New Batteries Dec 12, 2009bumper stickerheaterNew Battery postspot boxmotor slam tiesball joint and pitman armunder the hood
OwnerPat Walker
LocationRoberts Creek, British Columbia Canada map
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Vehicle1991 Toyota extended cab pickup
Small pickup.
MotorAdvanced DC 9 Series Wound DC
dual shaft, rev-limiter magnet and pickup are mounted on the front shaft.
Drivetrain5 speed manual transmission with clutch.
2010-07-07 Drove for 6 months without clutch and now it's fixed will never do that again. Acceleration is so much better with a clutch.
2010-01-28 3rd is fine to 100+Kmph
2008-04-10 did some highway driving today and used 4 gears. the rev limiter kicks in at 4500rpm so 1st cuts out about 42kmph and 2nd gear doesn't work past about 72kmph. Having the clutch IS necessary for shifting, especially on uphill grades.
2008-03-08
remembered to refill the fluid and put the stick back on today.
ControllerCurtis 1231C
mounted on massive aluminum heat sink behind the grill with thermostatic cooling fan.
2011-09-18 pre-charge resistor was burny hot in June... Curtis failure, back in now and working.
2010-07-07 used 1231C has much more power than the original had at the end. Can go up hills in 2nd. I'm trying to stay below 300a but it's hard not to show off.
2010-06-22 replaced with used 1231C while original is getting fixed.
2010-01-28 very dependable still works perfectly.
2008-04-20 works perfectly so far. it makes this neat whine at low motor speeds so you can show off to pedestrians.
Batteries24 Powr-Surge PS 125 series 1200 rated 235 AH, 6.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
5 under the hood, 19 in the bed both in delux aluminum boxes.
2011-11-17 watered batts for 8th time.
2011-05-20 watered batts for 7th time. took about 1/4 hour, that's about 1 minute a week, plus 1 minute a week to plug in is less than pumping gas and much cheaper.
2011-04-28 charged voltage 152.5 this morning.........that's good. Haven't even looked at the terminals for 6 months.
2011-02-16 watered for the 6th time.
2010-11-26 watered for the 5th time.
2010-10-06 new terminals are still perfect and stay cool after driving.
2010-09-15 watered again (15 minutes with slow running hose from our sweet well water).
2010-07-26 watered them for the third time (7 months old !). They are doing very well without regular equilization.
2010-06-22 excelent batteries no trouble with terminals.
2010-03-06 The terminals are called 'flag posts'. I checked today and a couple of them with older cable ends needed 1/8 turn, good after 3 months. Also re-sprayed with sealer.
2010-02-23 Second time watering the new batts, only took about 8 literes. Single caps are easier than the tripple speed caps 'cause those leaver things get caught on the cables. The terminals still look like new.
2010-01-28 Lots of pep and charged voltage seems to be higher than the interstates were.
2009-12-11 New pack is in and working. The old one did 15,000Km and almost 2 years of abuse from me. This pack will only get a float charge once a week and I'll park it rather than take it below 45%. I'll prop the lid open while charging until I get the fans and lid insulation done.
2009-11-12 Range is going down fast. I have priced U2400's at $155CAD each ($4,000 for pack) localy and will probably go for that. LiFePo4 160's would be $16,000 for pack including the BMS....if only!
2009-10-21 One of the cells failed and started to boil, measured 4.1v so that one is toast. I replaced with a nearly new Trojan T1275 (12v)but the pack voltage was too high and the NG3 would not start charging (of course). So I jumped over a 6v making the pack 144v again. So far everything seems fine.... I'm hoping to get the full 2 years out of them.
2009-10-13 see new photos of the inside of the rear battery box that is exposed to the cold. The front box is like new inside because it is protected by the hood, the rear gets a lot of nasty condensation. A cover or insulation and a fan would really help with terminal corrosion.
2009-09-17 no trouble with terminals till today. Was tightning for the first time in about 6 months and one of my repairs broke off exposing a black stubb. I've been having some problems with voltage sag for the past couple of months (pack is 18 months old and heavily used) so I hope the fix will help. Overnight slow charge seems to help perk them up. I've been keeping my amps below about 350 and that seems to have stopped terminal melt.
2009-03-10 filled water, about 2.5 gallons. once a month is fine with my driving.
2009-02-24 still having trouble with melting terminals unless they are tightned weekly! have started forming posts to replace the offset studs and clamping wing nut type terminals.
2008-11-16 filled water, 4 gallons but still lots of space on the top of the plates. oh, and sinched all the terminal nuts.
2008-09-14 filled water again, it was time. found some tereminals that needed 1/8th turn! replaced a cable between two batteries, it was getting hot. they are 0-2 welding cable with hammer crimper terminals and i think some of my early crimping wasn't good. by the way my friend with the neon ev says the way to check for a bad battery is to test the voltages with the heater running.
2008-07-29 filled water using the speed caps(opens all 3 at once) it gives a good check on the cells and only took about 20 minutes. a friend has single point watering and a stuck float valve may have been the cause of his battery failure. it looks like a pain to remove the caps with the tubes attached to check the true water level.

