Before ConversionRemoving the EngineMotor and Battery RacksRear Battery Insulation
OwnerChris Simon
LocationMinneapolis, Minnesota US map
WebWebPage
Vehicle2001 Ford Focus
The conversion began on March 29, 2008. I selected a car from the current Millennium since I plan to keep it a while and the Minnesota winters can be hard on vehicles. I chose a light weight vehicle that's been on Car and Driver's "10 Best" list several years. I began driving it as my daily commuter in March, 2009.
MotorAdvanced DC FB1-4001A Series Wound DC
9 inch motor with auxiliary rear shaft
Drivetrain5-speed manual transaxle with clutch and a lightened flywheel.
ControllerCurtis 1231C-8601
Large heatsink mounted on the bottom with 12V fan to keep it cool.
Batteries17 US Battery US8VGC, 8.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
Total weight of batteries is around 1080 lbs.
System Voltage136 Volts
ChargerDelta-Q Technologies 72V
Power factor corrected switching charger that run on 110VAC or 220 VAC. I'm using two Delta-Q chargers, with one using the factory settings for 72V and the other using factory settings for 64V.
Heater1500 W solid state heater (more of a warmer, really) mounted in existing heater core area, driven off the pack voltage.
This is Minnesota so I also have a seat heater plugged into the cigarette lighter and automatic battery heaters that run on 110 VAC.
DC/DC ConverterIota DLS-110-55
Re-worked to increase reliability. (as Lee Hart has done on another Iota) At 55 Amperes it has plenty of power for everything I want to run.
Instrumentation180V Voltmeter and a 500A Ammeter that measures battery current.
Top Speed70 MPH (112 KPH)
Tested it on the freeway up to 68 MPH before reaching my exit. It can go faster but this is certainly enough for me.
AccelerationA bit less acceleration than with the stock ICE. (But much better since I clamped the accelerator cable jacket properly:-)
Range35 Miles (56 Kilometers)
My commute is 12 miles each way for a total of 24 miles. I don't charge at work. I believe that it's probably around 50% depth of discharge for that distance.
35 mile range is a sort of arbitrary number to maintain battery life.
Watt Hours/Mile400 Wh/Mile
I get around 400 Wh/Mile for a trip that is mostly on city streets. This is the energy as measured FROM THE OUTLET so it includes inefficiency of the chargers and the losses in the battery pack while charging. I hope that others adopt this same convention for reporting energy per mile.
EV Miles
Start:85,600 Miles (137,730 Kilometers)
Current:94,600 Miles (152,211 Kilometers)
Total:9,000 Miles (14,481 Kilometers)
 
    As of 1/14/2012
Seating Capacity2 in front, 3 in rear. (Batteries have been kept out of the passenger compartment.)
Curb Weight3,800 Pounds (1,727 Kilograms)
Original car weight was measured at 2,620 lbs, with 1,600 lbs. in front. After the conversion the front to rear balance is almost exactly 50-50. Added stronger springs in front and rear.
TiresThe previous owner put on mud/snow tires. I will change to LRR tires when these wear out.
Conversion Time8 months to get it on the road for initial testing. A few more months to finish it enough for daily driving.
Conversion CostAbout $12,000 spent on motor, controller, transmission adapter, batteries, and chargers, electrical parts and miscellaneous materials.
Getting the flywheel hub and transmission adapter designed and built was the most challenging and time consuming part of the project.

code by jerry