| Owner | Daniel M. | ||||||||
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| Location | Sewell, New Jersey United States map | ||||||||
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| Vehicle | 1997 Saturn SL I've had the car running since May 19th 2012. I still have to hook up the heater, & some of the meters. It's a blast to drive. ^_^ | ||||||||
| Motor | Netgain WarP 9 Series Wound DC Smaller than I thought it would be, but man is it heavy. ^_^ | ||||||||
| Controller | Cafe Electric Z1K-HV Very nice. ^_^ | ||||||||
| Batteries | 48 Thunder Sky TS-LFP100AHA, 3.20 Volt, Lithium-Polymer At $1.10/ah I figured I could just about afford a small (50+ mile) pack and if the life span of these things is as claimed it will work out to be cheaper than Lead Acid in the long run. The BMS is from Elithion WebPage target="_blank">WebPage /> It is currently compatible with the Zilla and the PFC-20. | ||||||||
| System Voltage | 154 Volts | ||||||||
| Charger | Manzanita Micro PFC-20 I lent this out to a friend who is between chargers. I love being able to change the max voltage for different battery packs. It was also nice being able to swap the plug and charge off of a few different size outlets. | ||||||||
| Heater | I've decided to go with a liquid heater design. It may not put out instant heat (More like three minutes) but it will be capable of much higher temperatures. Plus I can use the dash controls as they are and not have to dig out and mangle the heater core. ^_^ 2000 Watt Tank Heater WebPage Aluminum Recovery Tank WebPage LEV200 Contactor WebPage There have been good liquid heater designs in other threads but this link will get you started. WebPage /> Update on the KATS heater thermostat problem. It's an easy fix actually. ^_^ Instead of trying to source and rig some high voltage DC thermostats try this: Disconnect the AC thermostat from the heater circuit. Rewire it to the positive 12v wire controlling the heater contactor (or relay) power coil. When the thermostat hits the high temp mark it will cut off the contactor thereby shutting down the heater like its supposed to. The low temp mark will turn everything back on keeping the heater nice and toasty. Running it on low 12v DC will keep the AC thermostat from fusing and going into instant boil mode. | ||||||||
| DC/DC Converter | Iota DLS-55 I picked up an IQ4 smart charger adapter for it. WebPage | ||||||||
| Instrumentation | EVision: WebPage | ||||||||
| Top Speed | 70 MPH (112 KPH) I've had the car up to 70mph so far. 45mph is enough for the commute. Anything else just serves to widen the EV grin. Other EV Saturn owners have said that they have taken them up to the 80s with plenty left. I'll have to take mine out to the racetrack someday to find out how high it can go. | ||||||||
| Acceleration | Peppy most of the time, a bit sluggish when the temp drops below 40 degrees. | ||||||||
| Range | I drive 20.8 miles round trip for work. With the LiFePO4 I should be able to get 50+ miles per charge at highway speeds. The furthest I've ever driven on one charge so far is 24 miles. Still just as peppy as when I took it off the charger. | ||||||||
| Watt Hours/Mile | I'll get back to you. | ||||||||
| EV Miles |
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| Seating Capacity | Five, if they are very friendly. | ||||||||
| Curb Weight | 2,200 Pounds (999 Kilograms) Estimate based on factory stated weight. The batteries weigh in at 350lbs, so I'm hoping to keep the final weight close to 2,500lbs or so. | ||||||||
| Tires | Goodyear Defender Green X Low Rolling Resistance | ||||||||
| Conversion Time | A year and a half in the planning and acquisition of parts. 200 hours in actual work (so far). | ||||||||
| Conversion Cost | O_o! Anyone know how I can get in on the Bailout? Alright, I just killed my budget. $18,000 so far. | ||||||||
| Additional Features | Swinging arm for a laptop mounted on the passenger seat base. Useful for when you want to check system information or make setting changes. Easy to remove for the rest of the time. Power steering courtesy of a '00 MR2/Spyder electric P/S pump. I should be able to hook this up to the vehicle computer so it will only turn itself on when needed. Ultra-Quiet Vacuum Assist Kit: WebPage I'll let you know exactly how quiet it is when I get it running. ^_^ My multi-plug home outlet thread: WebPage Forget the OEMs Let's get EVs on the Nema 14-50 standard. ^_^ | ||||||||
| If you are in the NJ/PA area come over to the E.E.V.C. meetings, we'd love to see you. Go to: WebPage for more info. The next meeting will be on June 12th, then it's over to NJ for the two summer meetings. ^_^ | |||||||||
1997 Saturn SL
“Lobo gris”
(under construction)
Last Updated 05-17-2013
Copyright © 1997-2024 by Mike Chancey