ElectriClub

I've been busy with the holidays, but I do have progress. My new headlights arrived and I spent about 2 hours installing them.

I had to remove the front bumper to get the old one's off.

In this pic I have the old headlights in the front and the new ones in the rear. There is a huge difference in them.



Now the car looks really good, and almost new car looking. I even relocated the rope that was holding the power steering/AC pumps so it is no longer visable on the outside.

Tomorrow I am going for the inspection. I have everything in order and the car is on the charger getting topped off. I am taking a more high speed route to the inspection station this time to keep the motor RPMs up. I did some testing this past weekend and I was able to climb probably the largest hill in my travels and it held at the speed limit, so I have no worries at the moment. Everything I drive the EV, the brushed wear in more and so do the batteries and I get increased performance. Hopefully tomorrow I can claim my EV is totally legal, just in time for my PakTrakr to arrive, which is also due tomorrow.

I have been working on so many things at the same time, and that means nothing actually gets done. I am waiting for my new headlights, I am building the battery boxes, I got a power strip and working on the main car plug for charging, building the blower mounts, modifying the transmission shift points and I have ordered a PakTrakr.

The PakTrakr is a device that monitors each battery and displays the info. It displays each battery's Voltage, State of Charge, any warnings or problems. It will also state the total State of Charge of the entire pack becoming a fuel gauge for the EV.

Hopefully I will get more done this week and be able to post pictures and more EV driving test results.

I called the Massachusetts Vehicle Check program on Saturday to find these mysterious EPA/DEP/RMV forms. The rep took down my information, VIN number and said he needed to give this to his supervisor and I would be called back. On Monday I did get a call back and I found out that there are no such forms. All the information about the conversion is listed in the database and all the inspector has to do is input my VIN and under EMISSIONs it will say EXEMPT. So I did all my paper work properly.

I also ordered new headlights and once I get those in I will get the EV inspected. I didn't get anything fancy since most of the aftermarket headlights use HID lamps and I have been told those are not legal in MA. So I just got brand new JDM Crystal Headlights, which are essentially OEM replacements and will use the existing bulbs.

Was the following:
1- I hate politics
2- I need new headlights
3- I need to install my blower
4- I really hate politics


Well this is how my day went. First I wake up to find my finals are postponed till next week due to weather, so I get out and throw the chargers on the EV for a freshen up charge. Then after 2 hours, I pulled the plug on the chargers and plugged in a ceramic heater to preheat/defrost the EV. It worked wonderfully. I had the car defrosted and heated in 15 minutes and then I went off to the inspection station.

I first took my time getting there. I choose the roads that were the most flat and kept to the speed limit of 25 MPH. Then was the stretch of 40 MPH state road that I feared, and actually forgot about (I was going to avoid it, but forgot until I got there) and decided, what the hell, I floored it down the hill and the EV got up to 32 MPH, I wanted more juice, so I threw it into third gear and it went up to 35 MPH, I went back to 2nd gear and it held there. After 2,000 ft of this 35 MPH stretch was a hill that the speed limit drops to 30 MPH and the EV dropped down to 30 MPH going up.

So I finally get to the station and I check the battery levels and motor temp. Now the batteries read 104.1 volts surface charge when I left (they were definitely not fully charged)and read 97.4 volts when I got there. Now, you are supposed to wait an hour before measuring the voltage to determine the actual capacity left. The motor itself was barely warm, due to the high RPM and the internal fan actually working at 30-35 MPH.

I go up to the inspection guy and tell him about my EV and I need an inspection. He right away tells me that I will not pass because of the glazed headlights. Great, just another $150 expense. Then he goes on to tell me that he can't inspect it without a special form from the EPA or the RMV stating the conversion is inspection-worthy. So now I have to hunt down this mystical form and who ever needs to sign it.

Then I made my trek home. I decided to take the back roads to limit the AMP draw. That was a mistake. The back roads are really hilly and the low speeds mean low RPM, which means the internal motor fan is pretty useless. When I got home, that motor was hot and smelled funny. While I stayed in the motors temperature range, performance dropped like crazy once the motor got hot. My AMP draw went from 180 AMPS of accelerating to 120 AMPs and it was awful.

