Well, since there's some interest, I'll post some information I got
from a coworker who owns an electric Midget. He was responding to some
questions by another SOL member. If you're interested, feel free to
email him directly (yes, I asked him) at jaybea@microsoft.com
I will volunteer, though, that I think his expectation of a 15-25K mile
battery life (3-5 years at 18 mile round trip commute per day) is
optimistic. Battery life is the Achille's heel of electric cars, and
the experience of others (including the electric LJC tested by R&T, and
a local electric Manta) has been battery lives of 3-5K miles. That
would be less than a year in Jaybe's use. But the R&T article also
said that battery lives vary widely and not completely predictably, so
who knows.
Dave
>From: Jaybe Ammons <jaybea@microsoft.com>
I bought the car turnkey at the King County (Washington) Auto Show last
Nov. There were 9 electric cars for sale at the show (they're planning
on doing it again this year with more cars.) The builder was Lon
Gillas of E-motion of Salem Oregon. 1-(503)-434-4332. Give him a call
for the definitive answers to your questions. Everything I say below
I'm remembering from my own questions to Lon. Lon also converted two
TR7's, one may still be for sale (I was just advertising the car for him.)
How many batteries?16 6 volt, 1 12 volt.
What type of batteries? Trojan, industrial grade 6 volt batteries.
Commonly used in golf carts.
Where are the batteries located? Engine compartment (7) and trunk (9).
Theres still a little usable room in the trunk.
How long do they last under various conditions? I was told 3-5 years.
How long do they take to charge? Overnight. Maybe up to 12 hours on a
full recharge. I've never kept track. I just plug it in when I get
home and unplug it in the morning.
How long do they take to partially charge? I'd guess 4 hours from my
daily commute of 18 mi. r.t.
How much does night driving or playing a stereo cut into battery
capacity? These are run off a seperate 12 volt system, so they don't
affect range. But I'd guess you've got about 2 hours of strong
headlight time in the 12 volt.
Do you have some reserve capacity that you can switch in, in case you run
out of juice? No.
How many years do you expect the batteries to last? 5 years. I rarely
deep cycle them on my daily commute, and check the water levels monthly.
How much did the batteries cost? They can be found for $50.
How did you mount the batteries? The gas tank and floor of the trunk
was removed and replaced with a mounting frame. The charger (incoming
110 power) and converter (outgoing to the electric motor) are tucked
into the body flairs above the wheel wells in the trunk. In the engine
compartment, there are 3 abreast replacing the radiator, and 4 in a
square sitting on top of the electric motor. The 12 volt sits off to the side.
What is the cruising range for long distance driving? 50-75, depending
on the amount of acceleration and cruising speed.
What is the top speed? 65mph.
What is average recommended speed? 35 mph, in 2nd gear. The electric
motor is more efficient at higher rpm's, so the faster you go, the less
amps you use.
What HP motor and where did you purchase it? I think it's a 20 hp
motor, purpose built for electric cars. You can get a little scratch
by dumping the clutch. Below 35mph the acceleration is quite
acceptable. Getting to 65 can take a while.
How did you mount the motor? A face plate mating the motor to the
existing transmission was custom machine. Mounting bolts attach to the frame.
How much did the motor cost? I think the builder bought it for $1500.
How long did it take you to convert the cars? I don't know, ask the builder.
What did you have to do to get them licensed to drive on the road? I
haven't licensed the Midget in Washington yet, it still has Oregon
tags. There we no problems licensing in Oregon.
Any troubles passing state vehicle inspections (if you have 'em)?
Do you have any idea how difficult it would be to get a home-designed
car body with electric power licensed for the road? No.
What sort of transmission is necessary (if any)? The existing transmission.
How is acceleration controlled? From the drivers standpoint, just like
a gas powered car. Push on the pedal and it goes. I'm not
knowledgeable about electronics.
Is the acceleration control method efficient? Couldn't say.
Anything unusual about driving an electric car? (quiet?, vibration
free?, etc.) The electric motor has a built in fan, so you get a slight
vacuum cleaner noise from it at high rpm. When the accerator is
engaged and released, a circuit is actually opened and close (so you're
using 0 power waiting in stop and go traffic or coasting down a hill).
