Owner | Andrew Nilles | ||||
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Location | Spirit Lake, Iowa United States map | ||||
Vehicle | 2005 Rally 175 2005 Can-Am Rally 175/200 Bombardier ATV, 4- wheeler | ||||
Motor | ME1003 Permanent Magnet DC Motenergy ME1003 11.5kW motor Full details on their site, WebPage | ||||
Drivetrain | 3.5 final gear ratio #50 single row chain 520 single row chain | ||||
Controller | Alltrax SR72400 PMDC controller for 72V system with Peak Amp mode engaged. Mode 1: 300A to motor, 200A from batteries Mode 2: 360A to motor, 360A from batteries | ||||
Batteries | 6 Farm and Fleet BCI groups 29, 51, and 24M, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded Local hardware store batteries, two of each BCI group size. The 29 and 51 sizes are regular starting batteries, the 24Ms are deep cycle. | ||||
System Voltage | 72 Volts | ||||
Charger | Black & Decker BM3B Individual 12V 1.2A chargers. Slowly changing over to Stanley equivalent as the B&D ones quit working. | ||||
Heater | none | ||||
DC/DC Converter | - No converter on-board. | ||||
Instrumentation | 0-500mA analog ammeter 0-100V digital voltmeter | ||||
Top Speed | 50 MPH (80 KPH) Maximum top speed with fairings off, 50.1 mph. Maximum top speed with fairings on, 46.2 mph. Maximum top speed ever recorded, 53.7 mph. Most efficient speed, 22.4 mph. Donor vehicle's previous top speed (w/o fairings), 44.8 mph. | ||||
Acceleration | Donor, 0-500ft in 19 sec. Converted, 0-500ft in 20 sec. | ||||
Range | 5 Miles ( 8 Kilometers) This is the farthest distance traveled in one shot. Driving with more stops and starts and low (<25 mph) speeds has produced cumulative ranges of over 6 miles. This is limited by the 51 batteries as they only have ~47AH of capacity. | ||||
EV Miles |
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Seating Capacity | 1 adult | ||||
Curb Weight | 480 Pounds (218 Kilograms) Estimate only. Note that that is 20 lbs over the max rated weight of the donor vehicle. | ||||
Tires | Front, Duro 22 x 10 x 7 Rear, Duro 22 x 10 x 10 | ||||
Conversion Time | Design = 2.5 months Test circuit build = 1.5 months Frame fabrication = 3.0 months Power-train fabrication = 3.0 months Final assembly = 0.5 months Troubleshooting = 1.5 months ___ Total (with overlap) = 9.0 months | ||||
Conversion Cost | Big three: $792 Batteries $650 Motor $593 Controller All else + tax: $1371 Shipping: $1057 ___ Total: $4463 | ||||
Additional Features | Includes forward and reverse through switching contactor. | ||||
This is a thing I'd been wanting to do for a long time. I designed the build during the winter after graduating college, and that time allowed me to build up enough capital to fund the project for the rest of the year. It was intended to be a commute vehicle, but it turned into a convenience vehicle with the limited range and the risk of freezing the batteries. It is quite cold in North Central USA. The build was done almost entirely in my garage. I used a local machinery shop's mill and lathe for some of the pieces of the frame that really needed the extra accuracy. I sourced as many parts as were practical from the local hardware store, and almost all others ($1125) came from Ebay. There was a decent chunk of the project's budget that went towards special tools for the job, and hopefully I'll have the chance to use some of those tools in other projects. Overall, I am pleased with the conversion. The only things I would do differently would be in the departments of battery and bearing choice. I went the cheap route on both of these since I knew it wouldn't be used for much more than strolling around town. The batteries are simple SLA starter/marine, but LiFePO4 with a thermal management system would undeniably be better. Additionally, better, more expensive bearings would allow better performance specs and would likely last longer. But again, for the price and purpose, the current ones will do. A big thank-you to all those that posted questions, answers, and explanations on all things electrical on the internet. This project likely would have costed another $1000 and another year to get done if it hadn't been for your help. Thanks! Update 2022-10: vehicle decommissioned after an estimated 150 miles when one of the big batteries gave out. |