S10 Electric Vehicle Show and Tell, Episode #1

[CCTEVO]

I would have like to see how to connect the alternator into the motor for educational purposes. Politican called me a lier that it could be done.. So I sent your link to him.

[fryque]

Great! But put some effort into the audio. When wind noise etc, hard to listen to what you are saying.

[rwjiii]

Beautiful Job, I admire your attention to detail.

My question is, why did you go with 6 volt batteries, instead of 12 volt?

I would just think one 12 volt battery is lighter that two 6 volt batteries?

Thank you for sharing this great conversion. Truly inspiring.

[ws64play]

Yes, a 12 volt battery is lighter than 2 six volt batteries. So there is less energy storage capacity in a 12 volt battery than there is in 2 six volt batteries. To get a longer range six volt lead acid batteries are the way to go if the vehicle is able to carry the weight. If a build is done with a small car like a Geo Metro then usually 12 volt batteries are used, to get the voltage up and keep the weight down to not exceed the max Gross Vehicle Weight.

[Liv2xplore]

This is one of the highest quality home conversions I've seen to date. I noticed you spent a good deal of time and money on repairs. If you were to do it again, would you consider a newer vehicle? What kind?

[ws64play]

Thank you for your kind words! I would like to do another S10, this time an 1993 or newer extended cab so I would have more room behind the seat for the dog to sit. Also I would like to do a Dodge Neon and work up a dual motor setup.

[ws64play]

I get an acceptable amount of regeneration, typically while driving in 2nd gear and making a stop from 35 MPH, initially, I will have regeneration of 15 Amps charging the battery pack and as the truck slows that amount will taper down to 4 Amps at around 15 MPH. The energy recovered during a 10 second stop is very small (10% max.), but with further development could be several times that amount.

The braking effect of the regeneration is very strong and eases the wear on the S10 braking system.

[chalemi]

@ws64play

How do you work the gears? I understand there is no clutch to use, so is there an advantage in starting in a particular gear?

[ccoasterdesigner]

Do you get a good amount of energy regenerated? Is it worth it?

[ws64play]

The small amount of regeneration that I get is only really worth the braking of the vehicle. But, I love the felling of knowing that I can at least recover the energy that would with out the regeneration would never be recovered at all.

[errold32]

Nice job!!

[ws64play]

Thank you!

[zwabbersap]

Very nice. Especially the interior. It's the eye for detail that makes it so good. And probably why it took you so long :-)

again good job.

[ws64play]

Thank You, it was a challenge to get the needed gauges and still end up with things that did not look out of place, or did not match to the factory design of the truck.

[ws64play]

Thank You, it was a challenge to get the necessary gauges all in the dash and still end up with something that did not look out of place, was easy to see while driving, and sort of matched the factory design of the truck.

[MrPizzaman09]

Very Nice, you are an inspiration to us all! Very well put together

[ws64play]

Thank You, I hope that the information is useful to others who are doing a conversion.

[AlamoCityCello]

Excellent Parts Selection.

Congrats!

[ws64play]

Thank You, I talked to others who have done their own conversions and they told me that cutting corners on quality parts is a sure way to have a completed conversion that is very disappointing.

[allawayjared]

Cost? (not counting cost of s10 donor)

[ws64play]

The total cost of components and hardware was $16,000, not including the paint & body work.

[ws64play]

Hi, The "on paper" Range and top speed are about 70 miles per hour and a maximum range of about 50 miles.

These numbers cannot be achieved at the same time because at 70 mph the range would be only about 15 to 18 miles at a 95% battery discharge, but at a constant 30 to 35 miles per hour the range would be 50 miles at 95% battery discharge.

This pickup is ideal for my daily work commute, to run errands and to make trips to town. This totals about 15 to 20 miles each day.

[Hobbynut]

Very nice work looks great. would love to see some numbers such as range and speed

[ws64play]

Hi,

Thank you for your thoughts.

I still have the stock S10 hydraulic braking system. A switch to reverse the motor would not work with any efficiency and if it could be made to work it would likely cause major arcing of the motor armature and brushes, shortening the life of the motor.

The idea is to during braking to turn the energy of the moving vehicle back into electricity that can be used to return energy (recharge) to the batteries.

[UberWagen]

you still have a master cylinder?. I thought with electric, a brake switch spins the motors backward to stop it?. Does it use too much power doing this or something?

[ws64play]

Thank you,:-)

[mtssvnsn]

Nice!

Looks like pretty solid work.