EV Digest 5120
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) will this dc to dc work?
by Iron Mountain Films <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2) Re: budget EV insurance update
by "Roland Wiench" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
3) Grumman EV Van on Ebay
by Mike Chancey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
4) RE: will this dc to dc work?
by "Bill Dennis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
5) Yet another conversion and another question
by <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
6) Re: will this dc to dc work?
by Danny Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
7) Re: New Kits
by "David (Battery Boy) Hawkins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
8) RE: will this dc to dc work?
by Mike & Paula Willmon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
9) Whooie, elec does it again!
by Rush <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
10) Re: budget EV insurance update
by Victor Tikhonov <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
11) RE: will this dc to dc work?
by "Bill Dennis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
12) Re: Subject: How to Convert - For fun and Profit - Without getting
Sued
by Victor Tikhonov <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
13) Re: Battery Box in the back of a Pickup
by John <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
14) Re: Whooie, elec does it again!
by Rush <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
15) Re: Whooie, elec does it again!
by "David Roden" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
16) RE: Whooie, elec does it again!
by Mike & Paula Willmon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
17) Re: Give Up on ElectraVan
by "Lawrence Rhodes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
18) Re: New Kits
by Stefan Peters <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
19) Re: Give Up on ElectraVan
by "Lawrence Rhodes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
20) Re: Subject: How to Convert - For fun and Profit - Without getting Sued
by "Paul G." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
21) Re: New Kits
by mike golub <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
22) Re: budget EV insurance update
by mike golub <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
23) Re: Battery Box in the back of a Pickup
by mike golub <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
24) Re: New Kits
by Ralph Merwin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
25) Re: Votes - how are we doin' ?
by Rod Hower <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
26) Re: budget EV insurance update
by "Roland Wiench" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
--- Begin Message ---
I have a converted Civic that I am upgrading to 136 volts and I found this DC
to DC converter http://www.powerstream.com/dc9.htm 500 watt (bottom of the
page) will this work if I protect it from the elements? I am using a Zilla 1K.
Any issues? I thought the price was very decent, Has anybody had any
experience with these? I'll be happy to look into further specs, if somebody
will tell me what to ask.
Thanks
-Mike Malmberg
'92 Civic Dx
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Photos Showcase holiday pictures in hardcover
Photo Books. You design it and well bind it!
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hello Darin,
I am going to give you some information that a lot of vehicle insurance
companies don't want you to know.
Liability insurance is on the person, not the vehicle. The person is liable,
not the vehicle. It does not make any difference if the vehicle is worth
$10,000.00 or $1,000,000.00. Both of the vehicles will do about the same
amount of damage. The $10,000.00 vehicle may do more damage.
I have three cars that I am the only one that drives them. All three vehicles
are under the same liability coverage. One is a $60,000.00 sports car, one is
a Classic in original condition that is about $40,000.00 and then the EV which
I have is over $50,000.00.
I have one proof of insurance card that I carry from vehicle to vehicle. If I
drive your car, it is cover. If I drive a rental car, it is cover by the same
liability policy. If you used your credit car to rent a car, then the collision
damage is cover by them.
Now some insurance companies won't do a blanket coverage for multiple vehicles.
When you shop for insurance, they won't even consider that. Some advertise
that they will same you money if you insure with them. Sometimes I call these
companies to see how much they can save me. So far everyone is over triple or
one was ten times the cost of my insurance. The one with the animal rat was
the worst.
My insurance company is The Hartford. They insure you the person for
liability. I do not insure any of my vehicles for collision, except for other
than collision cause by objects.
They actually send you a check in with two or three days, in case the other
other person who cause the damage takes a long time to pay for the damage. If
they do, I send the check back to them. If the other person does not pay right
away, then my insurance check pays for the damage and the Hartford contacts the
other person insurance company for payment directly to them.
Glass damage is a separate item where they paid for 100 percent of the damage.
I just call it in, and they give me a Work Order No. and a phone number to the
Hartford which pays them directly.
Insurance is a betting game, you bet all the damage that is cause to your
vehicle by yourself is less than all the collision insurance premiums you will
have for the next 50 years.
In my case, in the last 50 years, I have only $129.00 worth of damage. Other
people have cause $1000.00 of damage to my vehicles while they were park.
