting toward the two door camp and thinking there are problems with a single door on either side. There are simply too many compelling reasons for two doors.

1. Unlike a car with two doors, if there is an accident that holds a single door shut and disables the electric windows, you cannot use the non-existent opposite door. That gets really tense if there is a fire or you wind up underwater.

2. There really is neither place nor need for a right “center” console with a conventional gearshift that is not necessary as has been noted.

3. The DVC steering linkage rod is actually below the center of the vehicle in the Carver as you can see at the link http://www.carver-engineering.com/technical/dvc.html and in the image below. I cannot think of anything that would make it difficult to have two doors.

4. It would probably be more economical to make all vehicles the same rather than trying to produce operable and “fixed door panels.”

5. Although the placement a single door on one side or the other might not be a deal breaker for early enthusiasts, I think that many in the general public would not purchase the vehicle as a legitimate alternate to a personal commuter car without two doors.

[azskycop]

Maybe they could put on 4 doors and 4 wheels and call it a Honda Civic.....just kidding. Remember to save fuel they should keep this as light weight as possible. One door, simple hinge, nothing fancy. The more you add the more energy it takes to push it down the road.