Priapus Three WheelerBare frameRear viewThe throttle pot boxSteel SubframeSide viewThe new Li-ion battery
OwnerMatthew Parkhouse
Owner's Other EV1972 Volkswagen Van
LocationColorado Springs, Colorado United States map
Email email image
Vehicle1973 BMW Slash Five
Made up from 1994 Ezgo golf cart rear axle/motor
unit and BMW frame, seat, front end. Joined
with a steel plate subframe I had made at a
welding shop.
Motor Series Wound DC
8HP after market Golf Cart motor.
Pulls 150 Aps on take off, settles into 50 to 70
Amps cruising
ControllerAlltrax 650
Alltrax Golf Cart Controller,
Input from 0 to 5K pot throttle
Batteries2 Deka 100AH (2 X 50AH), 48.00 Volt, Lithium-Ion
I replaced the 6 8-volt batteries with four
12 deep-cycle batteries. Lost a bit of range
and gained a LOT in handling!
Update - 2016 - I purchased a pair of Lithium-
ion Chevy Volt batteries. What a difference!!
I really have not determined the range yet but
they seem to be much stronger than the
previous lead-acid ones. Going from approx
280 lbs to 80 lbs sure made a difference as
well!
System Voltage48 Volts
Charger 48 volt GC charger
Plugs into 110 volt AC outlets
HeaterNone
DC/DC Converter
None
InstrumentationMotive Battery Voltmeter (cheap VOM)
Aux Battery Voltmeter
0 to 200 Ammeter with shunt
Sigma bicycle speedometer with sender on front
wheel spokes
Top Speed30 MPH (48 KPH)
25 to 30 on flat roads
Slows to 18 on steep hills
Up to 35 going down steep hills, I try to keep
it below 35 to preserve the motor
AccelerationGreat to 20 MPH!
slow after that
Range35 Miles (56 Kilometers)
This is to 75% DoD (Depth of Discharge)
We'll see how the lithium-ion batteries do....
EV Miles
Start:1 Miles (1 Kilometers)
Current:2,800 Miles (4,505 Kilometers)
Total:2,799 Miles (4,503 Kilometers)
 
    As of 8/20/2016
Seating Capacity1 adult
Curb Weight620 Pounds (281 Kilograms)
420 of that is batteries! Then down to 280 lbs
and now down to 80 pounds with the Li-ion ones.
TiresHonda emergency spare tire/wheel units
13" diameter. I found a pair of 14" wheels and
have them in place. I have to say, I can't tell
any difference in speed.
Conversion Timethree months
Conversion Cost$1500 plus old BMW motorcycle parts I already
had
Additional FeaturesLED Headlamps.
I updated the LED headlamps (circa 2007) to a MUCH more powerful set
up (2016).
There is a lot more available to the experimenter today (2016) then
when I built the vehicle. The Li-ion batteries are the big
improvement but I am also updating the voltmeter and headlamp. It
remains a FUN vehicle to ride around town on on a warm day.

code by jerry