Configuration of Controller and MotorSix Battery Placement under hoodTwo Liter gas engine removedAC24LS motor with adapterA-pillar Three gauge setup15 of 18 Rear Batteries in PlaceVW Golf on Display
OwnerDavid Crow
LocationSan Diego, California US map
Vehicle1998 Volkswagen Golf
sedan, white, 122K miles driven prior to conversion
MotorAzure Dynamics/Solectria AC24LS 3-Phase AC
Three phase AC motor, 85 lbs, air cooled, 47 KW peak, 92 Nm peak
DrivetrainAZD AC24LS AC motor, EA adapter plate, refurbished VW clutch, 5 speed manual transmission, FWD
ControllerAzure Dynamics/Solectria DMOC445
Highly configurable using the serial port data interface. I customized the power levels, the regen points, the low battery power cut-back, and a few other tweaks.
Batteries24 Fullriver DC55, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM
Sealed, Maintenance Free, 55 AH rating, six under the hood, 18 in trunk custom battery box
System Voltage288 Volts
ChargerManzanita Micro PFC-20
20 Amps, 120 to 240 Volt AC input. Chosen for input AC Voltage flexibility and high DC voltage out.
HeaterCeramic cigarette lighter plug-in. un-tested during winter conditions. May install ceramic element inside dash at a later date.
DC/DC ConverterIota DLS-220-55
Originally designed for high AC to low DC voltage, but, proven good fit for high DC to low DC applications.
InstrumentationWestberg DC Amps, Pack Voltage, and Accessory Voltage. PakTrakr BMS of 24 batteries.
Top Speed84 MPH (135 KPH)
1st gear up to 25 mph. cruise in 2nd up to 45 mph, 3rd gear beyond that.
Acceleration0 to 30 in 6 Seconds. Zero to 60 in 25 seconds. Off the line is good and keeps me out of trouble. Patience and the right lane on the freeway will get me to sixty MPH.
Range30 Miles (48 Kilometers)
Depends on my driving habit. It's fun to zip around town in 1st and 2nd. I drive more carefully when I want more than 25 miles on a charge.
Watt Hours/Mile280 Wh/Mile
An in-car calculation of amps times volts results in (60A*280V)= 280 Whr/mi at 60 MPH - Level cruising in third gear. Otherwise, zipping around town and the hills of San Diego requires about 400 Whr per mile from the wall outlet. When my wife drives, it's more like 480! I'm using a P3 International Kill-a-watt meter upstream of my charger to measure. The 84 mph test run cost me 500 Whr/mile for the recharge.
EV Miles
Start:122,343 Miles (196,849 Kilometers)
Current:124,376 Miles (200,120 Kilometers)
Total:2,033 Miles (3,271 Kilometers)
 
    As of 10/4/2009
Seating Capacityfour passenger, four door
Curb Weight3,000 Pounds (1,363 Kilograms)
Removed 600 lbs of I.C.E. parts. Regained 200 lbs of motor, controller and other components. Gained 900 lbs of batteries. I look forward to continued price drops for Lithium batteries. That chemistry will be my next pack.
TiresTiger Paw Touring, nothing special - just what was on sale.
Conversion TimeEight months of part time effort by Bob Van Gorder and several delays in acquiring parts and troubleshooting.
Conversion CostCar with repairs and new tires: $4000. All Components, Parts, and Refurbishments: $15000. In general, AC systems are more costly than a DC system. Manzanita Charger, AGM batteries, and PakTrakr BMS also more than a bare-bones conversion. Reworked clutch. Upgraded rear springs to support added battery weight.
Additional FeaturesVacuum system for power brakes. Electro-hydraulic pump for power steering with ON/OFF switch on dashboard. PakTrakr Battery Monitor System. Regenerative Braking ON/OFF switch and Econ-Normal-Performance selector switch with Azure Controller on the center console. I use the switches a lot. Regen OFF to prevent overcharging a "full" battery pack. Power level select to extend range when I don't need max power.
Great collaboration working with professional installer, Bob Van Gorder, in Ramona California. Road tests started in April 2009. Great assist from Azure Dynamics for details of controller operations. FullRiver email tech support is very timely and comprehensive. More troubleshooting than expected, but, my EV grin is still very real. I am gaining a lot of knowledge on all aspects of this project and the components involved. Great Assistance from Ken Hall at PakTrakr, too.

code by jerry