| Owner | Michael Shaw | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner's Other EV | 1999 Huffy Stone Mountain | ||
| Location | South Bend, Indiana US map | ||
| | |||
| Vehicle | 1985 Pontiac Fiero EV (formerly SE) | ||
| Motor | General Electric Caterpillar Series Wound DC Forklift traction motor from an old Caterpillar M50 forklift. 12" diameter, 48 volts. | ||
| Drivetrain | 4 speed manual, no clutch. | ||
| Controller | Kelly KDH14650B 144 volts, 650 amps. | ||
| Batteries | 16 Everstart 27DC-6, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded Marine deep-cycle batteries purchased new from Wal-Mart. The batteries are arranged in series-parallel, in two banks of 8. | ||
| System Voltage | 96 Volts | ||
| Charger | Quickcharge Onboard 96 volts, 13 amps. 5 hours for 80%, 8 hours for 100%. | ||
| Heater | none Brrr! | ||
| Instrumentation | GPS for speed and distance. My voltmeter and ammeter are no more - they got fried when the high voltage from the traction batteries came in contact with the meter's power supply. Blam! | ||
| Top Speed | 65 MPH (104 KPH) I start in 2nd and work my way up without a clutch. | ||
| Acceleration | OK. In the city, no one notices that this car is electric. It keeps up with city traffic without any problems. | ||
| Range | 24 Miles (38 Kilometers) A little power to spare on arrival. | ||
| Watt Hours/Mile | 310 Wh/Mile Average calculated using watthours measured by my Kill-a-Watt and miles measured by the GPS. | ||
| EV Miles |
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| Seating Capacity | 2 adults | ||
| Curb Weight | 3,298 Pounds (1,499 Kilograms) Dry weight. | ||
| Tires | BF Goodrich 155/80R15. The narrowest tires I could find, fitted to compact spare rims. Inflated to 50 PSI. | ||
| Conversion Time | Since January, 2008. Conversion is ongoing. | ||
| Conversion Cost | $6000 so far. | ||
| Additional Features | Original Delco stereo. In the absence of engine noise, the interior sounds like a concert hall while driving down the road! Brakes are stock. Power assist comes from a Thomas vacuum pump purchased off Ebay. August, 2009: The bottom is now covered with Corplast. The improvement in the car's aerodynamics is startling. Revised consumption numbers are posted above. | ||
Update October 10, 2009: The motor-transmission coupling stripped out. The spline on the transmission is damaged. The tow bill was $90. I had a new coupler engineered which has a spring in it to absorb some of the shock. A new transmission has been located and I'll be getting that in the next few days. Additionally I'll be replacing ALL the lead acid batteries with BB600 Nicads. This should allow me to run the car when it's cold out. (Global warming isn't working out for us this winter.) Meanwhile my commute costs me $2.55 a gallon until I get the car going again! | |||
1985 Pontiac Fiero
Last Updated 10-19-2009
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Mike Chancey