Gav's EV Conversion 1 - Towing the Donor Car

[stonerace19]

Yep, them chicks from the East will stand behind ya!

[ahyi99]

what enjin?

[28killers]

dude u are sooo tight....i want to convert my 240sx into full electric but without the tranny. i stole the idea from matt grams electric car...not on purpose though, i always wanted something different

[zagyex]

Your gilfriend (?) sounds if she was Hungarian : ).

[zeblezeb]

or maybe french ?

[CA3B20A3G]

lol the guy in the mitsi should of stuck it in first gear & held the clutch in, then once yous got up to speed, he should of let the clutch out to see if the motor would unsieze or the wheels lock up lol. or break something in the drive train

[GentleManSteve65]

I downloaded all your Videos and joined them together into one big file and watched it. Here in the USA we have single Solar cell to charge a Car batter. Have you ever thought about making a solar charging station with single solar cells and putting them together like you did the batter chargers to charge the car by sunlight as well?

[ronthereddragon]

damn that was a hell of a ride for thatcar if you have one that works why you need two if i may ask?

[MPaulHolmes]

I learned a lot from your videos! I'm going to do the same!!!!! Thank you.

[M13H13G13]

We are two brothers from Norway that are mad keen on EV's. Your videos are great. We have two electric cars (Th!nk). This video is enguraging use to do our own electric vechile.

From Ev fans!

[klaudivino]

man this is sooo inspiring!! I have a litle suzuki van and i'm willing to do the same! Thank you for this help :)

[liveoilfree]

Actually, the sun is everywhere, so if you charge from solar, as we do, an EV is clean everywhere. Solar PV power and EV electric cars.

[athlonz2007]

ahah if we convert a car in quebec it will be 100% ecologic because there is i think like 1 coal power thing and all the rest are hydroelectric so :) i would like to convert but llol i dont have a car

[cant7think7clearly]

Good for you! We're quite similar down here.

70% of New Zealand's electricity is generated by renewable resources which is great! It makes EVs a very clean option in NZ.

[rzigmu]

Way to go!!! Forwards to a cleaner, brighter energy future!! Break free from the enslavement of oil companies!!!!!!!

[caa1000]

Nothing good than remembering the 80's. I remember those Mitsubishi Turbo ads with a Cordia, Tredia and Starion all together beating the Toyotas and Mazdas on close circuit. Anyway, good luck with your hibrid.

[DeLorean4]

About ten years ago I had my mother (driving a Volvo 240 Stationwagon) tow my Father's 1987 Volvo 740 Turbo Sedan. We almost crashed into a car.

Oh yeah... and a ditch, all at the same time.

[cant7think7clearly]

Yeah I was a bit worried about that myself. Explaining to the insurance company that I ran up the back of my own car would have been interesting...

[cant7think7clearly]

Ok thanks mate! I'll do that!

[cant7think7clearly]

Poo. There goes my cheap charger dream. I've seen you posting around before and you obviously know what you're talking about so I won't risk it.

I'd better go and see Mr Bank Man soon...

:)

[cant7think7clearly]

The one thing I am trying to find a budget model of is the charger.

Here in NZ we have a 240 volt home system which helps cut down on charging time but I'm trying to find the cheapest possible idea to charge the 144 volt system the Tredia will eventually have.

[terrorist420x]

The cheapest possible charger is the one you build yourself. A Bridge Rectifier, filtering capacitor, and transformer designed specifically for the battery pack you wish to use, with two charge steps, bulk and trickle, can be built for about $50-100 USD and 20 hours of your own time. Get on the EV list and talk to Lee Hart about it. Google search Bonn Charger while you're at it.

[ripperarn]

Really, I would like to know all about converting cars myself and there is almost no information on it and I cant seem to find anyone where I live who knows anything is there an online club on these sorts of things or mabye we should start one and why are the doner cars still made from such heavy materials like steel wouldnt lighter be the way to go?

