[ausev] Z3 Conversion: Design Paramters

[Chris Robison]

On Thu, October 26, 2006 9:41 am, rah at h-consulting.com said:
>     * What range to you need and expect on a daily basis?  50 miles (my
> commute is 30)

30 miles total, there and back?  Or will you have a place to plug in at work?


>     * What performance do you want (0-60, top speed, etc)?  I want to
> get it to highway speeds (65 would be fine).  I'm not trying to create
> a drag racer.

This will definitely expand your possible selection of controllers, though
for the sake of quality I think most folks would still recommend a Zilla,
despite the months it will take you to get one.  The Zapi might be a good
option too, though the H3 (the version you want) is limited to 120V. At
800 amps it gives decent acceleration though.  Stay away from Curtis
controllers on new conversions.


>     * What type of batteries will you use? I have no idea: the battery
> space in the Z3 may be a factor.  I also want to stay in my budget.

Your performance goals also mean you could use flooded batteries, if
you're prepared to deal with the watering and the mess. They're cheaper
and last longer.


>     * What voltage do you plan?  I thought that would fall out of the
> bettery, speed, & motor question.

Actually, it's also defined by your controller too (how much voltage it
will allow). Higher voltages allow higher top speeds, and a higher-voltage
controller allows more flexibility in how you design your pack; for more
speed and/or more range the answer is the same -- just add another battery
in series.  With lower-voltage controllers, you're probably maxed out
already and then it gets trickier since you'll need to find different
combinations of different-sized batteries. Most folks don't bother and
live with less range or performance than they'd like.

What would help a lot is if you could take some good pictures of the
structure of the car and post them on your blog.  Pictures of the interior
floor where you might make cutouts for battery boxes, pictures under the
hood, a few from underneath, etc. Removing interior stuff (seats, etc)
might also be helpful but not too important.  Let's have a look and see
where the batteries are going to go.

  --chris