Ed Thorpe's 1998 Ford Ranger EV

Owner

Ed Thorpe

Owner's Other EVs

1998 Honda EVplus
2000 Corbin Sparrow
2001 Xootr eX3
1993 Kewet EL-JET3
1973 Aurenthetic Charger
1974 Fiat Bertone X1/9

Location

Alameda, California US ^map

Vehicle

1998 Ford Ranger EV
OEM Lead-Acid Battery Pickup, production
vehicle by Ford. Originally part of the
Alabama Freeway Maintenance fleet.

Motor

Siemens Type 1 PV5133-4WS20W11 3-Phase AC
90 HP 67 kW 3 phase 13,000 RPM max

Drivetrain

Single speed ratio 12.518:1, RWD, Rear
Motor

Controller

Siemens Mfg. By Siemens A.G. for Ford
300 Amp with regen, up to about 350v

Batteries

26 US Battery US AGM 31, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM
Group 31 batteries 100ah (installed
06/2010). Include voltage spoof wires to
allow every 2 12v batteries to look like
3-8v batteries for OEM battery monitoring
system.

System Voltage

312 Volts

Charger

Siemens Ford OEM Mfg. by Siemens
4-5 kW on-board Avcon 240 VAC inlet
individual battery monitoring(passive)

Heater

2 stage electric resistance (PTC) with
automatic climate control

DC/DC Converter

Lambda Ford OEM Mfg. by Lambda
100 Amp output, liquid cooled

Instrumentation

a) speedometer
b) miles to empty
c) "fuel" gauge
d) system temperature
e) warning lights for: "on" indicator,
low charge, power limit, malfunction,
charging, etc.

Top Speed

86 MPH (138 KPH)
computer limited.

Acceleration

reasonable

Range

50 Miles (80 Kilometers)
Range has increased with replacement pack,
although need to drive daily to keep the
pack exercised. Have achieved 50 miles
commuting using 70% of capacity.

Watt Hours/Mile

400 Wh/Mile
Presently can only calc efficiency after
recharging from the outlet. Including fan
loads and balancing, a full-range charge
typically averages 400 whr/m.

EV Miles

Start:	10 Miles (16 Kilometers)
Current:	27 Miles (43 Kilometers)
Total:	17 Miles (27 Kilometers)

Seating Capacity

2 adults or 3 people max, bench seat.

Curb Weight

4,750 Pounds (2,159 Kilograms)
650 pound payload
(gas model 1998 is 3,060 lb curb)

Tires

Uniroyal Tigerpaw LRR (50 psi) P225-70R15
(originally 12 years ago). Now changed to

Conversion Time

OEM, only conversion time is for replacing
with alternative batteries.

Conversion Cost

Only for batteries, depending on battery
cost. 2007 pack cost ~$6k, 2010 pack cost
~$4k

Additional Features

Economy mode to increase range
Variable regenerative braking
Variable assist electro-hydraulic power steering
Sanden 3-phase electric air conditioning
Battery thermal managment (warmers and fan)
Four wheel power ABS disc brakes
Tilt steering
dual 2nd generation air bags
alloy wheels
Explorer suspension components and frame rails
heat rejecting glass
Composite leaf springs & Watts linkage
aluminum hood
Really cool looking aluminum dropped real axle to which
the traction motor is mounted.
tonneau cover
full ODB2 diagnastics

start 2005 - Basically gas pickup with a City 15-22 mpg,
Highway 20-27 mpg(epa) purpose-built as all-electric,
with raised ground clearance due to the battery box.
Performing at better than 75 mpge (miles per gal.
equivalence) when measured from the wall (AC input).

Original battery pack was: 39 8v East Penn VRLA AGM 85
ahr special-built battery for Ford, measuring 15.28"
(388mm) x 4.1" (112mm) x 6.94" (176.25mm), weighing 42.5
lb (19.3Kg) each. Together combines into a 2000 lb VRLA
battery pack with heaters mounted in composite box
between frame rails (Explorer frame, Ranger cab & body).
Original pack allowed range of about 50 miles per charge.
Have driven 6 65+ miles trips with 10% warning < 1 mile
from end with about 5,000 miles on OEM pack. But OEM pack
only warrantied for about 12,000 miles under Ford's
original program.

June 2007 - After 2 versions of the OEM pack, changed
with Lanny's help (many thanks!) to Hawker PC-2150 Odyssey 12v batteries. Worked well until one battery in
the box started failing after a year. Limped along for a
couple of years and finally dropped the box to
investigate and replace the pack.

June 2010 - installed new pack and working great.
Installed 1-5/16" trailer ball and pulled class-3 dual-
axle trailer in July 4th parade, with 4-person jazz band.
Increasing reliability by installing additional
monitoring - paktrakr w/ Woodward Display + Data Logger;
Emeter/Link-10 with isolated output to EVdash on a Palm;
2 Battery Life Savers (156v each). All extra equipment
lives in battery box in truck bed, with all the high
voltage (remember, 312v nominal pack voltage, which
charges up to 390-420v).

code by jerry