Electric car conversion: Project ForkenSwift

[MetroMPG]

weekend update: looked at 2 possible metro hosts, and both were too rusty (incl the red $100 one). shame about the red one, because the body was good, but the rust around the control arm mount was too far advanced to repair.



some good news: persistence on the phone paid off with a local forklift service company. i finally talked to one of their service technicians who says they have a complete 48V used forklift that they'll sell for $500. this would be a great source for not only the motor (10hp continuous series wound), but for switches, fuses, contactor, controller, potbox, gauges...

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by someone

does it have a controller too?

don't know the technical details yet (if it has a controller). my co-conspirator in this project works alternating day/afternoon shifts, so we won't be able to go see it for another week, when everyone's schedules align. i'll keep you posted of course.

as for the batteries, they're likely toast if this thing has been sitting in a warehouse for any length of time. but you never know - they might not be totally DOA. and even if they are DOA, a local recycling company will pay a couple of bucks for each one.

yeah - i'm hoping we'll be able to cannibalize almost all the stuff we need from this fork truck.

[MetroMPG]

fork truck update: going to see it on monday. it's a Baker FTD and is very heavy - 5000-8000 lbs. they want $500 whether we take the whole thing or just the parts. it must have lead ballast to be that heavy, because it's not physically very large (maybe 4x8 footprint, not counting the fork).

it DOES have a controller. it's a GE EV1 (not to be confused with GM's EV-1 electric car). apparently it's not the most efficient controller available, but if it works, i won't complain. it does have what's called a contactor bypass, which means when you're at "full throttle", a large relay directs current around the controller, straight to the motor. in that mode, the controller is 100% efficient (well, only because in that configuration it's 100% out of the loop).

it will not come with batteries.

for reference, here's an ebay listing for a 7000 lb baker ftd: open ebay listing

in host vehicle news: a guy in another forum offered me his dead '91 swift for free, but he lives about 450 km away. ARg. he says the suspension mounts are fine... still keeping an eye out. something will come up.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

If he's 450km south I might want it

sorry: west. too bad, eh?

that's the trouble with doing a LOW-budget project. even 450 km becomes too far to go get a FREE vehicle.

i actually drove PAST where this free car is when i bought my first firefly. but it's a little different when it's my primary car, not just a science experiment. plus, i could drive the firefly home; this swift would need towing. or a motor (he took it out). and a tranny. yup.

[MetroMPG]

something else i've been keeping an eye out for is the "original" LSV/NEV - the 70's CitiCar / ComutaCar



one of these classic puppies would be fun to rebuild. originally they were all 48v with contactor controllers. 3.5 to 6 hp. 30-40 mile range, 40 mph top speed.

gotta love that 70's fiberglass "styling".

this car has the distinction of being the most successful battery electric car: over 2000 were sold in the 70's and early 80's. and you can pick them up for about as much money as we've budgeted for our home-built metro NEV.

there was one on craigslist last week for $1400 US. new batteries, needed cosmetic restoration. they're dead-simple. low tech. perfect EV to learn on.

[MetroMPG]

links:

- citicar/commutacar album

- 1992 metro EV for sale 36V - $2450 US

hmm! just saw photos of a 36v 8000lb forklift motor. it's HUGE - 400 lbs! hope the motor that i'm going to look at isn't as big, or it won't fit into a metro...

[MetroMPG]

well, went to look at the used forklift tonight. it's in working condition. has *4* dc motors (1 drive; 2 hydraulic pump motors; 1 power steering pump motor). a working controller & a pile of reusable contactors from the other motors.

but the thing weighs a hell of LOT more than he told me. it's a 16,000 lb machine - and that's without the battery pack (3000 lbs more) it's 11,000 lbs heavier than the capacity of the tandem trailer we thought we were going to be able to use to move it (when we thought it was a 5000-8000 lb machine)

for $500 CDN it seems like a really good deal, but now we have to hire a trucking company to move it twice for us (it's 2 towns over - about 18 km away). first move to bring it to the house to strip it, and then hire them again to take the chassis to the scrap yard.

so it's no longer a $500 forklift. the shipping won't be cheap, so this will all depend on what kind of quotes i get...

[MetroMPG]

unfortunately, it doesn't come with batts, so we can't drive it to its destination. no AAA either! drat.

you're right it is way overbuilt to use in a car conversion - but the price was the main attraction. this thing has nearly all the parts we need except for batteries, battery cables and a motor to input shaft adapter.

testament to its overbuilt-ness: the drive motor is 15x10 inches, and weighs 200 lbs. that's heavier than the 3-cyl engine it would be replacing!

Those electric cars sound interesting

you mean the CitiCars? i think they can be used in any state/province. they were never classified as "NEVs" (that was my editorializing). they were built before crash laws were an issue, so they're exempt from current laws and are registered as a normal automobile. in the cars shown in the picture above, can you guess which of the group were made before and after the US 5mph bumper law came into effect?

also, these cars on a good batt pack are faster by 10-15 mph than the legally restricted modern NEV speed of 25. a modern pack and efficient motor would do wonders. many owners do "upgrade" (though I doubt there are any li-ions running around yet)

if i'm not mistaken, these things sold new for about $4k US in the late 70's.

the more i learn about them, the more i like their homely fiberglass faces - rare as hen's teeth in canada, unfortunately.

[MetroMPG]

2 tidbits:

- found out there's a guy who owns 2 CitiCars about 45 minutes from where i live. he invited me to see them when he takes them out of winter storage in a month or so.

- i think we're going buy that forklift. getting together with my friend/co-conspirator after work today to go over the numbers and make a decision.

[MetroMPG]

found another beater: 91 firefly 4 door. red. owner says it runs and only needs brakes to pass safety. i suspect it needs more than that since it's been parked for more than a year.

the suspension mounts are OK, but there's a hole in the floor.

i offered $100, she countered with $200. i said i'd get back to her.

the 4 door weighs a little more - just shy of 1700 lbs.