The HV diagrams

Some requirements of my EV:
Sits four comfortably.
Can go 40 miles on a charge (commuter).
Can achieve 75 mph.
Has significant acceleration ability.

Some components for my EV:

Netgain Impulse9 motor
Cafe Electric Zilla (Z1K-HV) with Hairball (HB2) computer control
144V, contained in two racks of 6 12 volt batteries - One in the front, one in the back.

I haven't purchased the batteries or the battery charger.






Here is my main wiring diagram.

A Brief Project History, Part 3: Interior Work

Pulled out the gross carpeting, along with the A/C & defrost unit and center console. I also used an angle grinder to cut a rectangular hole in the cargo area for the soon-to-arrive rear battery rack.

I also started to lay out the HV circuit, which will have a bent toward safety. This pretty much leaves us in the present day.

A Brief Project History, Part 2: Car Cleanup & Buy Stuff

A brief chronology:
Manual steering rack installed on 12/22/2007.
Winter Break - too chilly to work on car!
Removed unnecessary engine electrical wiring on 2/1/2007.
Rebuilt rear brakes/wheels on 2/15/2008.
Electric motor and controller bought on 3/1/2008.
Front & rear battery racks bought on 3/15/2008.
Electric motor/tranny installed on 4/19/2008.


So the car has no engine or anything supporting said engine. That stuff all went either to the recycler or the pick-n-pull, with the fluids all going to the hazardous waste depot. Then what? Well, the car had serious dirt, grime. So I cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned some more. The engine and transmission came out together. While I ditched the engine, I planned on reusing the transmission, mating it to a motor via an adapter plate, so I had to clean that too. I also removed unnecessary engine wiring and replaced the power steering with a manual rack. Power brakes will stay, eventually being powered by a vacuum pump instead of the engine.





Putting the newly arrived motor (Netgain Impulse9) together with the original flywheel, new clutch disc and pressure plate, and existing transmission from the cabbie.











A thing of beauty, and power. Installing the motor and tranny together, with mounts. The $64,000 question - will it fit???









PERFECTLY! Kudos to Electro Auto for a precision-machined adapter plate assembly and Rabbit motor mount for the Impulse9 (seen on extreme left side of the motor).

A Brief Project History, Part 1: ICE Extraction

Bought donor vehicle for $450 in September 2007.
ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) came out on 11/25/2007.
Gas tank and fuel lines came out on 12/22/2007.







A look at the nastiness before extraction begins.
















Getting that greaseball out of the car.
It did its job, getting the car from the
former owner's place to my garage. Thanks - buh-bye.












Look at all that crap. I don't need any of it. Yay!












Incidentally, here is a link to Plasma Boy Racing, home of my inspiration - The White Zombie:
http://www.plasmaboyracing.com/

Introductions!

Despite what many folks think, I did not decide to do an electric vehicle conversion when gas prices tipped $3.00 a gallon. I had been interested in doing an EV conversion for years (since college), but had tabled the idea due to the lack of materials and expertise in the public domain.

Then came John Wayland's White Zombie, the EV that proved EVs could be more fun and perform better than golf carts. This EV was the inspiration for me to start on my quest of converting a regular car to run on electric batteries, and be fun to drive at the same time.

I started this quest by buying a donor vehicle in September 2007. A 1989 Volkswagen Cabriolet, this car had a body in pretty good shape, but the engine, axles and bearings were nearly shot. Did I care? NO. I was going to pull the engine and supporting hardware out anyway, and could replace the other items myself. So I bought the donor vehicle for $450. Miraculously, I was able to drive (limp) home. Not on the freeway of course - I choose life.

Since I am starting this blog a ways after starting the project, the next few posts will document what has happened to date.