Rear BatteriesBillings EV club
OwnerHerb Welch
LocationBillings, Montana US map
Vehicle1990 Ford Ranger
This is a standard Ford Ranger 2-WD pickup which has become my daily driver.
MotorAdvanced DC FB-4001 Series Wound DC
DrivetrainStock 5-speed transmission and clutch. I added two leaves to both rear springs and put new heavy duty coils up front.
ControllerCurtis 1231C
Batteries20, 6.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
System Voltage120 Volts
ChargerRussco SC-120
HeaterI installed a PTC module that was robbed out of a Wal-Mart space heater in the existing heater core. Works ok but more heat would be nice.
DC/DC ConverterIota DLS-30
Very slick converter that can operate on either AC or DC power.
InstrumentationVoltmeter, Ammeter and a Curtis 900
Top Speed70 MPH (112 KPH)
AccelerationAcceleration is as good as the 4 cylinder engine the truck came with.
Range50 Miles (80 Kilometers)
During the summer months my range has been around 50 miles on a charge and 30 during the winter.
Watt Hours/MileOn flat ground, 40 amps keeps me at around 35mph
EV Miles
Start:74,000 Miles (119,066 Kilometers)
Current:80,400 Miles (129,363 Kilometers)
Total:6,400 Miles (10,297 Kilometers)
 
    As of 9/8/2008
Seating CapacityTwo comfortably or three close friends.
Curb Weight4,220 Pounds (1,918 Kilograms)
TiresAll season all the way around.
Conversion TimeSix months worth of weekends.
Conversion Cost$6,000 and climbing.
Additional FeaturesHydraulic bed lift to make battery service safe and easy and runs to the dump a snap. Canadus battery desulfator.
August 1st marks the end of my second year of commuting in my electric Ford Ranger. My total miles driven are now passing 6400, all of which were in town at speeds that rarely top 50mph. My 1st year of charging consumed 1466 Kwh of electricity at a rate of 9 cents per Kwh. My truck added $131.94 to my power bill for an average of $10.99 per month, not bad for a hobby. Year number two ends in a few days and I will soon update my power use and mileage.


code by jerry