Three Seats

mynameissteve · 06-01-2010, 05:42 PM

Has anyone ever installed a third seat in the first gen Honda Insight? Could someone tell me where the gas tank is located in a 2000 insight? (Maybe even a link to a diagram of the vehicle would be cool?) Thanks!!

02insight · 06-01-2010, 06:12 PM

this has been discussed many times before, and so far the conclusions that came out of each thread is its just not feasible.

here are 2 threads i found:
4-seat Insight?

Diagrams in this linK
Third Seat Possible?

mynameissteve · 06-01-2010, 06:14 PM

Shooot. Forgot to search about it. thanks for the heads up.

**MN Driver** · 06-01-2010, 07:50 PM

I never thought about this until now but if you took out the center armrest(if you put one in) and added something to raise the center up a bit, it would be a tight fit but if the center passenger doesn't mind having their feet in the right side and not playing footsie with the driver, there could be space in the middle. This doesn't really work with the stick shift, so I haven't mentioned it before but now that I think of it, this idea might work with a CVT. It won't be legal since there are no seat belts and it won't be comfortable since there is so little shoulder room but it would work in an extreme pinch.

JimIsbell · 06-02-2010, 11:41 AM

I have thought about this and think I have a way...BUT...its a lot of work.

I would move the entire battery box back about 12" and down about 4", put a seat on top of it and let the legs dangle down behind the forward seats. It would be tight but if they were not 6 footers, it might work.

**freezin4** · 01-01-2011, 01:56 AM

As I recall, the discussions usually raised safety concerns such as emergency exiting, seat belt mounting points, etc.
I just don't see a practical way for someone to climb into a third seat within the car.

RobertSmalls · 01-01-2011, 10:10 AM

There is a way, but it's big budget. The X-Prize Team Foursight removed the IMA box and fuel tank to squeeze in a rear "seat".

**MN Driver** · 01-01-2011, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

There is a way, but it's big budget. The X-Prize Team Foursight removed the IMA box and fuel tank to squeeze in a rear "seat".

I thought they moved it back rather than removing it because I remember discussing the position of the IPU with them, along with the SMART diesel back there and nothing in the engine bay. I wouldn't mind having a bench in the back of mine.

RobertSmalls · 01-01-2011, 12:00 PM

IIRC, it was a Smart diesel engine in the back, and a custom EV drivetrain up front. Since one of their other chassis was "borrowing" the EV drivetrain, there was a big empty space in the front of the Insight. There was nothing left Honda about it except the body.

Hmm, that doesn't leave much room for a traction battery, does it?

**MN Driver** · 01-01-2011, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Hmm, that doesn't leave much room for a traction battery, does it?

No, not really. I've done a little math and some modeling in my head about battery placement and if someone wanted to use LiFePO4 and was looking for over 100 miles of range with a decent buffer so they should always have 100 miles, it might require more batteries than what can fit in the back hatch area.

Using 33 130Ah CALB/Sky Energy cells in the spare tire and stock IMA area could fit the rest for a modest. I was specifically thinking of a 35-38 cell conversion using an AC50 motor. So 15.8kWh could fit in the back. 180Ah could fit if they were spread out more or stacked with them sideways and might require some under the hood. I haven't hunted the space with my tape measure enough and figure that we might get new cells before I ever do a conversion.

I'm not sure how they would had the X-Prize car planned out. Using Lithium Polymer cells or Lithium Cobalt in a Tesla type configuration would get higher capacity in a much smaller space. LiCo cylindrical cells would be a nightmare IMHO, 99% sure that wasn't their plan.