95 Chevy Corsica, Electric Vehicle - EV (fully electric car)

[skullin67]

should of bought your batteries at a cheaper place then auto zone is way to high on batteries

[Annihilator1111]

the 1987-1996 Chevrolet Corsica was assembled in

Wilmington, Delaware

Linden, New Jersey

[DontKillAnimals2011]

you failed to use your slow left blinker when you pulled out

[DontKillAnimals2011]

i like the slow turn signal

[DrFruikenstein]

I'm planning to convert a '98 Chevy Malibu, and as that's similar in size to the Corsica, I was wondering what the current draw is on your car at a steady 55 mph on level ground?

That info would be great to have when choosing/designing the battery pack for my Malibu.

Thanks.

[frankoneilljr]

After reading the description im not sure how many batteries are in the car. is it 6?

[WJS81519]

I have a compressed natural gas corsica you want to sell your electric?

[ohshutyourmouth]

how much did all that cost you?

[mrcshbs]

about 5000 dollars. and a lot of time... I have made 5 other EV's and I will post videos soon.

[NearTheLimits]

Man, even a woman would move faster !!

[out4fun95]

wtf

[trompomix]

Ey amigo this car is automatic or standard? because I working in a Hyundai but it is an automatic and I vent toll that the standard work better in a electric vehicle, and if is it automatic how you setup the transition you used the converter or not?

[DanShields110]

my Corsica blew a head gasket last year, still have it. Is there a cheaper way to fix it?

[DATBOIJFLO]

take the head off replace it in doin mine right now on a 96 corsica not to bad to do

[mrcshbs]

No... no really... only more economic in a long run

[sirmasterpimp]

How are your autozone batteries holding up ? I've been building a ups system for my computer and want a battery that can handle a little deep cycling (only about 40% at most). Right now I have a brand new walmart everstart maxx group 29 dual purpose deep cycle, but a lot of bad reviews are making me want to go back and return it. I almost got an autozone battery, but don't know how long they last.

[mrcshbs]

I sold the vehicle a while back... but those batteries should be good for about 600 cycles if you don't abuse them.. Max discharge about 60% DOD

[Tophermen]

Cool conversion. I have a question though. Do you have a device that controls the sensitivity when pushing down on the accelerator? I spoke to an EV converter and he mentioned that the accelerator on his EV is sensitive whenever he accelerates.

[mrcshbs]

I adjusted the amp setting and smooth acceleration settings on the controller... it takes off just like the normal engine did

[Tophermen]

That's pretty neat. Please do another EV video!

[mrcshbs]

I am working on a new one right now... I have very small garage... and not many tools. I wish I have a shop... My next EV will probably be a newer car, with OEM GPS, possibly a total digital cluster, 80 MPH top speed, but I can't afford the batteries now, so I will still use Lead Acid.. in 3-5 years when LiFePO4 prices go down, I will do one... if I had the space and tools, I could do one vehicle at month... with more people, 2 a month possibly. I will post the new video soon.

[Tophermen]

I wish you the best on the next EV conversion, and yeah, LiFePO4 batteries aren't cheap. What I would like to see though is am EV conversion of a sportster. Maintain the sportiness of the car while pushing out decent everyday driving range.

[SQSHI08]

I noticed some tightness in the steering wheel while getting out of your parking space, does it not have power steering?

[mrcshbs]

no when this video was made... it was installed later on

[blackinamerica00]

your car looks really nice ...

Just wondering how much would it cost for a distrubutor, caps, rotator, spark plugs and wires, new tires and a battery....thanks hun

[mrcshbs]

The car does not have an internal combustion engine, it's fully electric.

maybe I am not understanding your question.

thanks

[simoon678]

how much you paid for mods cuz i think thats a nice project and id like to get one

[mrcshbs]

If you are talking about the dashboard...I've build them myself... the only thing I bought was the voltmeters for 15 bucks

[ferraridriver16]

where did you get those volt meters? I'm converting my mazda to an EV, and i've been looking for some fancy affordable ones. Did you order them online?

