Citicar First RideCiticar in U-Haul trailerCiticar quarter viewAlltrax Installed Under SeatBattery and Controller Overview
OwnerTom & Jackie Keenan
LocationAlameda, California US map
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Vehicle1976 Sebring-Vanguard Citicar
Yellow Citicar, found in disused condition in San Diego. Needs body work (don't they all...)
MotorGeneral Electric Series Wound DC
3.5 HP
Drivetraindirect drive
ControllerAlltrax 4845
Old contactor type controller provided three 'speeds'- Low (8 MPH) Medium (19 MPH) and High (30 MPH). As the speed limit is 25 MPH for nearly all of the island where I live, it was a constant accelerate-decelerate to keep around 25. New controller is an Alltrax 4845 and is MUCH more enjoyable to drive - no more herky-jerky accel-decel and no contactor clunking/arcing. Controller is very quiet (no noise/no whine - silent) and does not warm up at all - just slightly warmer than ambient temp after my 'commute' (5 miles or so).
Batteries6 US Battery 8VGC, 8.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
48V series. I replaced the HV pack on August 29th, 2007. New pack is six eight volt batteries (still 48 volts). The space left over (under the drivers seat) has aux 12v battery, Alltrax controller and relays/contactors, and dc-dc converter. Since I only drive it 10 miles a day, range is not the goal.
System Voltage48 Volts
ChargerLester
48 volt buzz box with timer and screw-in glass fuses.
HeaterI converted a cheap $10 ***Mart heater by removing the 110VAC fan, and replacing it with a 48VDC computer rack fan. The heater didn't put out much heat (about 8 degree rise on high setting) so I cut both elements in half, and connected each half in parallel where the original entire element was connected. Now produces about 25 to 35 degree rise at about 15 amps or so (48V - about 700 watts). Works well as a defroster!
DC/DC ConverterMeanwell SD-200C-12
48/12 DC-DC converter installed at the same time as the new battery pack. Converter works fairly well without an auxiliary battery, except for when turning on the headlights - for some reason the headlights need to be turned on before I turn on the DC/DC converter. With a small 12v gel cell in parallel with the DC-DC converter, everything is able to turn on at the same time.

Component load info - (12 volt items)
Brake lights - 3.8 amps (2.8 with LED lamps)
Turn signal - 2.0 amps (1.3 amps with LED lamps)
Headlights - 7.85 amps (6.8 amps with LED tail lights, 5.2 amps with LED marker lights)
Main contactor - .9 amp
F/R + main contactor - 2.0 amps
Reverse (includes F/R + main) 3.38 amps
Wiper - 1.8 low, 1.4 high (odd, but true)
'Battery' meter - .9 milliamps @18V
Alltrax 4845 - 1.6 milliamps 'stop', 5.0 milliamps when in control range. This is a 48 volt item.
DC/DC converter 'idle' (12v disconnected) 90 milliamps
12 volt battery backfeeding DC/DC converter (DC/DC disconnected from 48V) 100 milliamps (12v aux)
I installed a relay that controls power to/from the DC/DC converter, and it is working out well.
InstrumentationE-F voltmeter (no numbers). Now that it is hooked to two 8 volt batteries (as opposed to three 6 volt ones) it indicates about 1 3/4 divisions lower when charged, or about 17.25 volts. Top division on meter is 19 volts, and each division is close to 1 volt - bottom division is 14 volts. I am looking for a method to do a quasi-recalibration, and meter the entire pack instead of a few batteries. Charged pack is 51+ volts.
Speedometer/odometer is spot on compared to GPS.
Top Speed36 MPH (57 KPH)
With the new 6-pack of 8 volt batteries, the Citicar drives MUCH better than with the expired (new in 2001) 8-pack of 6 volt batteries.
AccelerationGets to 28 MPH reasonably fast after a charge, but takes a few extra seconds to attain normal maximum - about 32 MPH. Can maintain that speed about 15 miles. With field weakening activated, top speed is 36 MPH. After 15 miles top speed degrades slowly, but can maintain 25 or so up to 23 miles. Really slow once past 23 miles range, but faster than walking. Alltrax controller seems to accelerate about the same as the old contactor setup. Many Citicars that claim higher speeds have 6HP motors. Acceleration: keeps up with stinkpots (regular cars) up to about 25 or so.
Range25 Miles (40 Kilometers)
Book says 'up to 50 miles' but does not meet spec due to fewer than original number of batteries. Lead=range. Typical range for most EVs is 3-5 miles per 65 pound battery, and my Citicar makes the average at just over 4 miles per battery.
Watt Hours/Mile245 Wh/Mile
According to the KillAWatt meter, 245 whr/mile (input) averaged over the last three months. Equates to about 1.7 cents a mile using the EV discount rate our local electric utility company provides. At 'cruise' speed of 28 MPH, draws about 95 amps (from Alltrax logging utility). With expired 6 volt batteries, it used about 370 Whr/mile. After recent 25 mile drive (to 90% discharge - not recommended), took 5.6 kWh to charge (just over 4 hours) for 224 Whr/Mi. Average from Oct - Dec '07 was 247 watts/mile
EV Miles
Start:1,703 Miles (2,740 Kilometers)
Current:3,800 Miles (6,114 Kilometers)
Total:2,097 Miles (3,374 Kilometers)
 
    As of 9/28/2008
Seating Capacity2 adults
Curb Weight1,200 Pounds (545 Kilograms)
Owners manual specification, minus two 65 pound batteries. (and adding in an aux battery and DC-DC converter)
TiresOriginally had 4.80 X 12 trailer tires which were incredibly bouncy. New tires are 145R12 (radials) and are amazingly smooth in comparison. No significant change in range or speed compared to the old tires. Highly recommended 'upgrade' if you have old-school trailer tires. No rubbing or interference except when at full steering lock and going fast over bumps. Not really an issue as no one drives that way... Radial tires are SO much nicer - if you need new tires get radials!
Additional FeaturesGrocery shelf inside behind seats, owners/repair manual, removable side windows, locking doors, 110vac/25 amp@48v charger, solid state speed controller. LED tail lights use 1/2 amp less (total 1 amp less) than the stock incandescent ones did when the tail lights are turned on. Running lamps used to run 5.2 amps (park lamp setting) but now run around 2.3 amps with six LED running lamps installed. About $1 each.

Field weakening setup increases the top speed from 32 (floored and stabilized on flat terrain) to 35 - 36 MPH when activated.
Purchased in Southern California, towed on a U-haul trailer to the Bay Area. Trailer had less than an inch of clearance to the sides of the Citicar on either side. Loading worked out well with the ramp in back. Originally tried to put it in the back of a Toyota full-size truck, but it didn't seem too stable.

Rebuilt the Terrell differential / transaxle on June 2008. Replacing all the bearings (common items - still available) ran about $110. You will need a hydraulic press to remove and reinstall the bearings as the cheapo $19.99 puller will just bend. I ended up taking the gears and shafts to a transmission place, and they charged $20 to remove and install eight bearings. Not bad...

Kids and adults in neighborhood think the Citicar is more fun than a carnival ride.

Front 'wedge' needs plastic (ABS/Cycolac) repair and paint. Sides are in good shape. Looks like someone painted it (front section) with a material not compatible with the plastic body.

Purchased a plastic repair material called PlastiFix that seems to work wonders with the plastic body panel repairs. Easy to use, but like everything there is an art to making it look good... Now that new controller is installed, time to start work on the body.

code by jerry