The new license plate arrives

Check it out...

I also did some work on the front battery racks. The Exide 34XCD batteries have posts that are very close to the edge, so there is a risk of a short with the retaining frames. So some quick work with the angle grinder cut-off wheel, and... voila. Not a problem anymore.


I also made up a plastic (cutting board material) floor for each of the front rack spaces, for proper support and protection of the batteries from underneath. Here is a picture of how all the front batteries look during the test fit. Note the gap below - still have to order battery #16.

Battery layout & wiring

Both racks are now completely bolted in, and the battery clamps are scheduled to arrive middle of this week. So it's time to start planning the layout of how the batteries will be wired together. Here are some diagrams I whipped up for the front:And for the rear:

Note the use of Anderson connectors to disconnect the battery packs from the rest of the HV circuit in the front and in the back. I have also come to the realization that, based on the type of DC/DC converter I am installing, I may not need an auxiliary battery at all. The DC/DC converter will be connected to the HV traction battery pack at all times, and does not pull much current in "idle" mode (on the order of mA). Plus, I have a nice spot for the DC/DC converter to be mounted - right where the auxiliary battery used to be! Serendipity!

Battery fun

Junior mechanic putting in some weight-lifting cross-training reps on the batteries. At 41 lbs. each, they are heavy!


Put the poly battery box into the rear rack, and put the new batteries in for a test fit. They fit great! The whole unit is pretty solid, and has a lid and two top lockdown brackets, so in the event of an accident, these things ain't going nowhere.

The rear rack/box is a bit exposed because the rear bumper is missing. Remember, I am replacing the clipper ("crapper") kit bumpers with new, smaller euro-style bumpers, still on order.

Happy Battery Day!

My Exide Orbitals arrived today! I picked them up at a local mom-n-pop auto parts store that is about a mile from my house and distributes them (thanks Edmonds Auto Parts! You saved me mucho $$$ on shipping).

It was a hoot picking them up! At first I got some quizzical looks that implied I had somehow over-ordered for my car or boat. How could I possibly need that many batteries? The look transformed after I started explaining the intended purpose. I get that a lot these days. I think with gas prices where they are, people want to see stuff like this on the road. I get comments like "I'd like to build one too", to "how can I buy one of these things?"

You may notice from the pic that I only have 15 batteries. I planned on 16 (192V), but waffled at the last minute because I considered one rack position for the DC-DC converter. Now that I know my Belktronix unit will fit elsewhere, I plan on ordering battery #16 soon to complete the set.

Pack Voltage Increase!

After installing the front and rear battery racks, I did some measurements and more analysis on how many Exide Orbital 34XCD batteries I would be able to fit. To my surprise, I am able to fit up to 4 more, increasing the ultimate pack voltage from 144V to 192V. Most of the HV components can handle this increase, with the exception of the DC/DC converter. This is the unit that is effectively replacing the alternator in the car as the 12v auxiliary battery charge source, for lights and other LV items in the car. My current one was rated only up to 180V, and it would have been marginal at that high end.

As it turns out, 192V is a difficult pack voltage to get a converter for! It rests between the lower voltage range (72-170V) and upper voltage range (200-400V). I did end up finding a couple of candidates though:

Belktronix 675W Wide Range Converter (50A):
http://www.belktronix.com/isodcdc.html

EV Power's 486W Wide Range Converter (36A):
http://www.ev-power.com.au/-EV-DC-DC-CONVERTER-.html

I went with the Belktronix - a bit more expensive, but higher power. Should be here in a couple of weeks.

Batteries will be here Friday!

My current back-order component list:
1) Z1k-HV motor controller with HB2
2) Manzanita Micro PFC20 battery charger
3) Belktronix DC/DC converter

The battery racks arrive!

It was like Christmas Friday! The big package from Electro Auto arrived, containing front & rear battery racks, and the rear poly battery box that fits into the rear rack. I immediately checked the rear hole dimensions against the dimensions of the rear rack. You guessed it - the hole was too small. Better than too big, I guess. I trimmed the hole to fit with the grinder, and after some significant "persuasion", The rack moved into the hole. I haven't bolted it in yet, but I need to add some reinforcement pieces of steel for the side lips first - they came with the rack.
I also performed a test fit on the front rack - fit well. It also isn't bolted in yet, but I will do that soon.

I had been periodically removing the cabriolet body "clipper kit" over the last week or so while I was waiting for the parts to arrive. The plastic clipper kit pieces, including bumpers, are pretty thrashed, and I planned on replacing these bumpers with lighter weight and less obnoxious euro-style bumpers anyway. During the test fit in the front, I had to remove the bolts holding the front bumper on the vehicle. So here is the first look at the vehicle and its new form...

Also, the mount plate for the brake booster system arrived, so I installed that as well. It basically mounts the electric vacuum motor and vacuum reservoir for the power brake system (since the engine is gone, I need a new vacuum source for the brakes, and this is it). The motor mounted nicely, and now I have to attach the reservoir on top with some tightening hold-downs.
Exide Orbital (34XCD) batteries have been ordered (12 of them). I should be able to pick them up next week! The project is starting to speed up again!

