| Owner | Alan | ||||||||
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| Owner's Other EVs | 1992 Ford Escort LX Wagon 2010 Electra Cruiser Torker T510 Hybrid 1992 Nissan D21 Pickup Husky Trike | ||||||||
| Location | Baton Rouge, Louisiana United States map | ||||||||
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| Vehicle | 2002 Sol Gato II Made by a now defunct electric vehicle company. I believe this was the only model they sold. | ||||||||
| Motor | Permanent Magnet DC Rated: 1 HP @ 24 V, 91 A max. I am feeding it 36 V and it still stays cool. | ||||||||
| Drivetrain | Single speed chain drive | ||||||||
| Controller | Curtis 24/36 V, 175 A max | ||||||||
| Batteries | 12 GBS 20 Ah, 3.20 Volt, Lithium Iron Phosphate Used LFPs from another project. OEM model had two 12 V deep cycle lead-acid batteries mounted on the floor. The LFP cells are all hidden under the body panels. Also added 12 a123 2.5 Ah cells to take some of the strain off of the older GBS cells. Capacity is down to about 50%. | ||||||||
| System Voltage | 38 Volts | ||||||||
| Charger | Using a 36 V lead-acid charger temporarily. The size and type of LFP charger will be up to the buyer, but I will install it. | ||||||||
| Heater | Louisiana | ||||||||
| DC/DC Converter | Some 90 W converter from Amazon.com | ||||||||
| Instrumentation | Speedometer, odometer, state of charge, thermometer | ||||||||
| Top Speed | 35 MPH (56 KPH) Cruise at 25 MPH because at top speed the voltage sags on the old cells enough to make the SoC meter freak out after a couple minutes. | ||||||||
| Acceleration | Good. Feels like a decent single speed gas powered scooter, but without the noise. Increased a little with the added a123 cells and would be even better with new GBS cells. | ||||||||
| Range | 15 Miles (24 Kilometers) Only 7 mi range with the old GBS cells. This is roughly half the range it should get with a 850 Wh pack. | ||||||||
| Watt Hours/Mile | 60 Wh/Mile Just an estimate. | ||||||||
| EV Miles |
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| Seating Capacity | 2 adults | ||||||||
| Curb Weight | 0 Probably the same as a small 50cc scooter. | ||||||||
| Conversion Time | About 2 weekends and a few evenings so far. | ||||||||
| Conversion Cost | For sale for $1000. | ||||||||
| Additional Features | Upgraded to all LED lights including a 10 W LED headlight. Added a SoC meter and a digital thermostat (for the batteries) to the dash. | ||||||||
| 2016-05-02, 926 mi: Tested range and performance with the new a123 cells added in parallel. Definite performance improvement, but very disappointing range. The GBS cells are worse off than I originally thought, so that price fell $500 because that is what it would cost to replace these now useless cells. | |||||||||
2002 Sol Gato II
“Bean Sprout”
Last Updated 05-02-2016
Copyright © 1997-2024 by Mike Chancey