OwnerChristopher Zach
LocationBaltimore, Maryland United States map
Web/EmailWebPage email image
Vehicle1994 Geo Prizm
(US Electricar)
MotorHughes Dolphin 3-Phase AC
50 Kilo-Watt water cooled motor
DrivetrainManual transmission, locked in single gear
ControllerHughes Dolphin
50 kW AC Vector control with built in DC-DC
Batteries50 Hawker Genesis 26ah, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM
50 batteries, mounted under the car in a steel tray. I use Lee zener regs to provide battery balancing.

After trying out a set of UB12-260's (bad idea) I went back to the old pack of hawkers. Used 25 of them that had sat in a ditch for 3 years and 25 others from another car's pack swap. Oddly enough they do much better than new UB's and I have a 25 mile range.
System Voltage300 Volts
ChargerMagnecharger CC200
The on-board Dolphin supports 120/240 volt charging for charging at 1kw/2kw rates. Mine also has the 6.6kw MagneCharger and can charge in 2 hours.
HeaterHot water based heater, 2KW
DC/DC ConverterDolphin 1.5kw on-board DC-DC
1kW DC-DC built into the controller.
InstrumentationE-meter, full set of Paktrakrs on both strings, telemetry from controller
Top Speed90 MPH (144 KPH)
Car will do 90mph without a problem. I have taken it to 100mph on a downhill, but that's really at the edge of what is reasonable for the motor.
AccelerationFast as a normal car, plenty of pep at all speed ranges.
Range25 Miles (40 Kilometers)
25-30 miles is pretty much what one can expect with good batteries. One could do 40-45 miles, but that is really pushing it.

Right now with 6 year old used batteries I'm getting about 25 miles of range.
Watt Hours/Mile300 Wh/Mile
At 60mph the car pulls 60a from the batteries at 300v.
EV Miles
Current:14,500 Miles (23,330 Kilometers)
 
    As of 8/14/2011
Seating Capacity5 adults, full trunk space.
Tires185-65 R14. Basically Prizm tires, low RR
Conversion TimeFactory conversion
Conversion Cost30,000 new. I bought mine for $5,000 on Ebay in 1998 or so.
Additional FeaturesThe car came with the following options:
Factory AC
50kw regen braking
Power steering
Power brakes
Factory heater

Having the AC and the power steering really makes the car simple to drive. The regen saves a lot on brake wear.
This was one of the Florida power and light Prizms. It's quite quick, drives like a nice solid Ford Tarus, and with the battery weight underneath the car it is extremely stable.

Note: I do know how to fix the Dolphin controllers and get these cars running. So if you're having problems with your car or truck and it has a "Dolphin" controller like the one in my car, please drop me a line and I can probably get it running. I also have a few spare controllers and processor boards.

code by jerry