2008-07-02 ***ATTENTION*** tighten your terminal nuts again a week after installation! i didn't, pulling 400 amps up a steep hill on the highway there was a pop, no power and a funny smell. smoke. the offset terminal post was melted into a pool of lead (no holes in the plastic). to get home i bolted the cables together to bypass the mess. $20 to the battery pro and i was on the road the next day. he reamed off the old offset to expose the original post and welded on a new terminal.
2008-05-31 pack working perfectly now with NG3. still checking water level and still fine.
2008-05-03 i've decided to name my batteries. they are individuals. since they are being charged in pairs (NG3 blew a diode) i have to pay attention to their exercise and feeding. Albert was down to 5.8v but when paired with Elvis he recovered very well now 6.3v.
talked to a mechanic today about more spring in the back to handle the weight and he said go for air bags.. spring shocks break thier mounting bolts.
2008-04-03 went for the first road test and one of the terminals must have been loose.. the boot melted but not much damage. should have double checked!

2008-03-23 made 'studs' using bolts so i don't have to crawl under the truck to take the box off.

2008-02-29 oops that would be 5 under the hood and 19 in the bed. they are all a very tight fit!
System Voltage144 Volts
ChargerZivan NG3 120VAC at 30A (actually 25A or 15A)
On the side of the front battery box. there just isn't room to hide it in the cab.
2011-11-17 still good
2011-04-02 Doing a great job. Problems back in 2009 were partly battery abuse from me.
2010-10-06 Mounted the plug under the front bumper. It's out of the weather and if the timer is off and I drive away it just unplugs. I'm using good quality 120v 15a plugs. They seem to last about as long as the 30a ones and are $5 each not $45.
2010-07-26 Caught it going to 192V in the T3 phase. I wish it could be set to shut off after T2 almost all the time.
2010-07-07 Not going over 180v and not blowig the breaker on the 15a setting.
2010-06-22 Just back from Sacremento, had the 15amp setting turned down to 14 so office breaker dosn't blow every day.
2010-02-23 Heavy duty timer was about $30 and well worth it. It is little hard guessing the time but if the NG3 goes into equalizatin that's OK.
2009-12-11 With the new battery pack I plan on using a timer to prevent the Zivan from going into equalization phase every time.
2009-10-13 Sometimes after heavy driving I have to wait about 10 minutes before it will start. I assume it is old batteries getting hot. Also the 15A setting is blowing the breaker at work. I'll try it at home to see if it's my fault.
2009-02-24 charger still working perfectly. have replaced the gas door 30 amp plug with standard 3 prong on the charger under the hood because of sticking plugs. it was either moisture or cheap metal on the marine plug.
2008-10-02 charger back in and working.
2008-09-14 should be back from repair this week. it was an output diode again.
2008-08-17 NG3 quit after long drive on a hot afternoon. i'll send it in for repair and go back to the four-12volt-clipon-routine...aarrrggg!!!
2008-05-31 very pleased with NG3. i did plug it in at work with the 15a chord and blew the breaker because i forgot to switch to 15a. would be better to have 2 seperate charging ports (ie one for 15amps, ordinary plug and the other for 25 amps, 30 amp marine cable)
2008-05-20 using 100% setting every day so now and no problems. the 60% is very useful for opportunity charging. it pulls about 14.5amps so nothing else can be on that 15amp breaker.
2008-05-13 charger back in and working! i'm running it at the 60% setting for now.
2008-05-03 at last report it was in california with a blown diode. still using 4 12v chargers.
2008-04-15 phoned the supplier and they said send it back to them so they can test it. so its in a box and i'm back to the canadian tire 12v charger 12 times 12hours aaarrrrggg!

