Electric Vehicle Conversion | File037 http://www.file037.com/ev An electric car conversion Thu, 20 May 2010 19:51:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Battery Lugs – heavy-duty, tinned, 2/0 cable lugs http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/05/20/battery-lugs-heavy-duty-tinned-20-cable-lugs/ http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/05/20/battery-lugs-heavy-duty-tinned-20-cable-lugs/#comments Thu, 20 May 2010 19:51:21 +0000 voltswagen http://www.file037.com/ev/?p=205 Got these battery cable lugs early this year but forgot to post some info on them. Made a couple short cables for doubling the trolling motor range. So, for they are great. Should hold up real nice. 1, since they are tinned they should resist corrosion better and 2, they are very heavy-duty.

Battery Lugs

Heavy-duty, tinned, 2/0 battery cable lugs

You can find some links below to get them cheap!

]]> http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/05/20/battery-lugs-heavy-duty-tinned-20-cable-lugs/feed/ 0 Battery Terminal Covers 2/0 http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/05/20/battery-terminal-covers-20/ http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/05/20/battery-terminal-covers-20/#comments Thu, 20 May 2010 17:59:43 +0000 voltswagen http://www.file037.com/ev/?p=183 Battery terminal covers are a good idea for battery connection. I'm thinking all it would take is a loose tool or chunk of metal scrap to ruin my day. Locally, I could only find battery terminal covers packaged in pairs and to actually fit my 2/0 cable I would need to special order them. I bought these terminal covers ebay since I could purchase them in bulk.

Battery terminal covers

Red and black battery terminal covers

]]> http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/05/20/battery-terminal-covers-20/feed/ 0 Nissan Leaf Electric Car http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/05/10/nissan-leaf-electric-car/ http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/05/10/nissan-leaf-electric-car/#comments Mon, 10 May 2010 22:20:11 +0000 voltswagen http://www.file037.com/ev/?p=178 The Nissan Leaf is coming. You can now put your name on a reservation list for the new Nissan 100% electric, no gas required vehicle. The specs show the Nissan Leaf is capable of 100 miles per charge. With seating for five passengers. MSRP is $32,780. This vehicle will qualify for a $7500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles and depending on which state you reside in, you may qualify for more incentives (an additional $5000 for residents of California and Georgia).

You may begin seeing the Nissan Leaf in December of 2010.

Nissan leaf electric car

Nissan Leaf 100% electric car.

]]> http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/05/10/nissan-leaf-electric-car/feed/ 0 Handy Manny converts his truck to electic on Earth Day http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/04/22/handy-manny-converts-his-truck-to-electic-on-earth-day/ http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/04/22/handy-manny-converts-his-truck-to-electic-on-earth-day/#comments Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:19:07 +0000 voltswagen http://www.file037.com/ev/?p=170 My daughter was watching Handy Manny on Disney Channel this morning (Earth Day 2010). Of course the show talked about Earth Day, recycling and conserving energy.

But in this episode, Manny also converted his truck to electric! Pretty cool because it only took him the length of a song to convert it.

]]> http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/04/22/handy-manny-converts-his-truck-to-electic-on-earth-day/feed/ 0 Earth Day 2010 http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/04/22/earth-day-2010/ http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/04/22/earth-day-2010/#comments Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:10:32 +0000 voltswagen http://www.file037.com/ev/?p=167 Take Action at http://www.earthday.org/earthday2010

]]> http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/04/22/earth-day-2010/feed/ 0 Ammeter Shunt wiring http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/02/15/ammeter-shunt-wiring/ http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/02/15/ammeter-shunt-wiring/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:37:16 +0000 voltswagen http://www.file037.com/ev/?p=160 Illustration of wiring in a shunt and ammeter.

