Ecky considering another Insight

[Ecky]

Modification to the factory wiring harness, and mocking it up on my workbench.










Success! It lives!




Ready to go in the car.

[Ecky]

Fits like it was meant to be there.




I took the car for a test drive, and there are still some bugs in the system. I need to find a final location for the computers, rather than on top of a piece of coroplast, and there is a lot of work to do on the firmware, but I have a running, driving plug-in hybrid now.

[Ecky]

Final location for the wiring:




I don't normally drive my personal vehicle to work, but I've driven the last few days, and have just generally been out in town more with it. 50km/L or ~120mpg city seems pretty normal if I'm paying attention now. We'll see how the tank averages look. I have multiple options in terms of free charging, so I'll never pay for the electricity either.

[Gasoline Fumes]

No cooling fan required for the batteries?

[Logic]

Originally Posted by Ecky

Final location for the wiring:




I don't normally drive my personal vehicle to work, but I've driven the last few days, and have just generally been out in town more with it. 50km/L or ~120mpg city seems pretty normal if I'm paying attention now. We'll see how the tank averages look. I have multiple options in terms of free charging, so I'll never pay for the electricity either.

Nice! Looks tidy and professional.

I'm hoping for Watt numbers on the 'flat' highway at different speeds?
Have you any thoughts on range extension for longer trips? I've just read the post with the pusher trailer!

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes

No cooling fan required for the batteries?

Call this a "beta" build. So far the batteries don't even get warm to the touch when pulling 24,000 watts through them, but I'd like to get a bit of airflow through the bay before summer comes around, and it starts approaching 20c (70f) here. Even if none of it is forced through the pack itself.

Originally Posted by Logic

Nice! Looks tidy and professional.

I'm hoping for Watt numbers on the 'flat' highway at different speeds?
Have you any thoughts on range extension for longer trips? I've just read the post with the pusher trailer!

Thanks!

I have around 4kwh in here, but I'm aware of a guy on Insight Central who has 20kwh (around 80% usable) in his, for longer trips. He reportedly can push a continuous, indefinite 20kw through the system in the southwestern deserts of the US. In his case, he expanded the battery pack into where the passenger seat used to be, and built a small deck over it so the space isn't lost.

As far as "flat" highway, I don't think such a thing exists in the country. About an hour and a half north of here there's a stretch of road, maybe 10 minutes long, which has only the slightest incline and is straight, but to my knowledge it's unique in the country.

I've seen the car able to "coast" along with just assist at 80-90kph (50-56mph) with a reading in the ballpark of 3kw (4hp) on the gauge, but I'm incline to believe this must have been ever so slightly downhill, as the number seems implausibly low. I'll do my best to estimate some more realistic numbers.