Peter and Patricia's 1997 Chevrolet S-10 LS

Below electronic platform (behind grill)

Owner

Peter Flipsen Jr and Patricia Visser

Owner's Other EV

1991 Plymouth Colt GL

Location

Hillsboro, Oregon United States ^map

Vehicle

1997 Chevrolet S-10 LS
Short box, regular cab.

Motor

Advanced DC FB1-4001A Series Wound DC
9.1" diameter, dual shaft. Rated at 25.2 HP @
120V (continuous; 85 HP peak). Peak torque
= 110 ft. lbs. @ 120V & 500 Amps.

Drivetrain

RWD; 5 speed manual with clutch.

Controller

Logisystems 144-AFX
120-144V; 750A max. Using PB-6 potbox. fyi - appears that Logisystems is no longer in business.

Batteries

15 Trojan T-875, 8.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
170 AH each (20 hour rating). 12 in box, 3 under hood.

2nd pack started Nov 2013. First pack lasted 530+ cycles (6380 miles) and about 2 years. NOW COMPLETELY DEAD.

System Voltage

120 Volts

Charger

Quick Charge 110V
Also have Elcon 2.5 Kw unit available but not hooked up yet. Dual voltage input (120/240). Puts out 10 and 18 amps depending on input.

Heater

Physically installed MES RM4 fluid heater WebPage under hood. Plumbed through original heater core. Electrical connections not wired up yet.

DC/DC Converter

Iota DLS-55
Installed inrush limiters to protect it from notorious tendency to fail.

Instrumentation

SOC, motor amp gauge, 12V gauge and Hall effect tachometer mounted in instrument panel in place of old gauges (see pic). Tach not functional.

Top Speed

55 MPH (88 KPH)
Haven't pushed it yet but no problem getting to 60 mph in 3rd gear. Max should be at least 70 mph. Rarely even get to 50 mph on my short, local commute.

Range

28 Miles (45 Kilometers)
Pre-installation calculations suggested about 23 miles, based on:

Useable Watt hours = 120 Volts X 170
Amp Hours X 0.8 max depth of discharge
X 0.57 Peukert correction.

Range = Useable Watt hours divided by
400 Watt hours per mile.

Probably getting closer to 325 Wh/mile consumption while driving given that my longest trip to date = 24 miles with 57% DOD.

Substituting 325 Wh/mile yields a range of ~28 miles.

Watt Hours/Mile

500 Wh/Mile
Wall to wheels.

Probably around 325 while driving (see range calculation above).

btw - seriously increased Wh/mile when temps go below 50F which reduces range. Still able to get at least 18 miles of range but haven't dared push it.

EV Miles

Start:	113 Miles (181 Kilometers)
Current:	13,210 Miles (21,254 Kilometers)
Total:	13,097 Miles (21,073 Kilometers)

Seating Capacity

Curb Weight

3,860 Pounds (1,754 Kilograms)
Weighed at local landfill. 800+ lbs more than original curb weight of 3029. But still under GVWR of 4600.

Tires

Came with fairly new 215/75/15s. Inflate them to 40 psi for better rolling resistance.

Conversion Cost

Probably spent over $16K total. Original
materials $8K, donor $1500, $2K for
batteries, and $4K for installation.

3/31/11 - decided to retire our old "Volt Colt" (WebPage ). It had served us well but too many non-EV related parts were starting to wear out. Wanted something capable of more range. Will get that with 8V vs 12V batteries and hoping to eventually upgrade to lithium. Having access to a truck a definite plus.

4/6/11 - purchased this donor in Twin Falls, ID. Very nice shape overall. Drivable but questionable motor; 144,000 miles on it. EV parts from Colt to be installed in this truck by Carl Clark and his crew at the Electric Car Company of Utah WebPage

4/16/11 - removed electric motor from Colt with help of fellow EVer Jon Glauser from Boise.

5/14/11 - all EV parts removed from Colt and delivered with donor to Carl Clark. Purchased S-10 adapter, hub, and motor mount (made by CANEV WebPage ) from fellow enthusiast in NC who changed his mind about his donor.

5/23/11 - heard from Carl that stinker motor (ICE) has been removed.

5/27/11 - discovered that adapter plate was older model and not as flexible as newer CanEV plates. Was intended for 2.5L motor. Cover welded on side to fill in where starter was on the 2.2L.

6/15/11 - motor fully installed. Had to order motor mounts for a 2.5L motor.

