[ausev] Z3 Conversion Starting

[Chris Robison]

I won't say that the Z3 is a bad choice, but it might have been if you
made it without considering what's going to go into the conversion.  What
sort of conversion will this be?  The usual questions apply:

What range to you need and expect on a daily basis?
What performance do you want (0-60, top speed, etc) ?
What is your budget?
Do you care between AC and DC? (AC gives you regenerative braking, and
tends to use higher voltages and lower current)
What type of batteries will you use? AGM or flooded lead acid? Something
more exotic? This ties into the budget question.  :o)
What voltage do you plan

In the DC world, the best controllers out there at the moment are the
Zilla controllers from Cafe Electric. And they're working on a backlog
dating back to the first quarter of 2006. Order one now, and you might
have it in the first half of 2007.

There are other choices, but with a performance penalty compared to the
Zilla.  The Zapi controller, which I've verbally dogged on for years after
some early reports of problems, I've heard recent testimony is actually a
good controller. And it's the only series DC controller to offer
regenerative braking.

On the plus side, the Z3 has a long hood that may be advantageous for a
dual inline motor setup, and/or plenty of batteries. On the downside it's
a convertible (heavy) and may have limited room for batteries in the rear
where you want them for weight balance.


  --chris





On Wed, October 25, 2006 1:52 pm, rah at h-consulting.com said:
> I've got a committment to get a 1997 BWM Z3 for an electrical
> conversion.  I'm motivated to try and get the conversion underway in
> Arvin's timeline (pre 2007), but I think that may be a stretch.
>
> Even so, I'm willing to try!  I'm planning to pick-up the car over
> Thanksgiving and want to use the planning time effectively.  My top
> questions (plus more on on my blog) are where to start?  What type of
> information do I need so I can start planning?  Also, are there legal
> issues that I should get out of the way?
>
> Can someone point me to blog or reference?
>
> I've started a blog (http://zehicle.com) to capture the conversion
> process and will continue to post questions on to this group for
> support.
>
> I would never have considered trying this if there was not a support
> group!  Thanks in advance.
>
> Rob
>
> PS: I'm not even sure if the Z3 is a good choice for an EV.  I like it
> because it's small, eye-catching and convertable.  I could potentially
> get a Toyota RAV4 (1995ish) instead if that would be much easier for my
> first project.
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