The cost of full insurance for one car for that many years, will alone buy you
several new cars.
Insuring multiple vehicles is like insuring only one, you cannot drive all of
them at the same time, so only one is insure while you are driving it.
They don't care what equipment you carry on the vehicle because it is not
insured unless you get a separate equipment policy for it. It's the same as
insuring a computer, cameras, or any thing you carry in the car.
Roland
----- Original Message -----
From: Darin<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 3:13 PM
Subject: budget EV insurance update
After striking out twice last week trying to obtain only liability
insurance on a "non-professional" (hobbyist) EV conversion with through
my broker and a second insurance company, I received several suggestions
from list members that I simply try an insurer used by other EV owners.
I did so this morning, and was successful (was quoted a 3rd party
liability rate comparable to my ICE vehicle).
The insurance company's initial concern was the same: i.e. who is doing
the conversion?
My partner in this project is an industrial electrician, and those words
seemed to satisfy their concern (after a moderately suspenseful "please
hold while I check with my manager"). This information had been
unacceptable to the companies I tried last week.
Their only (reasonable) request was that they may ask for a
post-conversion inspection of the vehicle by a professional mechanic of
their choosing in my area.
For the record (and the archive), I'm in Ontario, and the obliging
insurance company is Melloche Monnex.
Darin
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hi folks,
I thought I should pass this along. eBay item # 4607320925 $2800
buy now price, no bids yet.
Thanks,
Mike Chancey,
'88 Civic EV
Kansas City, Missouri
EV List Photo Album at: http://evalbum.com
My Electric Car at: http://www.geocities.com/electric_honda
Mid-America EAA chapter at: http://maeaa.org
Join the EV List at: http://www.madkatz.com/ev/evlist.html
In medio stat virtus - Virtue is in the moderate, not the extreme
position. (Horace)
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I actually bought on from them, but haven't installed it yet. As I live
about 50 minutes drive from their address, I went down to visit in person.
They told me that this would make a good DC/DC converter, using half of the
bridge rectifier, so we'll see.
They seem to be nice enough folks, and they gave me a tour of their shop. I
had a long chat with their lead technical guy and I met with the owner.
Both expressed great interest in my conversion and asked me to bring it down
for them to see when I get it finished.
Overall, the place seems to be bit of a mess, parts lying everywhere, boxes
and crates in hallways and stairwells. No one could tell me where my part
was until the secretary got back from her late lunch.
The power supply itself is Chinese, I believe. They bench-tested it there
for me.
Bill Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Iron Mountain Films
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 7:20 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: will this dc to dc work?
I have a converted Civic that I am upgrading to 136 volts and I found this
DC to DC converter http://www.powerstream.com/dc9.htm 500 watt (bottom of
the page) will this work if I protect it from the elements? I am using a
Zilla 1K.
Any issues? I thought the price was very decent, Has anybody had any
experience with these? I'll be happy to look into further specs, if
somebody will tell me what to ask.
Thanks
-Mike Malmberg
'92 Civic Dx
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Photos - Showcase holiday pictures in hardcover
Photo Books. You design it and we'll bind it!
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hi all,
Coming up out of lurk mode to bring up another question.
I am doing a conversion on a 58 Harley and am keeping it somewhat documented
at www.indele.com/page6.html for any that might be interested.
I have been planning on using the parts out of a pallet picker that had a GE
EV-1 control. In looking at the relays today, their coils are marked as 24V
int and 18V con. Which I take to mean that they are only designed for 18
volts continuously on the coil. Is there a simple way to get them to
operate off of the 24V traction pack that I intend to have on the bike other
than multiple diodes to get the voltage drop? Seems like dropping 6 volts
with diodes would be cumbersome. The coils are molded so I don't know how
hard it would be to wind or replace them.
My controller is a SRE PC325 which is 24-48 volt rated and it requires a 24V
control signal so my key switch etc. will be running a 24V circuit and am
planning on using 24V lights as well on the bike.
The other ideas I have had is to add a small control relay to switch a
portion of the traction pack voltage to the power relay or use a three
terminal voltage regulator. I may need to do this if the future brings a
higher voltage traction pack.
