defrosterlaunch day
OwnerJack McKee
LocationBellingham, Washington US map
Email email image
Vehicle1980 Volkswagen Pickup
Truck was donated by Mark at Harmony Motors. Thanks,
Mark.
MotorHi Torque Electric Series Wound DC
6.7 inch diameter, double shaft, 15 inches long, 95 lbs. It
looks a lot like the L-91 double shaft.
ControllerAlltrax 7245
450 amps for 2 minutes
300 amps for 5 minutes
200 amps continuously
So far it hardly gets warm
Batteries13, 6.00 Volt, Nickel-Cadmium, Flooded
STM 180 Interestingly when I first looked at the batteries
and saw the 180 I thought dang, that's not as much juice as
my 200 amp hour lead acid. Then I looked more closely and
saw the 180 amps is the one hour rate as opposed to the
200 AH LA being the 20 hour rate. The 200 LA's, according
to the manufactuer, are actually 98 AH for the one hour
rate.
System Voltage78 Volts
ChargerRussco 15 amp
HeaterI took a 120v ceramic heater and replaced the AC fan with a
12DC volt fan. Then hooked the element up to 72 volts. It
provides enough heat to take the chill off. 450 watts by my
calculations.
I also hooked a hair dryer up to the 78 volts and it works
suprisingly well.
DC/DC ConverterKelly
300 watt DC/DC converter
InstrumentationVoltmeter, ammeter, ammeter for DC/DCI got a paktrakr for
the nicads so I can keep a more careful eye on the individual
batteries.
Top Speed50 MPH (80 KPH)
It will do 50, but draws the amps.
AccelerationFine for around town. Mike Brown says that a 72 volt system
drives like an old VW. Perfect for me.
Range30 Miles (48 Kilometers)
Lead acid would do 25 miles in winter and 30 in summer. I'm
not sure what the nicads will do, 30 miles at least. I don't
think I am fully charging them yet.
Watt Hours/Miledon't know yet
EV Miles
Start:80,000 Miles (128,720 Kilometers)
Current:89,000 Miles (143,201 Kilometers)
Total:9,000 Miles (14,481 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity2 adults
Curb Weight2,600 Pounds (1,181 Kilograms)
TiresStandard radial run up to 45 lbs
Conversion Time4 months of half time work. Still more to do.
Conversion Cost$5000
Additional FeaturesNot many. Just trying to have a basic around town vehicle.
I originally had Crown Golf cart batteries. They lasted a year. I don't know exactly why
they gave out. Was it because they couldn't handle the current draw? Should I have gotten
Trojan, or Interstates? One battery was definitly (right after the warranty ran out,
naturally) shot but the others had reduced capacity, too.
At the time I was using a Quick Charge charger and I'm not sure it was equalizing them
enough. If I had it to do over I definitely would get a paktrakr or something to monitor
each battery. I would also give them a really good overcharge.
The nicads start out at a bit higher voltage, 88 volts, but then drop down to 74, or so,
on acceleration. They pop right back up though when you take your foot off the
accelerator. When compared with Lead Acid they seem to be a little higher voltage but
have all the amps you want. Haven't tested distance yet, but pretty sure they'll go further
than the LA. Stay tuned.
Seems to work well for an around town vehicle. I really like watching the amp meter and
trying to use less amps. It was kind or like a low rider until I put helper springs on. I
have heavy duty springs in the front, too. I did a electric vehicle show and they parked
me next to a Tesla which was a study in contrasts.

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