Front viewRemoving the ICEleaned up Rolling Chassis Motor MountedThe donorUnder the Hood.Rear batteriesRear view
OwnerBen Jarrett
LocationAustin, Texas US map
Email email image
Vehicle1984 Jeep CJ-7
MotorNetgain Warp 9 Series Wound DC
DrivetrainT4 4-speed transmission
Dana 300 transfer case
Axles: 4.10 axle gears.
AMC 20 in the rear with 1-piece axles and
a Detroit True Trac Limited slip
Dana 30 axle up front with a Lock Right locker.
ControllerEvnetics Soliton 1
I plan to limit battery amps to 400 and motor amps to 1000.
Batteries50 CALB/Skyenergy SE130AHA, 160.00 Volt, Lithium Iron Phosphate
Using Mini BMS distributed for protection
Also using Mini BMS SOC meter
System Voltage160 Volts
ChargerElcon PFC-2000
HeaterMay use pack DC for electric heater core
DC/DC ConverterBelktronix
160V.
Delivers up to 55 amps to 12V system.
I blew up my Elcon DC/DC converter. Probably too high of
voltage and I didn't have an inductor.
InstrumentationStock speedometer assembly
Autometer #2698 0-8000 Tachometer
Mini BMS 2" EV Display
Top Speed70 MPH (112 KPH)
Just a guess. I've gone about 65 MPH so far.
Acceleration2nd gear is pretty peppy. I'm happy with the performance.
Range40 Miles (64 Kilometers)
My commute to work is 22 miles roundtrip. 40 miles is a
guess.
Watt Hours/Mile500 Wh/Mile
EV Miles
Current:1,003 Miles (1,613 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity4 adults
Curb Weight3,020 Pounds (1,372 Kilograms)
Had it weighed at CMC metal recycling at 710 Industrial Blvd,
Austin, TX on 6/14/12.
TiresKumho 235/75 R15
Conversion TimeStarted 2/18/2011
Doing restoration and EV conversion - way too much work
with 3 young kids!
Conversion Cost$1400 for Jeep
Approximations:
$2000 for restoration goodies
$1800 motor
$2800 controller
$8500 batteries
$700 BMS
$1000 other EV stuff
Total: $?
I guess it's stilll cheaper than a leaf... Just not as reliable.
Additional FeaturesConverted from power brakes and steering to manual brakes and steering.
Fiberglass body, tailgate, fenders, and hood.
Still in progress...
This jeep is a full frame off restoration.
POR-15 on the frame
Rebuilt axles, tranny, transfercase, tilt column, steering gear.
I rebuilt pretty much everything myself the firs time, then went to see a professional if I
needed to.
Uses a Wrangler windshield.
Got a family style '95 rollbar from a Wrangler.
Looking forward to weighing it.

I tried to use a clutch less adapter from:
www.evcouplerconnection.com/

I was disappointed with the build quality and the adapter didn't properly line up the
tranny input shaft to the motor. Charlie was great on the phone and tried to do his best.
Also, I decided I really need a clutch in order to downshift and for better overall
drivability. So I went with an adapter and hub from www.canev.com. Randy didn't have
a Jeep adapter yet, but said he'd make one. The alignment appeared dead on and I was
very impressed with the build quality. I did have to cut the adapter plate some
for clutch bracket clearance and front driveshaft clearance. Not too big of a deal.

See Maiden voyage here:

WebPage />
6/14/12 updated:
* I finished putting the Canev plate and hub adapter assembly in
- my motor location was a little bit off from factory so I had to lengthen the clutch
bellcrank by cutting it in half and welding in an extension
- transmission is pretty loud - could be a bad, new clutch release bearing
* Jeep passed Texas Safety inspection on 6/9/12
* Drove the Jeep to work for the first time 6/11. About a 18 mile round trip
- There's a Chargepoint charging station at work. Currently using 120V charging.
* Finally selling off un-needed Jeep parts

7/20/12 update
400+ ev miles so far.