2008-04-13 charger was giving me a battery error when voltage was 149.7 at the charger so i pulled the cover and the output fuse (16a 500v) was blown.
2008-04-07 in and working came with a switch for 60% (15 AMPS 120V) AND 100% (25AMPS 120V) no worries about opportunity charging!

2008-03-23 still not here. put a 120v plug (heavy extension chord type)in so when it comes i can just put it on the studs and plug it in.
Heaterelectric - 1500w
2011-11-17 love to put heater on for 10 minutes before driving on frosty mornings....uses less than 1% (and no gas).
2011-04-02 have been using the heater much more this winter. It doesn't reduce my range.
2010-10-06 defrost needed again.
2010-01-28 defrost is fast but cab heat takes time.
2008-09-12 needing the defog even in September when i go by the ocean. i think ICE cars get a lot of waste heat comming off the engine that comes out from under the hood.
2008-05-13 instant defog is great.
2008-04-06 now working full fan only. the fan relay worked but had no power so i ran 12v from my system to it. also picked up down from the fan switch to the element heater relay. managed to bolw the 30a fuse... brought in 144v from the heater relay pos to pins 1,3,and 5. neg to 2 and 4.

2008-04-01 can't get the fan to go but the heater will go in the duct between the core and the fan. (see the photo)
DC/DC ConverterGo Power GPC 45
45 amp 144 volt DC-DC converter

2011-12-07 found problem..loose screw that holds down output wire from DC/DC.
2011-11-17 still fine, headlights dimmed, dark rainy night, tried unpluging 144v to dc/dc, finally pulled batt fuse in old fuse box and put back in......... aux voltage came back up. loose contact?
2011-09-18 still fine, but old car battery started to boil in August, now replaced with small lawn mower batt.
2010-10-06 still fine.
2010-07-07 fan is buzzing, pushed against something.
2010-06-22 still fine.
2009-10-21 still fine.
2008-07-29 has been on constantly since installed and works fine.
2008-03-23 put plug on 144v dc from charger wireing and tested.... it works!
2008-03-08 will be on 24/7, just easier that way. right now plugged into 120v ac extension chord.
Instrumentatione-meter
2011-10-12 when he misbehaves I just give him a thump accross the side of his little cpu and he's good.
2011-01-28 It's not a loose plug..moved around twised pair from shunt and all ok now!
2011-01-01 loose plug..fixed. Set battery capacity to 220ah. They are a year old and a lot of charges (usually down to 60% every day) so should be more realistic.
2010-10-06 slammed the door while opportunity charging-- went from -6amp to +7amp on the meter! must be a loose wire or something.
2010-09-21 still showing amp hour(%) drain when there isn't any. But seems to be doing it less? At first it would go to 0% now it only drops a few %?
2010-08-12 face plate cracked 'cause I poke it so much, tape fixed it for now. When I went away for 3 days it went to 0%, but the voltage was good so I pulled out the manual and did a reset. Easy and quick and didn't change any of my settings.
2010-01-28 I start in percent charge then go to amps (trying to keep them below 350) then finish with percent again and check voltage while charging.
2008-06-10 got the answer back...charged voltage is correct (158v) i should expect to easily get 80 amp hours+ from a full charge. guess i'll change from kwh back to amp hours on F04 and see.
2008-06-09 going to e-mail CANEV for advice on charged voltage, i think it should be higher to record more kwh.
2008-05-31 just thought i'd run through my present settings (finally just changed charged voltage to 158 hope it helps match the percent remaining with the pack voltage at rest and gives more confidence for greater range)---
F01-automatic scanning OFF
F02-sleep mode to AU (AUTOMATIC)
F03-20 deg C
F04-KWH ON
F05- alternate energy OFF
...
F13- 02 (0-500V PRESCALER)

-charge effeciency factor learn ON
-charged voltage 158v
-charged current 4%
-battery capacity 240 ah
-t set to 04P (percent capacity remaining)

2008-05-13 back working again after charger problems. auto sleep (F02,AU)is perfect. still need to set the charged voltage to 158.4v(12X14.2V)
2008-04-06 working well but has negative amp hours. the charger will be here tomorrow so i'll sort thet out when it's charged. i think i will set it to kilowhat hours.
2008-03-29 spent some time with the manual last night...looks like i should set F13 to 2 for 0-500V for the prescaler. havent figured out the charged voltage yet. somewhere around 12 x 13.2.

