| Owner | Theo Gibson | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Auckland, Auckland New Zealand map | ||||||
| Web/Email | WebPage | ||||||
| Vehicle | 1990 Toyota Sera Concept Car. For more info on the Sera check out. WebPage WebPage /> rs.of.the.world/?ref=bookmarks | ||||||
| Motor | Netgain Impulse 9 Series Wound DC This motor is unique in that it has the diameter of a 9" motor, the length of an 8" motor, and the mounting pattern of the 8" ADC. This makes it totally versitable as a replacement for the 8 inch ADC motor. The major benefits of the ImPulse 9 over the 8" motors is better price performance. The motor performs a bit better than the 8" motors it was designed to replace, but it encompasses the HEAVY DUTY brushes, rigging and commutator from the WarP 9 - the parts are actually interchangeable with the WarP 9 The impulse motor is also great for tight spaces. The motor can be purchased in two different shaft configurations - single and double listed below. 9"diameter, series wound DC motor .875" diameter tailshaft Advanced timing (for counter-clockwise rotation when viewed from the transmission, CCWDE) | ||||||
| Drivetrain | Front wheel drive, manual gear box,no clutch. | ||||||
| Controller | Open ReVolt Open Revolt Open Source 144 volt 500 Amp controlle WebPage | ||||||
| Batteries | 32 Thunder Sky WB-LYP160AHA, 3.50 Volt, Lithium-Ion Sponsored by Winston Battery formerly Thundersky | ||||||
| System Voltage | 112 Volts | ||||||
| Charger | Protech BFS -120 Specially built for me by Pro Tech Ltd in Auckland as I had to remove batteries because of weight issues in car to pass certification. It I had been able to keep original pack would have been able to charge using a 3 phase connection. | ||||||
| Heater | Ceramic Heater - Ceramic heater was installed for the 144 volt pack. Due to NZ certifications limitations I had to remove some batteries. This meant the ceramic heater is slow to heat up and now not so great is cold weather. To replace it I had to remove dashboard which is not very easy in a Sera and probably rewire several things. My solution was I had not yet re-gased air conditioning system after putting car back together so I decided when I had some time and a garage I would install an A/C reverse value to turn the air con into a heat pump. See for more info "www.evworks.com.au/a-c-reverse-cycle-valve" Sadly I never had the time or the garage space. Also wanted to get an A/C mechanic to help me out as mine retired and moved cities. | ||||||
| DC/DC Converter | Toyota Alternator Using original alternator on belt system.Works rather well but if car is left in storage battery does drain rather quickly. I think this is due to the Xantrex Link Pro metre which always has power. This is the requirement of my model metre. | ||||||
| Instrumentation | 12 Volt Aux Battery Gauge,Xantrex LinkPro Battery Gauge and amp metre. vacuum gauge was removed...to much bling. | ||||||
| Top Speed | 75 MPH (120 KPH) 120 Km/h on motorway | ||||||
| Acceleration | Decent.... | ||||||
| Range | 62 Miles (99 Kilometers) Conservatively 100 km. | ||||||
| EV Miles |
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| Seating Capacity | For certification requirements car is only certified to take one person but car has two seats. Due to the way NZ EV cert process worked at the time. Maximum weight is usually worked out by curb weight plus number of seats at 80 kg per person (4x in NZ). Of course car can take much more than this but this is what car is certified for. Car was built with this equation in mind but when paper work was put in I was told by certifier as the car was imported from Japan their certification weight is based curb weight plus weight of Japanese person which apparently is 50 kg per person (4x) not NZ 80 kg. So to meet NZ cert I had to reduce cars weight by120 kg. So removed batteries. Used to have 144 volt pack. In my three + years of driving the car no one has ever cared what it is certified to carry. They only look at WOF and Registration. I know the car is safe to carry two passengers as I based my conversion on a very similar conversion of Sera in Australia. This conversion had a 144 volt battery pack and two seats and was certified to carry this weight by an engineer. But sadly NZ certifiers couldn't accept this. So had to play by rules. | ||||||
| Curb Weight | 2,075 Pounds (943 Kilograms) In unconverted state. | ||||||
| Tires | Hankook Tires.Low rolling resistance design | ||||||
| Conversion Time | 2 and half years. | ||||||
| Conversion Cost | Car Value 25 to 30 thousand when first built of course. | ||||||
| Additional Features | If I only had the time..... apart from the before mentioned in other sections. I would like to tidy up the odd bit of wiring and get car repainted if I had time and money. Paint work is a little patchy. |
EV Builders 1990 Toyota Sera
“Theo Gibson”
(under construction)
Last Updated 03-31-2016
Copyright © 1997-2024 by Mike Chancey