It's going to be very interesting to hear your report about this van
when you get it running. I can't imagine how they made it even close
to streetable with no gear changes and reverse being changing the
rotation of that motor! You can get away with that kind of stuff with
a series motor.
Some random thoughts:
The torque band on that motor ends abruptly at 4,000 RPM. after that,
it's basically impossible to gain any more speed, time to shift. The
SCT manual says that the motor is safe to 8,000 RPM before it frags,
but I can't see how you would ever get it to that speed without
shifting into first at 90 MPH.
My car gets the same energy efficiency at 50 MPH in fourth that it
does in third at 40 MPH. Of course, it draws more current, but it
covers a mile in less time. I believe that the motor is more
efficient at ~2,000 RPM than at 3,500. Given the increase in wind
resistance, etc, this represents a significant discrepancy in
efficiency. A 30 mile round-trip into town and back consumes
identical quantities of energy, regardless of which gear I drive in.
After sitting for six years, my motor set up a howl like a cat
tangled in a fan belt when I first got it running again. It still
does this off and on, don't know if it's bearings or what. I mostly
just turn the stereo up and try not to think about it. Sometimes it
sounds exactly like a jet plane coming in for a landing! Good for
getting the attention of pedestrians!!
On the SCT, there is a 3-3/4" hole cut in the conical shroud at the
brush end of the motor, with a two-speed blower directing cooling air
into the casing. Air exits through vents at the output shaft end. I
don't know if there is an internal fan. During normal weather and
driving, it runs warm to the touch.
The controller may still be functional, but after this many years,
any electrolytic capacitors in it's circuitry are due for
replacement. Might be a good idea to just shotgun them all and get it
over with. Any ceramic potted power resistors should be checked for
crumbling and decomposition, and replaced with modern components.
So, did your van come with the forks, or are you going to have to buy
a new set?
At 04:59 PM 5/25/2019, you wrote:
A friend of mine in Belgium got one of these buses, and he had his local
forklift repair shop put it back on the road. He mentioned that it handled
like a forklift. Probably has to do with the ton of batteries.
This is not exactly a conversion. The bus has been electric since new, and
was built by Volkswagen in Germany as part of a collaboration with some
other German companies including Siemens and Varta.
The earlier Volkswagen buses used reduction gears, but that ended in 1967.
This bus uses a double-jointed independent rear suspension system. I have
removed the axles so that I can test the bus on the ground without it
moving. Before I removed the axles, I turned them both at the same time
which forced the transmission to turn the motor. Reverse is achieved by a
switch on the dash. I assume that reverses the polarity. The negative
cable into the controller from the battery pack is isolated from the frame
of the bus and the body of the controller.
I am aware that this is ancient technology. I do plan on having a more
modern drivetrain in this or another bus at another time, but for my my
purposes at this time, I want to have this one as original as possible with
the likely exception of the batteries. I view the batteries as a relatively
easily solved thing, although I have not decided on which direction I go
with that. I want this to run with its stock drivetrain for its historic
significance. It is pretty cool that VW was developing electric vehicles
over 40 years ago. This bus in this configuration won't get driven
regularly. I recently bought an electric VW Karmann Ghia from my friend,
John Bryan, who pointed me towards this list/forum as he mentioned that it
was very helpful for him and an overall great community. The Ghia needs new
batteries (hopefully the same ones that I use in the bus). The Ghia will be
a regular driver for me in the coming years.
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