9/1/11 - many delays in SLC because of manpower issues and other vehicle priorities. Finally heard that electronics have been installed on platform behind grill. Vacuum pump next to it. Charger and vacuum reservoir below electronics platform. See pics.

9/15/11 - high voltage wiring completed in engine compartment, gauges mounted in dash, cooling fan for charger installed, potbox mounted on wheel-well, and inertia switch connected.

9/28/11 - rear batteries installed (see pics) along with rear "helper" springs WebPage to assist with battery weight.

10/1/11 - EV delivered. Functional in that all the EV systems work and I was able to drive it around the block. But will need to switch to manual steering as there is no longer any easy way to run a power steering pump. Also speedometer no longer works. Pack pretty balanced (.03 volts difference between highest and lowest battery).

10/09/11 - replaced stock washers on battery connections with Belleville spring tension washers. Added plastic "bathtubs" (made from an old vinyl tarp) around batteries to contain any acid splashing during charging. Installed 400A fusible link between battery #8 and #9 WebPage . Raised tire pressure to 40psi for lower rolling resistance (rated at 44 psi max).

10/29/11 - hired mechanic to install manual steering gear box from 1990 S-10 (anything from 1985-1993 would have worked) purchased on ebay (bolted up directly; used Pitman arm from the 97). He also replaced speedo with electric one that bypasses ICE engine computer (no longer functional). Speedo purchased from WebPage

11/09/11 - first full day of commuting with functional EV (10.5 miles round trip to work). Peak current draw during initial acceleration (325-350A) is higher than with our old Colt, but not surprising given poorer aerodynamics of the truck. Batteries can handle it. However, careful acceleration means I can cruise at ~100A at 35 mph which is good. SOC gauge and tach not functioning yet. SOC likely mis-wired. Tach probably needs some adjustment.

11/22/11 - made it 12.6 miles with no appreciable loss of power.

11/25/11 - noticed gear shifter pulling to the side on occasion during acceleration. Discovered loose bolts connecting motor cradle to motor mounts. Tightened up and problem seems to be solved.

12/05/11 - had front end rebuilt (all but tie rods which were good), new brakes installed and alignment done. replaced tranny fluid with Royal Purple gear oil WebPage . Mechanic found bits of metal in fluid drained out and recommended replacing tranny.

01/01/12 - had tranny replaced with used unit from a 2000 model with only 50,000 miles on it.

01/19/12 - noticed vibration in stickshift. Had both drive shaft universal joints replaced. Also noticed drivetrain not holding in place. Motor moving sideways and bolts coming loose.

01/31/12 - had torque rod installed connecting front of transmission to truck frame on driver's side as well as torque strap (from CAN-EV) on driver's side motor mount to prevent motor torque from moving drive train around.

02/13/12 - discovered that what looked like a "different" motor mount on the passenger side was actually a mount that had been badly distorted by torque. Replaced and added torque strap (from CAN-EV). Allowed motor and driveline to be properly centered.

04/11/12 - noticed jerky acceleration. Bought new potbox from EVer in NC who never finished project.

05/26/12 - relocated main breaker and installed "kill switch" cable into cab.

6/14/12 - discovered several problems with wiring. Controller is always hot as is DC-DC converter. Appear to be draining pack a little. Additional relay installed (by fellow EVer Mike Nickerson) to control DC-DC converter and SOC gauge. Also added inrush limiter to DC-DC. Discovered that keyswitch input for controller was wired directly from contactor (across precharge resistor).

6/20/12 - Mike N. rewired keyswitch input to controller to run through microswitch on potbox. Still seeing a drain on pack (appears to be less however). Keyswitch input may need to go through a relay; will also try installing new precharge resistor (maybe with its own relay).

6/22/12 - truck wouldn't move; discovered accessory battery was dead (10.5V). Recharged. With DC-DC no longer on all the time, recharging this may need to be done regularly as DC-DC may not have enough "run time" in my short trips to properly charge battery.

7/1/12 - installed new potbox inside "project enclosure" from Radio Shack WebPage to keep dust out.

10/19/12 - had front grill and headlights replaced with equipment from comparable Blazer (composite headlights rather than the original sealed beams). Mechanic also found several poor grounds and poor connections under the dash which he corrected.

10/28/12 - installed HID (Xenon) bulbs and ballasts that were leftover from our Colt EV (they use the same bulbs). Advantages are up to 3X brighter light (i.e., better vision) and 35W vs 55W power usage which means less energy used.

