wtmusic's Electric Car Project / Chapter 2

[wtmusic]

Things are moving slowly largely due to my lack of mechanical experience (determination will get the job done, but unfortunately doesn't move things along any faster). My son has been a valuable assistant, and we have spent a lot of the last six weeks buying tools and learning how to use them. The remainder of our time has been spent emptying fluids and disconnecting and carefully labeling everything from electrical connections to drive axles.

Yesterday we rented an engine hoist for $60 and lifted the engine from the car.



I was able to purchase a factory shop manual and wiring manual on ebay, which have been invaluable (believe it or not, there is bonehead step-by-step instruction on how to remove the engine).

The next steps are separating the transaxle from the engine block, removing the back seat, and building cardboard mockups of batteries to figure out where to put them. We are in a constant state of flux regarding number of batteries/configuration, but Bob Batson of EVAmerica has been extremely helpful, offering advice and running calculations. The latest: 11 Trojan T-1275 12V batteries for a total voltage of 132V, battery weight of 913 lbs, a range just short of 50 miles, and a top speed of around 75mph. The rule of thumb for 12V wet lead-acid batteries is 1 mile of range for every 20 lbs of lead.

Thanks to muriel_volestrangler for quite correctly attempting to curb my boyish optimism for range in Chapter 1. The car will lose no usefulness as an errand/commute vehicle with 50mi range; my typical daily drive is far less.

Chapter 1:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=115&topic_id=80356

Blog:

http://www.mpelectriccar.org/blog/

[phantom power]

1. Thanks for keeping us updated. K+R

[seemunkee]

2. K&R

Put your blog in my bookmarks.

[greenman3610]

3. you rule, my friend..

[hunter]

4. This is so cool.

Hmmmm, maybe when I finish all the half-done projects around here...

[Dead_Parrot]

5. k&r

Awesome stuff... :D

[Canuckistanian]

6. Looks like you're making progress!

Can you stay on schedule for Sept. 1?

Best of luck!

[wtmusic]

7. Target date has been amended also

I want to drive it to the AltCar Expo in Santa Monica, CA on Oct. 21 2007:

http://www.altcarexpo.com/

and get it home again--about a 40mi round trip--tow trucks not allowed!

[razzleberry]

8. what battery life do you expect?

my understanding is, deep-cycle lead acids,
have an expected life of less than a thousand cycles,
at 50 percent discharge

[wtmusic]

9. I believe you are correct

750-1000 cycles/3-5 years, depending a lot on how well you take care of them and local weather conditions.

So every 3-5 years I'll have to drop another $1650 on batteries. Probably a wash with no tuneups, oil/filter changes, and fewer parts to maintain (no alternator, muffler, fuel pump/injectors, belts, starter, etc.)

[eppur_se_muova]

10. Are you familiar with GlobalSpec? (Registration required for searching)

http://electronic-components.globalspec.com/LearnMore/Electrical_Electronic_Components/Batteries/Rechargeable_Secondary_Batteries

http://www.globalspec.com/FeaturedProducts/SearchResults?criteria=Rechargeable%20%28Secondary%29%20Batteries

(on edit: Oops, meant to reply to OP, but no harm)

[wtmusic]

11. No I wasn't

Thanks for the link -- a good resource to have.

Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, nearly all the "exotics" (as any batteries other than lead-acid are sometimes dismissively labeled) are for very small amp applications, are exhorbitantly expensive, or finicky to recharge (need constant monitoring).

The two alternative frontrunners for traction power in an EV, based on technology alone, are Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Li-Ion. NiMH is out of the running for now, as Chevron-Texaco snapped up the patent and isn't allowing licenses for anything much larger than a cellphone (wonder why?). Li-Ion shows a lot of promise but the batteries have a tendency to explode violently--still work to do.

[skids]

13. Valence and a123 batteries will not explode.

...but they will put a hefty dent in your wallet. A123 uses a new safe chemistry, and you can get testimonials to the fact that they are stable on RC car discussion forums where people are putting them through all sorts of abuse.

Had you heard of this system?

http://www.leftlanenews.com/hybrid-mini-offers-640-hp-0-60-in-45-seconds.html

...should work just as well in a pure EV as it does in an HEV.

[wtmusic]

14. There's very little data

on the Valence cells as to what would happen when the kind of car you sit inside crashes. The forces are a few orders of magnitude higher than an R/C car.

They say they won't explode, and I've seen the video of them shooting rifle slugs through the battery. But even Tesla didn't go near them, opting for over 6,800 cellphone-size cells--and my guess is that it was because of safety issues.

[skids]

15. 50-200 cells...

...in series is what they'll be shooting for in the hybrid packs (300+VAC, post doubler, given that's what they do with the NiMHs in the current models, though they may add more in parallel for PHEVs.) In a crash with a short, you'll dump way more charge than in normal use, so a simple set of well placed fuses and other cutoffs (between packs as well as over the load) should be adequate protection. The real challenge is extending the life of the cells by babying them, but it sounds like you're not going to get that fancy. The M1 cell is about cell phone capacity, energy wise, though it's rated for a lot more power, and about the size you describe.