[ImYourLastResort]

Is there an EV list? I have become quite keen on the subject.

[cant7think7clearly]

There's a good site called austinev(dot)org which anyone can join and submit info on their converted cars. It has pictures and specs on each EV (including mine!)

[ImYourLastResort]

Awesome! I look forward to reading it, and watching your videos. (Am at work currently so it will have to wait. :-P)

Hope it all goes well.

[terrorist420x]

There is an EV list. Google search "electric vehicle discussion list".

[cant7think7clearly]

Sadly there's no way I can afford those fancy components you suggested so I might just have to settle for 0 to 100km/h in 18 seconds!

Still, the car will spend all of it's life in 50km/h speed zones so it's not really a huge problem in the scheme of things. Thanks for your tips mate - keep em coming!

[terrorist420x]

The 0-100 kmh in 18 seconds version will cost about $6,000-8,000 USD with all new components.

If you scrounge for used components, you could find a surplus aircraft starter generator, build your own bridge rectifier charger, make a 3 speed contactor based controller, and get an EV with 100 kmh top speed and 0-100 kmh in 25 seconds for about $2,500 USD. It won't be fancy or reliable at first. Then upgrade it into something nice and fast as financing permits, one part at a time.

[cant7think7clearly]

I considered those super low budget ideas from the Bob Brant conversion book but found that I wanted something with a bit more oomph and reliability. And don't those Zilla controllers look great with that hairball interface thingy?

I'm looking to spend (bit by bit) a total of about $7000 USD. There are quite a lot of things I can get locally which helps but I still have to buy the controller & motor from the USA - then pay $2000 in shipping which hurts.

[terrorist420x]

If you're going to pay all this money on a conversion, it is not advised to skimp on the charger. The wrong charger will cost you in the long run with lower battery life.

But it depends on what you want in the conversion. In NZ, gas is much more expensive. In the US, to save money with an EV over gas car with our cheap fuel, utmost attention must be paid to making the batteries last a long time so they are replaced less often.

[ripperarn]

If I were to use a toyota prius nickel metal hydride battery for a regular ev and if so what kind of charger would I use?

[terrorist420x]

You'd basically have to build it. The Prius packs weren't meant to be deep discharged and their management system would be a pain in the ass to re-engineer.

[cant7think7clearly]

Hi! Range isn't a priority as we live in a small city, I'm planning on using the Zilla 1k controller and the FB4001 9" DC motor. Batteries I haven't decided yet as I haven't checked out all the local brands.

Acceleration should be about 10 seconds to 100km/h with luck. Budget? Haha, low mate. Very low. The part that's going to take the longest will be saving up for the motor/batt/controller while also saving for a wedding!

[terrorist420x]

In order to do 0-100 kmh in 10 seconds or less, you're going to need AGM batteries. Flooded lead acid will not do it, even with a zilla controller and 9" motor. Simply not enough power in flooded lead acid batteries, you'd get 0-100 kmh in about 16-18 seconds with those, 9" motor, and Zilla. If you use AGM batteries, they won't last more than 20,000 km unless you have a proper charger and a battery management system. With those things, you could theoretically get 50,000 km or more out of them.

[terrorist420x]

If you want 0-100 kmh in 10 seconds, decide to use AGM batteries, get a regulation system and charger tailored to them such as a Manzanita Micro PFC model, and still settle on the Zilla and 9" motor, you're looking at an $10,000 USD conversion factoring in the cost of importing the parts. However, with the right AGMs and a high enough pack voltage, you could get 0-100 kmh in < 7 seconds for no added cost and no loss of usable range. It's all in optimizing your design.

[terrorist420x]

What motor, controller, battery pack, and charger are you planning to use? What range, acceleration, and top speed are you designing for? Any plans for low rolling resistance tires, aerodynamic modifications, synthetic transmission oil, and other range improving modifications? What about a battery management system to improve battery life? Budget?