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Old 01-15-2008, 10:23 PM   #7 (permalink)
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,530

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 54.46 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car Mirage - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 62.14 mpg (US)
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Hi Waxy - welcome to the site.

You've made a pretty tall order. You've basically specified that you want an AC conversion (brushless), and you want to retain trunk & rear seat space. Unfortunately (for your budget), the only way you'll be able to accomplish that is by using advanced batteries (more energy in a smaller package & at the voltage that AC requires).

The DC series (brushed) motor + golf cart batteries is the most cost effective way to do a conversion. And really, replacing brushes every once in a while is no big deal.

I tend to agree with Ben about the concerns over the weight of the car.

Have you spent some time at the EV Album? It's a great place to go in order to get a feel for how much people have spent on their conversions and what kind of specs they ended up with for their time & effort: http://evalbum.com
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Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
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