Mo's Electric Corvette- Lot of Pictures
 

Close to about 2 years ago, I was having issues getting my Supercharged 396 Corvette through California Emissions testing.

I posted a few pictures long ago. I was actually bumped by Agent 86 to give an update on my "Jetson Car" LOL

I don't need to hear the flames ( although everyone has been quite kind about this.)

I love this car and I love the power, so to beat the emissions I converted the car to complete battery power. It was a choice of only being able to run at the strip or converting and get to drive anytime I want, AND smog exempt! I can throw as much amperage and batteries at this that I want and not have to worry about failing a smog test .

I'll answer a bunch of questions then add some comments with the pictures as well.

When I embarked on this 2 years ago I took baby steps rather than just blowing money... I started out with a 500Amp controller and was running 144v using 12 -12v batteries with the 4L60E automatic.

Two years later I have received a battery sponsorship and I'm continuing to move forward with performance.

I now am running 288 volts 16 16 volt batteries and have a water cooled 2000Amp controller. The motor is only rated for 100 HP ( for now)... I'm still contemplating a second motor or a larger higher voltage version.

To date at 100 rpm's I'm hitting 739 ft/lbs of torque which settles to about 240 ft/lbs at about 1400, averages out at about 195 ft/lbs to about 3200 RPM's and 150 ft /lbs through to about 5500 RPM I'm squeezing 133 HP ( out of a 100 rated motor ) at 3500 rpm'd I redline at 5500 RPM"s

About a year ago I pulled out the 4L60E and put in a ZF6 manual transmission. so that I would not have to idle the motor at stop lights.

At about 50 mph I get about 22 miles to a charge... Around town it is closer to about 30 miles. ( For those to compare a Prius without the motor running gets 40 miles.) top speed is about 85 mph thus far. I'm still breaking in the batteries.

It take about 4 hours to charge depending on how far down I run the batteries, it charges from either 120 or 220 volt outlets.

I pulled 938 pounds from the car, 8 pounds of wire under the hood alone which was strictly engine wiring. I replaced with 1089 pounds so the car os only 150 pounds over stock weight.

0-60 is about 8 seconds right now... That is with only 600 amps being pulled from the batteries and a 1-2 without a clutch


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...cfeef8481d.jpg

The 386 Supercharged LT4 with a T-trim

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After the engine was pulled only the automatic remained.


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Everything was pulled from the engine compartment.

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The electric motor adapter is fitted to the 4L60E

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...3a8ae93bca.jpg

The car is up for pulling out all the emissions parts.

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Fuel tank is removed.

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The ADC FB1-4001 100 peak HP electric motor.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...8e34a1694a.jpg

The shaft adapter to adapt the flex plate to the motor.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...ed1266551d.jpg

Motor with the adapter plate

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...109f92e4f8.jpg

Crankshaft adapter added to the rear of the motor.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...81a01e0208.jpg

Flex plate added...

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...60c8d8fd41.jpg

Everything assembled.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...606792a9fb.jpg

Battery racks for the lower front 4 batteries.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...3d72759e77.jpg

Electric Power steering pump.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...1305d9a886.jpg

Power steering pump and motor is in.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...b2f1bf681e.jpg

The "old" Curtis Controller maximum 500 Amps

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...593853df7a.jpg

As I mentioned after about a year I swapped out the automatic to save juice so at a light I did not have to idle the motor to keep transmission pressure. This is the new "clutchless" adapter...

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...5a4737fc1b.jpg

The adapter essentially couples the transmission input shaft to the motor. The spline and springs were retained to absorb torsional spikes.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...06b2f164b9.jpg

The motor is mated to the ZF6 6 speed transmission, I kept my D36 differential ( for now) and changed the input shaft on the drive shaft, this didn't require any cutting to the driveshaft, nor modifications to the C-Beam

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...e9308099c3.jpg

ZF6 Just about in...

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...d2622f07ce.jpg

Fuel tank removed and rear battery rack which will now hold 10 batteries.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...08c1ce9cd6.jpg

20 New XS Power XP1000 16 volt batteries.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...ce28e0490d.jpg

These are capable of 2400 amp draw ( I have thus far only pulled about 900 amps from them. they weigh 46 pounds.

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Lower 4 XP1000 batteries installed.

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10 XP1000 batteries installed in the rear. I use 2/0 welding cables to connect the batteries.

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Wasn't planned this way, but looks pretty cool! With the rear bumper back on the car.

