David's 2001 Civic EV (80-100 mile range; 65+ MPH; 8 second 0-60)

[Xist]

How special do we need to be to simply hit a "subscribe" button?

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[TheSGC]

I got the control tray mounted and almost done with the low voltage wiring.

This evening I removed the power steering pump and looped the hoses together, keeping the fluid reservoir.


I'm getting closer to test driving! Tomorrow I am finishing up the low voltage wiring, then hooking up the high voltage motor wiring, installing the speed sensor and testing the 12 volt system. Once that work, I work on installing the battery rack and batteries!

There is a good chance of a test drive Sunday afternoon!

[Cobb]

I drove a leaf as a rental car through enterprise off of Broad Street here in Richnmond and must say although the car was nice, it was like driving with a gallon of gas in the tank. Watching the miles to recharge got old fast, then knowing the fact I had to wait 23 hours for a refill with the onboard charger or having to wait a hour to get towed didnt sit well with me.

Then you got all the technical info regarding batteries, how they like to stay full, the less you cycle them the longer they last, etc, etc, etc.

How do you deal with all of that? My trip in the Leaf was 30 miles and I watched the meter go from a start of 83 miles, it built up to a high of 93, then went right down to 36 as I turned the car back in.

On the other hand it was a thrill to go without using any gas. Ive managed to do that for a few miles at a time with my Insight, but its nice to go 4 hours between charges and 2 weeks between petro fill ups for 600 or so miles driving like I want.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36ejz1FH71g

[TheSGC]

The size of the charger determines how fast it takes to charge. My EV has a 2 KW charger on 220v and 1.5 KW on 110v. I am estimating my range to be about 100 miles a charge, and the would normally be a 13 hour charge for me. I usually drive no more than 20 mile with reaching a charging station at work or home, and there are hundreds of charging stations in my area.

My 17 mile commute to work on 3 charging stations right on it so if for some reason I need to recharge, I can park it and eat some food and after an hour I have 10 or so miles charged up. I am building a 6 KW charger that will decrease my charging time greatly when I have access to the Charge Point Charging Stations in my area.

My batteries (CALB 180 AH) are rated for 2000 cycles at 80% DoD, before they drop to 80% of their original capacity. So in theory that's 200,000 miles of full service like, but to be realistic I am going to say maybe 125,000 miles of full service life. I break even at 35,000 miles, then I'm just saving money after that.

[Daox]

If you know you have 80 miles of range and you're traveling 30 miles then it is a non-issue. Yes, the miles left display is known to be wildly inaccurate on the leaf. Its akin to watching the instant MPG meter on your car. It plummets to single digits while accelerating and when coasting down a hill you see 300+ mpg.

The real question is why do you need 300+ miles of range and a 5 minute refill times when you're traveling 30 miles?

[mechman600]

You have no idea how jealous I am of your EV build. Mine is so ghetto compared to yours!

[TheSGC]

Today was a very productive day. My dad made the mount for the Zilla speed sensor and installed it while I finished the 12 volt wiring, cleaned up the cables with zip ties and removed all the remaining fuel systems. My girlfriend emptied the trunk and cleaned it out for the installation of the battery rack.





The car is now off the stands and I tested the power brakes today. All that's left before a test drive is to installed the battery rack and batteries.

[Daox]

Very nice!

Are you going to cut into the trunk to set the batteries below the trunk deck? Or are you just going to put them in on top of the trunk deck?

[Cobb]

Interesting.... I did notice as I drove the leaf it showed the homes of some of the previous renters of the vehicle as plug in spots.

Its very easy for me to make a 5 mile trip and end up driving 150 miles. Id have to return home and trade vehicles if I had purchased a leaf or some ev like vehicle. I guess that is where the volt comes in?

[TheSGC]

Originally Posted by Daox

Very nice!

Are you going to cut into the trunk to set the batteries below the trunk deck? Or are you just going to put them in on top of the trunk deck?

I am leaving then on the trunk deck. This car is going to be my all year round car, including nasty winters so I want the batteries sealed from the elements.

I got more done today but wasn't able to get enough done for a test drive. I got most of the power cables routed, painted the battery tray and bolted down the charger. I had to end early today for a birthday party, but I only need 3-4 hours more to get ready for a test drive.