Routing HV cables front to back

I've been working out an approach to safely and securely route the HV cables from the rear of the car to the engine compartment. The cables should not go through the passenger compartment, and although they are insulated should be protected from each other and weather, road kick-up, etc. After closer examination at the underside of the car, it looks like the best candidate location is the center channel underneath the car. This channel is where the exhaust pipe was routed, and has readily accessible mounting bolts attached to the underside of the frame. The channel is also obviously recessed, so it should protect the cables better.

I am also planning on sheathing each of the cables in schedule 40 PVC pipe. I considered putting them into the same pipe, but again, I want to isolate them as much as possible from each other in the event something does pierce one of the pipes. This way, the chances of an electrical short are minimized.

EV Expense List

Converting an EV can be inexpensive, if you are not going for performance as well. My goal is a little different, and therefore I have been spending a bit more for better parts. I have also been updating the donor car with new brakes, shocks, etc. The previous owner drove the car into the ground before he sold it. Anyway, for those of you who are interested in specific costs, here are mine to date. I have budgeted $3K for the batteries (my last major expense), but anticipate it will be closer to $2.5K since I have found a local distributor and will not have to pay shipping.

Wiring Diagrams, Take 3 (Simplification)

You can tell I don't have all the components yet, because I am still mucking around with the wiring diagrams! My Z1K-HV is on back-order, and the charger (Manzanita Micro PFC-20) is also on back-order, although probably not as severe. Anyway, I think I am honing in on the final design here (famous last words). Of note are the repositioning of the contactor, circuit breaker and shunt. This simplifies things a bit.

Wiring Diagrams, Take 2

Some review feedback on my earlier diagrams has led to me revising them slightly. Here is the latest version of the front:

and the back of the car:

The waiting is almost over (part 1)

I received word from Electro Auto that my battery racks will be shipped out in a couple of days. Boy, that was a long wait - about 2 months. Now I can finally fill this hole in the back with something.

McBeefy Fuses

Check out these bad boys. Rated for 500A, these fuses will be installed in the middle of each of the two battery packs, one in the front and one in the rear. Now all I need are batteries and racks =)

The EV Console

Worked on installing the Heinemann circuit breaker and some of the gauges into the console today. From early circuit diagram development, I was figuring out where to place the manual circuit breaker, or kill switch. Placement is pretty important, because if things get out of hand while driving, I want a reliable method to cut the HV battery pack circuit. BUT, I didn't want to expose passengers to any more of the HV cabling than necessary. My solution - through the console.

Here is the partially completed console from front...






















And from the back.

Installing the Hall Effect Pedal Assembly (HEPA)

Mechanical accelerator pedal - GONE!

Electrical accelerator pedal - INSTALLED!

I ordered my Z1K-HV motor controller configured with the -P option, which basically sets the HB2 up to accept control input not from a pot-box (the old way), but from a Hall-effect pedal assembly (the new way). The HEPA is also manufactured by Cafe Electric. It will be more consistent and last longer than a pot-box in the long run, and I am glad I selected the option. It really is getting close to the drive-by-wire concept though!

Cafe Electric states that the HEPA may not mount well in every vehicle. This is true in the case of the cabby as well, where the bottom bolt could not go through the firewall in its current position - it would interfere with the manual steering rack mount. I crafted an aluminum extension, which worked pretty well. It's now in, and the signal cable has been routed through to the engine compartment.

Now if I only had my Zilla. Still on back-order, and it will hopefully get here within the month.

Roberino - Makin' cables

Making the HV cables has jumped to the forefront recently, since I just received my Juli Tools YYQ-120A hydraulic cable crimper and HS-125 cable cutter from China via ZEVA (www.zeva.com.au). These are the heavy duty tools that will make my job of making many, many battery cables a little easier. I am excited! There are manual cable crimpers out there, but I am not interested in a workout here. I did a test crimp using the hydraulic, and the crimper worked great - no effort, and a very sturdy crimp. The only downside was that the crimper is metric and the closest die was 70 mm2, where 2/0 welding cable is actually 67.5 mm2. So not exact, but close enough.


Look at that crimp! No effort at all.

More useful links - manufacturers

Cafe Electric, home of the Zilla motor controller - best on the market (I am using the Z1K-HV).

Electro Auto, home of the VoltsRabbit and VoltsPorsche conversion kits/books

Detailed HV Circuit Diagrams - front and back

Here is the circuit diagram for the front, basically mostly contained in the engine compartment. I have been very explicit about keeping the HV and auxiliary circuits separate whenever possible.

I have separated the components into functional circuit blocks, for FCBs, which will physically be mounted within the engine compartment. I have several candidate locations, but will wait for the front battery rack to go in before finalizing the install. Until then, I will start assembling the FCBs.



Considerably simpler than the front diagram, here is the rear circuit diagram. The only items back in the cargo area are the rear battery pack and rear FCB, containing mainly the charger. The charger AC supply will feed through the former gas tank feeder tube to the outside of the vehicle.

Note that I will have three HV cables running between the rear and front sections of the vehicle. The plan is to have these cables running along the underside of the vehicle in pvc pipe, following the path formerly used by the fuel lines which are now gone.

Inspirational Videos

White Zombie Feature

White Zombie Under The Hood

White Zombie vs. a "Gasser"

Some Related EV Links

Here is a link to the "EV album":
http://www.evalbum.com

Electro is listed here as well:
http://www.evalbum.com/1426

A useful forum for conversions is the Electric Vehicle Discussion List (EVDL):
http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html