2008-03-08
flashing error now. I can't figure out the instructions for ev's.
Top Speed70 MPH (112 KPH)
2008-04-10 no problem to do 100+ km/h.
Accelerationnot bad, when i get out on the flat road i'll do a 0 to 80kmph and report.
2010-08-12 much better again now the clutch is fixed.
2008-06-04 no flat roads.
Range40 Miles (64 Kilometers)
unknown but it's very hilly here. 50 km easy so far.
Watt Hours/Mile256 Wh/Mile
tested on a flat road first .14kwh/KM then .18 averages to 160Whr/KM ...256Whr/Mile at 60Km/hr.
3 cents per km so far. compared to 16+ with gas.
using the $20 plug in meter it costs 36 cents to drive the 12km to work and 45 cents to drive 12km home 200m (600') higher in elevation.
EV Miles
Start:146,270 Miles (235,348 Kilometers)
Current:164,966 Miles (265,430 Kilometers)
Total:18,696 Miles (30,081 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity2 normal adults and 3 smaller ones (often 4 normal ones)
2010-10-06 extended cab is used almost every day. People, groceries or farmer's market stuff.
Curb Weight4,700 Pounds (2,136 Kilograms)
this is only slightly over the GVW in the manual but i have overload springs and truck tires. I would like to put in air lifters.
Tiresblack on rusty rims.
2011-02-16 pressure was down to 35 psi, oops.
2008-11-19 new TOYO tires are smooth! max pressure is 44 psi!
2008-11-16 blew a rear tire last week and couldn't get the wheel off. eventually made a pry bar that fit between the wheel and the brake drum and it's part of the truck's kit now. Toyo 14" going on tuesday.
Conversion Timea year.
2011-10-12 still driving
2011-01-28 still driving
2010-10-06 still driving
2010-06-22 still driving
2009-10-13 still driving
2009-02-24 still driving
2008-04-07 done. now we drive.
2008-03-23 it was snowing again tonight, next one will be in a heated garage with a concrete floor that won't eat bolts.
Conversion Cost$15,000CAD in parts and batteries
the truck was mine.
2011-09-18 $800 for Curtis repair and shipping, $50 for lawnmower battery.
2010-09-21 $5.00 for new plug, old one starting to go black.
2010-06-20 $750CAD for used Curtis.
2009-12-11 $3,500CAD for new floodies.
Additional Featuresemergency shutoff cable (works great), inertial cutout(hope it never works), 2 stage rev limiter, motor thermal cutout, clutch in and start position safety, charger interlock (so i don't yank the garage), ABC fire extinguisher and a really nice pull-out coffee mug holder.
2012-01-02 oops.. broke home welded motor-mount showing off instant torque. I'll have to pull the front battery box, charger and contorl box, glad everything has plugs. Should re-design the mounts as well. 30,000Km !!!!
2011-12-07 Fixed loose wire on dc/dc that caused low aux voltage and main contactor filure.. don't forget to check the old battery guage when you have a problem. Had a visit from two guys that have bought a shiny S-10 to convert. I think they should get sponsors and go for lithium.
2011-11-17 152v this morning! 2 trips to Gibsons and one to Sechelt today. Had aux voltage failure last night. after checking contacts I pulled the alt fuse in the old box so either it was a bad fuse connection or booted the dc/dc on the output side. If it happens again could be the dc/dc.
2011-10-12 All going well. charged voltage in the morning now 151.5v... still good but comming up to 2 years on the second pack in December. I'm considering looking for sponsors for a lithium pack but would have to spruce him up a lot.
2011-09-18 The controller failed in June, pre-charge resistor melted the side of the control box. Curtis now repaired and back in. I've bought an open revolt 500 amp kit as a spare but havn't had time to put it together yet.
2011-05-20 voltage in morning 152.5v...still good, front wheel bearings replaced. gas $1.39+.
2011-04-28 gas $1.329 All good. would like to go to Powell River and see the new CANEV lithium bettle May 7 but would need a trailer or a pusher to get Chuck there.
2011-04-02 gas $1.299 CAD/L. All is well. Charged voltage is still good. Still enjoying driving. A little wheel bearing noise has started... will have to fix.
2011-02-16 gas $1.179 CAD/L.
2011-01-29 e-meter problem was not loose plug. moved twisted pair around and all is fine now. Batt voltage still 153.5v after deep charge in morning. Tightened motor tie down turnbucke down too tight and now motor is hitting steering bar. Will fix tomorrow! Gas 1.159$ CAD/L
2011-01-01 e-meter problem was loose 4 pin plug at main contorl box. Batts still good 154v on a full charge. Gas at $1.14CAD/L could go up to $1.50 this summer.
2010-11-26 oops, AUX2 on the zivan activates after T3. The old isolator draws .6amps 12v so it could be used to do something.
2010-11-17 all good, charged voltage is great....just like new 154v. I'm looking at using the AUX2 contacts on the ng3 to limit the charger to T1 and T2 and shut off before T3 (when float charge goes to 190v)I'll try a battery isolator that I have and see it it draws >1amp 12v. Replaced brake pads. 11 tonnes of carbon not up there because of Chuck! (using world to wheel calcs)
2010-10-06 running well. haven't found the bad connection for the e-meter so I reset if it is showing less than 100% with voltage 153+v 4+ hours after charging.
2010-09-21 All good. e-meter (link 10) sometimes showing discharge but I use the voltage after 4 hours to reset to 100% if it is around 152V. Need to get under and tighten the motor turnbuckles to reduce stick shift (motor) movement. Love the clutch.