My total travel for this trip was 6.2 miles, in 20F weather and my batteries read 97.9 after I let them sit for an hour. So I had 63% power left in the pack, but it is my guess that the pack itself was really only 80-85% capacity to start with due to the cold and that I didn't let the chargers fully charge the pack.

So today was a day of road testing. It took me three different controller configurations to get the EV to even get past 10 MPH, and I finally got it working up to 25 MPH before I ran out of road. I still have a few more configurations to try and the motor and batteries need a good break in, but my latest configuration was working like it should in a neighborhood.

Tomorrow I will do another charge and do some more driving. I need the motor brushes to be fully worn in before I attempt anything drastic and they look like they are 65% worn in, so they have a way to go. Hopefully I will gain more power once the brushes and batteries are fully broken in. I am itching to take the EV on the flat stretch and see if it will go up to 40 MPH like it should. Depending on the traffic I might just do that tomorrow after charging the batteries.

This week has been awful when it came to weather and actually getting things done. Finals have started so that's been taking up most of my time, but I took today off to get as much done as possible. And I have pictures.I tested the power brake system and it works great, except for the leak on the connection that connects the tank to the car. Some Teflon Tape should fix that right up, I just need to find where it's hiding. And I need to secure the pump down, probably with tie wraps. This is just a temporary tray until I get the car inspected and have time to hunt down a sold piece of metal or shelf to mount the components too.


This the my PB5 finally properly connected to the throttle cable. I spent more time than I care to admit figuring out how to mount the cable to the PB5, but I finally found two little car pieces with the proper width and hole pattern, and it looks really good too!
And here are all the batteries nice and snug and they got another full charge today. The only thing stopping me from driving it again is that vacuum leak.

Most of this EV is proof of concept. Some things that I want to do is build a stronger motor mount, buy proper cable and lugs for the best connections, install proper gauges and insulate the batteries. Hopefully today or tomorrow I will get in a test drive and see if it will do up to 35-40 MPH in 2nd gear like the calculations say it should.

This is my little box that houses the vacuum switch and relay for the vacuum brakes. This weekend was filled with getting ready for the holidays and finals, but I did manage to glue up the PVC vacuum canister and strap in all the batteries and build this little box. Tomorrow I am installing the vacuum system and test it out. Once installed and tested, I am going to connect the main cables back up and check the controller settings again before another test drive. If all goes well, I'll drive it around for a few miles to break the motor in more. This week I need to bring it into the inspection station, so my in my next test run I will try to get it to 35-40 MPH.

Oh, and today was the first day of snow so the nice weather has pretty much ran out. Tomorrow it will be cold, but sunny so I can hook up everything before it gets too dark.

So this morning I went to the RMV and came prepared to the long battle. Well, it was a freaking joke. It took me longer to find the RMV hidden in the maze of buildings and poorly labeled streets. So I walked in, went to the desk and said I am converting my car from gas too electric, got a "Good for you." and a number to wait in line. I got called, went to the desk and it took a minute for them to do the paperwork and print out a new registration. That was it. Nothing special, no special RMV inspection or increased paper work. I am told I can go to a normal inspection station and everything should be fine. Now it's time to get this EV to an inspection worthy state and get that process done.

Yesterday I ordered a Vacuum Switch for the power brakes. I was going to rig up a normal on/off switch, but decided against it and forked over the $35 for the specialized switch. When the EV is on, it will keep the vacuum tank topped off as it were, and will only operate when needed. This will keep the power consumption down and the noise. The switch comes in on Friday and I plan to install it this weekend.

Now back to the paper work. Today I went to the insurance company to talk about the EV and they had never done one before. In there books, they didn't need any information on if it was gas powered or electric, as long as it was still the same Honda Civic and VIN number. BUT I needed to get the title changed to ELECTRIC in order to get the inspection done. So I have filled out the paperwork and on Friday I go into the RMV and start the annoying process of waiting in line. That should be fun.

So after that adventure I have to finish up the EV and figure out the inspection process. The RMV might require a special first time inspection. We'll see what happens, but I do plan on getting everything done for an inspection and joy ride. I still have to make the mount for the smaller accessories motor, A/C and P/S before I can go for the inspection. It doesn't have to function, but it should be installed so I don't show up with rope holding things together.