Thanks for any ideas or input.
John
John Neiswanger
Northern Calif.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
But that converter isn't isolated, is it?
Danny
I have a converted Civic that I am upgrading to 136 volts and I found this
DC to DC converter http://www.powerstream.com/dc9.htm 500 watt (bottom of
the page) will this work if I protect it from the elements? I am using a
Zilla 1K.
Any issues? I thought the price was very decent, Has anybody had any
experience with these? I'll be happy to look into further specs, if
somebody will tell me what to ask.
Thanks
-Mike Malmberg
'92 Civic Dx
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Gadget,
A neighbor approached me the other day about doing a conversion and
mentioned a Miata! We haven't gotten together to discuss it, but I believe
he is interested in an AC system. He actually wants to take me out for
breakfast initially, so I like this guy already!
50,000 plus eelectric miles on the buggies, and a counting,
Dave (B.B.) Hawkins
Member of the Denver Electric Vehicle Council:
http://www.devc.org/
Card carrying member and former racer with The National Electric Drag
Racing Association:
http://www.nedra.com/
Lyons, CO
1979 Mazda RX-7 EV (192V of Orbs for the teenagers)
1989 GM (General Murderers of the EV-1!) S10 (144V of floodies, for Pa only!)
>Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 09:05:58 -0800 (PST)
>From: Reverend Gadget <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
>Left Coast Conversions wants to offer some new kits to
>the conversion market. We believe that the rising cost
>of fuel will continue to bring new users to the ev
>market. The cars we choose should have enough units on
>the road to be able to find gliders. They should also
>be cars that people will want to drive. So far we are
>looking at a PT cruiser and a Miata. What other kitw
>would you all like to see available? Thanks in advance
>for the input.
>
> Gadget
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I saw this too a while back. Looked to cheap to be good. I could find no
technical documentation on it. But if you run it and say its fine please
let us know. I'd be interested to know if it was noisy. Could you hear any
significant hummm from the thing. One thing to ask is if they know how it
does with parallel units. I'm actually checking into what looks to be a
very dood unit. The 16A version is ~$240 and the 40A unit is ~$420:
http://www.astecpower.com/Products/Display.asp?SeriesID=231
They have a decent 47 page Tech Notes paper at:
http://www.astecpower.com/reference/trn/AIF%20300V%20TRN%20REV01.pdf
I'm inquiring with them now about where to get one. It appears to be a
recent development in the last few months. They list Newark and DigiKey as
distributors but when I call those places, they have it in their inventory
but have no stock with an 18 week lead time. The guy at Newark said they
had minimum order Qty of 100, however he had pricing for 1, 10 and 100. The
~$240 and ~$420 prices above are from the Newark website for quantity 1.
Mike,
Anchorage, AK.
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Behalf Of Bill Dennis
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 7:14 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: will this dc to dc work?
I actually bought on from them, but haven't installed it yet. As I live
about 50 minutes drive from their address, I went down to visit in person.
They told me that this would make a good DC/DC converter, using half of the
bridge rectifier, so we'll see.
They seem to be nice enough folks, and they gave me a tour of their shop. I
had a long chat with their lead technical guy and I met with the owner.
Both expressed great interest in my conversion and asked me to bring it down
for them to see when I get it finished.
Overall, the place seems to be bit of a mess, parts lying everywhere, boxes
and crates in hallways and stairwells. No one could tell me where my part
was until the secretary got back from her late lunch.
The power supply itself is Chinese, I believe. They bench-tested it there
for me.
Bill Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Iron Mountain Films
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 7:20 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: will this dc to dc work?
I have a converted Civic that I am upgrading to 136 volts and I found this
DC to DC converter http://www.powerstream.com/dc9.htm 500 watt (bottom of
the page) will this work if I protect it from the elements? I am using a
Zilla 1K.
Any issues? I thought the price was very decent, Has anybody had any
experience with these? I'll be happy to look into further specs, if
somebody will tell me what to ask.
Thanks
-Mike Malmberg
'92 Civic Dx
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Photos - Showcase holiday pictures in hardcover
Photo Books. You design it and we'll bind it!
