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OwnerMichael Shaw
Owner's Other EV1999 Huffy Stone Mountain
LocationSouth Bend, Indiana United States map
Email email image
Vehicle1985 Pontiac Fiero
EV (formerly SE)
MotorGeneral Electric Caterpillar Series Wound DC
Forklift traction motor from an old
Caterpillar M50 forklift.
12" diameter, 48 volts.
Drivetrain4 speed manual, no clutch.
ControllerKelly KDH14650B
144 volts, 650 amps.
Batteries200 Saft BB600, 1.25 Volt, Nickel-Cadmium, Flooded
System Voltage125 Volts
ChargerZivan NG3
Draws 26 amps from a 120 volt outlet. Too powerful for most outlets. For right now, I'll only be charging at home.
Heaternone
Brrr!
InstrumentationGPS for speed and distance.
My voltmeter and ammeter are no more -
they got fried when the high voltage
from the traction batteries came in
contact with the meter's power supply.
Blam!
Top Speed55 MPH (88 KPH)
Range25 Miles (40 Kilometers)
Preliminary results.
Watt Hours/Mile310 Wh/Mile
Average calculated using watthours
measured by my Kill-a-Watt and miles
measured by the GPS.
EV Miles
Start:117,400 Miles (188,896 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity2 adults
Curb Weight3,298 Pounds (1,499 Kilograms)
Dry weight.
TiresBF Goodrich 155/80R15. The narrowest tires
I could find, fitted to compact spare
rims. Inflated to 50 PSI.
Conversion TimeSince January, 2008. Conversion is
ongoing.
Conversion Cost$6000 so far.
Additional FeaturesOriginal Delco stereo. In the absence of engine noise, the
interior sounds like a concert
hall while driving down the road!

Brakes are stock. Power assist comes from a Thomas vacuum
pump purchased off Ebay.

August, 2009: The bottom is now covered with Corplast. The
improvement in the car's aerodynamics is startling. Revised
consumption numbers are posted above.
Update October 10, 2009: The motor-transmission coupling
stripped out. The spline on the transmission is damaged. The
tow bill was $90.

Update April 25, 2010: I had a new coupler engineered which
has springs in it to absorb some of the shock. The car was
reassembled today and took it's first self-powered ride
since last October. The 16 deep cycle batteries are gone and
in their place are 100 BB600 nicads. The car is presently
very light, but the weight will increase again soon as I
plan to add 200 more to the back end of the car.

Update May 15, 2010: The cell count is now 200. Took the car for a two mile spin yesterday. Flawless. Hopefully some long distance testing will take place next week.

Update May 27, 2010: The car did 24.8 miles on 200 cells. No sagging at the end either!

code by jerry