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2/0 cable connecting the rear battery pack to the front batteries.

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Gast Vacuum pump and Square D pressure switch handle the power brakes and vacuum elsewhere in the car.

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Fuses block for the controller, the red cap is an inertia switch in the event of an accident it disconnects power to the system. The silver square to the right is the "Pot box" this is essentially the throttle control. Look at it as a light dimmer control... More the accelerator is pushed the brighter the lights, or the faster I go .... Below the pot box it a Dakota digital speedometer box. It connects to the Vss sensor in the transmission and feed the speed to the stock speedometer.

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The top 4 batteries in the front, the car has a total of 18 batteries the weigh 46 pounds each.

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In the foreground is the Cafe' Zilla Controller HV-2000 it is water cooled capable of 2000 amps and can control 2 motors with a nominal 300 volts... The black box with fins is the on-board El con Battery charger that will charge all the batteries simultaneously. The far side is the main power breaker and the green smaller box is the "hairball" which is the brains for the controller, it can log runs , sets the high and low voltages as well as rev limit the motor.

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https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...3bfeea8ca4.jpg

It is interesting driving around and people are looking to hear a rumble. The comments of most who have ridden in the car is that it is like a them park ride, you feel it pull you back in the seat, but there is no noise... almost eerie quiet.

Thanks for letting me share...

MO

to:thumbs:tally cool

Great work!!
What front to back weight distribution do you have now?

Would be funny if someone asked you for a jump start.

You are a very brave man for undertaking such a major project. Looks cool and you should get some interesting responses at car shows if that is your thing. Does the Vette weight more or less with the conversion? How long do you think the batteries will last? Very intriguing indeed!

Gotta love the Mad Scientists!

:rock:

:cool:

:iagree:

That is an awesome project.

Right in post #1 :thumbs:

Beyond cool. I am highly impressed, and am not one who is easily impressed. Very nicely done. Tell us more! And please keep this tread updated as you continue to tinker. This is utterly fascinating.

Let me know if you decide to sell it! I have a 5-mile round-trip commute to work, and this would be the ideal vehicle!

Live well,

SJW

Thanks Guys!

I never thought about the jump starts! LOL

The car is at about 3520 so about 100 pound heavier than stock. I need to have it checked for sure but The weight is probably about 48/52 now that I have added 4 more batteries to the rear of the car.

These batteries if I don't take them too often below 80% depth of discharge are in the neighborhood of about 1000 cycles so worse case 3 years but probably more towards 5 years. In most cases in my travels I'm only using about 40- 45 % of the charge...

Regards,

MO

Love it! So, how much would it cost to convert an ole Chevy truck to electric? Plenty of room for batteries!

Awesome work! :thumbs:

S10's are a very popular conversion... Most people put the batteries under the bed...

Depending on how far and how much power you are looking for...

The motor is about 1700, the controllers run from about 1400 - 6000, then the batteries which can be about 200 dollars each... The adapter plate and the couples are about 800 dollars... The charger is about 2000 These are essentially the highest priced components... This a few upgrades and such I'm probably at about 12K but I bought the manual transmission... I sold the engine transmission and such and recouped most of the cash outlay.

MO

Really not too bad, minus all the batteries. We need to find you a sponsor so you can get lithium batteries (or whatever is the best these days)!

Looks good Mo. I thought the weight ratio would be closer to 50/50 wasn't it 52/48 (F/B) stock? I used to drive a Toyota Rav4 EV. It had a single 50 HP motor and it would push you back in the seat. Your right about the silent acceleration it is strange. Good conversation starter!
Great Job:cheers:

Hey Mo, you just need to just plug one of these in....http://soundracer.se/

One of the coolest things I have seen come through C4 gen in quite a while. Nicely done. :thumbs:

That is some bad azzzz engineering, way :cool:

You'd get my vote for best engine at any car show.

This is one of the coolest things I have seen on CF in a long time.:thumbs:

Hi Bill,

Yes you are right I think they were 52/48, when i was running 20 12v batteries I was right down to the pound of being 50/50 I have added the power steering pump in the front, but shed 2 batteries in the front when I switched to the 16 volt batteries. I need to take it to the scales and see where exactly I am...

Thanks!

Wayne

Shakedown,

Yes funny you should mention that... some one showed me this a few weeks ago... Can you imagine with about 2000W of audio LOL...