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
This was sent to me by someone. A Porche Carrera GT getting zapped by an elec
car....
http://www.ptreyeslight.com/stories/jan19_06/electriccar.html
and here is the manufacturer http://www.energynext.org/
Fantastic!!!!!
Rush
Tucson AZ
www.ironandwood.org
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Roland Wiench wrote:
Hello Darin,
I am going to give you some information that a lot of vehicle
insurance companies don't want you to know.
Liability insurance is on the person, not the vehicle. The person is
liable, not the vehicle. It does not make any difference if the
vehicle is worth $10,000.00 or $1,000,000.00. Both of the vehicles
will do about the same amount of damage. The $10,000.00 vehicle may
do more damage.
Roland, thanks for the info.
This type of insurance is known for dealerships where they may have many
hundreds of cars ready to be taken for a test drive and do the damage.
No way they insure every single one, it is one insurance per dealership,
(similar to one for you as person, no matter how many cars you have).
I wonder, how do you prove to Hartford that while you drive one on your
cars at the time your girlfriend (or whoever) does not drive another?
Do they just trust you, or they won't pay anything if your car happen to
be driven by somebody?
Victor
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
The Powerstream folks told me that it is an isolated switch-mode power
supply. I hope they were telling the truth.
Bill Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Danny Miller
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 9:32 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: will this dc to dc work?
But that converter isn't isolated, is it?
Danny
>I have a converted Civic that I am upgrading to 136 volts and I found this
>DC to DC converter http://www.powerstream.com/dc9.htm 500 watt (bottom of
>the page) will this work if I protect it from the elements? I am using a
>Zilla 1K.
> Any issues? I thought the price was very decent, Has anybody had any
>experience with these? I'll be happy to look into further specs, if
>somebody will tell me what to ask.
> Thanks
> -Mike Malmberg
> '92 Civic Dx
>
>
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Roger Stockton wrote:
I wonder how other types of businesses that
perform modifications to [ICE] vehicles protect themselves? Presumably
similar protection would be sufficient for EV conversion businesses...
Cheers,
Roger.
If one is afraid *that much*, buy an insurance which covers
possible worst scenario. If will be expensive, but not prohibitive
because insurance company knows - the chances are slim.
But,
There are perfectly legal ways to separate yourself and your business
from your products. For example: If you want to convert cars as as
as business, open it under the name A. Also, open second business
under the name B (both are incorporated or LLC so your house or
personal possessions have nothing to do with either one.
So A is publicly known conversion business, but it should have
no assets - no tools, equipment, etc. All of it belongs to
"private" business B which is only in business of serving A -
rents out its equipment, building etc. to business A for use. Legally
business A converts and sells cars, B is just assets rental
company. So A is going to get sued if something goes wrong.
Fine, A has no possessions, sue it. B has nothing to do with
it and can't get sued, just like no way Home Depot can get
sued if it rented out welders and power tools used in
conversion of a car whose driver later killed a pedestrian.
Once the dust settled, close A and open C, keeping renting
everything from B.
This may sound fishy, but it's not. If you're allowed
to be sued for unintentional accidents, use same legal system to
protect yourself. You should really be only allowed
to be sued if purposely committed a crime, but well, things
aren't set up that way. I'm not a lawyer so don't want to go there
and debate this.
If every business will be afraid to get sued to the point
that it won't want to open, we'd probably have no economy and
no private enterprise.
Victor
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
If I make my AC to vehicle connection point in the front of the
truck, are there drawbacks to running an AC line back to the charger
in the bed?
I'd go for the old gas filler as the location of the AC inlet, but if
you want to put it up front that isn't any problem. Just make sure the
AC cord is mechanically protected as it runs back to wherever the
charger ends up.
I've had two responses suggesting putting the power cord connector in
the gas filler location. To some extent I like this idea, however it
seems as though this means when charging there is a fairly long cord
going from the power receptacle to the EV connecting point Is this an
issue when charging in public. I hope to be able to plug in at a light
pole in my work parking lot and it seems minimizing the amount of cord
strung about would be a good thing.
Regardless of where I eventually make the AC connection point, It
sounds like the charger in the bed will be the way to go.
Thanks,
John
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Found the video of the racing
http://wrightspeed.com/pages/1/index.htm
Rush
Tucson AZ
www.ironandwood.org
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rush" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 11:03 PM
Subject: Whooie, elec does it again!
