Electrafox + Telecaster
OwnerMarland Fox
Owner's Other EV1994 Huffy Mountain Bike
LocationBurbank, California United States map
Email email image
Vehicle1975 Kawasaki Z1
MotorMars Mars Etek-R Permanent Magnet DC
Started with an Etek but decided an etek-r could take a little more abuse.
Drivetrain#40 chain, 60 rear 11 front sprocket(5.45:1 ratio). Rear sprocket mounted behind original so the chain clears the swing arm.
ControllerAlltrax 4844
Batteries16, 3.20 Volt, Lithium-Ion
16 X 60ah Thundersky 3.12KW
Ran 2.5 years with 85ah AGM
System Voltage52 Volts
Charger Thundersky
15 Amp Thundersky charger from Elite Power Solutions
HeaterBurbank Ca sun
DC/DC Converter
Thunderstruck 10A 72V
InstrumentationPakTrakr with current sensor, speedometer
Top Speed55 MPH (88 KPH)
A little faster going downhill and a little slower uphill.
AccelerationLike taking off in second gear. Alltrax set at 65% (220Amps max) flows well in traffic
Range30 Miles (48 Kilometers)
TBD. So far I've gone 30 miles on a few joyrides. I'm sure it would go farther on a closed track at 30-35 but that is not what its made for.
Watt Hours/Mile121 Wh/Mile
avg using "kill a watt" meter
EV Miles
Start:65,020 Miles (104,617 Kilometers)
Current:68,180 Miles (109,701 Kilometers)
Total:3,160 Miles (5,084 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity1-2 adults
Curb Weight0
Lighter than stock. AGM batts were 240 lbs. Lithiums are around 85 lbs. 150 lbs less makes a big difference in acceleration, braking and handling.
TiresStock - 44psi
Conversion Time2 1/2 months in my spare time + more for new conversion to Lithium
Conversion Cost$3200 with AGMs first and then the slightly used Thunderskys
Very interesting project, using lead acid AGM just till we hit the big time. ha - Oct 14 Its aliiiiive! Runs, but no lights yet. Oct 22 - got the lights on, changed to LED lamps, replaced flasher and its ready to go. Oct 24 got a temp registration. 12/4/7 registered and insured - I love this thing, ride it almost every day. Blew out the brushes at 700 mi, had to replace the brass sleeves that hold them. Check your Etek brushes often! 12/26/8 Went to the "Electric Dragin" At Barona race track in SD but it was rained out the 2nd day. 3/17/8 smoked the alltrax. Got another used one, 300 amps this time. Cant really use the 400A anyway without melting the motor. Installed pre-charge resistor, 3A diode on contactor and longer M- cable to make up for the low inductance.4/4/8 experiment - added fans to the etek with knife switch, helps cool it when I'm standing still and low speed. Seems to work. Tank filled with helium to lighten it. 6/8 removed the goofy tank - I don't need it do I? Etek-r runs cooler than the original etek that unsoldered itself twice. I'm a little "tall" on the gearing but don't have room behind the swing arm for a larger rear sprocket. Jeff K got me a cool fan which also seems to help. The Etek-r seems to be a little less efficient but I think it will work out fine. Wish I had 2 motors and 100ah of lithium. 05/09 Replaced the old 12V converter because I think it was causing problems with the controller. I also got rid of all frame grounding and put a connector on the outputs of the chargers to disconnect when its not charging. Batts are getting weak but it still has enough range to commute to work.
12/1/09 well I got 2606 miles from my original $320 AGM (blems) pack. One AGM has gone really bad and I bought a used Thundersky pack from Jeff K cheap. Only about 20 charges on this pack, should be good for another 1800 or more. Welded up a new battery frame and I'm working on the wiring now. This new pack is about 80lbs compared to the 260lbs of lead I have been dragging around, should make a big difference. 1/10/10 It does make a huge difference. 8/16/10 New brushes. The old brush assembly had at least one brush that was sticking in the holder. Mars motors have changed the brush holder slightly to help keep it from overheating. New brushes seem to work great.

code by jerry