Quick little story,I'm stopped at a light, a police car pulls up in the left turn lane... I keep looking straight ahead, he keeps looking over at the car perplexed... A few seconds later the passenger window opens about 4 inches, it seemed he was looking for the rumble... LOL

I motored away... I'm actually waiting to get pulled over for the smog spot checks they pull out here...

MO

No Air Conditioning? :D

How's the performance with the six speed?

Great Job!!!...

Thanks for the update Mo :thumbs::thumbs:

Way cool !! :D :rock:

Oh, and we need a video with audio, or lack there of. :D

I pretty much drive around in second gear... 0 -65 LOL

No air at this time... They do have electric versions though LOL

thank you!

MO

Super cool Mo, bet maintenance is so much less and an altogether different experience.

Always good to see someone think outside the box. :cheers:

Nice work

you'll win every Corvette car show trophy, in the electric vette category, prolly peoples choice, you got my vote!

I've seen it and I don't believe it. Wow thats is some impressive work and investment. Ill be looking forward a video of it driving and its capabilities.

I guess now that is electric, you can go with a 4.11 gears or higher.

That is FANTASTIC!:cheers:

Thank you for the compliments everyone....

Yes being electric I pass fuel stations pull in to the garage, plug in and let it charge like an electric razor LOL... Ironically when I'm parked while shopping the batteries recoup as much as 10% while the car is at rest.

You can hear the C-Beam groaning on take off, I have to somewhat watch that I don't stab the pedal too hard as I'm concerned of snapping the input shaft right off the transmission. The coupler only weighs about 8 pounds versus a full blown flywheel which is around say even 35 pounds, so it will catch RPM's rather quickly.

I have not lit up the 315's on the back as of yes bit it definately hooks up good...

Yes I has also considered bumping up the rear end to 4.56's or there abouts. The motors efficiency is best around 3500-4000 rpm... really seems odd cruising with the RPM's that high...

I'm trying to get a few things cleaned up and start attending as many shows as I possibly can.

Regards,

MO

totally cool !!!
congratulations !!!
Video is a must !!!

Great job! I am not sure if I told you this before but back in the early 60s we had a guy down the street who was a retired fork lift mechanic. He took the motor and a huge electric battery from a forklift and put them in an old VW bug. He used it to go to the local shopping mall. I am going to guess that it only went about 15-20mph.
The best part was that he had an old style windmill outside of his garage and used that to power his battery charger!
If he was still alive he would be impressed by your fine engineering!:thumbs:

Wow, fantastic work!!

:iagree: Very "outside the box". :cool::cool:

Whats the possibility of a regenerating deal that while youre driving theres a device that would help recharge the batteries I understand some of the new hybrids have something similar.

Im real ignorant on the subject so excuse if it sounds stupid. :D

BTW gotta hook up on that block shoot me a pm sometime.

:iagree:

Man I would love to see that in person. :yesnod:

Hey Cuisinartvette!

Essentially that is what a hybrid does, they have a small engine that charges the battereies as you drive along. Actually sone folks will make a "pusher" trailer that they hook behind the car with a generator to charge the batteries as they drive along, mostly for long distances.

There is also regenerative braking as well, but in my opionion unless you live in the hills it is not worth the effort.

Yes I will shoot you a PM ;)

Thanks!

MO

Cool, subscribed.

What do you do for vacuum for the brakes? Electric pump?

Hi 3D87C4,

Yes I have a 12v Gast vacuum pump that is controlled by a pressure switch once it gets to about 15 inches of vacuum it pumps back down to about 25 inches of vacuum.

Mo

Makes my Hydrogen Hybrid project look like child's play.

Very nice! :thumbs: :thumbs:

That is absolutely amazing.:thumbs:

Very cool car! Would love to convert my 82 corvette to electric (probably have more power then the crossfire motor anyways)

This is very cool, and your engineering is absolutely first rate! Congratulations for having easily the most interesting C4 on the forum :cheers:

Vette Daddy , Digital Disaster, Jeff,

Thank you!

Best regards,

MO

Thanks for the pix & progress report Mo, lookin good!

All I can say is, WOW!!! That is beyond COOL- :cool::thumbs::cheers:

Thanks!
I will try to get some video's together
MO

Awesome car :thumbs: Does the dash work like it used to?

Saw this video a while back, thought maybe it was you but this one is an 87

Yes thanks for sharing, that is the "Volt Vette" Micheal Shoop in Minneapolis, he beat me by having his finished first by a few months. He had his going in late 2008, I was on the road March of 2009. We have never met, but he seems like a nice guy..