> This was sent to me by someone. A Porche Carrera GT getting zapped by an elec
> car....
>
> http://www.ptreyeslight.com/stories/jan19_06/electriccar.html
>
> and here is the manufacturer http://www.energynext.org/
>
> Fantastic!!!!!
>
> Rush
> Tucson AZ
> www.ironandwood.org
>
>
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
On 23 Jan 2006 at 23:03, Rush wrote:
> http://www.ptreyeslight.com/stories/jan19_06/electriccar.html
If you check the links, this makes sense. A very light racing vehicle with
an AC Propulsion T-zero-type powertrain is racing portly street-legal sports
cars, so of course it has the advantage. It's unquestionably quick.
I suppose all positive PR is a good thing, but it bothers me when we get
careless reporting like what we find in this story.
According to the author, Mette Hjermind McCall, "The X1 uses 200 kilowatts
per hour." That's equivalent to saying that the Porsche in the race uses
650 horsepower per hour. It's complete gibberish.
Also, he/she quotes Wright: "I believe lithium batteries are the future as
they are three times as efficient as hydrogen cells." Does Wright (or the
author) mean nickel metal hydride cells, or hydrogen fuel cells?
One wonders why "Energy Next" didn't just make a film about AC Propulsion.
According to both websites cited, the car has achieved a quarter mile time
of 11.95 seconds. I don't know whether that's official, and I don't follow
EV drag racing that closely, but it seems to me that somebody on this list
has run low in the 11s with a more or less street legal EV setup. Yes? No?
And hasn't Dennis Berube run in the 10s? Or is my memory playing tricks on
me?
David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA
EV List Assistant Administrator
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Want to unsubscribe, stop the EV list mail while you're on vacation,
or switch to digest mode? See how: http://www.evdl.org/help/
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To send a private message, please use evadm at drmm period net.
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Maybe we need to put together a film about real life electrics. I mean ones
that get driven every day and ones that people can afford to own, ones that
can get 100 miles around town and the ones that can pull 11 second quarter
miles. No doubt the flash of the X1 will open eyes, but the real life cars
will convince them.
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Behalf Of David Roden
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 9:56 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Whooie, elec does it again!
On 23 Jan 2006 at 23:03, Rush wrote:
> http://www.ptreyeslight.com/stories/jan19_06/electriccar.html
If you check the links, this makes sense. A very light racing vehicle with
an AC Propulsion T-zero-type powertrain is racing portly street-legal sports
cars, so of course it has the advantage. It's unquestionably quick.
I suppose all positive PR is a good thing, but it bothers me when we get
careless reporting like what we find in this story.
According to the author, Mette Hjermind McCall, "The X1 uses 200 kilowatts
per hour." That's equivalent to saying that the Porsche in the race uses
650 horsepower per hour. It's complete gibberish.
Also, he/she quotes Wright: "I believe lithium batteries are the future as
they are three times as efficient as hydrogen cells." Does Wright (or the
author) mean nickel metal hydride cells, or hydrogen fuel cells?
One wonders why "Energy Next" didn't just make a film about AC Propulsion.
According to both websites cited, the car has achieved a quarter mile time
of 11.95 seconds. I don't know whether that's official, and I don't follow
EV drag racing that closely, but it seems to me that somebody on this list
has run low in the 11s with a more or less street legal EV setup. Yes? No?
And hasn't Dennis Berube run in the 10s? Or is my memory playing tricks on
me?
David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA
EV List Assistant Administrator
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Want to unsubscribe, stop the EV list mail while you're on vacation,
or switch to digest mode? See how: http://www.evdl.org/help/
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Note: mail sent to "evpost" or "etpost" addresses will not reach me.
To send a private message, please use evadm at drmm period net.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Well damn man. Tell us what went wrong. I am only having trouble of my own
making. The car has been very bullet proof in the demanding San Francisco
terrain. I did have a charging wire go bad but it was rubbing on a sharp
piece of metal & I fixed it in five minutes. Keep in touch. I'd think an
Electravan 750 is worth 3.5 to 5k in running condition. A 600 seems to be
worth less. However ebaying it may be the best option. Lets see if we can
get it in running condition for you. Lawrence Rhodes......
