| Owner | Peter Skidmore | ||||||||
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| Location | Perth, Western Australia Australia map | ||||||||
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| Vehicle | 2005 Volkswagen Polo Five door manual hatchback (Match); black metallic paint with grey cloth upholstery. Four seats - front seats suitable for taller drivers. Well built, light and safe with front airbags and ABS brakes. | ||||||||
| Motor | HPEVS AC50 3-Phase AC 3 phase AC induction motor; 6500 RPM; 350 mm long by 228 mm diameter; regenerative braking; 150+ Nm from 0 to 4000 rpm, max (2 minute) power approx 60 kW at 650 Amps and 115 Volts. | ||||||||
| Drivetrain | 1.4 litre premium unleaded petrol motor producing a maximum of 55 kilowatts mated to a five speed manual gearbox. Travelled approx 130 000 km when converted. | ||||||||
| Controller | Curtis 1238R 7601 AC 3 phase variable frequency controller; CAN bus; customisable using optional software; compact. | ||||||||
| Batteries | 36 CALB/Skyenergy SE130AHA, 3.20 Volt, Lithium Iron Phosphate SE130AHA 130Ah 4.4kg 57 x 182 x 283mm M8 bolt size | ||||||||
| System Voltage | 115 Volts | ||||||||
| Charger | Elcon TCCH-36C 240 volt AC power input, TCCH-36C-10A; 36 cells 10A 108 V | ||||||||
| Heater | None needed - daytime temp varies from 15 to 40+ degrees centigrade. Air conditioning is essential and the original compressor is driven off the front of the motor. | ||||||||
| DC/DC Converter | Iota DLS-240-55 55 Amps at 13.6 volts, max 750 watts; 246 x 170 x 86 mm. Additional inrush protection was needed. N.B. 240 Volt AC supply. | ||||||||
| Instrumentation | Curtis 50 mm gauge shows rpm, amps, motor temp, controller temp - hard to read but not used that much. Fuel guage driver shows range on car's original fuel gauge - works very well. CAN Bus gateway provides motor speed signal for electro hydraulic power steering and ABS brakes. Other CAN bus signals for car gauges partially completed. | ||||||||
| Top Speed | 90 MPH (144 KPH) Easily achieves Australian max freeway speed of 110 km/hr using second and third gears. | ||||||||
| Acceleration | Using gears performs far better than the original motor. Performs well using just second gear for urban use (0 to 70 km/hr. 0 - 60 km/hr xx secs; 0 - 100 km/hr xx secs. | ||||||||
| Range | 55 Miles (88 Kilometers) 90 km is maximum range at mixed urban/ freeway speeds i.e. Battery Management System initiates shutdown. So at 80% depth of discharge the effective range is 70 km. | ||||||||
| Watt Hours/Mile | 250 Wh/Mile 150 Whr/km achieved while driving at a mix of 80 k/hr (40% of journey time), 100k/hr (20%) and 60k/hr (40%) | ||||||||
| EV Miles |
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| Seating Capacity | Seats four. I'm 186 cm tall. The car was selected in part because the front seat has lots of headroom and legroom. I do not have the front seat all the way back when driving. | ||||||||
| Curb Weight | 2,460 Pounds (1,118 Kilograms) 1120 Kgs without driver. The car is solidly built but with lots of weight saving materials. Lots of under body streamlining. | ||||||||
| Tires | 14 inch low rolling resistance tyres. | ||||||||
| Conversion Time | Mechanical and electrical 3 months Waiting for parts 5 months CAN bus integration and reverse engineering 3 months | ||||||||
| Conversion Cost | Approx 16600 AUD. About 15700 AUD for car. Add $980 AUD for programming software for the controller, CAN open to CAN VW gateway, VAG COM software and CAN bus analysis software. | ||||||||
| Additional Features | * Retained clutch and gearbox for easy use by anyone - very glad that I did (AC motor is limited to 6500 rpm so there is no problem with novice drivers inadvertently over-revving the motor) * regenerative braking upon lifting foot off accelerator pedal is set to 20% of maximum amperage. Mimics ICE retardation. * regenerative braking via the brake pedal delivers up to 250 Amps on hard braking. ABS works well. Occasionally have to brake hard to clean rust film off brake rotors. * Installed automated charge point to take advantage of smart power rates - here (Perth WA) we pay 38 cents per kWhr peak and 10.3 cents overnight. * Installed 3.2 kW thin film solar array to power house and car - use smart power tariff and receive credit of 1200 to 1500 AUD each year. * installed a CAN open to CAN J1749 gateway to pass signals needed for the correct operation of the electrohydraulic power steering and ABS braking system - not easy to do as vehicle manufacturers guard their signal codes jealously. * had to add inrush protection to DC to DC converter * Electromagnetic interference to ABS wheel sensors and steering angle sensor caused shutdown of ABS. Eventually solved with a range of EMI reduction measures. | ||||||||
| * I wanted a safe car that anyone could get in and drive without any need for special instructions. With one exception this has been achieved - the exception being that it is much better when you come to a stop that you do not press in the clutch pedal - just use it as you would an automatic. * The car is a much better car to drive than the original. The car accelerates better, is much smoother with no gear changes necessary at urban speeds, it also handles better with much better steering response. The original understeer has disappeared. * The range is somewhat less than expected - I was expecting 100 km at 80% DOD but achieve only 80 km. This has not been a problem as I find 90% of my driving is less than 50km each day. * The ultimate test of success is which car you prefer to drive each day (I have three cars VW Tiguan, Alfa GTV and the VW). At the moment I always choose the electric. | |||||||||
2005 Volkswagen Polo
“Peet”
Last Updated 06-16-2012
Copyright © 1997-2024 by Mike Chancey