Warp 9 MountedZilla and contactors in ammo boxOLd lead acid pack configuration..."Engine" BayDon't buy a truck at night!
OwnerJohn Nicholson
LocationSouth Hadley, Massachusetts United States map
Web/EmailWebPage email image
Vehicle1984 Toyota 2WD Pickup
4 6V batteries in front, 20 in the rear.
(Changed to two 200 volts strings of Leaf
modules in parallel)
MotorWarfield Warp 9 Series Wound DC
EVSource RPM sensor on the tailshaft.
DrivetrainCAN-EV transmission adapter with balanced
flywheel and Stage 3 ceramic clutch plate on
the stock W-52 transmission.
ControllerCafe Electric Zilla 1K HV
Hall-effect pedal used for input. CANEV
liquid cooling kit.
Batteries24 Crown CR-225 , 6.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
Conventional automotive style posts with
additional screw terminal off to one side.
Battery boxes are insulated.
(Replaced with salvaged Leaf Modules).
System Voltage144 Volts
ChargerDelta-Q Technologies 912-7200
Two isolated 72 volt chargers, one on each
half of the battery pack, mounted in the cab
behind the seat.(Reprogrammed to 98VDC
output and put in series to charge parallel
200 volt banks of modules.
HeaterLooking into a hot water heater system using
the existing heater core for this winter.
DC/DC ConverterIota DLS-55
Comes on with keyswitch via Tyco LEV200
contactor, connected to 12 v SLI battery,
voltage shift switch on dashboard.
(Replaced with ElCon TDC-IY-144-12.)
InstrumentationGauges from Electro Automotive: 6-16V for
SLI battery monitoring, 0-500 motor amps,
115-175 battery volts. Added rpm gauge to
dash. (Have laptop with elithion Pro BMS
software also)
Top Speed65 MPH (104 KPH)
This conversion was done as a daily commuter
and doesn't need to go more than 50 mph.
AccelerationAbout the same as with the 4 cyclinder ICE
(Better with the Leaf modules, less weight)
Range45 Miles (72 Kilometers)
Still checking but difficult without the
Link10 installed. Monitoring with a Kill A
Watt meter seems to indicate about 23 kWh
for the 45 mi. RT to work in hilly terain
(~450 Wh per mile). Note: new commute is
only 15 miles on flat terain. (Now retired,
still testing range with Leaf modules have
done 45 mile trip)
Watt Hours/Mile~450 Wh/mi. at about an average speed of 45
mph in hilly terrain.(Need to re-check this
value.)
EV Miles
Current:15,000 Miles (24,135 Kilometers)
Seating CapacityTwo and a half.
Curb Weight3,080 Pounds (1,400 Kilograms)
Weighed at a salvage yard.(Reduced by 1000
lbs when Leaf pack was installed)
TiresUsed, second set with studs.
Conversion TimeStarted 5/23/08, first test ride in March
2010, passed inspection 5/7/2010. Welding
the battery frames and truck frame repair
took the most time.
Conversion Cost$12K and stopped counting.
Did get a nice tax refund (Form 8910).
See additional photos at Webpage above. Next battery pack will
hopefully be lithium based. Finally got charging arrangements
at work and commuted (45 Mi RT) for the first time on 11/3/10.
6/10/11 I moved closer to work and the trip is now cut to 16
miles one way. With charging at work and flatter terrain, I
hardly see any drop in resting battery pack voltage by the end
of the trip. Summer temperatures require that I use fans to
cool the battery boxes due to the insulation.
11/5/17 I took the truck off the road when it was time for a
new lead acid pack a few years ago to wait for lithium based
battery prices to drop. The change over to Leaf modules is just
about done now and I'll add details on how I was able to keep
almost all the old components at some point.

10/15/23 Late update. The truck has been back on the road after
installing two parallel strings of Leaf modules (200vdc each)
recovered from a wreck. An elithion bms was set up as eight
banks of 12 modules and is working well. The DC/DC converter
needed to be upgraded and the chargers reprogrammed to 98 volts
nominal each (in series) but all other components from the
original lead acid powered configuration were preserved. I'm
continuing to do trips of gradually increasing length to test
the range now that there is more power available and 1000 lbs
lower weight. (45 miles is the longest trip so far, limiting
cell voltage low limit to 3.60 VPC.)

code by jerry