[mrcshbs]

Meters I bought on ebay... seach for "digital Voltmeter"

[davidrrrd]

new owner?

are you selling it?

how much?

[mrcshbs]

Yes, I sold the car.

[jordanhall91]

wow thats pretty awesome.

[mrcshbs]

Thanks... I appreciate it.

[workensmart]

this is very cool. This car has the 4t60-e tranny in it right?. if so than how did you get it to work with out the computer since the 4t60-e is an electronic tranny?. or did you just go with the older 90 to 92 4t60 non electronic?.

[mrcshbs]

I designed custom circuit for the tranny, and an electronic vacuum valve control to match the load. I wanted the tranny to shift down as you press the acelerator hard, like an gas engine auto tranny would do.

it was a fun project.

[Motorfordtoyota]

I want to convert corsica or lumina to run on compreesed air

[mrcshbs]

Corsica's are ok cars... but since this was a fun prototype and relatively low speed, I would go with a higher voltage... like a 120-144V... I think if I play it right, I could use 120V system with 6V batteries and get some good range out it.

[hipofalcon]

Well done! You said that you got about 15 miles per charge - that seems about right. I have a Ford Escort EV with a 72 volt system like yours and average about 23 km (about 14.5 miles) and my batteries are new as well. I am hoping to to get that to 30 km (about 20 miles) with use. I also have an Alltrax controller. Hopefully you can do some other vidoes soon. Ken.

[mrcshbs]

Hey Ken, 72V are very affordable conversions, I wish I could had a lighter car, but that's all I had to play with... LOL..

if you get 6 volt batteries you will get much more range you know?

I am planning to get make another 72V system and sell on ebay... but this time I am making a smaller EV, like a Geo or Civic.

I am trying to find a used Ford focus, but I can't find one at good price for a EV.

[alexbishop94]

all you need gas for is the AC

[treborly]

you still use the tranny? so it goes through the gears?

[mrcshbs]

Yes, I still use the tranny, it shits like a normal gas engine, HOWEVER, I prefer to put in first gear when I first start... give me the feeling "I am in control" and somehow this is a stick... LOL...

[Jacob1986]

I forgot to add to my comments - where are you from? What kind of motor did you use?

[mrcshbs]

My accent kind of gave it away didn't it? well, I used a 72V forklift motor. I don't know why people don't like them. they work very well. they're cheap and very reliable. I like them... you can find brushes very easy too.

I plan to convert my next car within a couple of months, however I am going to use scooter batteries and a 600 volt system.

[Jacob1986]

no your accent didn't give it away lol just looking at the license plates - didn't know what State it was from. Alot of people are using forklift motors... it would be cool to add a gas generator to power the motor just in case, ur batteries go. It's very quiet when it drives too.

[mrcshbs]

The car is from Missouri... I am from Saint Louis, MO... I have a small 4 HP gas engine from a lawn mower connected to a wind turbine. my EV right now is a plug in hybrid.. well. sort of... LOL..

if you drive more than 50 miles, you can use the generator to provide power, but if the trip is less than 50 miles, you can drive in pure electric.

[Jacob1986]

awesome work man!! quite impressed! You should work for GM hahahaha. GM wouldn't have any problems if they continued to make electric cars like the EV1, they would be rolling in cash now. Things are going to change now though, we will see more cars like this and the Volt.

[vinmassa]

very impressed,you did a great job,how can i find out more about your method of using an auto transmission and how much extra weight does an auto trans add to conversion vs standard trans,thanks for sharing,vince.

[mrcshbs]

The final conversion the car was in fact under weight. I had about 400 lbs to get to the factory weight.

a lot of people don't like auto-tranmission because the EV motor is not "locked" with the transmission input shaft, I used the torque converter with this conversion.

it worked quite well.

[pgm98387]

Thats really nice.

[mrcshbs]

thanks... it was a fun project... my goal is to convert 10 cars this year.

[eembozo]

just curious, does the motor run through the original transmission?

[mrcshbs]

yes.

[mmz77]

Can it do a burnout?