He has reedited this a couple times, he first said his was the only in the world, now he is the only one in the US...
He has received plenty of ink from magazines, but I think it is probably due to his membership with the Sierra Club.

I do have to admit his web site is an interesting read. He had a team helping him with his build, I did all of my work (except machining) by myself.

In one of the blogs on the car the say the top speed is 40 mph and that he broke a drive shaft at 70. My top speed thus far has been over 70 I suspect I can reach about 85 ( this is mainly due to the battery voltages), so I'm not sure how true that is...

My system starts like any other key on / start.. I don't have to go through that long of a start up procedure.

He choose larger batteries weighing 70 pound each, while mine are 46 pounds. He is running 156V, I am running 288 Nominal volts. We are both running the same controller...

I chose to keep the car towards the light side, I'm at about 120 pounds heavier than stock my calculations showed that you reach a point where you are expending energy just to move the batteries around...

He is running his direct drive with I think a 4.56 or a 4.88 rear end, I pulled the automatic and I'm running a ZF 6 mostly in second gear with the stock 3.07 rear end. So I'm at about 5.53 :1 overall gear ratio I can shift with out a clutch and generally run 1-2 and occasionally 3rd if I am above 60 mph, the motor likes to run at about 3500 -4000 rpms..

I'm also running the power steering and the same DC /DC converter.

He is running the larger 11 in motor, they now have a HV version of his motor which is probably next on my list. I'm running a 9" motor, and at one time was thinking of doubling them up, but the machining cost would plus the additional motor would cost the more than the 11 HV motor... It is capable of 1400 amps and 192volt where my current motor is limited to about 900 amps and 154 volts.

So just like in the "ICE" ( internal combustion engine) world there are many ways to skin the proverbial cat :)

Yes I'm still using the tach and the speedometer, water temp and battery voltage. The battery warning light is always on and goes out as a warning that I'm dropping below 80% depth of discharge. Low water is set to show if the motor is over 375 degrees.

Best regards,

MO

I see Mo running this thing in the 12s soon :lol:


Just the sound of the tires in teh burnout box. Kinda creepy haha.

*subscribe* awesome!

This is an incredible project and undertaking,

You had/currently have a vette I could only have dreamed of (built 396 w/ supercharger).

heck I wish I could have bought your engine.

I honestly believe you know you could have gotten that thing to pass CA emisssions (with RT metallic substrate high-flow cats, and maybe a smaller cam (though I dont know what your cam specs were).

However, I believe you are the type of the person who wanted the extreme challenge of going something way different.

And it looks like you succeeded.

Very cool car.

Why a 6 speed though? Why not run a lighter 4 speed since you don't use all the gears anyways?

No heater either. Nice installation job!

DizWiz, WOW thank you for such kind words... Yes I was very close (the Nox at 15mph was 9 points too high from passing). It got to a point was tired of dumping money more into it, while it seems the agenda it to force the older cars off the road. Unfortunately in CA you have to use the OEM cats or "approved CA cats"...

So yes as you said, it was then I decided to make the change and just "go for it"... I have been taking baby steps and have been fortunate that most of my decisions on this project have been good. Keep posted I'm not finished yet :)

Best regards,
MO

OH YEAH!!! :willy:

MO

Hey Jeff,

Yes I could have went with a 4 or 5 speed, I was actually running my 4L60E for about a year, but the high stal converter was counter productive since I have the most torque at the low end, plus the efficiency of having to idle the motor to keep the pressure up.

You have a valid point, I choose the ZF6 mainly so I would not have to "engineer" new mounting brackets rear transmission mounts etc... so more for simplicity and the transmission was able to purchase brand new at a very low price...

MO

Hi JFB,

Thank you!

Actually for the moment, ( as you can see) I have the heater capped off. However, I have a electric ceramic heater that I will be placing in its place, I just haven't got to it yet, I still have the vacuum to handle the various settings...

MO

Quite impressive. I've seen a handful of Fiero conversions to electric, but this is the first Corvette. On my next trip out to SoCal, I've gotta see this! Lunch is on me. :cheers:

Other ideas for plates....

"Smoglss" "Corvolt" "wattsup" "HumVett" :D

Way to go Mo! :thumbs:

Good Luck

:cool:

BTF out of a Volt :lol:

wow, great work

Thanks!

Sounds like a plan! Actually I'm working on "MO AMPS " HEH

Best regards,
MO

LOL :D

Thanks
MO

Great write up - I'll bet its odd not to hear the V8 rumbling.

