adam Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 Hey folks- finally posting some pix of my project. I've driven about 800 miles as a full electric vehicle. It has great acceleration and a top speed of around 100mph (i've been 85 with plenty left) range about 40 miles. It costs about a penny a mile in electricity. 700 lbs (10x70) of AGM 12 volt batteries wired in series for 120 volts. 500 amp controller. We are talking 60000 watts here people. It is a smooth ride- I can leave it in third and drive it around everywhere like an auto, if I want better range or power i can shift the 5speed tranny. Adapter plate is the one custom piece (other then mounts etc.) that attaches the new motor (140lbs) to the transmission. I didn't weld anything- used angle iron for the motor mounts and oak beams for the lower battery mounts. The top wood is mangaras some tropical stuff i had lying around, would have preferred local wood, but it seemed like a good way to recycle it. In maine we can choose green power for our electricity which is 80% hydro (free flow, fish ladder) and 20% wind. Low rolling resistance sumitomo htr 200 tires. Synthetic tran fluid. No oil, no coolant. No filling the batteries (sealed). Unplug and peel out. Vaccum pump and resevoir to maintain power brakes. Dc converter that steps 120 down to 13.8v instead of an alternator. I am very happy with my car. And now electroautomotive has an adapter plate design for this transmission so if one of all yall wanted to build one it would be easier. Car cost about 2000, components about 6000 (mostly brand new) batteries and misc. another 2000 so 10 grand which is what I sold my insight for. The only thing I cut out were the mounts for the gas tank, which i still have. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions. Keep subin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabman Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 Dear lord that is a beautiful thing that you have created! You absolutely must attach more pics. I like to think that if I had the extra time and money I would undertake an awesome project such as yours. Pure beauty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 Very nice work. I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeroy Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 Crazy and kinda weird! But way cool! In Australia most of our electricity is generated from coal so there are not many advantages to using electric cars here. One question. How long does it take to re-charge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi subbie Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 very cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75skunkaroo Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 ... ... -mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted November 4, 2007 Author Share Posted November 4, 2007 hey leeroy- it takes about 5 hours or so with a totally flat battery pack, but i have a fairly small charger that operates on 110voltage. The agm batteries could take alot more power alot faster. Also i can plug in for a shorter period if i stop at a friends house- most of the power comes in the beginning of the charge much of the charging time is to taper the charge to the right voltage. and even with coal power used to source the electricty it is still cleaner then running a gas engine. one huge power plant can be run more efficiently then a bunch of little ones operating at different speeds, temperatures and efficiencies. and australia has great solar potential as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted November 4, 2007 Author Share Posted November 4, 2007 not really sure how to post more pix -can i put bigger ones somewhere? the little ones don't really do it justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 not really sure how to post more pix -can i put bigger ones somewhere? the little ones don't really do it justice. You can use http://www.photobucket.com to host your pics. Signup and upload your pics there and copy and paste the img link into your post on here. I'd like to see more of the car, it looks cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Also, if you look under your screen name and information, you will see a "PHOTOS" link. The USMB supplys their members with space to host images, you can put them in your photo album. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeroy Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 hey leeroy- it takes about 5 hours or so with a totally flat battery pack, but i have a fairly small charger that operates on 110voltage. The agm batteries could take alot more power alot faster. Also i can plug in for a shorter period if i stop at a friends house- most of the power comes in the beginning of the charge much of the charging time is to taper the charge to the right voltage. and even with coal power used to source the electricty it is still cleaner then running a gas engine. one huge power plant can be run more efficiently then a bunch of little ones operating at different speeds, temperatures and efficiencies. and australia has great solar potential as well! Thanks adam! Yes Australia certainly has great potential for solar, we just never seem to get around to doing it on a large scale. At the moment there is talk about nuclear power (50 year old technology if you ask me). Depends on which government gets elected I suppose. We have 240 volt electricity in homes here, I wonder if that would mean a quicker charge? Although 5 hours is really good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 added some photos for those who want to check em out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 I checked out the pics. Really looks good. What do you use for a heater? