| Owner | Eric C. Krofchak | ||||||
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| Location | Cedar Grove, New Jersey United States map | ||||||
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| Vehicle | 1985 Chevrolet S10 S10 Solar Truck | ||||||
| Motor | Advanced DC Shunt Wound DC 9" | ||||||
| Drivetrain | 5 speed Manual | ||||||
| Controller | Cafe Electric Zilla 1K HV This controller replaced the DCP600 I had previously. WOW what a difference, giant leap in acceleration, power and performance. | ||||||
| Batteries | 24 Saft STM 5-140, 6.00 Volt, Nickel-Cadmium, Flooded | ||||||
| System Voltage | 144 Volts | ||||||
| Charger | Home built | ||||||
| Heater | Electric 1500 Watt | ||||||
| DC/DC Converter | None Went with 75ah battery. With everything running (wipers,headlights,vac pump,fan) I have about a 20amp drain so even in the impossible worst case I can still run for 3+ hrs with no problem. Charger for this batt is automatic and wired so when truck is pluged in so is this charger. | ||||||
| Instrumentation | E-meter | ||||||
| Top Speed | 85 MPH (136 KPH) Moderate hills may drain the batteries but are no problem. Steep hills certainly slow me down. | ||||||
| Acceleration | Good. 0-60 around 15 seconds | ||||||
| Range | 40 Miles (64 Kilometers) With moderate driving. Driving hard about 30 miles. Driving really conservative around 50 miles | ||||||
| Watt Hours/Mile | 300 Wh/Mile A steady 50mpg on a flat stretch of highway usually consumes around 250Whr/mile. | ||||||
| EV Miles |
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| Seating Capacity | 2 adults (3 if really close friends) | ||||||
| Curb Weight | 3,500 Pounds (1,590 Kilograms) Gross estimate | ||||||
| Tires | Michelin Energy MXV4. Actually had better performance with the trucks previous tires but thought these would do better, unfortunatly I was wrong but I needed tires anyway. | ||||||
| Conversion Time | Purchased already converted. I added the batteries and solar panels. Replaced burnt out DCP controller in 2008 with Zilla 1K (Otmar your a godsend to EV'rs). Replaced dead DC-DC with battery. | ||||||
| Conversion Cost | $9000 converted truck $14000 batteries $1800 solar panels $3000 new Zilla 1K Seeing suckers pay $4/gal for gas - Priceless | ||||||
| Additional Features | Replaced all the trucks bulbs with led bulbs, If you ever consider doing this remember to get the biggest avaliable. The small cheaper low led count bulbs are way too dim. 28May07:Just built myself a pair of LED headlights. Dropped the trucks power usage by 60-70 watts. Not a huge deal but every bit helps. Nov07: Rebuilt solar bed cover to increase vertical space in the bed and added a slope to it. The slope lets water run off better, improves aerodynamics, and when I park the truck allows better sun exposure to the panels (always remember to park with the bed facing south) Jun08: Zilla installed and working but the DC-DC converter died. July08: Installed new 75ah 12v battery to replace DC-DC converter | ||||||
| Jan08: Controler burned up. Ordered new Zilla 1K-HV but they are backordered about 4-6 months. Using the down time to get some repairs and upgrades done. 6May08: Zilla has arrived, hope to get to installing it in a couple of weeks. 25July08: First open road test with the new zilla controler and DC-DC replacement battery successful. What a power difference vs my old DCP controller. 26apr09: Upgraded LED headlights with new brighter 4w leds (8 of them). 18aug09: Sad news, due to some problems with extreme body rust and other mechanical issues i've been forced to retire the SuperTruck. I kept the batteries which will be installed in my 99 Solectria and sold off the rest (controler,mtr,solar etc) to a friend with an EV pickup in need of some upgrades. Fairwell SuperTruck I will miss you. | |||||||
1984 Chevrolet S-10
“SuperTruck”
Last Updated 08-18-2009
Copyright © 1997-2024 by Mike Chancey