Mike's 1993 Saturn SL2 - EV
OwnerMicheal Drewry
LocationPortland, Oregon United States map
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Vehicle1993 Saturn SL2
Took a bit of time, but this car is now finally running. (Lesson: Don't remodel your house in the middle of converting a car to electric :-)
MotorAdvanced DC Advanced DC 8 Series Wound DC
DrivetrainOriginal 4 speed manual transmission
ControllerCurtis 1221
Batteries15 Trojan T-875, 8.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
64 lbs. each. Brand new set as of May 15th, 2011.
System Voltage120 Volts
ChargerManzanita Micro PFC 20
I've dumped the Russco charger that came with my original kit from ElectroAuto. It never did operate correctly. Now using the PFC 20.
HeaterElectrical heater (Canadian EV model) mounted where the original heater core was.
DC/DC ConverterSevcon Sevcon DC-DC Converter
InstrumentationWestach Gages: 50-150 Volt gage, 120 Volt state of charge gage, 0-400 Amps gage
Top Speed65 MPH (104 KPH)
I've had it up to 65 on the freeway. Most of my driving is locally on roads that top out around 45 mph.
AccelerationA bit sluggish for the first 2-4 seconds, but after that it is not bad. Not a racer, but fun to drive.
Range40 Miles (64 Kilometers)
Breaking in the new batteries right now. Will update the miles per charge soon.
Watt Hours/MileUnknown
EV Miles
Start:139,492 Miles (224,442 Kilometers)
Current:139,600 Miles (224,616 Kilometers)
Total:108 Miles (173 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity4 adults
Curb Weight3,250 Pounds (1,477 Kilograms)
Weight only increased about 450 lbs over the original car.
TiresLow rolling resistance tires.
Conversion TimeAbout 7 months.
Conversion Cost$11,000, including the cost of the car ($500 as it had a blown engine).
Additional FeaturesI have added vacuum pump and reservoir to help with my cars power breaks. I've added an SMC ZES1 presure switch that has a top and bottom range. Setting it to 20" top and 15" bottom lets me press the brakes 3-4 times before the pump comes on. Also, insulated and move the vacuum pump to the trunk helping minimize the noise. Its still the loudest part of the car so I'm looking for something quieter. I'm probably going to get a quieter one as soon as I can afford it.
All the batteries are under the hood (7) and under the floor of the trunk area (8) making this car as close to original look and function as possible. Almost a full trunk, the trunk floor is about 2" higher than it was and I did loose the place for the spare tire.

First drive was January 20th, 2008!!!

2011 update: After a long break for illness and house remodel, I've just finished up all the small problems and installed a new set of batteries. She's back in business and being used daily again.

2012 update: This car now lives at Portland Community College. I've donated it to their automotive program. :-)

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