AHr CounterA/CAZ EVDifferentialCarl Hayden HS
OwnerJames Wolfe
Owner's Other EVs1982 Pontiac J2000
1993 Dodge TEVan
1988 Pontiac Fiero
1999 Dodge EPIC
1993 Dodge TEVan
Junior Dragster
LocationGlendale, Arizona United States map
Web/EmailWebPage email image
Vehicle1995 Solectria E-10
Chevrolet S-10
MotorAzure Dynamics/Solectria GT20T 3-Phase AC
(2) 3 PHASE AC Induction
Drivetrain(2)3-phase AC induction motors direct drive, no transmission. The rear differential is 4.56:1 and the belt drive reduction brings the overall ratio to about 9:1.
ControllerBrusa (2) AMC320/325
1-AMC320 & 1-AMC325
Batteries24 Saft STM-5-100MRE, 6.00 Volt, Nickel-Cadmium, Flooded
Water cooled with a closed system,(no access to check or alter the electrolyte unless returned to the factory)
All 26 are date stamped 05/09/2001
System Voltage144 Volts
ChargerZivan NG5
230V input, 144V/30A output, programmed IUIa 200AH. Tweaked for the NiCd's.
HeaterCeramic
DC/DC ConverterAzure Dynamics/Solectria
Vicor based
InstrumentationTach, Solectria digital Ahr meter, voltmeter and, (battery), ammeter.
Top Speed70 MPH (112 KPH)
(estimated) I have driven it at 65 on I-17 or the 101, but it is about as streamlined as a barn door and draws nearly 200A to maintain that speed. The controller is programmed to limit the speed of the motor to 70.
Acceleration7 seconds 0-30 mph, 15 seconds 0-50 mph.
0-30 is good, but lethargic to 40-45. I limit the current draw to 200A to conserve the batteries but if I dial up the performance knob, it will accelerate well enough to get to the next stoplight before it turns green.
Range50 Miles (80 Kilometers)
Owners manual states 80 mi @ 45 mph. Most of the time I only use about 25-30 Ahr for 25-30 miles. I have gone 54.4 miles pulling the trailer carrying the EPJD, (GVW 650#), for a show in Scottsdale and still didn't hold up traffic on 40 mph streets.
Watt Hours/Mile270 Wh/Mile
With very careful driving it will do just under 1 Ahr per mile. With the Air Conditioning on, if I'm very careful, I can still keep it to 1 Ahr per mile when on flat ground and in minimum traffic. Without trying to economize it uses about 1.1 Ahr per mile with Air Conditioning. Average at the wall is about 270 Whr/mile.
EV Miles
Current:31,390 Miles (50,506 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity2+ adults. It has a bench seat and seat belts for 3, but the center position is not practical or useable.
Curb Weight3,500 Pounds (1,590 Kilograms)
(Certified) The 24 batteries weigh 29 lbs each. Owners manual lists it as 3900 lbs with 3 strings of lead acid batteries. I hauled a load of trash to the landfill and they weighed it for me
TiresFronts are Goodyear Regatta-2 inflated to rated 44 lbs., and rears are Goodyear Momentum inflated to rated 50 lbs.
Conversion CostPurchase price when new: $35,000.
At auction the winning and only bid was $1,000, plus 10% buyers premium and sales tax of $89.
Additional FeaturesPower steering, Power brakes w/regen, Ceramic heat, Air Conditioning, drivers side air bag, 1520 lb payload and full use of the pickup bed.
Purchased at auction here in Phoenix. (Not the same auction yard that I purchased the TEVan at). This one came from APS, our other power company.

04-12-2008: I was in the process of gathering parts to convert an '89 S-10 with a blown head gasket, (which was given to me), when my favorite brother in-law saw this one at auction. I went to see what it would sell for. The bed was bolted down and the widshield said, "Electric - does not start". This made it unable to determine if it had batteries or controllers. When no-one seemed to want to bid I couldn't help myself. I bought my 3rd EV with the only bid. (My XYL was very understanding).

03-2007: The batteries are from a Data Center UPS that was being replaced with a larger one at my workplace. Date stamp on all batteries is 06-06 and I paid $280 for 15 of them in March of 07 and were slated for the S-10 conversion. They seem to hold up fairly well with current draws set to 200A maximum. I presently have no BMS of any kind on them but they are staying within .1 Volt of each other.

A nice feature of this E-10 is a potentiometer that adjusts the current draw, (originally a 3 position switch), and a switch to turn on/off the regen. The accelerator controls the amount of Regen when it is on, and with regen off, it coasts when you let up on the accelerator. With Regen on the range suffers at about .1 to .2 additional Whr per mile due to the difficulty in finding that "sweet-spot" on the accelerator.

05-03-12: Pulled the UPS batteries as the range was down to about 10-15 miles and even with the Lee Hart Balancers it was time. Like a good environmentaly concious EV'r I took the spent batteries to the recycling center and was surprised when they brought a little over $400.. after purchasing them for $280 and using them for 4+ years!

12-04-12: Installed Saft STM5-100MRE's which were manufactured 05-09-01 and were given to me by a fellow EV'r who went the lithium route in his Solectria Force.

01-25-13: Batteries are in place and bussed. The truck is powered up. Now for the cooling lines and a bubbler system/scrubber for the watering circuit(s).

04-12-13: Cooling system in place with a Mercedes Benz auxillary water pump for circulation.

I dialed the Zivan charger down in order to keep the NiCd's from thermal runaway in the Phoenix heat. I also developed a spreadsheet to calculate the charger start/stop time which requires setting the timeclock to start in the early morning hours when it's the coolest and stop before the higher rates apply. The pack is doing fine with a >55 mile range that leaves the pack at >144V after a few minutes rest.

05-24-2014: (27950 miles) Charging w/ 1.2Kw solar lately. It's slow but allows a 30+ mile trip every other day only because I drive it during one day and charge it the next.

04-14-2015: Turned 30K miles yesterday while on a test drive after replacing the pinion seal that was leaking.

04-18-2016: Turned over 33K miles last week, that's 3K miles in a year. My 15 year old batteries are still doing great while charging with 1950 watts of solar.

01-19-2017: weighed at the landfill @ 34054miles.

code by jerry