To convert to electric and only be 120 pounds heavier is unbelievable.

Did you take in to account the weight of gas with a full tank of gas? If not, there is your weight differential.

Yes Prince, that was taking in to consideration of a full tank of fuel.

MO

If you really want to complete the effect, drive it to work and when you park, break out with a folding solar panel kit and plug it into the car. That should have people scratching their heads. :lol: Won't gain you a whole lot of charge, but it will have the locals intrigued. :yesnod:

Ill bet taking it to the local cruise in has GOT to turn some heads when its silent

That would be hilarious LOL

Thanks!

MO

Yes even local police don't know what to make of it.. :lol:

MO

So what will happen when you pull it into the inspection station? I say leave a fake tailpipe and let the tech put the sniffer in there. Then hardwire the Check Engine light to stay on :rofl:

I can just see the expression on their faces when they check to see if all the emissions hardware is still in place. :lol:

My hat is definitely off to anyone who has the ability, time and energy to attempt such a thing. Impressive is an understatement. Might be the way of the future, who knows. But definitely worth a "two thumbs up!":thumbs::thumbs:

We have smog spot stations they set up around us, I'm waiting for them to pull me over LOL..

There is no exhaust of course... I have set next to the police and you can see where they are wondering where the rumble is or whether I'm "broke down" ...

But it is officially licensed as a BEV "Battery Electric Vehicle" so I don't sweat it, even on the registration it shows a "E" for the fuel type.

Durissus,

Thank you! this project is over the course of 2 years. I actually did the initial conversion in less than 3 months ( most of the time was waiting for parts to come in). I pulled the motor the 24th of April and had the car on the road the 4th of July... I didn't show all the pictures but the car has evolved quite a bit, and I'm still not finished... The motor still a bit on the low side, so I expect to be changing it as well...

MO

It can truly be called a "rare" C4 now ..... :thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

To cool, comming from a Electronic Tech!
Once I saw how you mated the Motor to the tranny, i new you had it!
Next step , use of lighter more powerful batteries?

wow a corvette golf cart.:woohoo::rock:

Then set up a series of solar panels and a wind turbine in the back yard to help charge it. I'd love to see just how low the cost of operation per mile could be....even factoring in eventual battery replacement. At $4 + a gallon, I think in the long run you could see some substantial savings.

At any rate, this is the coolest build thread I think I've ever seen. Great to see someone reaching beyond the ordinary...... :cheers:

Mo - This is awsome! Your install is super clean and very impressive. I have a '91 Convertible sitting in the garage and I thought about making it an EV conversion. I periodically do research on the technology, components, etc. When I first did my research last year I came across Michael Shoop's site. I came across this thread today.

What you both have is very inspiring. I'm not very mechanically inclined so I will need to employ some assistance with the work when the time comes. I have the EV conversion for my '91 on the radar and it will probably be a couple years before I can knock that out.

What kind of range do you get on a single charge?

Looks great and very well done!!!

Yes Exactly!

MO

Well little faster than that :lol:

We had a guy with a windmill near me the city made him take it down... the neighbors thought it was an "eye-sore" :toetap:

It runs a little over 1.69 to charge and I get about 25 miles (50 mph) to the charge ( depending how fast I drive)...

MO

well, i don't get it...but as long as you're happy

thank you!

Yes as I mentioned Micheal beat me by a few months, he has his set up a little different than I do, but at the end of the day, it is no different than a cam or heads or cubic inches...

Driving around town, 40 - 50 miles per hour i'm around 25 miles range, consider a Prius without the motor only gets 40...
I purposely chose to run a smaller battery so that the car would be around stock weight, rather than using all the energy just moving the batteries around. I'm running 50Ah batteries versus Micheal's 110 Ah, I'm not sure that his range I much further than mine, do to the additional weight... I'm running 18 batteries and a higher voltage, he is running heavier batteries and only 12 ...

If I had about 20K to buy lithium batteries, I would have close to 100 miles range. But the positive side of this is when the lithium batteries do come down in price, it is just a matter of dropping the new ones in...

Regards,

MO

So you have roughly half the cost of gasoline per mile to run it. What do you figure battery life will be and what the (eventual) cost of replacement?

Say if you drove it to work and back each day, 10 miles each way, that's 100 miles per week, or roughly 420 miles per month. That's 16.8 charges per month X $1.69, or $28.39 in electricity. If you were running gasoline and getting say 18 mpg around town, that's 23.33 gallons of gasoline at $4 a gallon in California....or $93. You'd save roughly $65 a month in fuel in this scenario. That's a $780 annual fuel savings.

