Owner | 49thdiver | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Owner's Other EV | 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV | ||||||||
Location | Thetis Island, British Columbia Canada map | ||||||||
Web | WebPage | ||||||||
Vehicle | 1985 Grumman Kubvan Originally a 1.6 liter diesel from the factory. Upgraded to a 1.6L Turbo Diesel in the around 2009. Upgraded to 108 volt Electric in 2015 | ||||||||
Motor | Advanced DC 8.5 Series Wound DC | ||||||||
Drivetrain | 5 speed VW transmission Front wheel drive | ||||||||
Controller | Curtis 1231 | ||||||||
Batteries | 18, 6.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded Used | ||||||||
System Voltage | 108 Volts | ||||||||
Charger | Soneil 1212SR 9 units | ||||||||
Heater | Converted cube heater planned | ||||||||
Instrumentation | Various digital dispalys and building own micro controller system | ||||||||
Top Speed | 50 MPH (80 KPH) | ||||||||
Range | 35 Miles (56 Kilometers) | ||||||||
EV Miles |
| ||||||||
Seating Capacity | 2 adults + scuba Gear | ||||||||
Tires | 13 inch | ||||||||
Conversion Time | Months ............ proto typed on a VW cabriola vehicle prior to converting van. Started in Feb 2015 fulling running by August, still updating and tweaking as of Nov 2015 | ||||||||
Conversion Cost | 80% used parts, spent about $3,000 including $1000 for used batteries. | ||||||||
Additional Features | Pretty Limited on features, solar panels for topping up traction battery while parked off site. Ham radio for emergency calling. | ||||||||
This has been a great project, lots of challenges and learning opportunities. Reflecting on and changing my transportation and travel needs relative to state of charge of the batteries or available travel options has been an interesting aspect of shifting from fossil fuel on demand. Highly recommend anyone converting there own vehicle. For the mechanically and electrically inclined of course. I procrastinated for 20 years, wish I had done it sooner. Would have paid for lithium batteries by now multiple times over. |