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael A. Radtke" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 10:16 AM
Subject: Give Up on ElectraVan
Hello,
I am pretty discouraged at the moment, so I am just talking. You may
wish to press the delete key now.
From my earlier post, you may have seen that my Jet ElectraVan is down
again, this time in an expensive way. I have driven this car for 5
years and I doubt if I have ever been able to drive it more than a few
months before something disabled it. I suppose for a 1979 car that's to
be expected, but it's wearing me down.
One of the things that I am considering is passing this car along to
someone who might have the energy to keep the car on the road. The
problem is finding that person.
The ElectraVan is unique in that it is a collector car. That means that
it has value to an EV enthusiast as well as a special interest car
collector. That presents a complex problem of how I might sell the
car. An EV buyer may tire of the problems as I have and might junk what
otherwise would be a collector car. That would be a shame. A collector
car buyer is unlikely to drive the car. EVs are meant to be driven. I
would like to sell the car to someone who'll keep the car on the road,
and also respect the car as being a piece of automotive history.
It is likely that I can be easily fooled by selling to car to someone
who professes the intention to treat the car as I have, but then
immediately puts the car on ebay and turns a nice profit.
Ebay is the "great equalizer." Perhaps that's that path that I should
take, but somehow I'd rather pass the car along to someone in this
community, rather than make money.
I haven't decided to sell yet, but any thoughts about this would be
appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
There are a ton of 76(?)-90s Toyota pickups and even more car models
that used the venerable 20/22R/RE engine (all with the same basic
block). This would give you a very large bang-for-the buck when it comes
to adapters, motor mounts, and the tranny parts are quite easy to come
by (even new). Includes many hop-ups, aftermarket suspension upgrades,
various rear-end gears, and other assorted sundries.
Just a wish. You can pick up very nice used Toyotas quite inexpensively
around here (Pacific Northwest)... are other regions the same?
Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 09:05:58 -0800 (PST)
From: Reverend Gadget <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Left Coast Conversions wants to offer some new kits to
the conversion market. We believe that the rising cost
of fuel will continue to bring new users to the ev
market. The cars we choose should have enough units on
the road to be able to find gliders. They should also
be cars that people will want to drive. So far we are
looking at a PT cruiser and a Miata. What other kitw
would you all like to see available? Thanks in advance
for the input.
Gadget
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Another way to reduce ripple current is to add capacators to the input of
the controller. LR.........
----- Original Message -----
From: "Roger Stockton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 2:48 PM
Subject: RE: Give Up on ElectraVan
Michael A. Radtke [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
From my earlier post, you may have seen that my Jet
ElectraVan is down again, this time in an expensive way.
Sorry to hear of your EV problems, however, for what it is worth, I
think that there is something wrong with your particular sample. That
is, other people with the GE motors have/are enjoying much better
reliability and brush life than yours has demonstrated. This motor is
plenty big for the application and I seriously doubt that there is any
problem at all with the votlage you are feeding it since others have
happily run these motors anywhere from 96V to 120V (and likely well
beyond in racing).
I would lean toward suspecting the motor controller possibly subjecting
the motor large amount of ripple current, which might accelerate the
brush and comm wear (think of it being something like continuously
switching the motor between full off and full on, so that instead of a
fairly even modest average current it sees a few to several hundred amps
for a short time, then nothing, then a few hundred amps, etc. This
thought is based on my assumption that you are still running the
original SCR controller.
It might be that something is not quite right with your controller, or
it might just be a fact of life with this controller and such a
(relatively) small inductance motor.
Due to the collector nature of the vehicle, you may be reluctant to
change anything from stock. If so, then your only option would seem to
be trying to determine if there is something amiss with the controller
and getting it corrected so your next set of brushes and comm last
longer.
If you are willing to modify the car you have a few options. Money
being no object, replace the SCR controller with a Z1k and enjoy all the
performance your EV is capable of (more than you ever thought it had
;^). If that is too much of a stretch, replace the SCR controller with
a Curtis 1231C; performance will remain similar to the original, but you
should have better (possibly much better) range. Finally, if even that
is too much, you could try to verify the SCR controller is working
properly, then add a large inductor in series with the motor. David
Chapman (also in your area) is a good source for such inductors
(surplus/takeout 'reactors' from the output side of large welders). If
the large ripple current is stressing your motor, the addition of the
inductor will help smooth it and should reduce the stress on the motor.