2010-08-12 All working well. Always using the timer for the charger. I should keep track of how much time is needed to get from any percentage to 100% (on the e-meter)...still just guess a little low and top it up if it doesn't make 100. The batts seem to like the big dump charge on the 25 amp setting but not the T3 stage equalization that can run to 190v and hot gassing. I read the manual on the Zivan and T2 has a slow red flash signal, never noticed it before but yes, it does. I've been taking Chuck to our stall at the local farm market. I don't like showing off but we shouldn't hide our conversions. If we want them to be cheaper and easier there needs to be a bigger demand.
2010-07-26 Nice to have the clutch fixed. Shifting up on an uphill grade was very slow with the flywheel and no clutch.
2010-07-07 Everything working well. I have turned the vacuum pump back on for the power brakes and there seems to be no noticable change in battery draw. So now I have easy steering, easy brakes and more power. The other thing is that I now know how much percentage of battery is needed for known trips. To friend house takes Chuck down to 60%. It's down 600' elevation and 12Km to the ocean and back up 300', then back home. It's all about the elevation up when I've got this much lead.
2010-06-22 Back on the road with a used controller. The original lost most of it's power and is being repaired. Took the oppertunity to get the charger turned down and do some to-do's: Fixed clutch ($10 cracked tube). Switched out power steering box for manual ($60 for 'pickle fork' ball joint remover). Tied down motor to stop motor slam ($50 for shackles, turnbuckles and strapping). Test drive tonight was amazing, smooth and easy. The hardest part of it all was realizing that I needed a specialty tool for the ball joint.
2010-03-06 Went to Gibsons yesterday for concrete pavers, 10 bags of feed and today 4 bales of alfalfa and the bank. I could have borrowed a 3/4 ton truck for both at once but chuck did just fine. A light trailer would be perfect...easier on the springs. I like to think of it as 2 Kg less carbon up there. Watched 'who killed the e car' last night. I can identify with the people getting emotional at loosing their ev's.
2010-02-23 87% after trip to work today. Keeping below 350 amps but he still did 60 kmph up Ratportage hill in 3rd!
2010-01-28 Driving an ev would be hard to give up.
2009-12-11 Taking short runs to break in the new pack. I realy like the terminal style and have decided to not put rubber boots on each of the 38 in the back box. It should be easier to keep them clean and sprayed and I'll just keep the box locked for safety.
2009-11-11 Tried to bring home 160Kg (350lb) of cement and nearly didn't make it up the big (500' elev) hill and the other two 400'. Guess I'm asking a lot from my sad batteries.
2009-10-21 Contacted a local independant hydro electric company to see if they would help me with replacing my lead pack with Thundersky LFPs in exchange for advertising on the truck. They generously offered some but not enough to make it affordable for me. (Chuck isn't very spiffy on the outside anyway). So I guess it's lead again when the time comes. Trojans, Interstates, or Crowns.
2009-10-13 Still runnning well but starting to see reduced battery voltage. I've been charging using the 15 amp setting since the NG3 doesn't shut off anymore.
2009-06-15 Decided to just wax the paint to retain the original finish (faded red patina). It might go faster with the wax! **Record** 88% charge after driving to work (Roberts Creek to Sechelt 12Kms With a couple of big hills) Check out the new ev sticker photo.
2009-05-21 Soldered some of the cable ends that were crimped and they don't heat up now. My conclusion is that in the rear battery box where condensation is a probem the crimped ends corrode and heat causing more corrosion and eventually blow when I'm pulling 500amps going up a hill. NG3 is not shutting off so I guess some of the batts are failing.
2009-05-05 Driving for well over a year now. one charge most days, sometimes three. Still no noticable decrease in range or power. The e-meter is working again... voltage from the pre-scaler tested OK, 10% of true, then I found a loose plug. Kirk and I can now do the effeciency test (0-80KMPH and Kilograms of truck and passengers into Joules and compare to the KWH used). The NG3 didn't shut off a couple of weeks ago and the batteries were boiling in the morning. Testing voltages charging at rest and under load on each battery didn't turn up any bad ones. So I have been unplugging when they start to sizzle and now it shuts itself off. I think it could be cronic overcharging and they need a break.
2009-02-24 range is still improving...still 84% when i get to work. tightning terminals at least twice a week now and no more burnt ones.
2009-01-12 repaired battery terminal (see photo) and replaced exploded one with another. i cut away the burnt offset terminal and made a form from aluminum flashing and a pipe clamp around the post, heated with a torch, built up with resin core solder, and clamped on an offset terminal.
2009-01-11 2 weeks of snow bound then one week at the road side stuck with batts down to 65%. got it home and charged up....took him out for a test and a battery tereminal fried and the next battery blew the top off and split side from top to bottom. joined the cables accross the mess and drove home.
2008-12-15 -10degrees C today. I went out 1/2 hour before leaving for work and started the heater and then plugged in the charger again... seemes to warm the batts and the cab is nice and the windows clear. still haven't fixed the motor movement.
