Hi Keith > Yes, I am building the car, well, more accurately gutting and converting a previous ICE machine. (1973 Porsche 914 chosen because it is small, light and relatively simple mechanically and most parts are still available after-market).
The electric motor is installed. Battery compartment is designed, and batteries selected but not purchased. Motor controller selected, but not purchased. Grid- connection charger purchased, but not yet received. The electrics come easily to me - I currently drive an all-electric Fiero conversion, and also have an electric tractor, boat and motorcycle, and another EV project on the go besides the hybrid. On the ICE side, I want to wait to see how much power is consumed at highway cruising speed, then purchase an air-cooled diesel generator to match the requirement. The 914 is originally an air-cooled system, so if I want to utilize the heat, air-cooled makes more sense. Also less weight and plumbing issues. Current estimates suggest 8-10 kW should do it. 120 volts AC RMS at 80 amps across a bridge rectifier and a ripple capacitor should be a reasonable match for the 144 volt main traction pack. The engine will have to have electric (remote) start capability and switch-off ability. The diesel will not be part of the drive train - just a means of supplying electric power to the battery bank. It is also not intended to be the primary charger. In normal urban driving, the generator should not be required - grid charging should be sufficient. The car is currently in a body shop to bring the body back up to good condition and painting. Once I have it back, I should be able to start working on the wiring harnesses and instrumentation. While I have been interested in biodiesel for a few years, this vehicle has become my real impetus for starting up my own brewing, as there is no local supply, but plenty of WVO about. I used to sit on a citizen's committee for the municipal landfill, so methods of diverting "waste" from landfill and into reuse and recycling opportunities is also near to my heart. I hope to have my 1-liter test production line up and running by the end of the month. Scaling up comes after that, hopefully by summertime. Darryl McMahon 48 Tarquin Crescent, Econogics, Inc. Nepean, Ontario K2H 8J8 It's your planet. Voice: (613)784-0655 If you won't look Fax: (613)828-3199 after it, who will? http://www.econogics.com/ Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