10/30/12 - 260 cycles on these batteries so far and still seems to be doing OK. Clearly superior for this application compared to 12V batts used in EV Colt which never gave more than 175 cycles. Hoping for at least 600 cycles (i.e., 2 years of use) which will mean operating costs (electricity plus battery replacement) about equal to gasoline version of truck if gas stays at $3.75 per gallon.

12/07/12 - removed main high voltage lines that connect back battery pack to the front and re-installed them inside 1" flexible, non-conducting conduit to protect them. Bought at Home Depot. Similar to first item here: WebPage

12/14/12 - replaced Belleville spring washers on battery connections with 302 stainless steel versions. Noticed some of the original carbon steel ones were deteriorating from acid exposure.

02/02/13 - installed belly pan to protect underside of motor and electronics. MAY also help a bit with aerodynamics. Extends from front bumper to just behind cab. Used 4' by 8' by 1/8" Plas-tex panel purchased from Home Depot.

03/12/13 - had rebuilt manual steering gearbox installed (previous one was leaking). Also had mount built for MES RM4 heater under hood and had it plumbed up to existing heater core. Still needs to be wired to 12V battery (for circulating pump) and to traction pack (for heating element).

05/31/13 - now over 400 cycles and still doing OK. Pack still pretty balanced (.04 volts between highest and lowest battery after 24 hours or more of rest). Regular maintenance seems to be working - top up water every month and do at least one equalization charge a month.

07/01/13 - have been noticing the charger no longer seems to reach full charge. Seems to get hung up at around 55-60% and then just times out after 11-12 hours. Charger is undersized for these batteries; it's rated for batteries up to 150 AH and only puts out 10 amps at 110V. The batteries are also getting older (2 years; 450 cycles), so they may need more "oomph" to get them charged. Ordered 2.5 KW dual voltage input (110V or 220V) HF/PFC charger from EV Source. Will put out 18 amps at 220V and will allow me to use public charging stations which all seem to run at 220V.

07/09/13 - rec'd new charger. Using it off-board for now at 120V input. No easy access to 220V for now. Doesn't yet seem to get past about 140V (instead of target 163V) but does seem to get through the charge cycle. Very warm temperatures lately probably aren't helping anything.

07/16/13 - decided to retain use of older Quick Charge charger for now given reduced capacity of batteries. Doesn't push them as hard as the new charger and may stretch out their life a bit. Probably need new batteries very soon.

08/06/13 - hauled to Forest Grove, Oregon for job relocation. Will eventually be nearby in Hillsboro, OR.

09/21/13 - now just over 500 cycles on the batteries. Can still do at least 13 miles range with 50% DOD so they may last a little longer.

10/29/13 - battery #10 blew up on the way to work (small pop heard and then everything died). Blew out positive terminal and put 2nd hole in battery top. Looks like it boiled dry. Had to be towed home. May have missed it at last watering or it was just ready to die. Decided to replace whole pack.

11/02/13 - installed new set of batteries and new "bathtubs" to retain any acid spills. Still using old 110V charger - new batts will accept full charge.

05/08/14 - new batts now broken in. Handling regular commute of 17 miles with no problem. Max distance so far with this pack was 21 miles (ended with 50% SOC left).

07/10/14 - generally going well. Have been noticing some inconsistencies in the amp gauge (sometimes it works, sometimes it seems to register about half of what if should, and sometimes is just shuts down). Wondering about either the shunt, which is exposed to airflow in its location just behind the grill, or the gauge wire connections. Purchased new shunt from fellow EVer on EV Trading Post WebPage Still needs to be installed.

01/31/15 - quickcharge charger finally died. Now using Elcon but offboard at the moment. Hope to mount it soon. Doesn't look like it will fit in the same place behind the grill.

07/12/15 - just passed 400 cycles on 2nd set of batteries. No noticeable loss of range so far.

11/23/15 - batteries now clearly getting weaker, though I still can manage the 17 mile commute. Will need to be replaced very soon (just shy of 500 cycles). Tired of battery maintenance and worrying about repairs if something goes wrong. Went out an bought a 2012 Mitsubishi I-MiEV. Love it!

02/08/16 - bought 2012 Chevy Volt. Really don't need this thing anymore. Only using it every few months.

12/15/16 - Batteries are toast! Won't move anymore.

code by jerry