BMS and chargerEnergy usage plotVacuum pump and speed sensorZilla 1KHV in boxBattery box and fuse compartmentLoading batteries into battery boxHairballBattery Box CompleteCeramic Heater
OwnerGreg Sievert
LocationMusk Vale, Victoria Australia map
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Vehicle1993 Volvo 240 GLE Wagon
Last of the Volvo 240 wagons. Not as
heavy as you might think, and plenty of
room for batteries. This one is in great
condition inside and out.
MotorWarfield WarP 9 Series Wound DC
Nicely made in the town where my great
grandparents lived (Frankfort, IL)
Drivetrain4-speed manual, clutchless, rear wheel
drive. Original engine was a B230FX (2.3
litre 4-cylinder with cast-iron block and
aluminium head) and Aisin 4-speed
automatic.
ControllerCafe Electric Zilla 1K HV
Ordered August 2008 when the run-out of
production was announced. Using the HEPA
pedal assembly. Arrived April 2009.
Yippee! It's a thing of beauty.
Batteries45 CALB/Skyenergy SE-130AH, 3.20 Volt, Lithium-Ion
Batteries arrived Q3 2010. No issues so
far. EV Power BMS. Tracking battery
voltage vs. SOC, my plots exactly match
the Sky Energy plot for these batteries.
System Voltage144 Volts
ChargerZivan NG3
Mounted on the rear of the battery box.
Works well!
HeaterMinimal requirement as we live in
temperate Melbourne, AUS. Heated
seats. Window defogging uses the
original heater box/fan with 2x ceramic
heater cores running pack voltage.
Bought 2x cheap 240V AC room heaters
and tore them apart for the ceramic
cores. I rigged up 2x microswitches
off the original heater control lever
to give low and high heat. Safety
systems from the original heater units
maintained, as well as wiring set up
such that the fan must be on for the
optically-coupled relays to engage the
HV to the heater cores.
DC/DC ConverterMeanwell PB600
We put it in the glove box (out of the
elements), so you can hear the cooling
fan running while driving. We were
originally hoping to get a special fan-
less DC converter, but that deal fell
through. If I were to do it over,
would put the DC/DC in the rear on the
battery box.
InstrumentationTBS Electronics E-Xpert Pro. Original
speedometer (it's driven off a sensor
in the diff) and tachometer (Zolox
speed sensor on front of motor with
feed to the Hairball). Vacuum gauge
with low vacuum warning light. 12-volt
battery gauge. Outside temp gauge.
May try to develop a display screen of
some sort for the center console area.
Top Speed80 MPH (128 KPH)
Speed limit in Victoria is 110 kph (so
no need for anything higher than that).
On our first freeway test drive we took
it up to 105 kph with NO PROBLEM! I've had
it up to 80MPH and it had plenty more to go.
AccelerationSimilar to or better than original car -
confirmed in first test drive (happy with
0-60 mph in less than 11 seconds)
Range40 Miles (64 Kilometers)
Range in urban traffic is 60-70 km with
30% reserve left in batteries (70% DOD).
Farthest we've driven it on a charge is
76.6 km, with approx. 30% remaining in
batteries.
Watt Hours/Mile337 Wh/Mile
After 27000 km (17000 mi), 337 W-
hr/Mile per the TBS gauge; Wall-to-
wheel is 417 W-hr/Mile based on
energy used to re-charge based on the
Power Mate. Urban commuting in traffic
at speeds of approximately 60-80 kph.
Includes using the heater on cold
mornings. Some longer drives at speeds
up to 100 kph; car is most efficient
driving at these highway speeds.
EV Miles
Current:17,000 Miles (27,353 Kilometers)
 
    As of 6/22/2017
Seating CapacityOriginal = 5 (but the 240 was available
with an optional rearward facing child
seat to make it 7). Converted to a 2-
seater with large, flat rear load floor
(batteries sit where rear seat was,
forward of rear axle).
Curb Weight3,200 Pounds (1,454 Kilograms)
Weighed donor base car pre-conversion
is 1387 kg = 3056 lbs (including power
steering, heavy auto transmission, AC,
rear seats, etc). Post-conversion car
came in a bit heavier than expected at
1460 kg. Weight distribution 47%F/53%R
Tires215/45R17 Pirelli P7
Conversion TimeCar acquired in October 2008 with
approx. 238000 km on the odo.
Nov 2009: Engine is out; engine bay
cleaned; Working on adapter plate (see
new pics)
Jun 2010: Adapter plate and coupling
completed; motor mounts complete; motor
and transmission are test-fitted and
motor test-run - no vibration!
Oct 2010 - motor final fitment in car.
Designing battery box
Jan 2011 - battery box almost complete;
wiring and electronics boxes are being
constructed.
Feb 5, 2011: First test drive!! It
goes well.
Mar 2011: Complete and approved by
VASS engineer, and re-registered as
"electric". Hooray!
Conversion CostGlider cost (after sale of engine and
transmission) is about $900. Total
cost around $30k AUD ($25-30k USD
depending on exchange rate). We've
gone for high-quality components. You
could do it cheaper if you bought cheap
stuff!
Additional FeaturesHeavy-duty anti-sway bars by ipd. Bilstein
HD shocks all
around. Lower front springs to even out the
ride height
(due to 5% shift in weight distribution
towards rear).
Custom microprocessor controller off MAP
sensor to turn
vacuum pump on and off and switch on dash
warning light if
vacuum drops too low. Custom carpeted load
floor battery
cover to conceal battery pack from prying
eyes.
Jan 2015 update - we've moved out to the
country (had to have the car trailered as
the range was insufficient to drive to our
new home!!)

Jun 2012 update - In Feb 2012 we had to
pull the motor
coupling and disassemble motor to fix the
damaged shaft.
Vibration led to a damaged coupling, which
is now fixed
and the car is back running great. Only
current issue
(excuse pun) is the TBS meter is reading
only 58% of the
actual current. Still trying to get that
sorted out.

Jan 2012 update - other than a slight
vibration due to
the motor coupling not being perfectly
aligned on the
damaged motor shaft, the car continues to
impress. I
recently added a blanking panel to the
front face of the
grille to improve aerodynamics. Also had
the windows
tinted to reduce heat gain on warmer days,
although we
rarely leave the car parked in the sun to
avoid heating
up the batteries.

Sept 2011 update - motor coupling keyway
sheared due to
coupling sliding partly rearward off motor
shaft. New
coupling made up to incorporate a taper
lock bush as well
as the centre spring section of a clutch
disk. All
working well again!

Converted from power steering to manual
steering; air
conditioning and complex
heating/ventilation system
deleted in favour of a more simple, light-
weight solution
for window defogging only (no real need
for heat or AC);
Clutchless coupler for simplicity. Custom
coupling
machined up to accept clutch centre
section.

Based on the weight calculations (original
car is 50.4%
Front/49.6%)...Post-conversion with 45
batteries in the
rear seat area the weight distribution is
47% Front/53%
Rear - this is ideal especially given the
lack of power
steering.

code by jerry