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j8reign · 05-22-2012, 04:18 AM

Ok, so here goes... I've grown to be disgusted by the high price of gas/ the horrible mileage of my current daily driver, a 98 chevy blazer (16 mpg)! And after several months of studying up, decided to do a 100% EV conversion! I looked around for a possible donor for quite some time, and finally was able to secure one in the form of a 96 dodge neon which had a blown engine. At this point, I've stripped it down... Removed everything from the engine compartment that wouldn't be used, dropped the exhaust, replaced all windshields/windows with lexan, removed seats and replaced with light weight racing buckets, removed hood fenders quarter panels trunk lid and bumpers and replaced all with fiberglass, replaced the wheels with lighter weight rims, and put disc brakes all the way around. At this point my neon is weighing in at just under 1400 lbs, so I'm off to a great start (I think)! Now I begin the hard (costly) part, I begin collecting the components to convert it to DC. When I'm finished, this car will be my daily to and from work car, and used for being out and about in town on my days off. I am planning on getting rid of the gas hog and purchasing a more economical car for long trips, but my Neon EV will see the most action. My round trip commute to and from work is 68 miles fairly flat for WV per day, and I'd like to have a little bit of extra in the batteries as a fail safe, is 80 miles per charge possible? I plan on using a warp9 motor, or at least something similar... Any suggestions as to batteries? I don't mind springing for LiFePo4 cells if necessary,and someone could point me in the direction of where to get them for the beat price. I was thinking maybe 96v at 200ah would suffice? As always any input/advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

05-22-2012, 04:18 AM	#1 (permalink)
j8reign EcoModding Lurker Join Date: May 2012 Location: West Virginia, USA Posts: 9 Thanks: 15 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	A little about my project Ok, so here goes... I've grown to be disgusted by the high price of gas/ the horrible mileage of my current daily driver, a 98 chevy blazer (16 mpg)! And after several months of studying up, decided to do a 100% EV conversion! I looked around for a possible donor for quite some time, and finally was able to secure one in the form of a 96 dodge neon which had a blown engine. At this point, I've stripped it down... Removed everything from the engine compartment that wouldn't be used, dropped the exhaust, replaced all windshields/windows with lexan, removed seats and replaced with light weight racing buckets, removed hood fenders quarter panels trunk lid and bumpers and replaced all with fiberglass, replaced the wheels with lighter weight rims, and put disc brakes all the way around. At this point my neon is weighing in at just under 1400 lbs, so I'm off to a great start (I think)! Now I begin the hard (costly) part, I begin collecting the components to convert it to DC. When I'm finished, this car will be my daily to and from work car, and used for being out and about in town on my days off. I am planning on getting rid of the gas hog and purchasing a more economical car for long trips, but my Neon EV will see the most action. My round trip commute to and from work is 68 miles fairly flat for WV per day, and I'd like to have a little bit of extra in the batteries as a fail safe, is 80 miles per charge possible? I plan on using a warp9 motor, or at least something similar... Any suggestions as to batteries? I don't mind springing for LiFePo4 cells if necessary,and someone could point me in the direction of where to get them for the beat price. I was thinking maybe 96v at 200ah would suffice? As always any input/advice would be greatly appreciated!!!