EV Weblog Comments - Your First Electric Car http://www.evconvert.com/ Helping people get rid of Gas since 1995 by: ron webber (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c003299 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>I have a 1992 ford escort with an electric motor in it. It was built at University of Illinois . It has 9000 original miles. Anyone interested contact me. rdwdkw@gmail.com</p> by: Bill Rodgers (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c003296 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>I have a 1988 280 Z Nissan. I am seriously considering the EV conversion. My question..now what! The info here is great. Should I work out a system design before I begin or just piece the items together as I go. What sources are there in richmond virginia for used or low cost items (for a beginning to experiment with) Thanks for any input! B. Rodgers</p> by: RAFAEL RALPHSON (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c003199 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>I’m interesting in to convert fuel cars in to electric cars in colombia. And I’m looking for companies in <span class="caps">USA</span> that has this technology. Please contact me.</p> <p>Best Regards,</p> <p>Rafael Ralphson<br /> ralphindutries@hotmail.com</p> by: Kustomatic (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c003070 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>Thanks for sharing this wonderful post. I’ve been always curious on how to convert a car to EV.</p> by: Eli (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002957 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>Has anyone converted an <span class="caps">AWD</span>? I am thinking of converting my 2000 Subaru Impreza wagon. If I did it, could I ditch the clutch/flywheel? I have heard of people pinning the tranny in second gear or just shifting w/o clutch. I live in the foothills (CA) and losing <span class="caps">AWD</span> isn’t an option. Is regen braking worth the expense of AC system?</p> by: Roger (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002880 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>I have just gutted a Masserati Biturbo, and got as far as pulling the steering when I thought of going electric.The trans is easily replaced if using it is necessay as it sounds it is. I amagine the clutch pressure plate and flywheel need to be adapted to the motor. There is without a doubt some sort of controler needed for power or should the motor run at optumum rpm all the time. So next which is the best motor and batteries to make this work? Money is an object, and how are we to afford this?</p> by: EVdude (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002797 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>quick update<br /> the website says that the batteries are unreliable but i found a better one for way cheaper on the same site that would only cost me 30000 dollars and a range of about 150 miles. i wish i had the money but i am on a limited 250 dollar a month budget(talk about poor)</p> by: EVdude (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002796 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>thanks for the info dan. i may use the same batteries later on. according to my calculations the batteries have a combined total of 13000 amps available to the controller. if i use those same batteries i will need 3000 of them but the 45000 dollar price tag would be worth it.</p> by: Grumpy (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002795 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>Ebay has lots of lithium batts on thier site cheap… my question is how would you wire them for both recharge and discharge ???</p> by: Dan P. (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002793 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>PS: Might not be exactly the cell they use but the <span class="caps">PDF</span> also said “This cell is called the 18650 because of its measurements of 18mm diameter by 65mm length (i.e., just a bit larger than a AA battery).” </p> <p>http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=945<br /> Li-Ion 18650 Cylindrical Cell 3.6V 2400mAh Cell (LC-18650H3)<br /> Cost: $12.20 each, In Stock: No</p> <p>Maybe Tesla bought them all…</p> by: Dan P. (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002792 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>http://www.teslamotors.com/learn_more/white_papers.php<br /> http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/TeslaRoadsterBatterySystem.pdf</p> <p><span class="caps">PDF</span> Quote: The pack operates at a nominal 375 volts, stores about 53 kilowatt hours of electric energy, and delivers up to 200 kilowatts of electric power.</p> <p>The Tesla Roadster battery pack is comprised of about 6800 of these 18650 cells, and the entire pack has a mass of about 450kg.</p> by: EVdude (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002789 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>oh yeah thanks for mentioning that. wish i could afford one. especially considering that 6000 laptop batteries would cost about 600,000 with a buy in bulk discount.</p> <p>P.S. does anyone know what voltage the tesla roadster is?</p> by: jjackstone (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002787 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>And it is the Tesla that uses over 6000 laptop lithiums for power. JJ</p> by: EVdude (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002786 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>yes it is feasible if you have enough battery capacity. I can’t find it now but i have a popular science magazine that has an article on a guy using 6000+ laptop batteries. he was able to get about 200-300 kilometers. hope that helps.<br /> P.S. the tesla roadster pushes 350 kilometers on a single charge(i don’t know exactly how to convert from miles to km but it is about 1.6 km to one mile)</p> by: Ike (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002785 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>Superb website. I’m eager to try to convert my 91 civic hatchback into an EV. I’m half way through my electromech studies and think I might make this a school project. My teachers are all romanian and russian electronic engineers so I think I should syphon their brains while I have the chance. Additionally I might be able to snag a bunch of Lithium Ion batteries 14.4V, 28V as a sponsorship/donation. I’ve heard in the forum about small power tool batteries being non-applicable because of their 1)cost 2)mounting and wiring complexity and 3)their discharge/ charge management. That said I have heard about EVs being powered by multiple banks of laptop batteries (okay the # was in the thousands I believe). I believe these cars battery discharge/recharge was managed by freeware running off an onboard laptop. </p> <p>So. If these lithium batteries were free would the car still be feasible within a 50-100km range? And where do I find the specs and drag coefficients for my 91 civic? </p> <p>I’m in Montreal, Canada. Any advise, hints or ideas?