| Owner | Kevin Fullerton | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Litchfield Park, Arizona US map | ||
| Vehicle | 1981 Kawasaki KZ750E Purchased a rolling chassis in very sad shape. Restoration costs (brakes, seat, paint, gauges, total 12V chassis rewire, signals) was $1400. | ||
| Motor | HPGC AC-15 3-Phase AC HPEV AC-15 is a nice motor for this size bike. The folks at HPEV are a joy to work with. Purchased through EVolve Electric. | ||
| Drivetrain | Now: 5:1 chain direct drive, #50 chain | ||
| Controller | Curtis 1238-7601 Currently running stock HPEV motorcycle parameters in controller setup. | ||
| Batteries | 21 Thunder Sky TS-LFP60AHA, 3.20 Volt, Lithium Iron Phosphate Elithion BMS from EVolve Electrics. Batteries are behaving well--all cells remain well balanced. Batteries purchased from Lithium Storage. A two-week bench charge of all 21 cells in parallel gave a nice initial balance. | ||
| System Voltage | 68 Volts | ||
| Charger | Zivan NG1 72-10 12 A charging current before switching to constant voltage. I had to adjust the voltage upward for a more complete charge. | ||
| Heater | na | ||
| DC/DC Converter | Custom built 15A 72V - 12V isolated charger No commercial isolated converter was small enough for my bike so I built my own around a half-brick commercial isolated DC-DC converter module and an aluminum case with cooling fan. Lesson learned is you must go fully isolated on the converter. | ||
| Instrumentation | Curtis Spyglass replaced the stock tach. I will be building a data logger and display for BMS-collected data. | ||
| Top Speed | 75 MPH (120 KPH) Measured top speed. This will draw the batteries down in a hurry. Top continuous cruising speed is 65 mph. | ||
| Acceleration | 0 - 50 mph in 9 sec 0 - 60 mph in 11 sec Stock HPEV parameters are limiting the low end torque. Should be able to adjust for improved performance | ||
| Range | 55 Miles (88 Kilometers) 35 miles at 35 - 50 mph, measured 55 mile range, measured, at residential street speed (25mph). | ||
| Watt Hours/Mile | 100 Wh/Mile 68 Whr/mi at 25 mph I have not instrumented the battery current so these are estimates based on 4KWhr pack and avg speeds. working on a data logger now. | ||
| EV Miles |
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| Seating Capacity | 2 adults, rider and passenger | ||
| Curb Weight | 460 Pounds (209 Kilograms) measured. 30 pounds lighter than stock ICE bike | ||
| Tires | new Dunlop bias ply 100/90-19 130/90-16 | ||
| Conversion Time | 6 months following several months of part-time design. Most of the time was spent restoring the 30-yr old rusted bike, not doing the actual electric conversion | ||
| Conversion Cost | Electric conversion: $7650 Chassis restoration: $1500 | ||
| Additional Features | ELITHION BMS manages battery charging and monitors discharge. It turns off the charger on overvoltage and limits throttle when battery voltage is low. It is a very, very flexible system but expect to spend some time setting it up and wiring the controls. Status drives LED indicators mounted in the original idiot light pod. Frame downtubes were modified to accommodate the battery pack. Battery box fabricated out of 1/2" steel angle. Cabling is oversized at 1/0. I should have gone smaller but the ultra flex welding cable is easy to work with. | ||
| Next time I will find a rolling frame in better shape. I performed all the design, conversion, and restoration work myself with the exception of -- cutting and welding the motor mount -- turning the frame tubing plugs for the modified downtubes -- seat upholstery | |||
1981 Kawasaki KZ750
“eKZ”
Last Updated 08-21-2011
Copyright © 1997-2012 by Mike Chancey