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share Posted November 12, 2007 right now i'm using a wool hat for heat, which is low tech but effective. there are other different options for heat and i really should have something to defrost at least- mostly ev people in cold regions use some sort of hairdryer heating element- i haven't gotten too far with that project. I am putting the car up for the winter as we use alot of salt on the roads up here in maine and i've seen the demise of too many nice old subes. I'll probably just tough it out until then, but there are lots of options for the initiated. Also timers are available so you could have a common ac heater on the same circuit as your charger that is set to come on 15 min before you leave, if you leave at the same time, otherwise a button in your house that would turn it on via relay, you would then step outside and into your fully charged and warm vehicle and then have a small dc heater to maintain a comfortable level for the journey. this will be my eventual method. maybe. and there are many gas and propane heaters on the market:Flame: but then your back to fossil fuels. how bout a tiny little forced air woodstove, plenty of heatshielding, warm your mittens, boil water for tea, heat a tank of water for a steam powered passing boost.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share Posted November 12, 2007 yeah leeroy, 240 means a quicker charge, almost twice as fast and more efficient too. some people are using inductive (?) chargers and the like which drop charging times to minutes rather than hours. the technology is constantly evolving, one cool thing about my car is all the systems are interchangable, i could slap in some lithium ion batterys, or a 2000 amp controller, or a 240v charger, and all would work with existing parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 CONGRATULATIONS!!! Very Nice & Well Done!!!... ... So Useful!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SakoTGrimes Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 WOW! That is one very nice looking car with a very well thought out design! I am wondering about the gears - 5 speed FWD transaxle right? - don't electric motors make their peak power at zero rpm? So do you shift at all, wouldn't it be more efficient to leave it in fifth? Then again, I'm not the electrician you are. Congradulations on succesfully creating a truly green car, something even Honda and Toyota have still yet to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85T-REX Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 Beautiful car!!! That's exactly what I could use right now where I live and work. One question I have is: Can you adapt a motor like that staight to the input shaft on the tranny? As in, take the torque converter off an automatic and attach it there. Or does the auto tranny not have an input shaft that's adaptable? Even if you just attach the motor to the torque converter. I've been thinking a lot about converting my wagon. All I've read is it's not a good idea to do it to an automatic. I don't see why not. The trans could still operate the same way. Without vacuum, it would shift through all three gears quickly, which would be fine, and you would still be able to kick the tranny down for passing with the kickdown switch. I don't really see why that wouldn't work or even work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykingcrab Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 Adam, what a great job!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 Hey folks- finally posting some pix of my project. I've driven about 800 miles as a full electric vehicle. It has great acceleration and a top speed of around 100mph (i've been 85 with plenty left) range about 40 miles. It costs about a penny a mile in electricity. 700 lbs (10x70) of AGM 12 volt batteries wired in series for 120 volts. 500 amp controller. We are talking 60000 watts here people. It is a smooth ride- I can leave it in third and drive it around everywhere like an auto, if I want better range or power i can shift the 5speed tranny. Adapter plate is the one custom piece (other then mounts etc.) that attaches the new motor (140lbs) to the transmission. I didn't weld anything- used angle iron for the motor mounts and oak beams for the lower battery mounts. The top wood is mangaras some tropical stuff i had lying around, would have preferred local wood, but it seemed like a good way to recycle it. In maine we can choose green power for our electricity which is 80% hydro (free flow, fish ladder) and 20% wind. Low rolling resistance sumitomo htr 200 tires. Synthetic tran fluid. No oil, no coolant. No filling the batteries (sealed). Unplug and peel out. Vaccum pump and resevoir to maintain power brakes. Dc converter that steps 120 down to 13.8v instead of an alternator. I am very happy with my car. And now electroautomotive has an adapter plate design for this transmission so if one of all yall wanted to build one it would be easier. Car cost about 2000, components about 6000 (mostly brand new) batteries and misc. another 2000 so 10 grand which is what I sold my insight for. The only thing I cut out were the mounts for the gas tank, which i still have. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions. Keep subin! Couple of questions, do you have any internal heat (gets cold up in Maine). Also electric motors run more effeciently at higher rpms then lower, have you tried using the lower gears more then the higher. We need more pics to see where everything is i have been wanbting to do this for a long long time nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 Hey everybody- thanks alot for all the compliments and nice words about my car- it was a big project for me and took all of my cash and then some, and I have to admit it was a little anti-climactic, i was expecting constant free love and sunshine maybe:-\ - anyway sorry for the delay in responding- people had stopped posting so I hadn't checked for a while Sako T Grimes it is a 5speed and yes the electric motor has peak torque at zero rpm. (peak horsepower? i'de have to check) the motor is most efficent near redline, around 5000rpm, but it feels too busy there, i think mostly 2nd gear feels a little wierd spinning that fast so I mostly drive around in 3rd. and really I am hardly an electrician, i've done a few car stereos and a couple outlets and light switches. its pretty straight forward stuff. the relays were a little difficult for my little brain, and I eliminated some of them like one that prevented you from driving away while the car was charging and ripping the cord out, i'll just have to remember which has been easy enough so far. 85 TRex there are direct drive versions but you end up limiting either your power or speed without the mechanical advantage of gears, also clutchless versions where you can still shift but only at certain rpm points. i don't know too much about automatics have only heard that you need to keep hydraulic pressure up with an electric pump and that it takes more energy beyond the normal efficiency loss, if you search evlist they are a good resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 Couple of questions, do you have any internal heat (gets cold up in Maine). Also electric motors run more effeciently at higher rpms then lower, have you tried using the lower gears more then the higher. We need more pics to see where everything is i have been wanbting to do this for a long long time nipper no heat yet except for hat, mittens and the warm happy glow I get from driving an electric subaru! and yes i use mostly the lower gears 2nd to start and then leave it in 3rd- sometimes if i'm crusing 65-70 i'll shift up into 4th for more power (strange huh) and less rpms. Ill try to get more pics when I bust it out in the spring i might try to build another one, a 4wd winter beater out of scavenged parts and then swap my batteries back and forth. and remember.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85T-REX Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 I've seen a site where they cut the center of a heater core out and put a ceramic heater core in its place. Hook it too a 110 inverter and power it up along with existing fan controls. It looks like it would work pretty well. I've emailed electricauto a couple times with no reply. There's another company in Utah I talked to today and they seem to be just what I'm looking for. Of course, the biggest issue is mating the motor to the tranny. The 3at should work well because it's fully mechanical. So it seems it would work fine with just the torque converter spinning. I would really like to do the conversion but I'm in a different boat than you. I have the money, just no time or place to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 I've seen a site where they cut the center of a heater core out and put a ceramic heater core in its place. Hook it too a 110 inverter and power it up along with existing fan controls. It looks like it would work pretty well. I've emailed electricauto a couple times with no reply. There's another company in Utah I talked to today and they seem to be just what I'm looking for. Of course, the biggest issue is mating the motor to the tranny. The 3at should work well because it's fully mechanical. So it seems it would work fine with just the torque converter spinning. I would really like to do the conversion but I'm in a different boat than you. I have the money, just no time or place to do it. Too much waste in an auto tranny. technically an electric motor doesnt even need a tranny. Its best to use a manual tranny, as its a direct mechanical connection. you can even get away with not using a clutch. There are several ways to heat these things, depending upon the electrics. When we installed fuel cells in existing electrics, they used a ceramic heater, along with the watercooling for the electric motor and inverters. There are more and more companies making adapter plates, or will make one for you. CAD/CAM has made things much easier to do I too have the cash, but no place to do it. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85T-REX Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 Too much waste in an auto tranny. technically an electric motor doesnt even need a tranny. Its best to use a manual tranny, as its a direct mechanical connection. you can even get away with not using a clutch. There are several ways to heat these things, depending upon the electrics. When we installed fuel cells in existing electrics, they used a ceramic heater, along with the watercooling for the electric motor and inverters. There are more and more companies making adapter plates, or will make one for you. CAD/CAM has made things much easier to do I too have the cash, but no place to do it. nipper I've heard that it isn't as efficient but I haven't seen any numbers on exactly how much. The motors seem to wind up to around 5k rpm so if I leave it in 2nd gear it will hit about 65mph. I would just like to try it. I could always switch to a manual tranny later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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