OwnerThomas Hines
LocationNew Haven, Connecticut United States map
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Vehicle2002 Kia Rio Cinco
Run of the mill simple Rio wagon. Standard trans, no AC, no anti-lock brakes.
MotorAdvanced DC FB1-4001A Series Wound DC
About the size of a good size water melon.
Drivetrain5 speed standard
ControllerCurtis 1231C
Black box
Batteries12 Car Quest DCG31DT 105AH, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
Car Quest batteries are made by Deeka
System Voltage144 Volts
ChargerElcon PFC 2000+
another black box. works on 115 or 230 volts. It runs a lot cooler on 230 volts.
HeaterCeramic, takes the chill out of the air.
DC/DC Converter
No converter. The motor drives the original alternator. But I have it hooked up so it only works when I take my foot off the accelerator, sort of a primitive form of regen braking.
InstrumentationElcon battery indicator, amp and volt gauge.
Top Speednot sure about the top speed. But I had it up to 65 mph on a short run and it had more to go.
Accelerationnot bad
Range20 Miles (32 Kilometers)
20 miles is about it. I did go 23 miles, but my batteries didn't like it. Bigger batteries would have been better, but they would put me over my GVRW. I only drive 9 miles round trip to work and back, so its OK for now. But I would really like to know how some people get the mileage they say they do with the same size batteries.
EV Miles
Start:81,852 Miles (131,699 Kilometers)
Current:82,026 Miles (131,979 Kilometers)
Total:174 Miles (279 Kilometers)
Seating CapacityIts a two seater now. Four of the twelve batteries ended up where the back seat was.
Curb Weight3,000 Pounds (1,363 Kilograms)
Heavy! But I'm under the cars GVWR by a couple hundred pounds. 725 lbs of batteries.
Tiresstock
Conversion TimeNot very long. I worked on it a few nights a week and had it going in about three months.
Conversion Costwith the car about 6K
Additional FeaturesThis car was a project somebody else started and then bailed on. They took out the ICE and related junk and put the electric motor in. I got the car with the new motor for half of what the motor alone would have cost me.
If not for the deal I got, a Kia Rio would not have been my choice of car to convert. But its a great first project, and I learned a lot, a test bed for future projects. As cars go, its a simple one. There is not allot of room under the hood, the motor just fits, let alone all the other stuff, thats why I no longer have a back seat.

I plan on using this car to go to and from work, which is around trip total of about nine miles, so it should be no problem.Hopefully by the time I start my next one the price of lithium batteries will have come down more.

Thanks to Electric vehicles of America for their great service and parts, and answering all my dumb questions.

code by jerry