| Owner | Dan Baker | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Santa Fe, New Mexico US map | ||||||
| Web/Email | WebPage | ||||||
| Vehicle | 1997 Suzuki Swift 3-door hatchback. Base car in reasonable mechanical shape, was still running and getting 40 mpg on gas; broken windshield, bald tires, but a great deal for $500. | ||||||
| Motor | Advanced DC 203-6-4001 Series Wound DC 8" ADC rated to provide 19hp continuous at 96v, peak around 68hp which is pretty close to what ICE motor put out! I could get a higher peak with 120 or 144 v system, but 12 batteries is about all you can fit into a Swift, and 12 x 8v gives higher total kWhr than most 10 x 12v. | ||||||
| Drivetrain | 5-speed manual | ||||||
| Controller | Curtis 1221C-7401 | ||||||
| Batteries | 12 US Battery 8VGCHCX, 8.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded 95 minutes at 75 amps factory rating, I estimate around 110 amphour at 1 hour draw rate from spec curve. I got 12 delivered for $1600. | ||||||
| System Voltage | 96 Volts | ||||||
| Charger | Zivan NG1 with the 96v system, the ng-1 should be adequate, and costs less than ng-3 | ||||||
| Heater | will add 1500w | ||||||
| DC/DC Converter | Curtis 1400E72/96-1201 I decided to go without a separate 12v battery, and just pull directly from the main pack to save space and weight. No problems thus far. | ||||||
| Instrumentation | Curtis battery gauge, ammeter, voltmeter | ||||||
| Top Speed | 75 MPH (120 KPH) My daily errands are mostly residential and suburban collectors with speed limits of 25,35, and one of 50mph. I have not tried to get to MAX speed, but had no problem getting to 70 mph in 3rd gear on a flattish stretch. | ||||||
| Acceleration | feels the same as stock. quicker starts in 1st for merging into traffic or uphill starts, but adequate torque in 2nd in most cases. | ||||||
| Range | 40 Miles (64 Kilometers) My typical daily commute to pick kids up after school and go to 'activities' is less than 20 miles a day. Allowing for some extra range for winter and heater, 40 mile range will be more than enough. Longest round trip so far is 38 miles at 55mph, which took pack close to 80%DOD. | ||||||
| Watt Hours/Mile | 250 Wh/Mile I am installing a Cycle Analyst so I can get accurate runtime usage, but don't have good numbers yet. It seems to take about .4kWhr/mile 'at the plug', but this includes all losses including charge cycle. | ||||||
| EV Miles |
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| Seating Capacity | 2 adults, 2 kids | ||||||
| Curb Weight | 1,810 Pounds (822 Kilograms) 1810 pounds curb weight with an almost empty gas tank is what I weighed it as using 2 scales in tandem at each wheel and adding it up. Curb weight after conversion was 2490# on a certified scale. | ||||||
| Tires | 155/60R13 - kumho solus kr21. Did NOT make a noticeable difference in efficiency, but are a lot quieter than old bald tires. | ||||||
| Conversion Time | 140 hrs... still need bellypan and heater installed | ||||||
| Conversion Cost | $8000 or so including new batteries. I bought a kit for the electrics from kta-ev.com, and the transmission adapter plate direct from CanEV.com. The batteries I bought direct and drop-shipped from US Battery... talked my way into a ev conversion discount. ;) | ||||||
| Additional Features | vacuum system, heater | ||||||
| visit website to watch progress, I have LOTS of pictures. Also note that the 1997 Suzuki Swift is basically the same vehicle as the Geo Metro and Pontiac Firefly. 12/08 - I have front and mid battery racks complete and am working on rear.... Guessing another 20-30 hours of work until I can drive. 3/1/2009 - Zappy hit the road. Without a hood for a couple weeks. Still need to do a bellypan and get heater in before next winter. 5/14/2009 - just humming along! hood is on, graphics, and going to add Cycle Analyst and a belly pan after to measure the difference. 7/14/2009 - still no belly pan or CA, but I did spend an hour to cut and pound a hood scoop to feed cool air to my controller heat sink. | |||||||
1997 Suzuki Swift
“Zappy”
Last Updated 08-05-2009
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Mike Chancey