Kroy Richardson's 1968 Volkswagen Beetle

Owner	Kroy Richardson
Location	Redwood City, California United States ^map
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Vehicle	1968 Volkswagen Bug 68 Bug lowered 3 inches, Empi wheels, KBY2 Shocks.
Motor	Advanced DC AMD FB1-4001(A) Series Wound DC 28 HP cont., 72-144 VDC..85 HP peak..reversible..single shaft..face mntbl..for EVs up to 5000 lbs...143 lbs
Drivetrain	4-Speed manual, retained the clutch.
Controller	Curtis 1221C-7401 Motor Controller...72-120 VDC, 400 Amps max...MOSFET technology, 1.5 & 15 kHz pulse-width modulated...13 lbs
Batteries	12 Trojan T-1275, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded Type T-1275 Weight lbs.82 (37kg) Capacity Minutes @25 Amps = 280 @56 Amps = 102 5 Hr Rate AH = 120 20 Hr Rate AH = 150
System Voltage	144 Volts
Charger	Zivan NG3 Onboard Charger...specific to battery pack voltages from 120-288 V...2800 W...SB-50 connector...120 or 240 VAC input and battery, 15 lbs
Heater	Sol Source: Its painted black!
DC/DC Converter	Zivan NG1-DC for 108-168 V battery pack input...converts to 14 VDC/55 Amps...continuous duty...6 lbs
Top Speed	70 MPH (112 KPH) Its fresh on the road. Took it straight to the tire shop for its maiden voyage. A quick jump on the highway between off ramps and I had it up to speed by 4th gear. Speedo is off due to smaller tires but traffic usual flows between 65 and 80 on this stretch of road. UPDATE: I've since rebuilt the speedo and its only 2-3 mph off. Staying with traffic that's flowing at 70+mph.
Acceleration	Great. Better than stock. In fact I swapped out a hot rod motor for the EV and it keeps pace pretty good considering the additional 900lbs. of lead.
Range	36 Miles (57 Kilometers) I've not run her dry yet. Still working out the bugs....uh, kinks. UPDATE: My typical commute is 26 miles round trip. I added in a 10 mile trip to Fry's Electronics at lunch time and roughly two exists before mine I lost top end power. Speed dropped to 50 mph. I wanted to get off the highway in 3rd gear before I became a hazard. I drove the last mile in 2nd gear. I might even be able to squeeze another 2-3 miles around town if I stayed in 2nd. UPDATE(7-22-2010): Range drops between 5 and 10 miles in cold weather. That means if I don't charge at work I can barely get home.
Watt Hours/Mile	Not sure how to calculate that just yet. But that reminds me I have to go plug it in. Oh, yeah, I wired in a retractable extension cord, man its sweet!
Seating Capacity	2 adults
Conversion Time	Somewhere between 20 and 60 given that I did a lot of basic auto maintenance and repair simultaneously to make is safe.
Conversion Cost	Car = $3,500 KTA Kit #5 = $6,900 Batteries = $2,400
Additional Features	I bought the car for a bit more than a typical 68 Bug goes for but it had a lowered front end, a race motor that I sold on Craigslist, Pro-race seats, and Empi wheels. Power windows: Yes, I know, precious Ah wasted on a luxury but you must remember its a Bug. Not a lot of room to move around inside; so goes my justification anyway.
So far I've been driving local and only having to go between 2nd and 3rd gear. Acceleration is great but I'm not sure if I'm lead footing it too much. I still drive like its an ICE but I'm starting to notice where I should make certain adjustments to conserve power and battery life. My goals were: 1. Don't give converted EVs a bad name by building a POS golf cart of an EV. Goal number 1 accomplished. 2. Top speed of 70 mph. I've had it in the neighborhood of 60+ based on traffic and I still had some pedal left. I think I can claim victory here as well. 3. Range of 40 miles. I have no idea if that is realistic or not for my battery selection. But they are still very new and haven't even seen 40 miles total usage yet. UPDATE (7/22/2010): Not quite there, as noted above I'm right around 36 with loss of top end power. 4. Make it safe enough to give to my kid when he turns 16 years old. I still have a couple of years. UPDATE (7/22/2010): I did a dumb thing, I tried to experiment with driving in the rain. Two reasons really, 1) I wanted to see how it handled with the extra weight. How the brakes held up, handeling, that sort of thing. That work great. 2) I was also looking for any electrical anomolies due to road splash on the motor, pot box, contactors, etc. What I didn't anticpate was the puddle I went through that flooded the rear floor board where my charger was installed. The car still ran fine but my charger died. $$Cha-ching$$ UPDATE (9/27/2011): Charger has been repaired to the tune of $500, ouch! Replaced the rear turn signals with LEDs but I'm still waiting on an LED compatable flasher unit.

code by jerry