Started with the motor1996 Sportster ConversionAlternative Energy FairFull assemblyTank DecalClimate Action DayGreat Commuter!36 volt brick
OwnerMike Workman
Owner's Other EV1995 Nissan Altima
LocationTumwater, Washington US map
Vehicle1996 Harley Davidson Sportster
Conversion completed Feb. '07
MotorPerm Motor PMG-132 Series Wound DC
24 to 72 volt, 19 Hp peak,
8 Hp continuous
Drivetrain11 tooth sprocket direct mounted to motor shaft. Chain drive to rear 51 tooth sprocket. (4.64 to 1 ratio)
ControllerAlltrax Axe 7234
300 Amp Programmable.
Batteries72 Headway 40160 S, 3.20 Volt, Lithium Iron Phosphate
24 each 16 Ah in series, 3 rows in parallel for a total of 48 Ah 72 volts.
System Voltage72 Volts
Charger Hota AC6
Charging each parallel cell group individually with 5 amp R/C chargers. (6 chargers total, each charging only 4 cell groups for max. rated amperage transfer.)
HeaterDetachable windshield for winter driving.
DC/DC Converter N/A
Rather than a DC/DC converter, the bike retains the original 12 volt 19 Ah battery (used for lighting). It's charged with a seperate 750 mA Battery Tender.
InstrumentationPakTraker plus 2 Digital multimeters, one for total battery voltage and one connected to a 500A/50mA shunt for battery current.
Bicycle spoke magnet speedometer
Homemade LED display to indicate cell voltages below 2.7 volts.
Top Speed56 MPH (90 KPH)
Controller set to 100% and 11 tooth front gear. (Faster top speed with 12 tooth front sproket, but slower off the line.)
Acceleration"Brisk". 1/8 mile approx. 12 seconds and 52 mph.
Range30 Miles (48 Kilometers)
Absolute range yet unknown. At 30 miles cell voltages were dropping below 2.7 volts on hard accelerations and steep inclines.
Watt Hours/Mile125 Wh/Mile
"Kill a Watt" recharging measurements (1.19 kwh/9.5 miles = 125 Whr/mile)
EV Miles
Current:7,910 Miles (12,727 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity1 adult
Curb Weight456 Pounds (207 Kilograms)
Original vehicle weight 525 lbs.
AGM layout was 630 lbs.
New Lithium layout saves 174 lbs.

TiresDunlop D401 hard compound
Conversion TimeOn and off for 3 months. Maybe 80 hours total compressed production time for original 60 volt layout. Plus several days for Lithium battery pack build.
Conversion CostApprox. $4,700 for present running condition. Plus lots of mistakes!
Additional FeaturesLED lamps used for turn, tail and stop lamps. The first winter I had installed an experimental battery heating system with the AGM layout. It was an 18 foot 120volt AC water pipe heat wrap. It drew about .6 amps (at 60 volts DC) and heated the batteries about 20 degrees above ambient. Could warm them even more when the batteries were wrapped in a rubber floor mat. Ugly but effective! It did show improved performance and less depth of discharge.
Traveled 7,850 miles with lead acid AGM batteries. Was getting about 3,000 miles per set of lead acid. Recently upgraded to Lithium Iron Phosphate. Finally able to ride more and gather data now that the weather is becoming reasonable.


code by jerry