I did not get to drive the EV this past Thanksgiving. I was sooooo close but two things stood in my way: Vacuum Brakes weren't done and ACE did not have enough straps for my batteries. It was a unanimous decision not to drive it because it just isn't in the safest state. I spent all day Wednesday cleaning up the wiring and securing down the batteries and mounts. I am now working on controls for the Vacuum Brakes, Cooling System and A/C + P/S motor.

But I have a new set of problems. My inspection sticker has expired and now I have to talk to the insurance company about the EV and getting the title changed. I hope they will work with me, or I will have to shop around for EV insurance.

We have already determined that this EV will never be "done". My dad an I are always finding ways to make it better, stronger and whatever else. So my goal of being "done" is actually the goal of being able to safely operate the car. And I am almost there!

Today we got most of the battery racks mounted, and tomorrow the last rack goes in. I redid the main cables and tomorrow I also drill in the holes and mount them to the breaker. Then I get a couple of S hooks from ACE to mount the control tray and straps for the batteries.

It's amazing on how many little things you can do and have just about nothing to show about it. But a lot of that those little things got done today. My dad worked on the bolting down the battery racks while I worked on the control tray and main wiring. Right now I am estimating an hour left to strap the batteries down and install the control tray and test the low voltage system. By tomorrow night the only thing I want left to do is the vacuum brakes and blower cooling. Then on Wednesday I am going on a couple mile trek around town to test the EV before my Thanksgiving day voyage.

Today was one of those days where I worked a lot but got nothing done. Well, I did get most of the control tray done and started on the blower cooling. I did my shopping at the local ACE Hardware today and got the plumbing I needed for the vacuum system, my blower cooler and the nut for bolting down the motor mount.

This is the battery tray for the lower three batteries in the trunk.


This is my control tray setup with just about everything wired up.

Here is 12 volt blower and the plumbing components I have to force the air into the motor.

This the the blower assembled for the most part. I couldn't find any decent sheet metal to make the grill attachment for the motor so that's next on the scavenging list.

Now this it my 12 volt Thomas Vacuum Pump and the insanely large vacuum chamber I have. I will be cutting down the pipe so it actually fits in the car. It's about 4 inched too long at the moment but I wont be modifying it until the control tray is installed and I see what room I have to work with.

I started making tray for the control box and controller from the shelving piece. I did a test fit last night and today I made it sturdier and trimmed it down. Tomorrow it goes in, then I get to work on finishing the little things like making the cables shorter from the controller to the motor, and modifying the main positive cable so it can hook up to the circuit breaker.

So today was FREEZING!! It was so cold that my hood release froze. Before I set to work on the front of the EV I setup my chargers and started a charge cycle. As of right now, 6 batteries are fully charged and the first two in the string are still charging. It's been less than 4 hours, but I expect that those two batteries to be the stragglers until the entire pack has a dozen or so cycles on them.

Once the chargers were activated, I went back to the hood section and started to layout the control box and vacuum brakes. Well my mind must have been frozen too because I just stood there and could not think of what to do. I was "thinking" for about an hour before I called it quits and went in to check on the DIY Electric Car forums for some motivation. And to warm up.

I must say I do my best thinking when I am driving. I was coming home from dinner and I had the most brilliant idea for mounting my control systems. A shelf. We have a boat load white metal grate shelving that has been sitting in the basement for years. I can take one of the shelf trays and cut it to fit the engine compartment. I can then mount anything too it and it won't impact the controller heatsink or weigh too much.

I finally cut up the metal for the final battery rack and tomorrow it's going to the welder. This smaller rack will hold three batteries and will be bolted down to the car.

On Wednesday I am going to try out my new chargers that arrived today and I am going to work on the front control box and controller setup. I have to shorten the wires on the motor and make new connections on them. I also have to make new connections for the cables that will connect to the circuit breaker. Then I will install the vacuum brake system and set it up with a temporary ON/OFF switch until a get a real vacuum switch. I am literally scraping up the pennies to get the EV to a driving state.

I have also ordered a 12 volt blower to help cool my motor. My K99-4007 will be much happier with the blower and should take those hill much better once the brushes wear in for 100 or so miles.

