OwnerAlan
(former owner, EV has been sold)
Owner's Other EVs1992 Ford Escort LX Wagon
2010 Electra Cruiser
Torker T510 Hybrid
2002 Sol Gato II
Husky Trike
LocationBaton Rouge, Louisiana United States map
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Vehicle1992 Nissan D21 Pickup
Regular cab, 6' bed, 4cyl
MotorMars ME1002 Series Wound DC
10" diameter, 144 V 205 A continuous, about
190 lbs
Drivetrain5 speed manual
ControllerKelly KDH14600D
24-156 V, 600 A (more like 400 A peak in
actual practice)
Batteries48 LFP-G60, 3.20 Volt, Lithium Iron Phosphate
AA Portable Power Corp (batteryspace.com).
They're rebranding cells from China, but I
don't know whose.
System Voltage154 Volts
Charger CH-LF5126
3x 6 A (charging 16 cells each) from
batteryspace.com
HeaterLouisiana
DC/DC Converter
None -used separate 12.8 V 60 Ah aux
battery. Same cells as traction pack.
InstrumentationVoltmeter & Ammeter. No tach :(
Top Speed70 MPH (112 KPH)
This was very taxing on the batteries so I
usually stayed below 60 MPH
AccelerationAdequate. First thought the batteries were
to blame, but used the same batteries in my
Escort with a Zilla 1k controller and they
performed MUCH better.
Range30 Miles (48 Kilometers)
Could get 35 if I really milked it.
Watt Hours/Mile307 Wh/Mile
Seating Capacity2 + however many are willing to ride in bed.
Curb Weight0
Never weighed it, but should have been
pretty close to the 2900 lbs stock weight.
TiresCheap
Conversion TimeAbout 12-16 days spread over 5 months (just
a few weekends).
Conversion CostVehicle: $1100 (still running when bought)
Batteries (52 cells): $4680
Charge balance boards (52): $520
Chargers: $400
Motor: $1300
Controller: $1300
Misc: ~$1000
Additional FeaturesUmmm, LED signal lights? This truck was pretty bare but got me
to work. Used these "phase change" cooling vests for air
conditioning.
This was my training experience in full sized EVs. I
intended to get the AC, power steering, and power brakes
working again with an auxiliary motor and was going to
install both a DC-DC converter and DC-AC inverter. Kind of
glad I didn't get around to all those add-ons and upgrades
BEFORE I flipped it on the interstate!

As seen in the photos, the truck turned on its side when I
couldn't quite avoid hitting the truck in front of me on the
interstate. Basically I paid a little too much attention to
the jerk behind me to notice the traffic in front had
stopped. I walked away fine and Progressive paid me the full
stated value of the truck and let me buy it back from them to
salvage my parts. The batteries went into my Escort wagon
when the brand new lead-acid pack in it kept giving me
trouble.

I forgot to get a final odometer reading before the truck got
scrapped, but I drove about 3000 mi on batteries before the
wreck.

code by jerry