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Old 08-13-2010, 01:52 PM   #5 (permalink)
bennelson
EV test pilot
 
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Oconomowoc, WI, USA
Posts: 4,435

Electric Cycle - '81 Kawasaki KZ440
90 day: 334.6 mpg (US)

S10 - '95 Chevy S10
90 day: 30.48 mpg (US)

Electro-Metro - '96 Ben Nelson's "Electro-Metro"
90 day: 129.81 mpg (US)

The Wife's Car - Plug-in Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
90 day: 78.16 mpg (US)
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One advantage of a controller that supports a range of voltage is that you CAN start with a few batteries, and add more later. For example, you could start with a 96V system, then add batteries to upgrade to 144V.

Just make sure that you have a charger that can later be set to a higher voltage, to match the future expanded battery pack. Otherwise, individual chargers can work. Just buy more in the future to go with the later batteries.

Homebuilt controllers can work great, give a great sense of pride that you did it yourself, and are reprogrammable and repairable.

The Solectria Force was a factory built electric Geo Metro which ran an AC system. Those used 13 group 27 batteries and could go about 40 miles. They also had regenerative brakes.
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