The money shot.95 PrizmInstrumentation.12 chargers in the trunkengine is outAdapter plate and couplerThe motor is IN!Vacuum Pump and first battery traySpin Test
OwnerKyle Bonds
LocationCamp Hill, Pennsylvania US map
Vehicle1995 Geo Prizm
I wanted as much weight as possible up front, so I shoe-horned in 6 batteries. That left very little room for the controller, 12V converter, big relays, big fuses, big connectors, and that thick cable does NOT like to make tight turns - so... lotsa head scratching, moving stuff around and trying out different setups.
MotorAdvanced DC FB1-4001A Series Wound DC
Dual shaft
Drivetrain5-speed manual, no clutch. Front wheel drive. And the Prizm (corolla) does not have the right side half-shaft attached to the motor, that saves a lot of fabricating a mount.
ControllerCurtis 1231C-8601
Batteries12 Universal Batteries UB121100, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM
110ah, group 30 deep cycle marine. I wanted dry batteries because it is a car, and the trunk has 6 batteries in it.
System Voltage144 Volts
ChargerSchumacher SC-600A
I am using 12 of these, one for each battery, as a poor-man's Battery Management System. Everyone says that the charging cycle makes or breaks the life of the battery.
This model has a push-button to select 6/4/2 amps, and defaults to 2. A slide switch would be better. This means that I have to open the trunk and push 12 buttons every time I plug in the charger - yuch!
Heaterprobably go with the hardware store ceramic heater.
DC/DC ConverterAstrodyne
Lightweight, but does not look like it is built for on-the-road use. I will have to carefully cover it, because even with the engine bay sealed pretty well, you will get a mist at highway speeds.
Instrumentationanalog 180V voltmeter and 400A ammeter.
Top Speed65 MPH (104 KPH)
144V should get a good top speed, but not for long with only 12 batteries.
AccelerationKeeps up with traffic, but drops off dramatically once the batteries get drained.
Range25 Miles (40 Kilometers)
I can go to work and back, and the grocery store, in under 10 miles. So far the pack reads 150 volts after charging, and even though at rest it still reads 145 volts after 20 miles, the voltage really starts sagging, and performance drops off.
EV Miles
Start:192,500 Miles (309,732 Kilometers)
Current:192,650 Miles (309,973 Kilometers)
Total:150 Miles (241 Kilometers)
 
    As of 10/5/2008
Seating Capacity5 adults
Curb Weight3,000 Pounds (1,363 Kilograms)
2500 pre conversion weight. The batteries total around 800 pounds, minus the I.C.E., radiator, gas tank, exhaust and stuff.
Tires185-R14 that were on the car.
Conversion TimeStarted 2nd week of June 2008, pulled the old motor and started on the adapters. Built the front battery racks in July - the heat from welding shrinks the surrounding metal - many parts ended up much smaller than when I first cut them. August was making the engine bay weather-proof (with rubber roofing material, which feels about like an innertube).
Started wiring over Labor Day weekend.
Drove to work for the first time Sept. 25th, 2008.
Still have to do some nice-to-haves, like a buzzer if you turn off the key without setting the parking brake.
So I am guessing around 400 hours total.
Conversion Costcar plus repairs $900, batteries $2400, pile-o-stuff from EVA $4700, chargers from shady ebay dude $180, vacuum pump from JEGS $270, aluminum plate $137, QD bushings $140.
Additional FeaturesI am going to use a QD style bushing to make the tranny adapter, and another for the accessory drive for air conditioning.
It took a long time to find a suitable donor car, mainly because everybody gets automatic transmissions here in America.
Second gear pulls strong from a stop, and can get up to 60 MPH, so I don't think I will use 3rd gear. These numbers are based off what the manual says is a good limit for 144 volts - 6000 RPM.

And does anyone know how to insure an $800 car that has $6000 worth of modifications? The collector car companies don't want you to actually drive the car.

code by jerry