2008-11-30 checked the motor mounts again today and they are fine. the stick shift still slamming back and forth with engine torque, must be that the lighter engine allows more movement. i am considering some kind of struts from the top of the motor to the frame to stop the excessive rotation of the tranny and motor. this sounds like i've had a lot of troubles but i'm just not hiding anything. chuck is still sweet to drive and gives a kick of pleasure when we zip along so clean and quiet. spent a couple of hours helping a friend with his ev today. he had failing power even though his pack was full. we checked the 12v battery and it was at 10.35v. the dc to dc seems to be hooped. to get him home we actually used jumper cables to charge his accesory battery! never thought an ev would need a jump.
2008-11-16 fixed the clutch tube yesterday and had to modify the mount (zap straps).
2008-10-16 still great to drive. very dependable and cheap. clutch slave rubber tube failed because i didn't realize how much the motor moves. the font battery box frame cut the rubber tube. i have a new one and will install it but driving without the clutch is a pain and not good for the tranny. if you are considering a clutchless ev think again.
2008-10-02 charger is back in and working. i won't run it on the 25 amp setting till the charging wiring has been changed. e-meter is still unhappy, only giving amps... reading 0.00v or 0.05v i must have blown the prescaler or something with the clip-on charging. i'll check the fuse tomorrow.
2008-09-28 still no sign of the charger but the 4 12v are keeping the pack up to the 24km round trip per day. Dennis and Christopher (2 batteries in the front pack) were feeling down so i gave them extra attention and they charge evenly with the others now. one of the cable ends is heating up and looking nasty, must be a bad crimp job, so I tightned the nut and i'll buy some ends and make a new cable tomorrow. i have plenty of 02 welding cable left over.
2008-09-12 charger should be back next week! you know, even without it driving an EV is great. clean and quiet, and saves me about an hour a day compared to taking the bus! I checked the battery terminals today and was able to get one eighth turn of a couple. while driving lately i've been running the e-meter on amps and regularly pull 420 amps (foot to the floor). I think we need to make conversions idiot proof...for people like me:)
2008-08-17 charger quit while charging after a long hot drive. i think the fan quit and the diode failed. one of the fans was buzzing a couple of weeks ago and if i pushed on the charger case it quit so i thought it was just a vibration.
2008-07-29 ya, guys listen to your wife. she told me to always tighten the terminals when i fill the battery water. it had been about 7 weeks of heavy use and 3 weeks since a battery terminal meltdown event. i had forgotten to re-tighten the repaired terminals after a week (to take up cold flow i think) and now they needed about half a turn!
80 kmph up 'ratportage hill' now that is up form 70 a couple of months ago. and it still had 85% when after the trip to work this morning (used to be down to 78%) so those batts keep getting better, or it could be the warm weather.
2008-07-13 about 100 km's today roberts creek to top of west sechelt and back then roberts creek to langdale ferry terminsl and back. the road from the terminal is 2 kms at 10% rising 200metres. (that is about 600 feet in a mile). i was worried about something overheating on the hot day in July but all was ok. hay, does it make any difference if i put the peddle to the metal or take it easy? the total work done is the same. is there any inefficiency besides higher resistance with heating cables?
2008-07-09 77 kms today with lots of hills (full charge at work after the first 12)
2008-06-30 didn't charge it friday night and had to drive saturday afternoon... down to 28% but i think the batts are ok. still very perky and no noticeable loss of range. think i'll see if i can get a manual steering box rather than buy a ps kit or put a 12v motor on the old pump. pointless to mount it on the traction motor 'cause it's needed when the motor is stopped.
2008-06-17 i bought some cut polish for the paint and rubber cleaner for the tires today. they said this would happen. i think it has been about 2 years since it was washed.
2008-06-11 watered the batteries today, it should have been done sooner but i wanted to see how often it needed to be done. that would be 2+ months and 1600kms. it only took about 20 minutes and could be done in 10 with a little thought (they took about 16 litres!). i'll have to save up for the power steering kit $$$$$.
2008-06-10 ordered an electric power steering pump kit today.
2008-06-09 very reliable so far. 39 cents to charge at work today (12km from home lights, heater, radio,and wipers)
2008-06-04 i've been avoiding driving for years now i'm looking for reasons to.
2008-05-22 starting to trust range and acceleration, sometimes with the radio on i forget it's an ev. my wife says she was an ev-widow for a year...what does that mean?
2008-05-06 better speed up the big hills today. this is fun. i call it 'shedding the guilt'. no emissions and low cost makes driving fun again.
2008-05-03 NG3 is in California getting a new diode and fan (don't take off the cover yourself).
2008-04-27 no word on the NG3 so I bought another 2 smart 12v chargers (they were on sale for $50 ea). My plan is to charge in 3 8 hour shifts. that is 24 6v batteries two at a time per charger times 4 chargers times 3 shifts gives me 8 hours charge for each pair each day. Of course all the wires and clips get tangled and it's a pain to clip on but I don't really have a choice. The 2 chargers couldn't keep up with 22kms a day. I've taken to testing the at rest voltages of each battery now and then (put my little % chart on the multimeter). the % readout on the chargers are surprisingly accurate.

