Peter and Patricia's 1997 Chevrolet S-10 LS

Below electronic platform (behind grill)

Owner

Peter Flipsen Jr and Patricia Visser

Owner's Other EV

1991 Plymouth Colt GL

Location

Meridian, Idaho US ^map

Vehicle

1997 Chevrolet S-10 LS
Short box, regular cab.

Motor

Advanced DC FB1-4001A Series Wound DC
9.1" diameter, dual shaft. Rated at 25.2 HP @
120V (continuous; 85 HP peak). Peak torque
= 110 ft. lbs. @ 120V & 500 Amps.

Drivetrain

RWD; 5 speed manual with clutch.

Controller

Logisystems 144-AFX
120-144V; 750A max. Using PB-6 potbox.

Batteries

15 Trojan T-875, 8.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
170 AH each (20 hour rating). 12 in box, 3
under hood.

System Voltage

120 Volts

Charger

Quick Charge Select-a-charge; 110V; 10A.

Heater

None for now. Can manage OK in
southeastern Idaho by just dressing warmly.
Truck is parked in our garage overnight.

DC/DC Converter

Iota DLS-55

Instrumentation

SOC, motor amp gauge, 12V gauge and Hall
effect tachometer mounted in instrument panel
in place of old gauges (see pic). SOC gauge
and Tach not yet functional.

Top Speed

45 MPH (72 KPH)
Haven't pushed it yet but no problem getting to
45 mph. Should be at least 60 mph. Don't go
over 35 mph on my short, local commute.

Range

Pre-installation calculations suggest about
23 miles.

Formulae used:

Useable Watt hours = 120 Volts X 170
Amp Hours X 0.8 max depth of discharge
X 0.57 Peukert correction.

Range = Useable Watt hours divided by
400 Watt hours per mile.

Longest trip to date = 15.7 miles.

Watt Hours/Mile

500 Wh/Mile
Wall to wheels. Hoping to reduce with belly pan and possibly tonneau cover in back.

EV Miles

Start:	113 Miles (181 Kilometers)
Current:	1,620 Miles (2,606 Kilometers)
Total:	1,507 Miles (2,424 Kilometers)
	As of 5/15/2012

Seating Capacity

Tires

Came with fairly new 215/75/15s.

Conversion Cost

Probably spent over $16K total. Original
materials $8K, donor $1500, $2K for
batteries, and $4K for installation.

3/31/11 - decided to retire our old "Volt Colt" (WebPage ). It had served us well but too many non-EV related parts were starting to wear out. Wanted something capable of more range. Will get that with 8V vs 12V batteries and hoping to eventually upgrade to lithium. Having access to a truck a definite plus.

4/6/11 - purchased this donor in Twin Falls, ID. Very nice shape overall. Drivable but questionable motor; 144,000 miles on it. EV parts from Colt to be installed in this truck by Carl Clark and his crew at the Electric Car Company of Utah WebPage

4/16/11 - removed electric motor with help of fellow EVer Jon Glauser from Boise.

5/14/11 - all EV parts removed from Colt and delivered with donor to Carl Clark. Purchased S-10 adapter, hub, and motor mount (made by CANEV WebPage from fellow enthusiast in NC who changed his mind about his donor.

5/23/11 - heard from Carl that stinker motor (ICE) has been removed.

5/27/11 - discovered that adapter plate was older model and not as flexible as newer CanEV plates. Was intended for 2.5L motor. Cover welded on side to fill in where starter was on the 2.2L.

6/15/11 - motor fully installed. Had to order motor mounts for a 2.5L motor.

9/1/11 - many delays in SLC because of manpower issues and other vehicle priorities. Finally heard that electronics have been installed on platform behind grill. Vacuum pump next to it. Charger and vacuum reservoir below electronics platform. See pics.

9/15/11 - high voltage wiring completed in engine compartment, gauges mounted in dash, cooling fan for charger installed, potbox mounted on wheel-well, and inertia switch connected.

9/28/11 - rear batteries installed (see pics) along with rear "helper" springs to assist with battery weight.

10/1/11 - EV delivered. Functional in that all the EV systems work and I was able to drive it around the block. But will need to switch to manual steering as there is no longer any easy way to run a power steering pump. Also speedometer no longer works.

10/09/11 - replaced stock washers on battery connections with Belleville spring tension washers. Added plastic "bathtubs" (made from an old vinyl tarp) around batteries to contain any acid splashing during charging. Installed 400A fusible link between battery #8 and #9 WebPage . Raised tire pressure to 40psi for lower rolling resistance (rated at 44 psi max).

10/29/11 - hired mechanic to install manual steering gear box from 1982 S-10 purchased on ebay (bolted up directly; used Pitman arm from the 97). He also replaced speedo with electric one that bypasses ICE engine computer (no longer functional). Speedo purchased from WebPage

11/09/11 - first full day of commuting with functional EV (10.5 miles round trip to work). Peak current draw during initial acceleration (325-350A) is higher than with our old Colt, but not surprising given poorer aerodynamics of the truck. Batteries can handle it. However, careful acceleration means I can cruise at ~100A at 35 mph which is good. SOC gauge and tach not functioning yet. SOC likely mis-wired. Tach probably needs some adjustment.

11/22/11 - made it 12.6 miles with no appreciable loss of power.

11/25/11 - noticed gear shifter pulling to the side on occasion during acceleration. Discovered loose bolts connecting motor cradle to motor mounts. Tightened up and problem seems to be solved.

12/05/11 - had front end rebuilt (all but tie rods which were good), new brakes installed and alignment done. replaced tranny fluid with Royal Purple gear oil WebPage Mechanic found bits of metal in fluid drained out and recommended replacing tranny.

01/01/12 - had tranny replaced with used unit from a 2000 model with only 50,000 miles on it.

01/19/12 - noticed vibration in stickshift. Had both drive shaft universal joints replaced. Also noticed drivetrain not holding in place. Motor moving sideways and bolts coming loose.

01/31/12 - had torque rod installed connecting front of transmission to truck frame on driver's side as well as torque strap (from CAN-EV) on driver's side motor mount to prevent motor torque from moving drive train around.

02/13/12 - discovered that what looked like a "different" motor mount on the passenger side was actually a mount that had been badly distorted by torque. Replaced and added torque strap (from CAN-EV). Allowed motor and driveline to be properly centered.

04/11/12 - noticed jerky acceleration. Ordered new potbox.

code by jerry