For a project on a budget lead acid is definitely the way to go, though. Just don't underestimate the dangers with lead acid, they can cook things pretty well too.

[wtmusic]

16. For 11 of the 12V Valence U-Charge batteries

they want $16,000. It's too much of a gamble (although they're supposed to be available I haven't found anyone who's actually bought one).

AFAIK NiMH packs suitable for EVs are off-the-market for hobbyists -- licensing restrictions prevent sale to anyone but large contract buyers. Do you know anything about this?

So yeah, I'm on a budget, and I'm kind of hoping by the time these batteries wear out I'll be able to switch over to an AC system with regen braking and proven, affordable Li-Ion batteries.

[skids]

17. No sorry

I've never had to by a big NiMH.

There's these due out this fall, FWIW:

http://blog.tmcnet.com/beyond-voip/green-technology/firefly-breathes-new-life-into-lead-acid-battery-design-and-scores-10-.asp

[oldhippie]

12. That's been my experience also with lead-acids........

...in my PV system that powers my ham radio shack. Two 60W panels charging 4 Trojan T-105s for 450A-Hrs @ 12 VDC. I've had the system on-line for about 16 years. I have to replace the batteries every 3-4 years, even though I typically only use the top 20% of charge. Almost never (maybe once or twice a year) get down to 60% charge. In my case I think the hot Texas summer temps in my shed shorten the life. I'm not sure if the environment in a car would be better or worse for them compared to my stationary environment.

Following along with your build project with great interest. Always wanted to do what you're doing.

[eppur_se_muova]

18. This is kind of a data dump -- came across it while googling.

This page: http://www.madkatz.com/ev/resources.html
Myself: Mike Thompson http://www.madkatz.com/ [e-mail]
======== Electric Vehicles (EV) ========
Take Action! http://www.madkatz.com/ev/action/ [e-mail]
Why? EVs are 99% cleaner on CA electricity from well to wheels.
TZEV TRUE Zero Emissions Vehicles when charged by 100% renewable energy 95% of Californians breathe air state and federal authorities consider unsafe.
http://www.californialung.org/
HOV lane access for Clean Air Vehicles (EV,CNG) CA AB71
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm http://ev1-club.power.net/
Take action: http://www.californialung.org/spotlight/elec_car_list.html
Write CA Governor Davis supporting clean air and the ZEV mandate. Switch your lawn and garden tools / gardening service from gasoline to electric. 1 hour of Weed Whacker = 40 hours of car pollution! Switch your household to 100% renewable energy - See below.
Electric Auto Association http://www.eaaev.org/
San Jose Chapter http://www.geocities.com/sjeaa/ 408-269-7937 6-9pm
Stanford Rally Biggest Public EV EVent of the year in N. CA
http://eaasv.org/rally.htm
EV Email Discussion List http://www.madkatz.com/ev/evlist.html includes links to related EV lists RAV4, Th!nk, EV1, Sparrow, etc. Prius, Insight hybrids
GM EV1 website: http://www.gmev.com/
EV1 owner biographies: http://www.gmev.com/people/people_whole.htm
OWNER BIO Marvin Rush, OWNER STORIES video Alexandra Paul, Marvin Rush and Richard Cross Celebrity EV1: Ed Begley, Marvin Rush, Ted Dansen, Alexandra Paul, Danny DeVito, Jack Nicholson, Kris Trexler...
EV1 club: http://ev1-club.power.net/index.html
Marvin's personally funded, produced EV1 radio ads: http://ev1-club.power.net/clubads.htm
EV World online EV journal: http://www.evworld.com/
Toyota's environmental cars: http://www.toyota.com/html/shop/distinct/environment/index.html
CALSTART EV catalog, resources http://www.calstart.org/
EV Dragsters!! http://www.nedra.com/
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.03/drag.html
EV Recharging stations EV Charger News http://www.evchargernews.com/

======== Alternative Energy ========
My 30kWh/day Solar Electric (PV) system ALL the Zero Emissions Electricity for my home and True Zero Emissions Vehicle (TZEV) GM EV1: http://www.madkatz.com/pv/index.html $4.50/watt buy down + Time Of Use rates <6 year payback!
Home Power Magazine: Download current issue free. Outstanding! EVs also: http://www.homepower.com/
Real Goods renewable energy, sustainable living products http://www.realgoods.com/
Switch to 100% Renewable electrictity, you can pay less than you do now: http://www.energy.ca.gov/greenpower/providers.html
My favorite Green Mountain Energy, Green Electric power utility ADDS NEW renewable generation to the grid. http://www.greenmountain.com/
My solar installer: http://www.mcsolar.com/ 408-720-0352 Others: http://www.ecoenergies.com/ http://www.norcalsolar.org/ Solar roof shingles: http://www.ovonic.com/unisolar