Electrikitty - at the start...Electrikitty batteries
OwnerSteve Heath
LocationMilton Keynes, England United Kingdom map
Vehicle1976 Reliant Kitten Estate
Barn find. The car has been completely
rebuilt with a galvanised
chassis, twin circuit disc brakes upgraded
suspension, Can-based
wiring and so many micros I have lost count!
MotorKostov From a G-Wiz car that was modified for Top Gear! Separately Excited DC
DrivetrainStandard gearbox/transmission. Motor
drives through modified clutch plate.
Gearstick still there so I
can select a lower gear for acceleration at
busy junctions. Also
allows me to disconnect the motor from the
drive train if necessary.
ControllerCurtis 1274
From a scrapped G-Wiz. The standard setup is
a good match for the the Kitten. Comes with
regen and economy mode and the various
safety interlocks.
Batteries48.00 Volt, Lithium-Ion
Lead acid removed. Now running 14x18650
based
13s8p LiiON PACKS. Cells from recycled
laptop batteries. Each
pack has its own BMS and external current
monitor that chceks that
the packs are charged/discharged at similar
rates. 22x 2600F ultra
capacitors to help with regen and smooth
out heavy transients.
Now running two Tesla ModelS batteries.
System Voltage48 Volts
Charger Eaton AP48
Uprated yet again 5 x 1500W 48v battery
chargers (from a GSM
base station). These supply 7.5KW charging
rates in total. System
now compatible with any AC charging post
including Rapids.
HeaterTwo 12v hairdryers feeding demisters in the
dash.
DC/DC Converter
Separate 12v 18650 based li ion battery
with own charger.
Designed to run all the ancillaries for a
couple of hours.
Automatically charged when Transport
battery pack is charged.
InstrumentationDigital using Can bus for main dash and
control. RFID controlled power up. Fuel
gauge is a Chinese coulomb counter that
displays the volts and amps taken by the
motor, power consumed so far, and AH
remaining for the motor and individual
battery packs. Chargers have similar
meters to measure how much power has been
used to recharge the batteries.
Top Speed56 MPH (90 KPH)
Cruises comfortably at 30-40mph.
Hit a new top speed of 52! Now broken that
with 56mph.
AccelerationReasonable. Can improve by selecting 1st or
2nd gear and then doing a clutchless change
up.
Range40 Miles (64 Kilometers)
Replaced the Lead Acid batteries with Li-
ion to
reduce weight and extend range. Did a 37
mile round trip with
power to spare the other day. Longest trip
is 93 miles with a
couple of coffee/charge breaks.

Longest single trip on a single charge is
now just over 50 miles caused by some road
works!
Watt Hours/Mile180 Wh/Mile
Did a small run and got 6 miles per KW! On a
30-40mile commute 6 miles /kw is the norm.
EV Miles
Current:10,485 Miles (16,870 Kilometers)
 
    As of 4/2/2021
Seating Capacity2 adults
Curb Weight1,200 Pounds (545 Kilograms)
Tires165/60/12
Conversion TimeSeveral years.
Conversion CostFirst incarnation cost around �750 but the
motor died on the first trip! Probably
around �1200-1500.
Additional FeaturesVery Green!

code by jerry