Motor in placeThe engineerBattery rack
OwnerSteve Briscoe
LocationArlington, Texas US map
Vehicle1985 Toyota Celica
The plan at this point is to use a salvaged G.E. Forklift motor with a 144 volt controller and 12, 12 volt deep cycle batteries.
MotorGeneral Electric 339128 Series Wound DC
Salvaged Forklift Motor
DrivetrainToyota 5 speed transmission direct coupled to the G.E. motor by a solid steel coupling.
ControllerCurtis 1231C
96 to 144 Volt 500 amp controller
Batteries12, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
System Voltage144 Volts
ChargerQuick Charge 144 volt charger
HeaterMy son Bradley (the engineer) and I am still debating. He wants to stick to resistance heat. I am open to that but am thinking that a dual power source water heater might be more effective. We could heat a minimal amount of water with AC power overnight and store that thermal capacitance in the water and augment it with 12volt heating element after disconnecting from AC power.
DC/DC Converter
None... still use a 12 Aux battery
Top Speed70 MPH (112 KPH)
70 MPH so far, Speed is getting better as I cycle the batteries more. My last run on the highway was 65MPH in third gear.
AccelerationVery, very Good
RangeJust added the last two batteries on 08/30/2009. Will need to cycle the new pack several times to see how it plays out.
EV Miles
Start:198,273 Miles (319,021 Kilometers)
Current:198,401 Miles (319,227 Kilometers)
Total:128 Miles (205 Kilometers)
Seating CapacityCurrently 4 but that is subject to change.
Curb Weight2,100 Pounds (954 Kilograms)
Conversion TimeBeen messing with it for 6 months now. Probably have 200 hours so far.
Conversion CostStill adding up.
Additional Features01/26/2009 Installed vacuum pump for the power brakes and passed the Texas state safety inspection.
03/19/2010 Just shot some new red paint. This is not my best paint job as I have not painted a car in over 24 years but it does look much better.

code by jerry