The weather has been really lousy lately. It rained all day, but I setup my tarp and went to work on installing my circuit breaker into the car. It took all day to find the proper place, and then cut out the holes for the switch and screws to hold it in. I had to align the breaker so it wouldn't interfere with the emergency brake or the gear shifter. What really did was take a wild guess and had at it and got really lucky. The circuit breaker fits great in there and it doesn't look awkward.

I measured out the material needed for the last battery rack and tomorrow I am going to go buy 4 feet of angle iron.

List of What I must do before the Thanksgiving joyride:

- Connect main cables to circuit breaker
- Build brackets for controller and control box
- Install vacuum pump system
- Secure Batteries

I have the Control Box 99% done. The only thing left is to label the connections and add a "High Voltage" warning sign.

In this box I have the low voltage system (12 volts) and the main contactors for the high voltage system (96 volts). This box is essentially the hub for the EV electrical system. The barrier strip has connections for the ignition wire, controller power, contactor power and throttle. The PB5 Throttle box is also built onto the box. I want to make the front compartment look as simple as possible, which was the purpose of this control box.

I am still trying to keep my EV deadline of Thanksgiving and my list of things to complete is shrinking. Tomorrow I am going to setup my tarp over the car and finish installing the circuit breaker. Then I will work on securing the batteries and making the front tray that will hold the control box, controller and vacuum brake components.

Also, I ordered two more chargers, one to replace my bad charger, and one as a spare. They should arrive on Monday and hopefully I will have most of the EV completed so I can work on insulating the batteries, venting them and installing the chargers into the trunk.

I have about five little projects going on at the same time. I have the control box about 90% finished, the center console removed and ready to install the circuit breaker, measurements for a beefed up motor mount, bolting down rear batteries and the vacuum brakes.

Tomorrow I am going to finish the control box and try to get the circuit breaker installed in the car. It's amazing how much the control box has cleaned up the wiring. I even mounted the PB5 Throttle to the side of the box and I think it looks really great. I hope to mount this control box and the controller on a modular board so I can move them for working on the EV or put them into another EV if a make one with similar specs later down the road.

So I found out quite a few things this weekend. First, my little 6.7 inch ADC K99-4007 does not like hills at all. There are a few hills around that I purposefully avoid, but today my dad wanted me to try one. The motor cried the whole way up and barely maintained 10 MPH. It didn't help that I had no running start, and the transmission computer decided to shift down to first, essentially making me lose what power I had. It did go up the hill, but the motor got quite warm, so I half to avoid these hills and make a forced air cooling system. I was probably pulling over 250 AMPs at the motor, which it did not like.

Here's a summary of changes I need to make and what I need to do before Thanksgiving:
- Bolt down all the batteries
- Make better cables and get lugs for the controller and motor
- Create a forced air cooling system for the motor
- Beef up the motor mount and bolt it down
- Complete control box
- Mount breaker into cabin
- Finish Vacuum Brakes and PVC tank

One of my chargers also died today, I think one of the internal relays gave out. It makes thing ticking sound and then displays "Check Error" and shuts off. So I will buy another bunch of chargers on eBay.

I have this Tuesday off from classes so I am going to make my small part shopping list and get as many things down as possible.

I would like to be able to drive this to my cousins house for Thanksgiving, which is 12 miles away, and then plug it into charge when I arrive.

Today I planned on putting in another battery for a test drive. So I added another battery and saw a more room in the trunk. So I decided just to dump in all the batteries and give it a run for my money. Well, it was GREAT! Nothing neck-breaking, but the low speed acceleration was acceptable.

I never took it past 25 MPH because of lack of power brakes, but it still had power left AND I was going up hill slightly. I am also almost done with the vacuum brake setup, and once that is installed I will attempt a drive outside of my dead end neighborhood. There is this really nice 1/2 mile patch of relativity flat road that has a 40 MPH speed limit and it's just outside my neighborhood that I might try out tomorrow morning since there will be little to no traffic at all.

Then I tried out the chargers again and only got an hour or so of charge because rain came back. So here is a few pics of my 8 batteries in the trunk and my charger setup. Surprisingly all 8 chargers are only pulling 4-5 AMPs from the wall, but I think that has to do with the fact the chargers have different charging schemes.