I can charge at work using a J1772 adapter
I got from Tuscon EV. I'm getting around 2 miles/kW. The Jeep drives pretty
well up to 55 mph. Over 55 mph, you can tell things are having to work hard
to overcome by brick like aerodynamics. I can still get up to 65 mph so
it's fine to drive for reasonable distances.

Here's my current issues:

1. I'm worried about overheating my batteries during charging. Calb specs
45 C (113 F) as the max temp for charging. That's pretty easy to get to in Austin.
It's free to charge at work, but there's no shade. Not sure if it's really worth
charging there.

2. On the freeway over 60 mph, I can draw over 200 amps from the pack continuously. I
often
get bms warnings (low voltage) during this. I have the mini bms so I don't know if it's
just
one bad cell, or something more systemic. I will have to figure out a way to figure this
out.

3. my mini BMS gage is saying I'm only charging to 117 Ah now (it should be 130 Ah).
Not sure
if it's an accuracy issue or something worse.

4. I have the Soliton 1. It tells me it's starting to get a bit hot using the a dash light. I
have a liquid cooling kit, but haven't added it yet.

issues solved.

1. I originally went clutchless, but couldn't downshift very well. I put a clutch in and now
I can downshift better. Upshifting is still kind of slow do to the flywheel now slowing
down
during shift. I finally figured out it's just easier to do 90% of my driving in 3rd gear.

2. my original adapter plate wasn't aligned properly. I'm now using a CanEV adapter and
I'm pretty happy with it.

3. I started with an Elcon DC/DC converter. I fried it. I move to a Beltronix unit and I'm
happy now.

July 31 Update:

1. Almost 600 petrol free miles!

2. Installed evsource.com liquid cooling kit over the weekend. Had a leak at the bottom
of the overflow tank that was fixed with a bit of silicone. So far, the controller hasn't
fired the dash light which so I think it's working. The controller feels cooler now when I
get home from work. This solves #4 above.

3. I think I found the problem with my SOC meter (#3 above.) I had changed the charge
eff to 95% because I thought that was the charger efficiency. Now I see it should be
around 98%. I'll use 100% for now.

4. Bough a hard top for $150 (missing rear lift gate). I'm wondering if I switch to a hard
top if I'll get better economy.

5. Really thinking about switching to an AC51 motor when they come out.

Aug 24 update:

1. Just shy of 1000 gas free miles.

2. The liquid cooling kit is working well. The soliton hasn't fired the too-hot light since I
installed it. I get a small leak once in a while, but it's a pretty easy fix.

3. I had a tranny/transfercase leak. Found out it was just the transfer case vent. whew.

4. I'm getting ready to finally install my windshield washer system.

5. Just go my bumper sticker "All Electric Jeep" from Zazzle.com. Ordered my custom
license plates "4X4EV". Should get those in a few weeks.

6. Finally did some measuring on my pack voltage and cell voltage while driving. My
pack sags from 165 Volts down to 130 Volts during highway acceleration. I have cells
that drop to 2.6V during this time. I wasn't expecting so much sag. Maybe my 130 Ah
cells weren't enough.

7. Considering a Manzanita charger. I'm ready to start charging at 4kW+ instead of just
2kW.

May 17, 2013 Update:

Crossed over 2500 fully electric miles!

Finally figured out what's causing my voltage drop issues. Turns out one of the terminals (the
positive one) on the CALB batteries is aluminum. Since my connectors are copper, I have a
copper/aluminum junction. I should have coated these junctions with some sort of
anti-oxididant. Plus, I should have cleaned/removed any oxide that was already there.
I"m doing that now. I'm using Noalax, but it looks like there's lots of opinions out there on
the best stuff to use.

Most things are working pretty well. Trying out a mesh safari top. At this point, I love
to get a tined glass safari top. That would be way cool. My main gripe right now
is that my clutch throwout bearing is noisy. I plan to remove my clutch whenever I go
to a AC motor. Likely an HPEV AC75.

code by jerry