Tuarn Brown's 1980 Isuzu Gemini

Owner	Tuarn Brown
Owner's Other EV	1982 Suzuki Sierra SJ40 uses AC induction motor
Location	Perth, Western Australia Australia ^map
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Vehicle	1980 Isuzu Gemini Isuzu (Holden) Gemini sedan was originally 4 speed manual with 1.6ltr petrol engine.
Motor	WE 1.1kW 80 frame 3-Phase AC Western Electric 1.1kW 3 phase 200V (delta) 2 pole motor. 3.7Nm torque 50Hz 3000RPM quite happy at 9000RPM.
Drivetrain	AC motor connected to 20:1 planetary gearbox then direct to tail shaft. This gearbox was quite noisy and consumed 1kW on its own at 9000RPM.
Controller	Danfoss VLT2815 1.5kW nominal with 160% overload to 2.7kVA max. Has extended braking and DC bus sharing option.
Batteries	30 Henda 7.2Ah, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Gel SLA UPS batteries, good capacity at 2C (for lead acids) around 4Ah. Pack capacity 2.5kWh
System Voltage	360 Volts
Charger	simple mains step up transformer (270V)suppling Danfoss line input. Danfoss looks after charging.
DC/DC Converter	Radix 12V separate 12V 26Ah
Instrumentation	speedo, and all Danfoss display information
Top Speed	9 MPH (14 KPH) 5kmph uphill, 10 on the flat and 15 down. That's 3000, 6000 and 9000 RPM on the motor.
Acceleration	great... up to 5kmph
Range	6 Miles ( 9 Kilometers) Not bad on 2.5kWh of SLAs in a 900kg EV
Watt Hours/Mile	300 Wh/Mile
Seating Capacity	4 adults
Curb Weight	2,000 Pounds (909 Kilograms)
Tires	black
Conversion Time	4 months
Conversion Cost	AUD$900
Additional Features	You have never experienced regenerative braking until you have driven an EV with an AC motor. It brakes with as much torque as it accelerates, right down to a stop. It is not being driven to a holt, rather It is extracting the kinetic enery from the vehicle. All that power going back into batteries. Depending on the type of battery, this recovery can be 90%. Roll on super capacitors ! Overall an improvement of 10 to 30% in range and little use of foot brake.
This was a trial in EV conversion using small scale parts and proving the simple 'off the shelf' AC motor and controller option. It was not a road vehicle but the idea was then scaled up to the 'Red Suzi' (also on evalbum). The Gemini's controller and batteries have been sold on however we will set it going again one day to drive around the farm.

code by jerry