2008-04-23 another 22kms today to work and back. Still charging with 2 12v 12amp car chargers. Just clipping on till they get to 80%. I bought a $20 power meter and it says that the 25km trip used up about $.60 of juice. That works out to about 2.5 cents per km... About what I expected. I'm going to try again tomorrow, that would be every day to work!

2008-04-21 today's trip was around 25km (some side trips) the truck ran well with lots of pep. at the end voltage reading was around 146v, 6.1v per cell. they should be at rest for a couple of hours to use voltage as a battery state indicator but my e-meter is very unhappy about the way i am charging, that is without disconnecting cables (clipping on next door to a running charger doesn't seem to change any voltages). i just found an after 4 hours rest voltage/battery state chart: 6.33v/cell=100%; 6.23v/cell=75%; 6.12v/cell=50%; 6.03v/cell=25%; 5.95v/cell=0%...........so for me that would be 151.8v=100%...146.9v=50% so today's run was about as far down as i should go .. 50%.

2008-04-20 charged all the pack with 2 12v chargers, then did some driving and all seems well. now i'm trying just breaking the pack in the middle and hopping in pairs with the chargers when they say 85%. if all goes well tonight I'll take it to work in Sechelt tomorrow (22km round trip) and do some more charging there. if the pack gets below about 145v at rest I'll park it and get a tow. keep you posted!

2008-04-15 charger is in a box ready to mail to Canev for repair tomorrow.

