| Owner | William Brinsmead | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner's Other EVs | 1992 GMC G-Van 1994 Chevrolet S-10 (sold) Trike 1996 APS Bus ( scrapping for parts and batteries Little Boy My 1st EV 2011 Nissan Leaf 2015 Tesla P85D | ||||||||
| Location | Reno, Nevada United States map | ||||||||
| | |||||||||
| Vehicle | 1973 Cadillac Hearse Over four years, completely gutted and converted to EV | ||||||||
| Motor | Nelco N200ML012 Separately Excited DC Monster 385lb Sepex motor (with interpoles) and both internal and external forced air cooling. I've never seen the motor get warm enough for the external fan to kick on. Power rated at 80+HP (60kw) and 238 ft. lbs. (Nm) torque continuous. Peak power unknown, but I'm sure quite massive. | ||||||||
| Drivetrain | G-Van drive train, Sep EX Nelco motor and a Chloride Controller, Phil S. Described it nicly for his G-Van: The rear axle is "flipped" so the drive spline faces aft and where the fuel tank normally would live, there is a stubby little drive shaft that feeds into a custom-built transfer case. The electric motor is mounted longitudinally on the passenger side and connected into the transfer case. The whole assembly is mounted on rubber mounts to a subframe that bolts up into the van. The drive ratio of the transfer case is 1.85:1 and the axle is 4.875:1. In the transfer case, They have an electronic speed pick up and a parking pawl lock system just like an automatic. It's nicely built, but can "whine" a lot during regen. (much like the way a standard transmission does in reverse) | ||||||||
| Controller | Chloride Mark 5-A A nice description again from Phil S.: High Frequency PWM based on a single massive 500A Darlington power block and a smaller (300A) one for Regen. There is also a smaller 4-quadrant PWM drive circuit for the SepEx field. Two 600 amp contactors break both positive AND negative pack voltage. All control circuits are optically isolated from everything else. Completing the unit is a 40A @ 14v DC-DC converter. Built on a massive cast heat-sink with a fiberglass top cover | ||||||||
| Batteries | 36 Saft STM 180, 6.00 Volt, Nickel-Cadmium, Flooded | ||||||||
| System Voltage | 216 Volts | ||||||||
| Charger | Manzanita Micro PFC 20 | ||||||||
| Heater | Diesel fueled hot water | ||||||||
| DC/DC Converter | Belktronix 60 amp This is in addition to the 40 amp DC to DC in the chloride controller | ||||||||
| Instrumentation | Link 10 and custom panel and gauges | ||||||||
| Top Speed | 60 MPH (96 KPH) | ||||||||
| Acceleration | Best described as "stately", Hey, it weighs over 7000 lbs, but it keeps up with traffic nicely, plus it is more aerodynamic than my G-Van | ||||||||
| Range | 60 Miles (96 Kilometers) Depending on terrain and speed | ||||||||
| Watt Hours/Mile | 1 Wh/Mile | ||||||||
| EV Miles |
| ||||||||
| Seating Capacity | 3 adults or more | ||||||||
| Curb Weight | 7,700 Pounds (3,499 Kilograms) on the heavy side | ||||||||
| Tires | 10 ply 16 inch Toyo | ||||||||
| Conversion Time | 4 years | ||||||||
| Conversion Cost | 20k with a lot of scrounging often refered to as a 22 foot long black hole to pour money into :-) | ||||||||
| Additional Features | With vacuum brakes and MR2 electric power steering, instead of the old G-vans continuous hydrolic pump, requiring a continuous 5 amp draw, overall effcincy has inproved. Air conditioning uses a 3 phase compressor driven with an inverter from the pack consuming up to 6 amps. Due to the sepex DC motor regen is excellent, up to 150 amps! | ||||||||
| Just turned 6020 EVmiles! with new paint. many more small details to work out. Many thanks to John Jessie for his skillfull metal fab, welding, fabrication and powder coating of the battery racks and other assemblies so motor and batteries could installed under the deck. Without Johns help this project would not have been possible, If you need similar high quality work he can be reached at:jjj(at)775.net To begain this project I was fortunate to acquire a second G-Van with a beat up body, but good running gear as a parts donor. The '73 Hearse came from Santa Rosa Ca. with 9500 original miles, engine trouble, and some rust from salty air. Now painting is all done ,front carpet and music installed. I am in process of replacing the rear deck inside as to be faithful to the original and still provide easy access to batteries and motor. More Photos coming asap. Our local EV club is at WebPage WebPage | |||||||||
1973 Cadillac Hearse
“Maleficent the E-Hearse ”
Last Updated 10-25-2016
Copyright © 1997-2024 by Mike Chancey