[mrcshbs]

not really... the system was designed to balance range, torque and top speed... so I had to give out and burn out option .. LOL

[mrcshbs]

if I had gone with 144 or above yes... but I set the alltrax controller amp limits... this way I don't damage the batteries... which I only have 6 anyways... Very Small battery bank for an EV

[creamyfilling102]

an automatic? that's just terrible. and marine batteries? they're designed for low amp draw of trolling motors 2mph on a lake, not 55 mph car on the road.  i doubt they'll last very long,,,,but who knows, i may be wrong.

[kostea13]

realy good wrok the ev is and soul of been long time ago the only way fro our cars !

[kdkinen]

incredible work man!!

[mrcshbs]

Thank you... I did put a lot of work into this EV... I wanted to make it really nice.

[garthroller]

how often do the batteries die is it cheaper than paying fuel i think its neat u did perfect job really good

[mrcshbs]

if you take good care of the batteries, which in this care, another 72V bank should be added in the back to help the amp draw of the front batteries. it will last over 1000 cycles, maybe around 3-4 years or so if you keep it very low dischage, also the batteries only cost 300 total (50 a piece) which is about maybe 2 months worth of gas for a Hummer. so 3-4 years vs 2-3 months.

[tommykong0013]

Did you set the motor slowly spinning all of the time to keep the hydraulics pumped up?

[mrcshbs]

No... I just accelerate it slow... the motor stops when the car stops. it only takes like 1/2 second for the pressure to build up...

[vinmassa]

do you have a web site-can you share how you hooked up tranny andall you know about it,its fantastic,thanks

[mrcshbs]

sorry, I don't have a website. but you need 3 parts, plate to fit on the transmission bell housing, a coupler to attach the motor to the bell housing plate and an adapter plate to connect the motor to the torque converter.

[vinmassa]

did you take any photos im curious to know what the torque converter connection to electric motor looks like.

[vinmassa]

How are you pumping the oil around in the tranny?Does any oil spill onto the adapter that connects the motor to the torque converter?

[mrcshbs]

No... the transmission fluid stays inside the transmission, it doesn't come off... however some of the fluid will go into the torque converter.... for example, if you drain the torque converter and put it back in, drive for 100 feet, the torque converter will be filled with fluid again... but once everything is in place, doesn't leak at all. works great

[rockywev]

auto trans questions rockywev.

does it shift like it did with the gas engine?

[mrcshbs]

yes and no... if you connect the vaccum hose into the transmission, yes it will... if the tube is not connected, it will shift up, but not down... but with the vaccum into the tranny, it will shift up and down like the gas engine.

[tommykong0013]

How did you connect the motor and auto transmission. I needs your help too.

[mrcshbs]

send me an email and I will send your some pictures of my design... very simple as a matter of fact... all you need is a good metal lathe or a cheap machine shop, they can do it in a few minutes... to meet the specs on your motor shaft.

[rockywev]

need your help doing an auto trans conversion, please let me know how to contact you for you technology

[mrcshbs]

send me an email

[mrcshbs]

Thanks

[beldorian]

Great job! I just got my donor car... a 1991 GM Sunbird - and I am excited to see your car cuz it is an auto transmission. However the 15mile range is too small for our use - what do you think is the single biggest drag or limiter on the range. Also, how did you implement the solution with the Auto transmission?

[mrcshbs]

The range is small because there is only 6 batteries in the car right now, most EV's use at least twice as much. I was going to add 6 more batteries in the trunk and 6 lighter batteries underneath the car, with the total of 18... that would give me a much better range, but I can't afford the batteries right now. also if you switch the batteries to AGM, the range would also increase.

I made a dirrect connection using the motor and toque converter, send me an email and I send you some pictures.

[sockosockosocko]

congrats! i'm building one, too. i read your description and wanted to tell you i heard you're never supposed to use the accelerator pedal to stay still on a hill - only the brake pedal. don't want to burn up the motor. enjoy!

[mrcshbs]

I will fix that.. you're right, motor heats up if running at low speed like that. also waists a lot of the energy just to keep the car in a standing still.

thanks

Marcos.

[lpgas1]

nice work!