Perhaps Jim Husted can offer some thoughts on possible failures/defects
that your motor might have that could reduce its inductance or make it
eat brushes unusually quickly? My thinking is that while the motor
might have accidentally been fitted with the wrong brush material in the
first place, or you might have been given the wrong material when
replacing them, it seems unlikely that you would get the same low life
in both cases. For instance, do you hear any sort of roughness when the
motor spins? A raised comm bar early in the motor's life might cause it
to eat brushes quickly; if this condition went undetected when you
replaced the brushes, they would also wear prematurely. The good news
is that since you rcomm is now damaged, if a raised bar were the
problem, it will be corrected when the motor is repaired. How about a
short between a field winding and the motor case, or just a short
between turns of a field winding? If this results in a decrease in
motor inductance, then your motor will experience more extreme ripple
current than otherwise identical motor/controller pairs. I'm sure Jim
can come up with more possibilities.
Cheers,
Roger.
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On Jan 23, 2006, at 2:51 PM, kluge wrote:
Bottom line: You do your best, and cross your fingers. There are no
guarantees in the world. If you want to wait until you're 100% safe
from
being in the situation of my Jim hypothetical, well - there's complete
security in the grave.
You could drive a car like my EV buggy. Either I drive defensively or I
soon cease driving :-) If Ralph Nadar took a good look at a beach buggy
he would likely let out a squawk and drop dead. I'm not even sure
hitting a pedestrian would be safe. Don't worry - I've been driving it
for 14 years.
The EV Buggy - what you drive when a Geo Metro is to big for the job.
Paul "neon" G.
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I guess I should second that, because I'm converting
one right now, and I got the truck for free!
--- Stefan Peters <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> There are a ton of 76(?)-90s Toyota pickups and even
> more car models
> that used the venerable 20/22R/RE engine (all with
> the same basic
> block). This would give you a very large
> bang-for-the buck when it comes
> to adapters, motor mounts, and the tranny parts are
> quite easy to come
> by (even new). Includes many hop-ups, aftermarket
> suspension upgrades,
> various rear-end gears, and other assorted sundries.
>
> Just a wish. You can pick up very nice used Toyotas
> quite inexpensively
> around here (Pacific Northwest)... are other regions
> the same?
>
> >
> >
> >
> >> Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 09:05:58 -0800 (PST)
> >> From: Reverend Gadget <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >>
> >> Left Coast Conversions wants to offer some new
> kits to
> >> the conversion market. We believe that the rising
> cost
> >> of fuel will continue to bring new users to the
> ev
> >> market. The cars we choose should have enough
> units on
> >> the road to be able to find gliders. They should
> also
> >> be cars that people will want to drive. So far we
> are
> >> looking at a PT cruiser and a Miata. What other
> kitw
> >> would you all like to see available? Thanks in
> advance
> >> for the input.
> >>
> >> Gadget
> >>
>
>
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Help me here. You mean I can just have a policy on one
car, and I'm covered whatever I drive?
--- Victor Tikhonov <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Roland Wiench wrote:
> > Hello Darin,
> >
> > I am going to give you some information that a lot
> of vehicle
> > insurance companies don't want you to know.
> >
> > Liability insurance is on the person, not the
> vehicle. The person is
> > liable, not the vehicle. It does not make any
> difference if the
> > vehicle is worth $10,000.00 or $1,000,000.00.
> Both of the vehicles
> > will do about the same amount of damage. The
> $10,000.00 vehicle may
> > do more damage.
>
> Roland, thanks for the info.
> This type of insurance is known for dealerships
> where they may have many
> hundreds of cars ready to be taken for a test drive
> and do the damage.
> No way they insure every single one, it is one
> insurance per dealership,
> (similar to one for you as person, no matter how
> many cars you have).
>
> I wonder, how do you prove to Hartford that while
> you drive one on your
> cars at the time your girlfriend (or whoever) does
> not drive another?
