Rear battery boxRear battery box coverRear batteriesRelay boxCharger and auxilary boxUnder the hoodInside the car
OwnerDana Havranek
LocationBrookfield, Illinois United States map
Web/EmailWebPage email image
Vehicle1998 Volkswagen New Beetle
The car was completed July, 2006.
MotorAdvanced DC FB1-4001A Series Wound DC
9"
Drivetrainmanual transmission no clutch
ControllerCafe Electric Zilla
Excellent controller.
Excellent support.
Batteries18 Trojan T 890, 8.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
A very nice compromise for this car. The pack can not sustain high current levels. Heavy acceleration has a pronounced affect on range. Still, at 144 volts, it is easy to stay within acceptable limits and have good performance.
System Voltage144 Volts
ChargerManzanita Micro PCF 30
A gem. It does exactly what it is suppose to do. I love it.
HeaterCeramic core in place of the orignal.
DC/DC ConverterMeanwell PSP 600
Actually, it works quite well.
It soft starts so the relay contacts don't weld together when it gets turned on.
InstrumentationAmp and volt meter, shunt in battery circuit, aux amp meter for HV accessories, 12 volt amp & volt meter, AC and DC ammeter and digital volt meter in charging circuit.
Top Speed60 MPH (96 KPH)
6o mph so far without a problem
AccelerationIt accelerates quite nicely but you have to be conservative with any flooded lead acid battery pack.
Range50 Miles (80 Kilometers)
Not really sure yet.
Easily does 25 miles in cold weather.
Both these numbers are to about 60% DOD.
Watt Hours/MileBased on a watt-hour meter installed in the line to the charger, it uses an average of 300 to 350 watt-hours/mile. The number ranges all over the place depending on temperature and how the car is driven.
EV Miles
Start:57,600 Miles (92,678 Kilometers)
Current:59,737 Miles (96,116 Kilometers)
Total:2,137 Miles (3,438 Kilometers)
 
    As of 3/2/2008
Seating Capacity2 adults and dog
Curb Weight4,340 Pounds (1,972 Kilograms)
2156# front, 2184# rear.
Almost perfect distribution.
16 of the 18 batteries are in line with the wheel axle centerline. Whoa! Quite a bit of weight for the unibody.
TiresContinental LRR
Conversion Time800 hours over a period of a year.
Conversion Cost$6,000 for the car.
$8,000 for everything else.
(adapter, hub and all else was fabricated and not purchased) That's why 800 hours.
Additional FeaturesPower steering motor runs off pack voltage through a PWM speed control. Power steering costs about 2 amps at 144 volts.

120 - 240 automatic input to charger is standard but little universal input AC to DC power supply runs fans and a charger interlock relay. Can plug into 120 or 240 source with no changes.

Ceramic brake pads.

Auxiliary box of charger has a shunt, DC amp meter, AC amp meter and a digital volt meter. Really nice for keeping track of what the charger is doing.

Charger and aux box mounted just behind passenger seat. Nice easy access.
The rear battery boxes fit in exceptionally well with no modifications other than cutting up the floor between the uni-body "frame" rails. There's room for 12 regular size batteries back there. There's room for 6 more batteries up front. The traction motor fits like it was made for the car.

You won't be fitting more than 18 batteries in this car because of space and weight limitations.

I pulled the ICE motor out the top and left the transaxle in the car.

The 144 volt pack of 8 volt T-190 Trojans is a good compromise for this car and provides very good acceleration - but you can't drive the car that way. The 8 volt pack can push out power but can not sustain high current levels. Still, it does very nicely along side the ICE cars in normal traffic.

code by jerry