| Owner | Chris Freyman | ||||||
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| Location | Macungie, Pennsylvania US map | ||||||
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| Vehicle | 1983 Volkswagen Rabbit Convertible | ||||||
| Motor | Advanced DC FB1-4001A Series Wound DC 9", 143lbs | ||||||
| Drivetrain | Clutchless 5-speed transmission. Homemade adapter plate using ½” 6061 aluminum. Coupler courtesy Brian @TanicEV. | ||||||
| Controller | Open-Revolt 144V-600A Design based on Paul Holmes’s ReVolt open source controller. I added interlock capability for e-brake and charger detect. Also added motor RPM limiter. Serial interface for diagnostics and tweaking drive parameters | ||||||
| Batteries | 10 Crown 27DC115, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded Commercial Deep Cycle | ||||||
| System Voltage | 120 Volts | ||||||
| Charger | Homemade Onboard 3-stage charger using a PIC microcontroller. Input 115VAC w/ 8~10A output charge current. Boost input, then DC rectified and phase controlled with SCR to deliver controlled charge current. Still some coding to complete. | ||||||
| Heater | Ceramic from 1500W portable AC unit | ||||||
| DC/DC Converter | Iota DLS-30 | ||||||
| Instrumentation | Homemade. Will either use simple digital panel meters for Volts/Amps or design microcontroller version to add e-meter functionality as well. | ||||||
| Top Speed | 76 MPH (122 KPH) Has the FN type 5-speed transmission which has lower gear ratios for higher speed. | ||||||
| Acceleration | Expect it to be peppy with 9" motor and only around 700lbs of lead | ||||||
| Range | 25 Miles (40 Kilometers) Expect to get around 25 miles per charge. Not enough for my 50 mile daily work commute (each way), but good enough for weekends or my wife’s errands around home. | ||||||
| EV Miles |
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| Seating Capacity | 4 Adults | ||||||
| Tires | Bought it with low profile 205/40/R16's. Look's cool, but will probably replace with Sumitomo HTR 200 175/70R13's to get LLR efficiency. | ||||||
| Conversion Time | Since this is a conversion mixed with restoration, total time would be misleading. Not keeping track. Goal is to have this on the road by next summer though. Long hours at work leaves this as mostly a weekend project. | ||||||
| Conversion Cost | Donor Car (shell)= $675 Restoration costs= $1,200 EV Conversion: Estimate= $2,300 (excluding batteries) Pretty much all EV components found on Ebay. Great way to save money. Motor, contactor & vacuum switch were brand new, the rest used. Car replacement parts were a mix of Ebay and “The Samba” (VW enthusiasts website). | ||||||
| Had a $4,500 budget which I’ll probably exceed, but hopefully not by much. Car selection based on being a lightweight convertible (fun factor), with as little rust as possible. Found a great shell, but it was a mixed bag. The Good- The ICE was already gone, car was 98% rust free, and it had recent paint job (cool Chevy tangerine pearlcoat) The Bad- Passenger door damaged and had to be replaced, ALL wiring harnesses removed and stuffed in a box, MANY missing parts (tranny mounts, linkage, side marker lights, badges, interior plastics, interior carpeting) June 09- Removed gas tank & fuel delivery system. Degreased engine bay and transmission. Repainted transmission, brake booster, master cylinder. Replaced rotors & pads. Replaced passenger door with junkyard find. July 09- Replaced front wheel bearings. Clean & repack CV joints & replaced cracked boots. Created motor adapter plate (slow process with 4” hole saw and hack saw!). Aug-09- Installed adapter plate to motor & added coupler. Build wooden fixture to hold motor vertically, then dropped tranny onto it. Alignment process suggested by Brian at TanicEV. Basically involves lightly clamping bell housing to motor plate, then run motor to “self align” to tranny before marking bolt holes and installing alignment pins. Result= vibration free alignment. Install motor & transmission into engine bay and attached axles. Build a few 2/0 cables to attach to motor. Cables temporarily run into passenger compartment to attach to one 12V battery (via jumper cables) in passenger seat. Aug-22 maiden voyage down driveway & back. Sept 09- Reinstalled some backseat plastics and driver’s side doorcard & mirror. Performed bodywork on rear driver side fender. Wetsand passenger door and primered in preparation for paint & clearcoat. Installed side marker lights & exterior trim. Turned my attention to reinstalling the wire harnesses. Took opportunity to remove wires associated with ICE sensors & such. Some melted wires needed to be replaced. Replaced headlight switch (melted in “on” position). Oct 09- Paint & clearcoated passenger door. Reinstalled passenger doorcard & mirror. Installed DC-DC converter and accessory battery. Resinstalled all remaining wire harnesses & fuse box. Added additional wiring in support of EV instrumentation, controller interlocks, etc. Reinstalled dashboard and blower assy. Reworked heater core with ceramic heater. Nov~Dec 09- Built motor controller. Features include: - high pedal lockout - safety interlocks to disable if charger or e-brake on - rev limiter set to 6,000 rpm - real time switching between economy or performance modes via dynamic current limiting - microprocessor controlled with serial output of diagnostic data and serial firmware upgrade support. Jan~March 10- Built Battery charger. Between schematic & pcb design, troubleshooting and writing code, 3 months went quick. April~May 10- Built battery racks and EV component mounting plate. Also built vacuum reservoir and installed vacuum system. Designed relay/fuse board & installed in hoffman steel box. June 10- Installed motor controller, contactor, hv fuse, relay box and began both HV and LV wiring. Hoping to get traction batteries soon! | |||||||
1983 Volkswagen Rabbit Convertible
(under construction)
Last Updated 06-28-2010
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Mike Chancey