JUST FOR INTERESTING READING: 1976 VW Rabbit
16 x 8-volt US Battery GC flooded batteries (128 volt total pack) Zivan NG3 charger Prestolite motor I bought this vehicle about three months ago with the idea of transferring the EV parts into my waiting '86 VW Cabriolet. (See: www.ELECTVW.com ) It had 5000 miles on the pack at that time and I've since added 500 miles. All I do is plug it in whenever it's parked and keep the water up. (So far, the total pack has consumed about 100 oz.) Two days ago I decided to do an informal "range check". I took it out and drove it around in typical Southern California (non-freeway) traffic. I encountered the usual stoplights and traffic flow from 10-50 mph. I decided that I would consider the limit range whenever I could not maintain a steady speed of 35-mph without drawing the pack voltage below 90 volts. I included two typical stops, one at Starbuck's and one at the grocery store. I didn't "baby" it at all, but kept up with traffic and briskly accelerated from each light. I got 26.5 miles. Actually, I probably could have driven a couple of miles more before getting to a steady 35/90 point, but I did reach that point quickly on even moderate hills. I didn't want to "push it" for fear of damaging the pack. Overall, I was pleased with the results. The prior owner hinted (maybe taking a conservative position) that I might only get 12-15 miles on a charge. Since my usual driving is pretty well limited to 5-10 miles per trip, I really had no idea what the range was. For me, this vehicle is really is fun to drive and saves me from driving my Nissan Xterra on many, many occasions. Roger "Where Revolutionary New Ideas May Not Be New Or Revolutionary"