</p> by: Xebra (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002758 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>That is an excellent, comprehensive post you put together there. I think that a lot of people are very interested in EVs right now, and are looking for facts and information.</p> by: Sean M (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002749 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>OK Thanks to Kyle and others for the direct drive info. So direct drive will take a back seat in my conversion options. I was fortunate to see an ’85 Ford Ranger conversion first hand on Monday. The glider was a little rough (even before the conversion) but the conversion itself seemed first rate. He got a lot of helpful guidance and parts from a local EV supplier. I would really like to see one or two more (preferably a Chevy S10) but most of my emails to folks on the EV Album website go unanswered. Why to people include their email in the contact info if they will never respond. Rhetorical question I guess.</p> <p>So if anyone is in the Southern NH or Eastern Mass area and knows of a willing conversion hobbiest that I can talk to (and see the car), please let me know. Thanks all,<br /> ….Sean</p> by: EVdude (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002746 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>thanks Greg and Kyle. I completely forgot about the efficiency at higher rpms. thanks for reminding me.</p> by: Kyle B (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002738 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>Does anyone have an insurance company that will insure my $800 donor car for the $8000 it is worth once I am done converting? The collector car companies that advertise “agreed upon value” do not want you to actually drive the cars they insure, so commuting to work is forbidden. My normal insurance company says they will only use the book value of the car.</p> by: Kyle B (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002737 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>Sean,<br /> Edmunds.com can give you figures to compare the weight of the 97 vs the 02, that may override the better condition of the 02. Then, rust is the biggest worry because of the constant weight of the batteries needs a perfect frame. If you use the calculator on this site:<br /> <a href="www.evconvert.com/tools/evcalc/">www.evconvert.com/tools/evcalc</a><br /> you will see that the lower gears give better range due to the motor’s efficiency at higher <span class="caps">RPM</span>s, so keep the gearbox and live in 2nd gear.</p> by: Greg Fordyce (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002736 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>Hi Sean,</p> <p>While a direct drive setup will save some weight and eliminate the losses of the gearbox, you would probably need to change the final drive ratio to suit your requirements. Problem is that if your final drive ratio gives you a theoretical top speed of 120 mph then at city speeds of say 30 mph your motor is going to be turning quite slowly. The effect of this is more amps required to get good acceleration. This will require a larger more expensive controller. If this is your first conversion I would recommend keeping the gearbox. You can then use the gear that is most efficient for your driving conditions. For example many people find 2nd is good in town and 3rd is good on the highway. Overall I think you would have better range and performance with the gearbox, due to the ability to select the most appropriate gear. </p> <p>Wherever you mount the motor it is a good idea to protect it from direct road spray.</p> <p>Greg</p> by: Sean M (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002735 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>Thanks for the information. I have not read about or considered attaching the motor directly to the u-joint. Most methods I have found attach the motor directly to the standard transmission. You are suggesting attaching it to the front u-joint on the driveshaft? Or the u-joint on the rear-end? What about weather/elements on the exposed motor?<br /> Thanks,<br /> …Sean</p> by: EVdude (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002734 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>by the way to formula for determing speed and a give <span class="caps">RPM</span> is:<br /> <span class="caps">RPM</span> x Transmission gear increase ration x Tire Outside diameter.<br /> then divide this by:<br /> Gear reduction x 336.</p> <p>for what i suggested earlier you would say<br /> 7000 × 24/4.11 × 336. I didn’t include the transmission ratio because i said not to use one to help extend the range at city driving speeds.</p> by: EVdude (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002733 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>glad to see you getting into electric vehicles Sean. If i were you i would go with the 2002 because it is cheaper and has less wear which is a very good combination. however before you buy it you need to check the underside of the body and some hidden parts of the frame for rust because more hidden rust will probably mean a lower price on the vehicle. Just double check each place before buying and if it has no rust(or almost none) then buy it and find some way to get rid of the rust. As for extended cab vs. regular cab i can try to help but it’s all up to you. If you plan on filling the bed full of batteries then go with an extended cab because the backseat could be used to haul stuff like groceries if you have a passenger. but if you don’t plan on having passengers then go with the regular cab because it is lighter and will provide more range. but if you plan on hauling large loads then count on about 20 – 30 miles range depending on driving conditions. however there are many things you can do to extend the range. first off don’t use the transmission. instead attach to the the U-Joint at the rear axle(assuming it is a rear wheel driver). If you use a 144 Advanced DC motor then the top <span class="caps">RPM</span> is usually 7000. Assuming a 4.11 gear reduction at the rear transfer case and 24 inch diameter tires then the top speed under perfect conditions would be 121 but in reality would be about 100 or so. at average city driving speeds this might(just might) make up for the extra weight and give you about 40 or 50 miles of range from a single battery pack.</p> <p>P.S. if you can fit 2 battery packs then go ahead and make the battery boxes but put in the batteries as you get them so it will be driveable with only one pack but you can add on as you go to increase the range. Good luck and happy EV-ing.</p> by: Sean M (Your First Electric Car) http://www.evconvert.com/article/your-first-electric-car#c002732 <p><strong>Your First Electric Car</strong></p> <p>I’ve decided on a Chevy S10 conversion. Does anyone know of any major differences between using a 1997 vs 2002 as a donor? Given they would be 4cyl/5spd/2wd trucks, are there any conversion challenges? I’ve found several vehicles in my area but for a fraction more money I can get a 2002 with lower mileage (i.e. wear/tear on front end, body etc..) Also, besides additional weight, are there any drawbacks on the extended cab models vs the regular cab models? Hoping to purchase soon and work on the project over the winter.<br /> ….Sean</p>