OwnerKen Barbour Jr.
Owner's Other EV2008 MINI E
LocationDeptford, New Jersey United States map
Web/EmailWebPage email image
Vehicle1991 Geo Metro Convertible
I drive this car daily back and forth from work in all kinds of weather and it performs perfectly.
MotorD&D Motor Systems, Inc. ES-31B 6.7 Series Wound DC
18 HP Continuous 49 Peak I've been very happy with this motor. It performs perfectly and barely gets warm. Im glad to see there is an alternative to more expensive offerings from Advanced and Netgain.
D&D people are great to deal with and shipped me my new bigger motor in 2 days. I absolutely reccomend them.
Drivetrainoriginal transmission 4.39 gears in convertible transmissions, different than regular metro
ControllerCurtis 1221C
120 volt 400 amp
Batteries10 Everstart 27DC-6, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
Wal-Mart's finest deep cycle 115ah Very easy to exchange for warranty issues. Made by Johnson controls or exide depending where you live.
System Voltage120 Volts
ChargerManzanita Micro PFC20
Im lucky enough to have a really cool friend who lent me his pfc-20. This thing is awesome. Im still looking to buy a 120v charger. Anyone? Looking for russco,zivan,or manzanito.
Heaterno point, the top is always down! looking into 110v recirculating tank heater to keep the windshield clear before leaving for work. Heater is on hold until it gets cold again.
DC/DC Converter yuasa battery tender for motorcycles
no dc/dc converter, just a small motorcycle type battery charger for the car's original group 26 battery
Instrumentation0-400 amp meter and 0-150 volt meter installed on dash
Top Speed65 MPH (104 KPH)
65 mph on the highway easily, maybe more
Acceleration13.8 seconds 1/8 mile measured in competition at Penn State. Alot better now on 120 volts than the 72 volts i was running. Im pretty sure its faster than a gas metro now.
Range42 Miles (67 Kilometers)
42 miles at 35 mph. Measured in competition at Penn State. They use a 1 mile banked oval test track. This is with 10 new 27dc-6 batteries.
Watt Hours/MileUsually pull around 100 amps going 35-45 mph
EV Miles
Start:91,429 Miles (147,109 Kilometers)
Current:94,300 Miles (151,728 Kilometers)
Total:2,871 Miles (4,619 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity2 adults and 7.15cu foot cargo (also measured in comp)
Curb Weight2,100 Pounds (954 Kilograms)
Now officially weighed using individual scales under each wheel. Very expensive looking scales used at competition. Right Front 540lbs Left Front 480lbs Right Rear 550lbs Left Rear 530lbs Not Bad!
Tires155/80r13 1.4" taller than stock throws speedo off at least 5 mph
Conversion Time12/24/07-04/03/08 a couple of nights after work and some Sundays, although its never truly finished
Conversion CostLess than $4000 Including every little nut and bolt.
Additional FeaturesI built this car myself in my garage at night after work. I built the adapter from a plate of aluminum and the coupler from a love-joy style coupler that i got at a farm store. I just bought a trailer that i will load up with batteries to make it to our monthly eecv meetings. Its over the bridge in plymouth meeting, pa and about 50 miles round trip. I could put more batteries in the car, but for 90 percent of what i do the range is fine. So the trailer will give me extra range only when i need it.
Im wondering how to get this inspected. i brought it to the inspection station and they just scratched their heads in confusion. Check out our club www.eevc.info

11/22/2008 Its very cold today (below freezing) but the metro made it to work no problem. Ill charge there and then drive home. The trailer is finished and greatly increased my range. The car is slower pulling all that weight. Time to increase the voltage!!
4/06/2009 Installed 120v Curtis controller today (thanks Alan). Added 4 more batteries to bring pack to 120v. Car is actually fast now. I should have more range too. I will know soon. I can actually keep up with traffic on the highway now with no problem.
04/17-04/19 2009 Entered 21st Century Automotive Challenge at Penn State, Was a lot of fun, please check it out.
05/09 Driving the car a lot and smiling as I watch gas prices climb.

code by jerry