2008-04-13 drove to Gibsons (12km) and back easy 80-100 kmph each way (hard not to speed) then down to the sea and back, e meter reading only down 1 bar then plugged chuck in. when i checked an hour later all was too quiet. when i pulled the cable and plugged it in again it gave me battery error. but the battery voltage at the charger checked out at 149.7v. pulled the cover on the NG3 charger and the output fuse was blown. I'll find a fuse this week and replace it then see.


2008-04-10 drove to Wilson Creek 5km and back on the highway. did 60 kmph up 'ratportage hill'... long and about 12% grade!

2008-04-08 drove down to the ocean and back twice (5km each way and 200m elevation) no problem. does 70kmph up the hill no problem, battery cables a slightly warm afterwards. hard to get used to leaving the clutch alone at the stop signs.

2008-04-07 everything is done! even the burnt out headlight. the charger is in and working I'll take it for a medium drive tomorrow.

2008-04-03 charger will be here tomorrow on the bus! vacuum pump runs if the parking break is on. got the insurance.. same price, says "electric" in the fuel box.

2008-04-02 Randy says the charger is here! I'll get the insurance tomorrow, ICBC just requires me to change the fuel type box on the form. we will see how much $. can't wait to take it out on the street! I'm thinking of doing another Toyota pickup next 'cause i think i can do it better next time. fixing these EV's would be very simple. each part.. motor, controller, charger, etc costs about $2000 but could be exchanged without a huge amount of shop time. ICE troubles can go on for ever!

2008-03-29 first drive down the driveway and back today! what a hoot! when i had the pot box wires swapped it fried the carbon. but it has a third contact for reverse action so i took it all apart and flipped everything. the spring didn't like that so i used an extension spring and put it all back in. not as elegant as before but it works. testing the control box with the front battery box out, the cables shunted and the control box lying flat worked very well. next conversion I'll test it like that and mount the big fuse and the e-meter shunt on the control box not the front battery box so it will be a breeze to pull the front batter box.



2008-03-23 fixed the controller power relay problem today. the diode was in backwards. dah. it was obvious when I used an old piece of #16 wire as a jumper from the 12v+ and hooked up the volt meter. now the relay kicks in when you push the clutch and turn the key to start, then it stays on until you turn the ignition off. I also discovered that i had the pot box wired with the switch and pot swapped. so now when you push the gas the main contactor kicks in. still no turning of the motor. hope to track that problem down tomorrow. I'm thinking about jumpers to the motor to make sure it's ok. I got pack voltage at the controller output just before dinner but haven't been back.

2008-03-08 e-meter in today, had to wire brush the front rotors. easy to remove the calipers. found a battery cable missing when i tried to put them all on. don't invite spectators till it works! all the brakes are a little grindy from being in the rain for a year but the wheels turn. when i powered up the system the motor doesn't go. I'll try to track down the problem tomorrow. the controller will cut out if any of the 3 check circuits are closed- the thermal cutout, the rev limiter or the pot box switch. i had the pot box switch on NC (normal connected)when it should be NO (normal open).

2008-03-01 springs, cables are done; e-meter, and trany fluid and shifter tomorrow (and church and tilling the garden) still no word on the ng3. can i charge the bats with a 12v charger in place without removing the cables? say just off the main breaker and one of the front to back cables then clip on two chargers? thinking of doing a Chrysler neon next!

2008-02-29 all the batteries are in, had to pry some to make them fit into the styro lining. had to finish all the wiring so the front battery box could be bolted in. when i tested the main contactor it would only stay on with the key in start position. the diode on the relay is supposed to self actuate the relay in with the key on run then click off when the key is turned off. if i can't see the trouble i might shunt the contactor to the run position till i have time to track down the problem. still have to fill the trany and bolt on the stick. the front brake rotors are rusted from sitting for a year. and still waiting for the charger. the heater and e-meter will get done this week if it doesn't rain on my legs too hard.

2008-02-22 the batteries are here. they are at 6.23v so if that charger doesn't come by the time I've got all the cables crimped I'll have to rig something to keep them charged.

2008-02-20 the batteries are coming this week! but no charger yet.

2008-02-10 Randy from Canev on Vancouver Island supplied all of the components and a partial motor mount. the battery boxes are from his S-10 kit and are deluxe. working on the Toyota is a pleasure, all edges are rounded and make it easy on the knuckles.

code by jerry