The first test drive!
The drive went pretty well. Throttle control was very smooth, but acceleration from a stop was very poor (sub 20 amps). I used 1st gear only, in 2nd gear the car barely moved. As speed increased, available amperage also increased (up to 150 amps at 15 mph), which gave me significantly better acceleration. I've sent an e-mail to the motor controller manufacturer for help.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Video: Wheels Off Test
Video of car running full battery pack and controller, wheels off the ground.
(Nearly) Final Wiring
My pictures from yesterday weren't very clear, so here are some new ones! The car is basically completely wired (excluding the charger).
Under the hood...
In the trunk...
Behind the rear wheel...
Under the car...
Under the hood...
In the trunk...
Behind the rear wheel...
Under the car...
Monday, September 28, 2009
Main Cables Pt. 1
The final parts for my car arrived this past weekend. I took my raw cables and lugs to a local welding shop to have them crimped. Just for reference, here's the latest wiring diagram...
And here's the newly crimped cables!
I widened an existing hole in my trunk with a Dremel to fit the cables. I will put something around the cables soon so they won't be cut by the sharp edges as I drive.
Cables underneath the car...
I'm using small bolt-on cable mounts to attach the cables to the car. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of one of them! Maybe in a later post. :-) I also pulled off one of the rear wheels to add additional mounts for the cable.
Two main cables running to the front of the car. The red cable is attached to the fuse, which is the "most positive". The black cable runs between the batteries in the front and the back to tie them all in series. You can see a short black cable at the top of the picture that is the "most negative".
I had my wife standing by with a wooden baseball bat to pry me off just in case I did something stupid while wiring. She looked a bit too excited to "help" me!
Everything wired, 98.3V!
I was hoping to get the car running over the weekend but had some issues with my charger. (Nothing wrong with the charger, just a combination of poor documentation and user error.) It's charging now though so stay tuned for a test drive!
And here's the newly crimped cables!
I widened an existing hole in my trunk with a Dremel to fit the cables. I will put something around the cables soon so they won't be cut by the sharp edges as I drive.
Cables underneath the car...
I'm using small bolt-on cable mounts to attach the cables to the car. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of one of them! Maybe in a later post. :-) I also pulled off one of the rear wheels to add additional mounts for the cable.
Two main cables running to the front of the car. The red cable is attached to the fuse, which is the "most positive". The black cable runs between the batteries in the front and the back to tie them all in series. You can see a short black cable at the top of the picture that is the "most negative".
I had my wife standing by with a wooden baseball bat to pry me off just in case I did something stupid while wiring. She looked a bit too excited to "help" me!
Everything wired, 98.3V!
I was hoping to get the car running over the weekend but had some issues with my charger. (Nothing wrong with the charger, just a combination of poor documentation and user error.) It's charging now though so stay tuned for a test drive!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Battery Box Pt. 2
Time to get the batteries in the car!
Battery boxes primed...
Painted...
The mount for the spare tire was in the way, so I went ahead and cut it out.
The front battery box in place. Looks good!
I don't want the batteries resting on mounting bolts, so I cut pieces of wood to give the batteries a uniform base to rest on.
Spacers installed up front...
Batteries in place!
The trunk!
The nose of the car isn't sticking up anymore! I gave a few pushes on the suspension, and it seems to be handling the load fine. Weight should be about stock though so I'm not expecting any problems.
What's left: cables, charger
Battery boxes primed...
Painted...
The mount for the spare tire was in the way, so I went ahead and cut it out.
The front battery box in place. Looks good!
I don't want the batteries resting on mounting bolts, so I cut pieces of wood to give the batteries a uniform base to rest on.
Spacers installed up front...
Batteries in place!
The trunk!
The nose of the car isn't sticking up anymore! I gave a few pushes on the suspension, and it seems to be handling the load fine. Weight should be about stock though so I'm not expecting any problems.
What's left: cables, charger
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