Electric Vehicles by Ken

This is how I built my first electric vehicle . . . .

Here are some pictures of the first electric truck. This electric vehicle was driven to work every day and charged each night. This truck was by far the most practical vehicle that I have ever driven. It had no gas tank and had never been to a gas station. It had no engine and never needed an oil change. It had no radiator and never got hot. It had no exhaust system and did not put out any pollution. It had no clutch to wear out. The only maintenance required was to check the battery water level every month or so and charge the batteries after each use.

This experimental journey began one day while I was sitting at a traffic light burning up gasoline, the thought came to me that there must be a better way to get to work. I had been thinking about building an electric vehicle for the past 25 years but felt that it was too difficult.

A used car lot located near work had a 1997 Chevrolet S-10 pickup. The engine knocked and the radio was missing, the dash showed evidence of having been involved in an auto theft. So, I made them a low offer. It had to be jump-started to get it off the lot but all that was going to be needed was the chassis.

As soon as it was home in my garage, the engine was removed along with the clutch, radiator, muffler, tail pipes and gas tank. They were sold on E-Bay. The 5-speed transmission was saved to be reused in the electric vehicle.

Research on the internet brought me in touch with the owner of a one-man company that sells parts for electric vehicles. Bob Batson, from EV America (www.evamerica.com) provided the parts and much electric vehicle information. He provided the electric motor, speed controller and transmission adapter. During the next four months, these components were assembled and positioned in the space where the old gasoline engine had been located. Over the electric motor, a deck was built to support the speed controller and electronics box which housed the high voltage components.

"Fuel storage" in this electric vehicle is 24 deep discharge batteries of the type used in golf carts and each evening they are plugged into a battery charger located in my garage. These batteries power the vehicle for about 50 miles on a charge. A Volt meter built into the dash, which acts like a gas gauge, shows how much charge is left. The truck is not a dragster but with a top speed of 70 mph it can easily keep up with traffic.

A charge costs approximately $1.50 and the batteries should have about a five year lifetime. Gasoline to drive 50 miles would cost much more than that. It needs no oil changes or antifreeze and has few moving parts so it should not need much maintenance. Since I began driving this vehicle, my monthly gasoline bill has gone down $200. The parts to convert this vehicle cost $5K - $8K. A total of $15K invested, including new paint, new interior parts and other vehicle additions.

This electric vehicle is not a replacement for a long range internal combustion engine automobile but is good for commuting back and forth to work or for taking short trips around town.

When the throttle is pressed, all that is heard is the whine of the motor. This silence reminds me that I´m not going to hear the gas pump ringing up dollars.

It is very easy to drive; turn the key on, put it in second gear and depress the throttle, at about 40 mph shift into third gear, no clutch is required. The acceleration is good. For faster acceleration, take off in first gear and shift into second at 30 mph.

 

Conversion Steps

• The DC motor was adapted to the original 5 speed transmission
• Twenty four, 6 Volt, deep discharge batteries were installed in welded frames
• A motor speed controller was installed that accepts the throttle pedal input and adjusts the motor voltage to control the motor speed
• The vehicle battery was replaced with a DC to DC converter to convert the 144 VDC battery voltage to 12 VDC for the vehicle accessories
• Power Brakes are driven from an industrial vacuum pump and controller to insure maximum vacuum at all times
• Air Conditioner power was provided from the front shaft of the DC motor
• The Battery Charger is completely automatic, just plug it in and forget it
• Air shocks were installed in the rear to equalize the vehicle level. Due to the added weight, the ride was superior to the original truck.
• Instrumentation included motor current meter, motor voltage meter, 12 VDC accessory voltage meter, motor speed in rpm, total motor on time in hours, motor temperature gauge, controller temperature gauge and vehicle speedometer.
• A new radio and new carpet were installed
• A complete paint job was done by a professional painter who first prepared the surface, then put on two coats of color, followed by three coats of clear, then he wet sanded the top clear coat and hand rubbed for a deep gloss finish.

This electric truck was extremely reliable and was driven back and forth to work (a 25 mile round trip) almost daily since it was built about 2 years ago. It was enjoyable to drive as well as being economical and environmentally friendly. A person came by and just had to have this electric pickup so it is now sold. To satisfy the need to reduce my dependence on gasoline, another electric vehicle needed to be built.

A Mazda Miata was used for the chassis for the second electric vehicle. This chassis was chosen for its light curb weight. It began with a curb weight of 2200 lbs and lost 500 lbs of engine but gained 1500 lbs of batteries and motor for a final weight of 3200 lbs. The challenge was to find enough room for the batteries in this small vehicle. Again, lead acid batteries were used but this time the aqueous gas mat (AGM) type batteries filled the bill. The advantage of this type of battery is that they do not require water replacement. There are 12 batteries in the trunk. The trunk floor was cut out to make foom for two levels of six batteries each. The front area contains 7 more batteries for a total of 19 batteries. With the added wieght, it was apparent that the suspension was inadequate; the rear was down on the stops. A new suspension system was installed, designed for the exact weight of this new electric vehicle. The added weight also made the brakes marginal. Changing to the much improved 1994 larger brakes resolved this problem.

Now all is fun and economical. This light, nimble chassis accelerates great and corners level at any speed. Normal driving includes a third gear take off with a clutch-less shift into fourth at 25 mph and then another shift into fifth at 45 mph. The batteries have never let me down. The range is unknown at this time but one day 45 miles was traveled with very little drop in battery voltage.

I have written a book describing how to convert an old internal combustion vehicle into an electric vehicle. This 135+ page book contains many, many pictures and an itemized description of the process for converting a Chevrolet S-10 pickup and a Mazda Miata into electric vehicles. This book is for sale for $15.00.  Go to My Book to take a closer look. Why scrap old vehicles when they can be recycled into economical electric vehicles?