Driving around parking lots, this clicking noise is noticeable by
passerby. Going down hill is one interesting difference. If there's
any grade at all, you'll generally speed up. The car is heavy with the
addition of the batteries (600 pound net gain after removal of engine
etc...), and the only resistence is from the free spinning electric
motor. First time drivers also expect a gas engine power curve. Most
gas engines increase their torque with rpm. The electric motor has
100% of its torque instantly. So you have an initial high rate of
acceleration which gradually falls off. Gas drivers are expecting
late torque boost to ease the transition to the next gear. The
electric car doesn't car what your engine rpm's are. I can drive
around all day in 4th gear (this is horribly inefficient however). In
fact, the quickest acceleration times can be had by starting in 1st,
then jumping the 3rd, then 4th. The change in inertia of the electric
motor is a major power loss. When shifting up gears, it's yanked to
way lower rpm, then has to turn around and start accelerating again.
Needless to say, direct drive would be more efficient, but much more
expensive to enable both highway and parking lot speed. All these
differences are easily and quickly adjusted to.
Any chronic or unusual problems in daily use of an electric car? The
added weight goes through break pads quickly, so I've replaced them
with metal Repco pads. I'd like to bump up the stopping power up front
but there's not much room to put in largers disks for the disk brakes.
I've had to replace the 12 volt battery once in less than a year. I
don't know yet whether this was just a bad battery or whether this will
be a regular thing. The 12 volt gets heavy use - it is deep cycled
regularly. A nice solution to this is a DC-DC converter, 96 volts to
12. These are available from Solar Car Corporation. Never having to
worry about checking the gas tank level is nice. The plug in on my MG
is under the gas cap. It's fun to watch people expressions when I pop
the cap and "fill 'er up".
What was the total conversion cost? I purchased the car turnkey for
$14,000. A substantial percentage of this was labor.
How long did it take you to convert the cars? Don't know.
Which car was easier to convert and what bodies would you recommend?
Lighter the better.
Any extra instrumentation? (volt meters?, current meter?) I have no
tachometer, but don't miss it much. Added are a 12 volt guage, 120
volt guage for the main batteries and amperage meter. I use the last
to optimize my driving efficiency. Cruising at 35mph in second I can
keep the amperage under 120.
Have you tried any energy recovery schemes (generating power from braking
for example)? No.
Any ideas for improvements? I have no external identifying marks on the
car indicating its electric. None of the other cars on the road can
tell. For political reasons I want to get something like this (license
plate holder?) More improvements to the suspension system. Existing
rear suspension had to be replaced and beafed up to handle the weight
in the rear. When driving over a dropout in the road at speed, I get a
bone (and frame?) jarring thump as the suspension maxes out under the load.
Are you selling plans mail order? No.
(If you answer all these questions you're well on your way to having
a salable plan 8-).
Did you use a commercially available plan as a basis for the conversion? No.
Did you research old magazine articles for conversion plans? No. Saw
it one day, bought it the next. Since then I've attended several local
SEVA (Seattle Electric Vehicle Association) meetings and learned a lot.
How much did you sell the TR7 for? I don't remember what Lon was asking
for the TR7. It was more than the $14,000 I paid for my MG though. He
may still have it for sale. He'll also convert a car of your choice if
you want a turnkey or partial conversion.
How does the maintainability of an electric car compare to a gas one?
Of course the mechanical part of the car is the same as any other
maintenance wise - I've still got that problematic MG transmission and
transfer case. Fortunately the Lucas electrical system was ripped out
and completely rewired. But the electric part of the vehicle is
infinitely better. I effectively get to treat my home and work as a
gas station since I plug in each day or each night (not both).
Microsoft has a parking stall with a 110 outlet reserved for electric
powered vehicles, so I charge at work whenever I can. So MS subsidizes
my transporation costs. The ONLY regular maintenance for the electric
part of the car is topping off 16 batteries with water once a month.
No tune ups, radiator flushes, anti-knock compounds, fuel shortages
(ok, maybe brownouts but at least in the Northwest our power doesn't
come from the Middle East.), oil changes, you know the list is long...
The long term maintenance I can think of is replacing the batteries
every 3-5 years. This will be a hassle (I'll have it done for me) but
it will help me take advantage of improvements in battery technology.
|