[voxelman]

Saturday a week ago my wife and I took ownership (with the bank) of a brand new Zap Xebra PK (for pickup). It's designated a 3 wheel motorcycle by the government but its pure EV. The PK model seats two and has a total payload capacity of about 500lbs.

The drive train consists of 6 deep cycle 100 amp-hour lead acid batteries wired in series that drive a 5 kilowatt (this is about 6.5 hp) electric motor through a Curtis controller with 72 volts. The batteries charge from a standard 15 amp electrical outlet and a full charge requires 6-8 hours.

Top speed is around 40 mph on level ground with a range of about 25 miles at an average speed of 30 mph. This latter figure requires a battery break-in period of about 100-200 miles.

I'm taking it very easy on the batteries because they are very susceptible to harsh treatment during the break-in period and at $2200 and up for a replacement set early retirement makes all claims of economy go out the window.

I am in the process of instrumenting the batteries with a PakTrakr, a device that monitors and records the voltage level of each of the batteries and the current being drawn or supplied to the pack once a second. In addition I am adding two other devices, a BattEQ and a Battery Life Saver that can potentially extend battery life. The BattEQ interconnects all 6 batteries and automatically equalizes the voltages. The Battery Life Saver prevents and removes sulfation.

While there are probably better EVs out there this one had a reasonable price (it lists for $12,500) and it seems very hackable.

The Xebra is supported by an active Yahoo group, Xebra_EV that is a treasure trove of information for owners. Several of the group members are Zap dealers and they readily contribute to discussions.

I’m keeping a Kill-A-Watt attached to the charging outlet and so far after three days of light use it is telling me that I can expect a total electrical use of about $42/year assuming .10/kilowatt-hr electricity.

The adventure begins...