The charge portThe pot-boxInside the magic silver boxRear battery boxThe new under hood experience
OwnerJon Glauser
Owner's Other EVs1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle
Ranch King
LocationBoise, Idaho US map
Web/EmailWebPage email image
Vehicle1983 Toyota Tercel SR 5
Brown station wagon with brown plaid seats. SR 5 model.
MotorAdvanced DC FB1-4001 Series Wound DC
9" with tail shaft with home made tachometer pickup
DrivetrainStock manual 6 speed FWD/4WD wheel drive. The clutch is still in, the flywheel is reduced to just what is needed for the clutch.
ControllerAuburn Scientific PC600-144 Kodiak
600A max. The aluminum heatsink base is drilled for water cooling. I'll add plumbing if it needs it.
Batteries16, 6.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
It was 144V, but I can't fit that many 6V batteries in the car (it was designed for 12V batteries).
System Voltage96 Volts
ChargerRussco SC30-120 SO
With buck transformer for more charge current.
HeaterCeramic core in the old heater box.
DC/DC Converter HWZ 300W 12V
no 12V battery, just the DC converter good for 25A.. just enough to run the fan on high, headlights, hazard lights, wipers (front+back), and radio while driving.
InstrumentationVoltmeter, Ammeter, Link 10, Palm IIIxe with EVDash for logging.
Top Speed60 MPH (96 KPH)
I took it on the freeway once, I got it to 60MPH in a 55 zone for 3 miles.
Accelerationcan be driven like a 4 cylinder. Not impressive, but not too slow
Range20 Miles (32 Kilometers)
Mathematically 30 miles to 80% DOD. Ive been as far as 15 miles on a charge. I'd say I can get 20 miles to 60% DOD for long life.
Watt Hours/Mile280 Wh/Mile
Not a lot of data yet, but I'm looking at 280 Whr/mi on my commute on 35MPH streets for 6 miles, keeping up with traffic.
EV Miles
Start:96,365 Miles (155,051 Kilometers)
Current:97,002 Miles (156,076 Kilometers)
Total:637 Miles (1,024 Kilometers)
 
    As of 12/8/2008
Seating CapacityIt has 5 seat belts.
Curb Weight0
I still need to find a scale.
TiresMichelin Proxima RR. Green X. P165/70R13. 937lbs 51PSI.
Conversion TimeForever. It will never be done!
Conversion CostI bought the complete EV for $50. I added about $50 worth of steel brackets, a new link-10, and $1500 in batteries.
Additional FeaturesIt had air conditioning on tail shaft, but for more battery space I removed it.
Power steering is removed.
Tachometer functions.
The oil light on the dash is connected to the fault output of the controller (over temperature, over current, under voltage).
Originally converted in 1994 by EcoElectric in Arizona. Eventually donated to Boise State University in 2003(?), then auctioned to me in 2006.

My blog details most of the existing systems and all the changes I have done. See it here: WebPage
I replaced the frozen bearing in the shaft adapter. It made terrible noises because the extension shaft was rotating INSIDE the bearing instead of the bearing spinning! Now there is an imbalance which gets bad at 3.5kRPM.

code by jerry