Shunt Ammeter Wiring

Shunt + Ammeter wiring

]]> http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/02/15/ammeter-shunt-wiring/feed/ 0 The Winter Chill http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/01/11/the-winter-chill/ http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/01/11/the-winter-chill/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:48:53 +0000 voltswagen http://www.file037.com/ev/?p=156 It has been so cold lately that all work on the EV in the garage has stopped. Since the garage is unheated and it has been as cold as -20 (yes, minus twenty below zero), it has been way too cold to even think about going outside.
All is not lost. While holed up inside, I have been looking for deals on EV parts and tools online. I did manage to purchase a nice crimper (hammer style) for securing the cable ends to the battery cable. I also have been thinking about batteries. My plans are 48 volts, which I still will do just to keep costs down and it will be enough for my goal of driving around town. But, I think I may design an additional enclosed battery case in the back (between the rear bumper and tranny) to fit an extra three 12-volt batteries. This will give me a couple options if I want to upgrade later and the extra weight in the rear will help with winter traction. Plus, I figure if I plan now I won't have to deconstruct the whole car later. Since all my EV parts will handle 48-84 volts there is some wiggle room for upgrading. If it warms up I might make it outside to take some measurements.
Stay warm!

]]> http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/01/11/the-winter-chill/feed/ 0 Think City Electric Car http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/01/11/think-city-electric-car/ http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/01/11/think-city-electric-car/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:56:13 +0000 voltswagen http://www.file037.com/ev/?p=153 A fun video on the Think City electric car.

]]> http://www.file037.com/ev/2010/01/11/think-city-electric-car/feed/ 1 Hunting for new tires http://www.file037.com/ev/2009/11/20/hunting-for-new-tires/ http://www.file037.com/ev/2009/11/20/hunting-for-new-tires/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:30:13 +0000 voltswagen http://www.file037.com/ev/?p=144 Where to find used tires

Where to find used tires

I will be hitting the Grab and Go Auto Salvage this weekend looking for some rear wheels for the Beetle. This summer I passed up some near new Goodyear Wrangler tires that were on a Chevy Blazer (at the time I had a Chevy Blazer and was thinking of buying them) the cost for the 4 tires would have been $48 dollars! Having once purchased Wrangler tires for a Jeep (and actually worked designed Goodyear advertising for awhile) I know those tires would have been $125 a piece. Yes, I am still kicking myself for not buying them this summer... maybe they are still there? How sweet would that be. They probably aren't the best choice for an EV, but they sure would look cool on the Beetle.

]]> http://www.file037.com/ev/2009/11/20/hunting-for-new-tires/feed/ 0 EV Battery Charger http://www.file037.com/ev/2009/11/20/ev-battery-charger/ http://www.file037.com/ev/2009/11/20/ev-battery-charger/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:17:28 +0000 voltswagen http://www.file037.com/ev/?p=134 So here is my battery charger for my battery pack. I am going to be using a Minn Kota MK440 battery charger for my main pack. This charger is a 4 bank charger and will supply 10 amps to each battery. The 440 is a multi-stage charger (3 stage) so it does bulk charging until the battery reaches 75% then goes to absorption mode and finally goes to maintenance mode (float). This charger also has temperature compensation which I guess adjusts the voltage so the battery reaches the gassing threshold depending on whether it is cold or warm outside. Higher in cold and lower in hot temperatures. The charger weighs 22.5 lbs.

This charger retails for $379. I got my new one off ebay for $225.95 shipped. That link should bring you to the search listing on ebay.

So why the Minn Kota charger? Couple reasons. First the front of my Beetle is a fiberglass front that isn't totally sealed. This charger is water-proof, since it is a marine charger and should work well for my application. Second, I figured that if I outgrow it (i.e. add a larger battery pack), it will be perfect to put in my mother's pontoon.

It fits perfect next to the batteries in the front (my main pack). The accessory battery for lights, taillights, etc... will be under the rear seat (normal location on a stock Beetle). The batteries in the photos below are ones I collected from friends to use as cores. They are all group 31 size approximately 68lbs each. With the battery charger the front is getting heavy... 302 lbs (280lbs of batteries and 22 lbs for the charger).

Minn Kota MK440 battery charger

Minn Kota MK440 battery charger

Front battery rack for the EV

Front battery rack for the EV

Access to the charger

Access to the charger

Just enough clearance

Just enough clearance

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