Citicar First RideCiticar in U-Haul trailerCiticar quarter viewAlltrax Installed Under SeatBattery and Controller OverviewDyno ResultsOld controller mount layoutNew controller mount layout
OwnerTom & Jackie Keenan
Owner's Other EV1980 Comutacar
LocationAlameda, California US map
Email email image
Vehicle1976 Sebring-Vanguard Citicar
Yellow Citicar. Aluminum tube frame, plastic (Cycolac/ABS) body. Pre-transition with Terrell differential and 3.5hp motor
MotorGeneral Electric 5BC 49 JB 32 0 - 3.5 HP Series Wound DC
Data plate info - Rating
3200 RPM (about 32 MPH - max is about 5k RPM)
3.5 HP 36 VOLT 98 AMP
CLASS F FRAME 49
Shaft - 16 spline, 13/16" (about .832") diameter
Motor weight is 51.8 lbs
DrivetrainDirect drive transaxle - 7.125:1 reduction
ControllerAlltrax 7245
Original contactor type controller provided three 'speeds'- Low (8 MPH) Medium (19 MPH) and High (32+ 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 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, 6.250 kWh total. I replaced the HV pack on August 29th, 2007. New pack is six eight volt batteries (still 48 volts, but 125 lbs lighter). 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.

Future plans - after installation of higher voltage controller, may install two additional 8 volt batteries for a total of 64 volts. Should result in a few more miles of range, and an extra six to eight MPH.
System Voltage48 Volts
ChargerLester
48 volt - manual timer. 25 amps. I tend to set the timer for an hour per four miles driven. (example - 2 hours of charging after an 8 mile drive)
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.

Small 12v gel cell in parallel with the DC-DC converter.

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 amps low, 1.4 amps 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 to control static drain of both the 48 and 12v systems.
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. 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.

Brush holder advanced 5 degrees relative to original position. Normal maximum at zero degrees was 32 MPH, new maximum (not field weakened, 5 deg. advance) is 34 MPH.

With field weakening activated, top speed is 36 MPH.

Target speed is 42 MPH unweakened / 45 MPH weakened at 64 volts.
Acceleration0-25 ~ 6.5 seconds.
0-32 ~ 16.0 seconds.

Alltrax controller seems to accelerate about the same as the old contactor setup. Newer Citicars (Transition Citicars and Comutacars) have 6HP motors and a Dana rear 5.17:1 axle resulting in a higher top speed, but slower acceleration.
Range25 Miles (40 Kilometers)
Book says 'up to 50 miles' but does not meet spec due to fewer than original number of batteries and optimistic original specs.

Lead (Pb) = range (substitute Li or NiMH or your favorite battery type. More of 'em will get you farther)
Voltage = speed
Amps = Acceleration.

Typical range for most EVs is 3-5 miles per 65 pound PbA battery, and my Citicar makes the average at just over 4 miles per battery.
Watt Hours/Mile250 Wh/Mile
According to the KillAWatt meter, 250 whr/mile (input) averaged over the last three months. Equates to about 1.6 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.
EV Miles
Start:1,703 Miles (2,740 Kilometers)
Current:5,157 Miles (8,297 Kilometers)
Total:3,454 Miles (5,557 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity2 adults
Curb Weight1,160 Pounds (527 Kilograms)
As weighed on a certified scale. Lower weight than typical Citicar as it only has six batteries (instead of the normal eight).
Tires145R12 (radials).

Originally had 4.80 X 12 trailer tires which were incredibly bouncy. New tires are 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. Radial tires are a significant comfort improvement in this vehicle at no expense to efficiency or performance.
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 activated by an additional relay can.

Motor brushes advanced five degrees from stock. Drilled two holes in the motor just under 1/2" from the originals in order to rotate the brush holder / rear bearing mount.

Presently using Pennzoil Synchromesh manual transmission oil in the transaxle. I was using 75w/90 synthetic gear lube. Synchromesh is supposed to be 80w, but flows from the bottle much faster than the 75w/90. The gear sounds from the transaxle are somewhat different, and quieter. Near the end of a 20 mile drive, I was able to get to almost 37 MPH, about 1 MPH faster than normal. The Citicar appears to coast farther than it used to. But most of that is subjective, and may be wishful thinking. I keep watt hour/mile data on this car regularly, and should have some objective results in a few weeks.
As of November 2009, I am replacing the Alltrax 4845 controller with an Alltrax 7245. As part of the upgrade I am replacing the worn out F/R contactor and installing a more robust main contactor. The F/R contact points were pitted and burned by the old contactor-type speed control setup, and they weren't up to the task of giving a good solid connection that an electronic controller needs. As the new parts are configured differently (new Albright SW-202 F/R is more 'horizontal' than the old tower-type F/R) they need to be remounted to fit in the existing controller box. See pictures for additional detail.

Purchased in Southern California, towed on a U-haul trailer to the Bay Area - Fit with inches to spare. 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 and would probably have been too heavy for the tailgate cables.

Rebuilt the Terrell differential / transaxle in 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.

code by jerry