Hi all, first post here, nice forum

I was so surprised to see a Green section on a local racing forum that I had to join myself. I am the nutcase who rips the gas engine from the car and puts in electric motor and batteries. I have done 2 very successful EV conversions, I am driving my 2002 Mazda E-Protege5 around Riverview, maybe you have seen it.

I am so enjoying EV conversions that I organized a company and the Web site to promote EV conversions in Tampa area, see www.CleanPowerAuto.com

I recognize the moderator here, hi Loren, remember you helped me with suspension upgrade on Miata EV conversion last year? I sold Miata and then converted Protege5, this time with Lithium batteries.

My sig has a link to my page on EV Album, if you want to see technical specs of my ride.

I hope to become a regular here, if you let me , I can answer any EV related questions, help you with your projects if you need me.

I can show my car in person if there is interest, let me know if there is appropriate meet I could go to. Not something where teenagers burn rubber, but something more grown up, you know what I mean

Here is a close up of my ride and the look under the hood...
Attachment 120324

Attachment 120325

 

Welcome, and nice work!

 

thats alot of nice stuff ! and a lot of work ! if i had a beer for every hour i would be dead huh ?

 

It was about 200 hours of labor stretched over 2 months, so I don't think that many beers would kill anyone

thanks for nice words

 

miles to date ? and any recent activity ?

 

2500 miles so far...not much to report, the car is running great... I am going to be showing it at Tampa Bay Green Expo , October 9th and 10th at USF, here is the info Going Green Tampa Bay 2009

If anyone wants to see it, stop by, the event is free for visitors.

 

damn thats some good miles
no wonder ev owners seem to limit communication after the build because there just isnt much else to fix ,rebuild or wear out
just drive em !

 

You got it

I am currently working on a cheap dumb DIY 100 amp charger, which will let me boost the charge in my battery 5 times faster than my regular overnight charger. Its work in progress, so not much to report yet, I am waiting for some parts I got on Ebay

If this works, I can "refuel" in 15-20 minutes for a typical 10-15 mile trip around town, which would allow me to significantly increase my daily driving range and prolong battery life even further.

 

what do you have in mind for that charger ?

 

Basically rectify mains AC via big-ass diodes and go straight into the battery.

It will not work for Lead Acid pack since it can't take so much current safely, it would boil and destroy itself. However, LiFePo4 battery can take 100-200 amp current without any trouble.

Although very simple, this approach requires much care in selection of wire, breaker, connectors, diodes, etc. Passing 100 amps at 120V is not as trivial as it sounds

P.S. Why am I not getting Email notifications from the forum? I have thread subscription configured for immediate notification, but its not working.
Anyone has same issues?