Eric Schmidt's 1976 MG Midget

Owner

Eric Schmidt

Location

Los Altos, California United States ^map

Vehicle

1976 MG Midget
This car was a great find at a local scrapyard- purchased for $800. The body and frame are in great condition.

Motor

Advanced DC 203-06-4001 Series Wound DC

Controller

Curtis 1221C

Batteries

3.70 Volt, Lithium-Polymer
A relatively new Chinese company, they provided the BMS (battery-monitoring-system)
THEY ARRIVED TODAY (2/12/08)!!!!
we ordered them in September so we are grateful they finally made it here.

After about 3000 miles, we've learned lots about the batteries. The pack works a lot better when properly balanced, and they don't like the cold. we're glad they're still working!

System Voltage

120 Volts

Charger

Zivan NG3
programmed for our specific pack

Heater

nope

DC/DC Converter

Astrodyne

Instrumentation

Amp, volt meter, and battery monitor touch screen provided by ABAT

Top Speed

65 MPH (104 KPH)
65 is the highest we've driven it, which is quite conservative. I suspect it would stop accelerating at ~75

Acceleration

Decent.

Range

45 Miles (72 Kilometers)
when all the cells are balanced and the car's driven with the range in mind.

Watt Hours/Mile

250 Wh/Mile

EV Miles

Start:	16,024 Miles (25,782 Kilometers)
Current:	19,100 Miles (30,731 Kilometers)
Total:	3,076 Miles (4,949 Kilometers)
	As of 11/26/2009

Seating Capacity

2 adults and a unicycle.

Curb Weight

1,640 Pounds (745 Kilograms)
200lbs under stock, and the best part is the distribution- 52% rear, 48% front

Tires

Sumitomo tires mounted on brand new superlight wheels

Conversion Time

300+ for me and my dad, so 600 total man-hours

Conversion Cost

too much, 75% of the cost is in the LiPo batteries

Additional Features

New Carpet, Top, Rollbar, and Mazda Miata Seats

This will be my first car, my dad and I are doing the conversion. We will/are both learning lots.
Motor and transmission have been successfully coupled using our custom machined taper lock hub and adapter plate!! We tested it on 5/26/08 with a 12V battery and were very pleased to see those wheels spinning after not having moved for half a year. We're hoping to get it drivable by 6/14/08 in time for the SAE motor fest.

We made it to the motor fest after just getting it running the previous weekend. Both of us are really happy with the car, so far nothing has broken and all is in working order, it does nicely on the big hills around our house. We had quite an ordeal driving it the smog referee 20 miles away, and ran out of juice on the way back and frantically looked for a place to charge. We also just recently got the clutch working and are much happier shifting with the clutch than trying to wait for the motor and flywheel to stop spinning in order to change gear.

The car has been amazingly reliable for what it is. We've had to fix a few problems here and there but it's still puttering along after a year and a half of driving. A fun car and a capable EV!

code by jerry