Battery box under back seat
Closeup of the battery box which fits under the rear seat in place of the former gas tank. It is made of one piece of 14ga steel and will hold 170 lbs of 4 Delphi 8-volt batts or 4 Optima Group 34 Yellow-Top batts in the future when the Delphi's wear out. 24 pop-rivets hold the sides and back to structural members more securely than welding could since there are two layers of sheet metal. The front lip is welded to help restore structural strength. Its width was limited by the 4 bolts used to mount the rear seat. It was important to me to retain the back seat to show that no internal space has to be given up to be an EV. (The back seat weighs only 32 lbs.)
Festiva page