> Do they just trust you, or they won't pay anything
> if your car happen to
> be driven by somebody?
>
> Victor
>
>
__________________________________________________
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In Alaska everyone has there block heater cord out the
front of the vehicle. My pickup bed is gone, so I
don't see what the big deal of putting the cord out
the front.
You see people do the craziest things with their
extension cords, besides seeing them drive down the
road with them rubbing against the ground.
Some people wrap it around their bumper or their
exterior mirror!
There's even a company that sells an automatic take up
reel that's mounted inside the car. During the summer
months you can get seconds for a discount. But I ain't
wasting $75 on that yet...
Mike
Fairbanks
--- John <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >> If I make my AC to vehicle connection point in
> the front of the
> >> truck, are there drawbacks to running an AC line
> back to the charger
> >> in the bed?
> > I'd go for the old gas filler as the location of
> the AC inlet, but if
> > you want to put it up front that isn't any
> problem. Just make sure the
> > AC cord is mechanically protected as it runs back
> to wherever the
> > charger ends up.
>
> I've had two responses suggesting putting the power
> cord connector in
> the gas filler location. To some extent I like this
> idea, however it
> seems as though this means when charging there is a
> fairly long cord
> going from the power receptacle to the EV connecting
> point Is this an
> issue when charging in public. I hope to be able to
> plug in at a light
> pole in my work parking lot and it seems minimizing
> the amount of cord
> strung about would be a good thing.
>
> Regardless of where I eventually make the AC
> connection point, It
> sounds like the charger in the bed will be the way
> to go.
>
> Thanks,
>
> John
>
>
__________________________________________________
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Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
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--- Begin Message ---
Reverend Gadget writes:
>
> Left Coast Conversions wants to offer some new kits to
> the conversion market. We believe that the rising cost
> of fuel will continue to bring new users to the ev
> market. The cars we choose should have enough units on
> the road to be able to find gliders. They should also
> be cars that people will want to drive. So far we are
> looking at a PT cruiser and a Miata. What other kitw
> would you all like to see available? Thanks in advance
> for the input.
I've been looking at the Mazada 3 Hatchback (aka "5 Door") as
a possible donor vehicle for a (very) future project. This is
based on looks alone - I'm not sure why but the car looks good
to me.
Ralph
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I just noticed Bill Dube's Killa cycle "click 4 times
now"
http://www.dragtimes.com/Dragster-Motorcycle-Timeslip-7621.html
>
http://www.dragtimes.com/Mazda-RX-7-Timeslip-7519.html
>
http://www.dragtimes.com/Datsun-1200-Timeslip-7484.html
>
http://www.dragtimes.com/Nissan-240SX-Timeslip-7382.html
>
> Congrats to all,
>
> Victor
>
> --
> '91 ACRX - something different
>
>
>
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Hello Victor,
The only other people that drives my car, also have a blanket insurance that
covers them. These are normally people who work on the paint finish of my car
about once a year for detailing. They are only moving it a short distance in
there shops.
I preset the control system and switches so all they have to do is just turn on
the ignition switch and press the accelerator, other wise its in a full
security mode, where you have to turn over 42 switches that act like a cyfer
security lock system to make it go.
So I am the only one that knows how to start it up.
Roland
----- Original Message -----
From: Victor Tikhonov<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 11:29 PM
Subject: Re: budget EV insurance update
Roland Wiench wrote:
> Hello Darin,
>
> I am going to give you some information that a lot of vehicle
> insurance companies don't want you to know.
>
> Liability insurance is on the person, not the vehicle. The person is
> liable, not the vehicle. It does not make any difference if the
> vehicle is worth $10,000.00 or $1,000,000.00. Both of the vehicles
> will do about the same amount of damage. The $10,000.00 vehicle may
> do more damage.
Roland, thanks for the info.
This type of insurance is known for dealerships where they may have many
hundreds of cars ready to be taken for a test drive and do the damage.
No way they insure every single one, it is one insurance per dealership,
(similar to one for you as person, no matter how many cars you have).
I wonder, how do you prove to Hartford that while you drive one on your
cars at the time your girlfriend (or whoever) does not drive another?
Do they just trust you, or they won't pay anything if your car happen to
be driven by somebody?
Victor
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