The money shot.95 PrizmInstrumentation.New charger 4-1-2009HeaterAdapter plate and couplerThe motor is IN!Vacuum Pump and first battery trayAero-mods, lower grill opening
OwnerKyle Bonds
LocationCamp Hill, Pennsylvania US map
Vehicle1995 Geo Prizm
I wanted as much weight as possible up front, so I shoe-horned in 6 batteries, the charger, controller, 12V converter, big relays, big fuses, big connectors.
MotorAdvanced DC FB1-4001A Series Wound DC
Dual shaft
Drivetrain5-speed manual, no clutch. Front wheel drive. And the Prizm (corolla) does not have the right side half-shaft attached to the motor, that saves a lot of fabricating a mount.
ControllerCurtis 1231C-8601
Should have the current limit turned down for anything other than 6 volt floodies. Mine is down to about 1/3. I also turned down the acceleration ramp to about 2/3 so it is not as jerky in reverse.
Batteries12 Deka 8A31DT, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM
1o0ah, group 31 deep cycle marine. I wanted dry batteries because it is a car, and the trunk has 6 batteries in it. 75 pounds each.
AGMs have low internal resistance, and so feel very strong, but should be babied.
I had UB121100, but they only lasted about 50 cycles of heavy use.
System Voltage144 Volts
ChargerQuickcharge SCO14410
This is a 10-amp charger with equalization mode. The AGMs should have about 25% of their 20-hour rate as the charger rate, but I did not have 220V in the garage.

I originally used 12 Schumacher 12V chargers, one for each battery. They kept everything balanced, but did not have an equalization mode.
HeaterThe Prizm/Corolla heater core is very tough to get to, but the A/C evaporator only took 30 minutes to remove, and its' box is roomier to work in and to isolate the ceramic heater. I use the A/C button to trigger the 144V relay for heat, on-or-off to adjust, but mainly for defrosting anyways. Of course have the A/C evacuated by a reputable shop before cracking open.
DC/DC ConverterAstrodyne
Lightweight, but does not look like it is built for on-the-road use, but it has worked well without any hiccups.
Instrumentationanalog 180V voltmeter and 400A ammeter.
Top Speed55 MPH (88 KPH)
144V gets a good top speed, but not for long with only 12 batteries.
AccelerationKeeps up with traffic in "battery destruct mode", once I turned down the controller's current limiter to protect the batteries it is slow.
Range15 Miles (24 Kilometers)
25 miles when the batteries were new, but it is very, very tough on the batteries to "find out what it can do". As soon as you do, you have reduced their capacity, and will do some real damage the next time you try to match the first attempt.
EV Miles
Start:192,500 Miles (309,732 Kilometers)
Current:193,800 Miles (311,824 Kilometers)
Total:1,300 Miles (2,091 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity5 adults
Curb Weight3,000 Pounds (1,363 Kilograms)
2500 pre conversion weight. The batteries total around 800 pounds, minus the I.C.E., radiator, gas tank, exhaust and stuff.
Tires185-R14 that were on the car, pumped up to 44 PSI.
Conversion TimeStarted 2nd week of June 2008, pulled the old motor and fabbed the coupler and adapter. Built the front battery racks in July. August was making the engine bay weather-proof (with rubber roofing material, which feels about like an innertube).
Started wiring over Labor Day weekend.
Drove to work for the first time Sept. 25th, 2008.
Conversion Costcar plus repairs $900, batteries $2400, pile-o-stuff from EVA $5000, vacuum pump from JEGS $270 (only lasted 200 miles, the warranty replacement is making racket after 500 miles), aluminum plate $137, QD bushings $140.
Additional FeaturesI used a QD style bushing to make the tranny adapter, and another for the accessory drive for air conditioning. They clamp on VERY securely.

If you turn off the key without setting the parking brake a buzzer will go off.

Ignition interlock relay to prevent driving off if the charger is plugged in.
The range is dropping fast on the first set of batteries. My drive has a stretch of highway up a hill at the end of my day, so the batteries do not get any rest right when they need it most. I am in the denial stage of having ruined my first battery pack. I don't think AGMs should be used for highway or hilly country.

It took a long time to find a suitable donor car, mainly because everybody gets automatic transmissions here in America.
Second gear pulls O.K. from a stop, and can get up to 60 MPH. I have been trying out 3rd gear on the downhill run to work - having the tachometer work would make shifting easier, because sometimes I need 1st gear to jump out in traffic, and then fishing for 2nd takes about 5 seconds.
These speeds are based off what the manual says is a good limit for 144 volts - 6000 RPM.

code by jerry