jmead

Generator is f-i-n-a-l-l-y in the car. This part of the project seemed to drag on forever. I hope to get the wires run and some preliminary mileage numbers within just a few days. Next step is to get the exhaust fabbed up.

Good advice, but if its gonna happen I might as well get it out of the way now. I haven't gotten the registration taken care of yet and its the only parking around here within reasonable distance. And if I'm going to wizz Jesus off at least I'm doing it in the most environmentally friendly way I can :nervous: I just had to see what it can do, but no more until I get it legal. Hopefully that will be very soon, I can't wait to get back behind the wheel!

http://www.jumpcut.com/view/?id=CEEFB4120A8211DD8F60000423CEF5B0 Short video, really gave the motor mount a good test today. None of the burnout videos came out because it got too dark, will try again tomorrow.

Yeah, i've got a 1000Amp controller as well, and i've got probably 75 lbs worth of copper in the car just for the battery interconnects and motor cables. This is just peak, however, a more normal cruising amperage would be more like 100 amps, much more reasonable. I spent about 15 minutes thrashing it, probably 400A+ usage for several solid minutes, jumped out and felt the cables, cold, and the controller, barely warm. The motor isn't breaking a sweat with its big blower.

These are battery amps, right? And what voltage are you running at?

I'm hoping the weight out front wont make a big difference. The total weight of the front is about the same, but shifted a few inches forward. I could have but the batteries on their sides and had a taller pack that was more over the axle, but it came down to a trade off between body roll and steering response. I decided to go with the lower center of gravity. I will push it soon and see how it performs, but there are a few things I need to attend to first. OperationZ - That link certainly grabbed my attention too. I'm hopefull the technology comes to market soon, and that its not yet another unfulfilled revolutionary battery promise. It seems like there are several battery technologies right around the corner now poised to really take EVs up to the next level of performance/practicality, I figure at least one of them will become a reality.

Great advice! Thanks for all the help. I'm going to try the screw remover, didn't even think of that. I was preparing to replace the cylinder too, I hope it doesn't come to that. Zup - I would if I could! I just posted a thread with lots of pics over at hybridz now that I've got something worth showing. Its in the "other engines" forum in case you haven't already seen it. bkelly - Thanks for the offer, but I've got a 70 too. I didn't realize that the 73+ would be different, that is very good to know if I end up changing it out.

I was bleeding the brakes on the 240z, everything was going smoothly with the pedal becoming more and more firm each time. When I did the rear left disaster struck; the brake bleeder valve snapped off. It appears to still be in the "closed" position because no fluid is leaking out, so I guess it could be worse, but I am at a loss of what to do. It is nearly flush with the surrounding metal. Has anyone ever had this happen? What do I do about it?

Thank you. Honestly every time I look at it I can't believe I built it. I've put more time and energy into this project than anything I have done. I have been thinking constantly about the potential to make a business out of this. I've been getting so much attention recently its really making me think it might be possible. I have another datsun, a 76 280z, and I may convert that and see if there are any takers. Sell it on ebay motors perhaps? This was the focus of a long brainstorm session not too long ago. My conclusion was that it would work, but it wouldn't provide enough energy to warrant the investment. I could fit at most 300 watts of panels on the car easily. The battery pack is 10,000 watts so at full sun it would take about 33 hours for a full charge. You only get perhaps 6 hours of full sun on a good day, so you're talking 5 days for 1 complete charge. You would be getting maybe 4-5 miles of added range each day, with $0 electricity costs for those miles. I think either the efficiency of the vehicle would have to go way up (less watt/hours per mile), or the efficiency of the solar panels would have to increase before it would make sense financially. 300 Miles would be doable with current technology, but extremely expensive. It would require a massive LiFePO4 battery pack (like 75,000 watt hours) in a normal vehicle. Even at $1/watt (about the price of the very cheapest cells right now) it would be $75,000 for batteries alone. This technology can last for 10 years or more, so at $45/day it would take 4.5 years of gas savings to pay for a pack of that size. A better alternative might be a hybrid. By recapturing the energy lost during breaking, having the engine shut off at stop lights and when traveling below 40 mph you could probably cut that fuel usage down by 1/3 to 1/2 depending on the driving conditions.

1) If the "auxiliary power unit" is done by then it would make a fun day trip, though I still have a lot of work left before its show quality. 2) I've been keeping a detailed log of all my expenses and I'm at a little over $6k in the car right now, including another $1k for the generator parts yet to be installed. My budget is pretty much "how much money can this car save me over the next few years?". I have increased that figure several times when choosing higher end components with the justification that if I build the car right it will work reliably for many years and ultimately save me more than my investment in gas. I spend $2-3k a year on gas (at $3/gallon, those days are gone) alone, so over my 4 years of college it will pay for itself. After that point I have essentially a free car that just needs new batteries every 4 years. I spent $2300 for a pack of the absolutely highest performance lead acid batteries available, and I could have gotten some cheap flooded batteries for less than $1000. The major components (motor and motor controller) should last for 20+ years. The more I did the math the more I realized I couldn't afford not to build an EV.

Maiden voyage!

Hehe, it is kind of asking for a cup. I wish I didn't have to make it so obtrusive, I will have to see about changing that in the next revision. Better pic with more progress:

The motor is mounted and the car is completely wired up. I've been working non-stop for 20 hours to get it done. Maiden voyage tomorrow!