a4 electric
OwnerKen Wong
LocationWhitby, Ontario Canada map
Web/EmailWebPage email image
Vehicle1997 Audi A4
The car was bought off Kijiji in March, 2010 with the intention of converting to electric drive. It had a 1.8l turbocharged 4 cylinder, a 5 speed manual transmission, and quattro all wheel drive.
MotorAdvanced DC Series Wound DC
DrivetrainAMD 9.1" series wound DC motor coupled to the original 5 speed manual transmission via the original clutch. All wheel drive was retained and the car would be ruined if it was removed.
ControllerEvnetics Soliton jr
Batteries34 CALB/Skyenergy SE130AHA, 3.30 Volt, Lithium Iron Phosphate
System Voltage112 Volts
ChargerElcon 1.5kW Waterproof PFC Charger
Heater1000w ceramic element, currently working on a liquid heating solution.
InstrumentationOriginal instrument cluster with tachometer, speedometer, voltmeter and temperature gauges and an Xantrex Linkpro meter.

Currently working on an Arduino solution to move more data into an LCD in the instrument cluster.
Top Speed80 MPH (128 KPH)
AccelerationGood enough to chirp winter tires in the summer. Very comparable to the original power train.
Range60 Miles (96 Kilometers)
EV Miles
Start:200,000 Miles (321,800 Kilometers)
 
    As of 1/15/2014
Seating Capacity5 adults
Curb Weight3,100 Pounds (1,409 Kilograms)
Conversion TimeOngoing since March 2010.
First drive August 2011
Ongoing tweaks, currently drivable
Additional FeaturesBelt driven power steering pump and alternator. All wheel drive, clutch, and original 5 speed transmission retained.
A great project car, and still the only A4 conversion documented on the internet. The conversion process is ongoing but I've gained experience with power electronics, mechanical design, programming, circuit design, electrical safety and much more.

If I were to start my conversion again from scratch, I would still choose the same A4 given all its ev-centric features like a large engine bay with a longitudinally mounted engine and resistance to rust.

code by jerry