Under the hoodRear Batteries
OwnerRob Nicol
LocationCorvallis, Oregon United States map
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Vehicle1995 BMW 325is
MotorAdvanced DC FB-4001 Series Wound DC
ControllerDC Power Systems Raptor 600
Zillas are better. But I already had the Raptor and it works fine.
Batteries12 Optima D31T Yellow Tops, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM
System Voltage144 Volts
ChargerZivan NG-3
The Zivan is 220 Volt wall mount in my Garage. A solar photovoltaic system on my house helps provide power. Also, a 120V on board charger so I can charge at work.
HeaterDual Ceramic Core integrated with factory system. Seems like this was almost as much work as the rest of the conversion.
DC/DC ConverterBrusa 144/12
Top Speed85 MPH (136 KPH)
AccelerationNot measured, but it feels fast off the line, similar to a stock BMW at low-mid speeds, and sluggish at high speed.
Range25 Miles (40 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity5 adults
Curb Weight3,000 Pounds (1,363 Kilograms)
Weight is estimated. No suspension modifications were needed. The original car weighed 2800lbs, and I removed as much weight as possible and kept the batteries light.
TiresStandard Radials at 40PSI.
Conversion Time9 months off and on. Most of the actual work was completed in the last 4 weeks.
Conversion CostSalvaged most of the HW from an older conversion, so pretty cheap. If I had to buy everything, it would have been around $10K plus the cost of the car.
Additional FeaturesPower steering uses electrohydralic pump from Toyota MR2. Electric vacuum system for power brakes. Switches in the center console allow both power steering and brakes to be turned off for "stealth mode". This is handy for demos because it makes the car silent until it moves.

code by jerry