The Warp9 mounted.Rear Battery Box FramesFront Battery Box FramesFrontRearThe instrument cluster, heating plenum a
OwnerNick Drouin
LocationRedmond, Washington United States map
Web/EmailWebPage email image
Vehicle1972 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
Well maintained but un-restored coupe, originally from Canada's west coast.
MotorNetgain Warp9 Series Wound DC
Using the CanEV VW adapter kit.
(De-iced and re-mounted in a day!)
DrivetrainOriginal stock transmission.
ControllerLogisystems 144V-156V, 1000amp
Died after 4yrs and was replaced with 750A I found used.
Batteries12 Deka 8G31, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Gel
Going with a slightly used set of Deka group 31 gels for the first set of batteries.
There are 6 in the front and 3 on either side of the motor at the back.
System Voltage144 Volts
ChargerDelta-Q Technologies 2x 72V
The Delta-Qs are fully featured and well supported. I have the programing dongle so I can mess with them if the need arises.
HeaterElectric heat (ceramic) and battery blankets.
Richard at REV has crafted a nice combination of relays that can switch from AC to DC for the heating element. The fan/control will be driven by AC, via a small 12V inverter. A programmable lighting timer is used to pre-heat the cabin while the car is on charge.
DC/DC ConverterGo Power GPC-45
45A, more than enough for the old VW wiring!
InstrumentationWestach 120-180VDC analog
Westach 1000A analog
Both a motor and battery 1000A shunt, DPDT microswitch for the ammeter.
James May's LED Bargraph multi-battery montior: WebPage
Equus Tachometer (noisy signal)
Top Speed87 MPH (139 KPH)
67 mph at 96V.
87 mph at 144V.
AccelerationMarginally better than stock @144V, but the Gels don't put out more than 600A.
Range21 Miles (33 Kilometers)
33 miles was the top range attempted when the batteries were newer.

Down to 21 miles now that they have a few cycles / thousand miles on them.
Watt Hours/Mile233 Wh/Mile
It draws just under 100A at 140V at 60mph: ~233Wh/m in cold weather.

One day, all lubricants will be upgraded to synthetics.
EV Miles
Start:46,580 Miles (74,947 Kilometers)
Current:51,085 Miles (82,195 Kilometers)
Total:4,505 Miles (7,248 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity2 + 2
Conversion TimeLess than one year.

Inception: Earth Hour, 2008
Started: July 16th, 2008
From July to October: Sourced and purchased most of the parts.
October 25th: De-ICE'd and mounted Warp9 in one day. WebPage
November 12th: finished first led bargraph.
March 1st: First drive.
March 11th: Roadworthiness Inspection.
March 13th: Started driving to work.
Conversion CostBudget: 20,000$ Canadian, plus car.
On the road as of March 1st, 2009!

Some press in the montreal gazette:
WebPage

Feb 3, 2012: Shipped the car to Seattle.
March 6, 2012: Plated and insured in Washington.
October 6, 2014: Logisystems controller died. Off the road.
May, 2016: Found new Logisystems 750A controller. Back on the road!

code by jerry