Nice thing is, I think you could "scavenge" some power when you parked various places.....if you get my drift ;)

Hey Frizelfrak,

To recharge the pack at 80% depth of discharge would require about 11.520 Kwh @ .0695 cents ( CA Tier 2 pricing) = 11.52 Kwh * .0695 = $ 0.80 So it is less than I actually estimated...

So based on your 16.8 times a month = $13.44 in electricity.

Most batteries are rated to give over 1000 charge cycles at 80% DOD so with your 16.8 charges a month at say the 80% DOD would be about 202 charges a year... So you would get say roughly 5 years out of the batteries...

yes many places do let you plug in, I have heard of corporations that will actually put electric car plug ins for their employees.

Best regards,

MO

:cool::cool::cool:

We need you tube videos stat!!!

I will try to get some shot tomorrow ;)

MO

Would thinner, lighter drive and half shafts be practical, to reduce the power required to turn the wheels?

It would probably help, also i need to get the wheels realigned as well. I have thought also about swapping out the independent suspension, but that is a ways out...

MO

Very :cool:.

How does your motor, trans, and battery setup differ from something like the Tesla? Being built from the ground up as an electric vehicle doesnt hurt I guess. I see the Tesla weighs in at 2723 lbs.

Are you going for performance, efficiency, or both?

:lurk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b7P8pjHpgM


Tesla Specs...

Motor
375 volt AC induction air-cooled electric motor with variable frequency drive.

Roadster Sport
Torque 295 lb-ft at 0-5,100 rpm
Horsepower 288 hp (215 kW) at 4,400-6,000 rpm
Max rpm 14,000 rpm


Acceleration
Roadster Sport
Top Speed 125 mph
0 to 60 mph 3.7 seconds

Transmission
Single speed fixed gear. Reverse drive uses reverse direction of motor, limited to 15 mph.

Overall Final Drive 8.28:1
Final Drive Ratio 3.12:1


Battery
Custom microprocessor-controlled lithium-ion battery with 6,831 individual cells. 3.5 hour charge time from empty to full using the Tesla High Power Wall Connector at 240 Volts and 70 Amps.

Range 245 miles
Expected Battery Life Seven-years or 100,000 miles
Battery heater for cold weather charging to -20 degrees Celsius Standard


Chassis & Exterior
Chassis
Designed exclusively to support electric drive technology, the monocoque chassis is constructed with resin-bonded and riveted extruded aluminum.


Exterior Features and Options
Carbon Fiber Body Panels Standard


Dimensions
Exterior Dimensions
Overall Length 155.1 in.
Width Across Mirrors 72.9 in.
Overall Height (mid-laden) 44.35 in.
Wheel Base 92.6 in.
Front Track 57.7 in.
Rear Track 59 in.
Curb Weight 2,723 lbs.

Love the Tesla :thumbs: It's built on a Lotus Elise frame though, so I see why it's lighter. But, it's also something like $100k.

hey Rick,

Most of the built cars use AC motors, which are a little more efficient and generally have higher voltages. A good portion of the 140K price tag is for the batteries alone... They use batteries similar to laptop batteries put in series parallel and as you saw over 3,000 of them.

Where i am starting with a full framed car that is probably 4 times the size of a Tesla.

I'm using literally off the shelf 16V 46 pound batteries so the power density to weight is not even close to lithium batteries. But it is really more due to the price I have a hard time justifying over 20K for batteries at least at this point... So I'm just waiting for the prices to go down... My transmission and efficiency is probably "close" but obviously I'm carrying a 1500 pound weight penalty LOL I'm running 288 volts nominal compared to their 375 I can rev to about 7,000 to thier 14,000 RPM my final drive rations are 8:1 and about 5.53 :1

I'm going more for performance and not as concerned about distance...
I can essentially dial back the controller to make it as lame as a golf cart and get more mileage, but i love the low end torque push you back in the seat pulls :)

MO

:iagree: Most interesting! That was a bunch of quality time spent to convert that car! Impressive project.

Maybe a solar powered targa top!!! :thumbs:

This is just an all around awesome project. The install looks so well done. :cool:

Thank you guys!

MO

:iagree: Ya know....THAT would be cool....and it would look like an original smoked top. The ideas for this car are limitless. :yesnod: