OwnerJ Bills
Owner's Other EV1980 Jet Industries ElectraVan
LocationPortland, Oregon United States map
Email email image
Vehicle1981 Fiat 124 Spider
MotorAdvanced DC 8-inch Series Wound DC
Drivetrain5 speed manual (stock)
ControllerDC Power Systems Raptor 600
Originally converted with a Curtis 1221B at a lower voltage; the Raptor was an upgrade.
Batteries13 Genesis XE60, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM
Generously gifted from another EV'er who was upgrading to lithium. Had about 30 cycles on them, just needed to be woken up. :)
System Voltage156 Volts
ChargerManzanita Micro PFC-30
A bit overboard but planning for the future I guess.
Heaterceramic element
DC/DC ConverterTodd PC40
InstrumentationEmeter + stock speedometer and tach. Fuel and other instrument gauges removed thanks to a custom dash panel set that just skipped cutting those holes. Plan on discreetly mounting a little GPS/EV Dashboard type tablet thing somewhere out of sight, like the glove box. Have to keep the classic interior!
Top Speed88 MPH (141 KPH)
high as the speedometer goes... :)
AccelerationQuicker than a stock Fiat to 40mph - love that low end torque. Then it tapers off. I would guess 0-60 is around 9 seconds.
Range15 Miles (24 Kilometers)
Probably 20 miles with fresh batteries.
EV Miles
Start:102,000 Miles (164,118 Kilometers)
Current:119,068 Miles (191,580 Kilometers)
Total:17,068 Miles (27,462 Kilometers)
 
    As of 10/8/2012
Seating Capacity2 adults
Curb Weight2,650 Pounds (1,204 Kilograms)
Guessing.
Tires13" Toyo inflated @ 38psi (max). Next round will be 13" LRR's
Conversion Timeunknown
Conversion CostWould guess the original conversion was $14k for the initial parts, and then probably another $8k+ into it since then, lots of upgrades. And who can put a price on the labor & design work invested? This car put the EV brain trust of Portland fully to work. Lots of smart people have had a hand in this, and I'm truly thankful!
Additional FeaturesVacuum pump courtesy of Metric Mind (MES 70/6E) currently but it's a little loud & burpy. I plan on swapping it for the 8E0 927 317 VW pump that Peter G found for his spider. Seems like just the thing - quieter and less grunty. Either way, the pump is encased in aluminum (thank you Marko!) and a layer of Dynamat to minimize the burps and vibration.

The car also has a bank of 5 Guest Marine chargers on a rack that I've dubbed the "Octomom" which babies each battery individually and I guess you'd say "equalizes" the pack with an overnight charge twice a week or so.
I know sometimes people sell their conversions after a round or 2 of batteries but not me - they'll have to pry these keys out of my cold, dead hands. I'm an absolute "Fiat Freak" and was going to convert one on my own when I lucked into purchasing this. Overall, it's fantastic and the prep work that was done to it before I took it over was much better than I could have done as a first timer on my own - very clean.

A most gracious and impeccably timed pack of gleaming Hawkers resets my battery clock and could cover my commute, in the summer anyway, for the foreseeable future. These batteries one up the old Optimas and should tap the full lead powered potential of the current system. I have another EV I'll be driving during winter and on rainy days, because no matter how much sealing I do, the fiat still seems to find ways to let a few drips in here and there. Hasn't caused any problems and all rust has been contained, but I'm not looking to push my luck.

From here, will be continuing to drop change in the piggy bank and dream of lithium for the next round. Hopefully in a few years, if prices continue to become more realistic - the car will disappear behind a closed garage door, sparks will fly, and the "sequel" will emerge as the smoke clears! An injection of new parts, "Lion" powered (or better!)... coming soon to a theater near you! "Fiat II, The Electric Boogaloo." ha ha. ;)

code by jerry