| Owner | Daniel Gallagher | ||||||
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| Owner's Other EV | 2012 Mitsubishi iMiev - Sold in March 2016 | ||||||
| Location | Ephrata, Pennsylvania United States map | ||||||
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| Vehicle | 1980 Renault Lectric Leopard (LeCar) This car has been parted out/sold in February 2017. Will keep this page up for historical purposes. Update: June 2015 added an HPEVs AC50 and removed the clutch to run a bit more efficiently, getting regen and a bit more power. From May-Oct 2012, Updated car to run on LiFePo4 batteries from CALB. Created two new racks, the rear I've sunk under the floor 11" for safety/handling/storage space. Installed LithiumateLite BMS also. Originally built in Massachusetts by USElectricar (from Renault gliders shipped from Canada) and sold to an owner in New Hampshire. I have no idea how it got to California ... but it did. I bought it from a guy there, made a few fixes and got it on the road. | ||||||
| Motor | HPEVS AC-50 3-Phase AC | ||||||
| Drivetrain | Front Wheel Drive 4spd coupled to motor, clutchless. | ||||||
| Controller | Curtis 1238-7601 | ||||||
| Batteries | 38 CALB/Skyenergy SE130AHA, 3.20 Volt, Lithium Iron Phosphate | ||||||
| System Voltage | 120 Volts | ||||||
| Charger | Elcon PFC 2000+ | ||||||
| Heater | Installed heater "core" from household ceramic appliance into heater fan assembly with relay off of fan switch. The fan itself has burned out several times, so it is not currently operational. | ||||||
| DC/DC Converter | 300W | ||||||
| Instrumentation | Cycle Analyst: Battery Volts, Amps, and Watts + Speedometer to give Watt-hours/mile. Curtis Spyglass for motor RPM, Motor Temp, Controller Temp, and torque is also hooked up. Hooked up BMS SOC output to original fuel gauge. I also installed a Lithiumate Hotspot for cell monitoring on any smartphone. | ||||||
| Top Speed | 60 MPH (96 KPH) It has gone faster than 60, but that's not really comfortable. If I'm on a highway I'll go 55 and it does pretty well. Make sure you're in 3rd gear for the highway (2nd tops out at about 45 mph) | ||||||
| Acceleration | Acceleration is decent, probably better than the gas version - definitely quieter! | ||||||
| Range | 60 Miles (96 Kilometers) In decent weather ( > 60). When it gets cooler the range is still ok, but I get more low battery warnings upon acceleration. | ||||||
| Watt Hours/Mile | 200 Wh/Mile Update: I put in a Cycle Analyst meter that can calculate Wh/mile and I consistently get better than 220, but sometimes it drops a bit in the cold. This summer (2016) I've been getting 180 Wh/mile on some trips. Consistently around or below 200. In winter this goes up to 220 or so. | ||||||
| EV Miles |
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| Seating Capacity | 4 adults (though the back is better suited for children). | ||||||
| Curb Weight | 2,060 Pounds (936 Kilograms) Old lead weight was 2660. Lithium let me shed 600 lbs! | ||||||
| Tires | Standard R13/75 Kumho tires. | ||||||
| Conversion Time | Battery upgrade took 50 hours, roughly. Included a lot of analysis and changes to contain the smaller lithium cells. I had a local welder do the racks and a sheetmetal shop create two stainless boxes. I installed it all and did all the electrical wiring. | ||||||
| Conversion Cost | Imagine 16kwh of CALBs in 2012, a used (but barely used) AC-50, in 2015, and a bit of cash on top of all that for BMS, racks, instrumentation ... etc., and you get an idea of what it cost. | ||||||
| Additional Features | I've done two upgrades on this car since I got it in 2010. One to go from lead to lithium and another to go to an AC-50 motor with regenerative braking and overall improvement in efficiency. Both have been worthwhile improvements for performance: handling, range, acceleration, and noise. It's still an old car, so there are all sorts of noises and clunking sounds, but it has passed inspection for 2016 in Pennsylvania which is valid through the end of the year. |
1980 Lectric Leopard
“Sold February 2017”
Last Updated 02-27-2017
Copyright © 1997-2024 by Mike Chancey