Hi EV folks
short description of EV SITUATION
1. car makers:
1.1:passengers factory conversions 2 to 4 places max 2500pounds total
weight
main producers group PSA /peugeot+ citroen /dc 120v nicad saft 100ah
pr0duction 100 veh/year
type
- citroen ax stopped 1997 / can be found at second hand markets and
auctions around Paris
originated EDF OR LEASINGS OFFICAL STATE DEPARTMENTS .
- citroen saxo :newest model identical
- peugeot 106 :identical
1.2:light vans : 2 places
- peugeot partner and citroen berlingo :low producton almost
identical as
above except more range and voltage 150 volts
negative points 1.1 and 1.2:
- garages dealers + personel make anti- publicity
when you ask about them .
f.i. once they told me the microfiches indicated that the
boxes full of nicads for a 5 year old AX citroen where no more
available.
while a college of this man showed me two brand new cases right
behind the corner
to be put into two AX of the french EDF(electricity company)
- nicads (100 Ah give problems after 10.000 to 30.000km.
the packs are rented in most of the country so they switch the
whole pack
which is divided in three parts(boxes mostly under the cars.
In some countries like Belgium they are sold.
when one nicad is bad they switch a part(box) of the pack (boxes)
which costs incredible high price 5000 to 10000$
- they do equalisation charges but no individual battery
equalisation.
- watering the nicads and the cooling circuit of the
nicads+inverters
+ doing a special equalisation charge costs 250$ !
main interval 10000km seems to much.
A citroen garage in ParIs told me they are killing (probably
overheating)
the cars BATTERIES in the city of PARIS.
- Drivers are EV unaware/ macho
- you cannot get parts of these boxes with nicads!Only switch them
!!!
- you are not allowed to buy technical information of the cars
to prevent you from working on them even when you are an
electrical engineer(liability).
- the european drivers are 98% clutch drivers.The cars have direct
drive
with PLANETARY REDUCTION (1 to 7)
- speed in the city is enough but on the highway's around Paris
standard speed is 110km/h.Driving at 80KM/h is dangourous and
shortens range
to 30km.
- cars have a rather light construction :I think this is a problem
for import to USA
-nicads seemed to be banned in a few years due to environimental
cadmium
reason
- garages do not know what to do with old nicads and often throw
them away
with lead batteries
- when you buy an electrical car in france you cannot take the
batteries + boxes with
with you because they are rented with the special boxes.
They took out these boxes with the batteries,didn't know what to
do with it,
couldn't stop the rent,where unable to export them(theft) etc
I ended up with a total dismantled car without batteries.
Happily I was able to pay the guy to get me some important
fotocopies of the
connections.
- positive points: good entry point for starters between the mini
cars
the germans,austrians and swiss like to use and the american macho
SUV'S
best price to cost if you can steal the batteries(boxes) while
exporting them
but this is your problem.
downgrading to lead batteries shortens range to 25 km (500 pounds
lead).
currently I (juli) know about one peugeot 106 and one berlingo
sitting waiting
for a client with batteries for almost a year around paris.These
cars are about
new but 5 years old (5000 to 6000$?)
next time :renault and volkswagen
greetings
