Glamour shotHauling capacityMore capacity
OwnerSean M. Pappalardo
LocationSumter, South Carolina United States map
Web/EmailWebPage email image
Vehicle2004 Zap Worldcar
4-seat NEV, built by Heibao in China.
Modified to go highway-acceptable speeds.
MotorHeibao DKF112M-4 3-Phase AC
100V, 86-120A per phase, 12kW (16HP), 20kW (26.8HP) peak, 12,000 RPM peak.
56 ft-lbs max torque, regenerative braking.
Drivetrain11:1, single-speed.
ControllerMES DEA TIM-400 Inverter
Very customizable. Will "learn" the motor you hook it to. 400A peak output, 100-400V input range.

Original inverter was hand-built by the Chinese factory and was a piece of junk. (It would blow out by 1000 km, practically guaranteed, according to reports and my own experience.)
Batteries14 Universal Batteries 12900, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM
90Ah
Wired in series

Wimpy little things...I'm only allowed to pull 90A from them!
System Voltage168 Volts
ChargerZivan NG3-168
240V 20A input

(Original charger was okay but occasionally the timer circuit wouldn't shut off, cooking the batteries, according to reports. So I pre-emptively replaced it.)
HeaterWimpy. Has acceptable A/C though.
DC/DC ConverterVicor VI-251-CU-BM-B1
BatMod. 100-200V input, wired for 13.8V output up to 14A.

(Original DC-DC was missing insulation between the circuit board and the metal case, causing it to short & blow itself up!)
InstrumentationVoltmeter, Ammeter, Speedometer (in kph), and "gas" gauge (basically just a voltmeter)
Top Speed74 MPH (119 KPH)
(Stock inverter will do this speed when the governing is removed.)
I've only gone up to 60 MPH since taking the motor to its max will blow it out after 1.5 minutes according to the specs.
Acceleration"Economy" mode: 0-50 in 10~15s (Similar to stock)
"Sport" mode: 0-50 in 5~7s (Set for max torque, limited to 180A draw)
The inverter allows customization of these settings.

(I haven't actually timed these, they're just guesses. It accelerates quickly to 50MPH then tapers off.)
Range50 Miles (80 Kilometers)
City/highway. Best range is obtained cruising at 40 MPH with no stops of course. Much faster than that and your range drops significantly.
EV Miles
Start:51 Miles (82 Kilometers)
Current:7,833 Miles (12,603 Kilometers)
Total:7,782 Miles (12,521 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity4 adults
Curb Weight2,700 Pounds (1,227 Kilograms)
(About 1000 pounds of batteries.)
TiresP155/65R13, 36 psi (Inflated to 40psi)
Full-size spare under hood.
Conversion TimeBuilt as an EV. Spent at least 50 hours fixing & improving things though.
Additional Features- Lockable drawer trunk (under the back seat, pulls out from the rear.)
- Back seat folds down for larger items (rear window opens)
- Regenerative braking. New inverter allows adjustment of this as well, so I added a dial on the dash for it.
- FM/CD stereo
- More lights than you can shake a stick at! Hi/low beams, parking lights, running lights, low rear visibility lights (separately controlled,) separate brake & parking lights, dome light, map light.
The car was poorly built, highway use aside. Noisy gearbox attests to this as well. But with the help of Blaine Wills, he and I have managed to work out nearly all the bugs. Compared to what I'm seeing of the Xebra, the Worldcar is a better value (range & AC drive) if you don't mind fixing things.

code by jerry