[ausev] Hello and questions from an Austin EV newbie

[Erik]

Hi Gary,

I'm glad the 4 post blog was good for something! The Cabriolet EV is mine,
and I can answer any specific questions about. For me the kit was worth it,
but I got it used and had some rusted out parts to contend with (with Chris'
welding skills!). On the whole it made the conversion fairly plug and play,
and certainly will cost more than DIY. If you can find a used motor and
other big parts used it can save a lot. As for the convertible VWs, be aware
the body shape is basically the same from 78-93, and they keep getting
heavier the whole time, with the convertibles being a little heavier still.
That being said, I have a 92 convertible on the road.

On the range, especially with lead acid batteries, make sure you keep in
mind the difference between the range you want to use daily, and the range
your batteries can be pushed to. Lead acid like to be discharged regularly
to about 50% or less. Other chemistries don't mind using most of the
capacity all the time. If you design a car with 90 miles range, and need 80
miles of it, as soon as it gets cold (with PbA) or the batteries get a bit
older your car might not do what you need it to.

Erik


On Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 6:13 PM, Aaron Choate <achoate at gmail.com> wrote:

> Welcome aboard,
>
> You were looking at Eriks' cabriolet.  Unfortunately he moved out of
> Austin, but we still claim him as an honorary member.  You can move away,
> but we will never let you go!  [grin]
>
> Unless you are very handy both electrically and mechanically, the kit route
> is definitely worth the cost.  Unless you want to make major changes to what
> they have developed they have already figured out how to fit the components
> in the car you are thinking of converting so you might as well make the
> project that much easier on yourself.
>
> Re: pricing -- the components you need to use to build a road going auto
> are in a different strata than those that can be used in small
> scooters/motorcycles.  The components will cost much more because they need
> to be able to handle both more voltage and more amperage.
>
> Range:
> Most flooded lead acid conversions get ranges between 30 and 50 miles per
> charge.  If you can charge in the middle of your round trip, you may just
> barely have your range requirement. 100 on lead acid is really hard to do.
> You basically have to build a "lead sled".  There have been very few of
> these built and those were based on small pickup trucks.  If you search on
> the web for the "Red Beasty" you should find stories about the adventures
> they had with it.  (mostly good - [grin])
> There are ways to get higher ranges in EVs at reasonable weight now, but
> you are talking expensive batteries to achieve them.  Since you mentioned
> not wanting to pay much for your project, my guess is you won't want to go
> there.  If you are interested, the group could go down the path of a
> discussion about Lithium Ion batteries.
>
> OEMs have built perfectly good EVs and taken them back.  Even then they
> were really only available as fleet deals or limited geographically in their
> distribution.  My personal opinion is that I will accept that they are
> available on the mass market when they actually get _sold_ to individuals in
> the city where I live.  Until then, I will have to build my own to be able
> to drive electric.  The EV community got burned several times and I think
> people are generally pretty conservative about believing the auto
> manufacturers claims these days.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Aaron Choate
>
>
>
> On Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 4:41 PM, Gary Schulte <garyschulte at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Hi folks,
>>
>> My name is Gary Schulte.  I am considering an electric car conversion
>> project with a VW Cabriolet.  I am still very much in the research
>> mode and am looking for some feedback from folks who have done a
>> conversion.  What are the post-conversion realities, costs involved,
>> etc.  I stumbled onto a blogger site about a cabrio conversion here in
>> Austin and followed the links to the AustinEV site and found this
>> mailing list.  Perhaps you all can provide some insight.
>>
>> >From what I have seen there are turnkey type conversion kits through
>> electroauto (though *really* pricey).  Erik, the owner of the blogger
>> site I stumbled onto seems to have gone the electro-auto route.  So at
>> least one AustinEV'r has gone this route.  Is it worth the substantial
>> price outlay for the custom conversion kit?  One of the motorcycle
>> conversions that inspired me cost less than $700 including the
>> purchase price of the motorcycle.  Is the conversion of a small car
>> really that much more costly?  I can see how the brakes and
>> transmission would be more complex, but are the baseline components -
>> motor(s) and batteries going to be that much more expensive due to
>> size/output?  Is it worth it to go a more DIY route or will it going
>> to end up $10k in fabrication and components anyway to convert a
>> Cabriolet?
>>
>> Another topic, battery tech - I commute approximately 90 miles a day.
>> I assume that SLA batteries will not work well in that situation -
>> even if I had that kind of range I am guessing that commute would kill
>> conventional batteries in short order.  What kind of battery options
>> are open for an electric conversion on a small vehicle that could
>> support 100+ miles/charge ?
>>
>> I know there are EV cars that are supposedly coming soon, so the price
>> vs. availability vs. function are really going to play a part for me.
>>  Although I have heard quite a lot about plans and demos and release
>> dates, it seems to me that automakers view everything in terms of the
>> price of gasoline - as if no one thinks beyond their wallet (perhaps
>> largely accurate).  So I am guessing that since gas prices have
>> dropped and auto makers are suffering I shouldn't hold my breath for
>> an OEM EV.  Any input on the viability/liklihood of OEM options versus
>> a conversion would be greatly appreciated.
>>
>> Lots to ask for a newbie - thanks in advance,
>>
>> -Gary
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>
>
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