Bath TimeBody Panels
OwnerAlan
Owner's Other EVs1992 Ford Escort LX Wagon
2010 Electra Cruiser
Torker T510 Hybrid
1992 Nissan D21 Pickup
Husky Trike
LocationBaton Rouge, Louisiana United States map
Email email image
Vehicle2002 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.
DrivetrainSingle speed chain drive
ControllerCurtis
24/36 V, 175 A max
Batteries12 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 Voltage38 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.
HeaterLouisiana
DC/DC Converter
Some 90 W converter from Amazon.com
InstrumentationSpeedometer, odometer, state of charge, thermometer
Top Speed35 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.
AccelerationGood. 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.
Range15 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/Mile60 Wh/Mile
Just an estimate.
EV Miles
Start:901 Miles (1,449 Kilometers)
Current:926 Miles (1,489 Kilometers)
Total:25 Miles (40 Kilometers)
 
    As of 5/2/2016
Seating Capacity2 adults
Curb Weight0
Probably the same as a small 50cc scooter.
Conversion TimeAbout 2 weekends and a few evenings so far.
Conversion CostFor sale for $1000.
Additional FeaturesUpgraded 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.

code by jerry