| Owner | Robert Bradshaw | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Clinton Township, Michigan US map | ||||||
| | |||||||
| Vehicle | 2002 Chrysler PT Cruise Standard 4 door | ||||||
| Motor | Advanced DC Series Wound DC 9" | ||||||
| Drivetrain | 5 speed manual. At first I only used 2nd gear all the way up to 55 mph. But with more experience I learned that the Curtis 1231 controller works best in the mid motor speed range. I now shift from 2nd up trough the gears to 5th. My best shift points seem to be 30, 40, and 50 mph. | ||||||
| Controller | Curtis 1231 Performing well, especially in the mid motor speed range. | ||||||
| Batteries | 10 Trojan 150 ah, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded 7 back 3 front. The 6th battery in my 10 battery series had a loose terminal connection that caused an arc and melted the post in a Geyser of molten led. That was a $201 error. | ||||||
| System Voltage | 120 Volts | ||||||
| Charger | Zivan NG3 After having the charger reprogrammed from 144 volts to 120 volts I had some reliability problems that were resolved after shipping it back to the service facility. Requires 20 amp line, | ||||||
| Heater | Electric in dash | ||||||
| DC/DC Converter | Iota DLS-55. 120 DC to 13.5 DC. At first I used it without a 12 volt battery back up but had problems with interruption of wipers and radio when the vacuum pump for the brakes kicked in. I installed a 16 volt Maxwell ultra capacitor in parallel and have not had any problems since. | ||||||
| Instrumentation | Link-10 state of charge. I get very acurat information as needed. | ||||||
| Top Speed | 81 MPH (130 KPH) I am quite comfortable running in traffic in a 45 to 50 mile per hour zone.On a recent 17 mile run I decided to make a high speed run and reached 81 mph. | ||||||
| Acceleration | Adequate. 0 to 60 mph in 36 sec. My Gas HHR will do it in 11 sec. Acceleration is best when shifting up through the gears at a moderate motor speed. 1st gear isn't worth the effort. | ||||||
| Range | 42 Miles (67 Kilometers) I was able to make 41.5 miles on flat roads, at a sustained 35 mph, in light suburban traffic. | ||||||
| EV Miles |
| ||||||
| Seating Capacity | 4 adults | ||||||
| Curb Weight | 3,860 Pounds (1,754 Kilograms) The Michigan Electric Auto Association completed its second annual Autocross and I was pleased to complete the course in 4th place. The car did not seem to plough or break loose during high-speed lane changes and hard corners. | ||||||
| Tires | I am running maximum pressure and the ride is a bit jarring | ||||||
| Conversion Time | Three times as long as planned | ||||||
| Conversion Cost | two times times what I expected | ||||||
| Additional Features | Electric Power Steering Electric power brake vacuum pump 16 volt Maxwell ultra capacitor in parallel with the DC/DC converter. 3 kW Reserve: I have installed a 3kw Honda generator on a hitch rack. It weighs 86 lbs with a full tank of gas, or the same weight as one of my 10 batteries. I don’t find any advantage to running it while driving, but it is very helpful to leave it running while I am parked. It’s also very nice to know that I can count on a recharge when ever I need one. | ||||||
| Still a work in progress. I had some problems with my custom motor mounts handling all the torque. I had to rebuild the mounts twice. I now have a five-point setup. In retrospect, I should have used all of the original mounting arms and anchor points in their original positions. I added manually inflated rear air springs to lift the rear end a bit, but found that they were poorly engineered. The valves are obstructed by the upper surface of the spring tower and the air bags can not be inflated or deflated without jacking the car up. | |||||||
2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser
“Bob's Electric Runabout”
Last Updated 04-13-2011
Copyright © 1997-2012 by Mike Chancey