OwnerJohn
LocationPalo Alto, California United States map
Email email image
Vehicle1974 Honda Civic
Small, lightweight Honda Civic body. Body almost rust free and in reasonable condition.
MotorPrestolite 4001 Series Wound DC
Modified by a previous owner.
DrivetrainFront wheel drive. Stock clutch, stock 4 speed manual transmission.
ControllerLogisystems 120-144V 750 Amp
Replaced a Curtis 1231C controller (96 to 144 volts) which seems to have malfunctioned.
Batteries10, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM
The car came with 9 batteries. I put in another 3 batteries to boost the voltage to 144. Two malfunctioned almost immediately, so currently it is down to 120 volts. When the rest go, I will buy flooded and boost to 144 volts.
System Voltage120 Volts
ChargerSoneil 1206S
I have 12 of these, but only using 10 at this time.
I also have a 3000W HF/PFC Battery Charger at 144 volts. This currently cannot be used as the pack is only 120 volts.
HeaterSweater
DC/DC ConverterIota
55A 108VDC - 190VDC To 12VDC
InstrumentationAmmeter, pack voltmeter, aux voltmeter, speedometer, and odometer.
Top Speed65 MPH (104 KPH)
This is the fastest I have taken it, but it will probably go faster.
AccelerationMust be careful or could tear the wheels off.
Range30 Miles (48 Kilometers)
This is a guess, really unknown at this time. I can go 30 miles at about 55 mph with one person at about 190 lbs.
Watt Hours/MileUnknown at this time.
EV Miles
Current: Miles (0 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity2 adult, maybe 4
Curb Weight0
Unknown at this time
Conversion TimeBought sort of running. Don't want to think about the additional time spent.
Conversion CostI don't want to think about it.
Almost the entire Honda portion of the electrical system had to be rewired. A previous owner had completely changed the Honda stock wiring (I have no idea why) and it totally malfunctioned. I had to remove a couple dozen extraneous wires and then run new wires for the front, middle, and back of the car. This even included having to take apart the main light switch to fix. I put back a decent fuse box and, in general, tried to restore the wiring back to the original Honda state.

To the EV portion I added a main contactor, ammeter, pack voltmeter, aux voltmeter, DC-DC converter (there is no auxiliary battery), and an interior fan. The controller and cooling fans were also replaced.

code by jerry