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
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 regen KW,
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 in the trunk help create a low
center of gravity.
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. charging at 240 VAC is
reasonably quick. recover about 10 miles
of range in an hour.
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)
Accelerate in 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 allows me to cruise at
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
KWhr/mile
for the recharge.
EV Miles
Start:122,343 Miles (196,849 Kilometers)
Current:129,527 Miles (208,408 Kilometers)
Total:7,184 Miles (11,559 Kilometers)
 
    As of 7/10/2011
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.
Power level select to extend range when I don't need max
power. PakTrakr is great for monitoring; but, not
managing the battery pack. It has gotten out of balance
over several charge and discharge cycle. Re-balancing
one by one is a pain.
In Dec 2009, I installed the Manzanita analog regulators
for lead acid. $40 each for 24 batteries is a big
Christmas present; but, necessary. After six months of
charging with the battery regs, the
batteries are getting a full and proper absorption
voltage finish. The weak ones are hanging in there after
earlier charging abuse. The majority of the pack is
aging appropriate for lead acid life time estimates.
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.
In March 2010, started charging from my 240V 30 amp outlet
in the garage. Can now get to the thirteen amp charge for
my DC55 batteries. They all get to
proper AGM absorption voltage now and equalize nicely.
Previously from my 120 V 15 amps. Could only get about 5 DC
amps going into the pack.

code by jerry