Bed TiltRear BatteriesUnder Hood
OwnerJoe Kroesche
LocationAustin, Texas United States map
WebWebPage
Vehicle1993 Mazda B2600
Extended cab. Original owner.
MotorAdvanced DC FB1-4001A Series Wound DC
DrivetrainOriginal 5-speed transmission, clutchless coupling to electric
motor.
ControllerCurtis 1231C-8601
Love that "Curtis Whine".
Mounted on a large heatsink with two 12V cooling fans on
heatsink.
Batteries44 Thunder Sky 160Ah, 3.20 Volt, Lithium Iron Phosphate
Several sub-packs distributed around vehicle. 29 cells under
truck bed, leaving full truck bed for use. 15 cells under hood.
Monitored with Mini-BMS.
System Voltage141 Volts
ChargerElcon PFC-3000
Mounted on board, plug-in receptacle mounted in place of
original fuel filler.
Heater1500W ceramic core taken from cheap space heater, replacing
original heater core. Core installed, wiring not complete.
DC/DC ConverterIota DLS-55
Modified by EV Source for more suitable EV use. Added
external IQ4 smart charger. Switched on when key is in run
position.
InstrumentationEV Display (pack voltage and current, state of charge)Mini-
BMS
WebPage
Westach Analog gauges:
80-180V traction pack
0-500A motor current
0-16V DC-DC voltage
0-60A DC-DC current
stock instrument cluster, factory fuel gauge indicates
state-of-charge, some repurposed idiot lights
Top Speed70 MPH (112 KPH)
Have driven 70 on the freeway. Not sure what the top speed
is but probably close to that. It is dependent on whether I am
going up a hill or not.
AccelerationBased on short testing so far. Feels as good or better than ICE
at low speed/RPM, power drops off quickly. Struggles on
steep hills.
Range50 Miles (80 Kilometers)
Driving experience so far predicts a range of 40-60 miles
depending on driving conditions (hilly or flat, fast or slow,
etc). This is for 80% depth-of-discharge which gives me
about a 10 mile "emergency" range. I have not yet drained the
pack more than 50% so far, so I have not tested the range.
Watt Hours/Mile400 Wh/Mile
I have ranged from 300 to 500 Wh/mile, depending on driving
conditions. Hilly driving is the worst, really consuming a lot of
amps. Flat, steady freeway driving seems to be the best (at
about 60 mph). Cold weather also reduces range.
EV Miles
Start:112,939 Miles (181,718 Kilometers)
Current:123,710 Miles (199,049 Kilometers)
Total:10,771 Miles (17,330 Kilometers)
 
    As of 9/15/2021
Seating Capacity2 adults, plus two small jump seats in extended cab, not really
for adults
Curb Weight3,233 Pounds (1,469 Kilograms)
Factory spec is 3430 lbs. We weighed it at about 3024
prior to ICE removal.
Removed about 600 lbs of ICE related stuff. "After" weight
is 3233, so added about 200 lbs. The "before" weight
distribution was about 60/40 front to rear.
Now it is much closer to 50/50.
Tiresordinary cheap. P205/75R14
Conversion Time2 years at 1 night per week for about 2 hours
Conversion CostDonor vehicle was already mine, worth possibly $1500. EV
parts and conversion expenses approx $15-18,000
Additional Features29 cells are located under the bed. We built a manual bed tilt mechanism to make it
easier to access those cells for maintenance. Noisy but competent vacuum pump
w/reservoir for power brakes. Barely working MR2 electric power steering pump, switch
on dash. Big red button on dash to electrically open a contactor. 500A Airpax breaker
under hood with cable release to cab (big red handle).
Placed into service Oct 10 2011. There is a small list of TODOs but it is complete, street legal,
and ready to use.

Update August 2014: Been driving it for about 2.5 years. Curtis motor controller died recently
and I replaced it with a remanufactured of the same kind. Also, curtis potbox seems worn out
so I am replacing it as well. Batteries seem to be holding up well.

Update September 2021: I passed this vehicle along to its next owner in 2018. I drove it for about
7 years with a total of 10700 electric miles.

code by jerry