* to Steve Joiner
of Agilent 9/00*
Bought for $6000 added $1000 of new batteries, sold for $7000 = at cost
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Escort Station Wagon EV conversion
(Click images for full size view)
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'92 Ford Escort sta-wgn, 5-speed, white body, heather
interior, 108V US-125s, Curtis
1221B, GE motor w/ blower, built-in 120VAC K&W BC20 charger,
Goodyear GLS Invicta
tires, tinted windows, power mirrors, fold down rear seats,
range: 45 miles @ 55mph / 35 miles city (worst case driving), Top
speed 65mph, and has SB50 connector in the rear hatch area for optional
fast charger.
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Side View
Note: tinted rear windows |
Rear view w/ hatch open. Note: fast charger cable |
Rear battery compartment w/ carpeted lid open |
Plush heather colored interior |
Rear seats individually fold down for additional space |
Passenger side front seating area |
View from back seat area of front seating |
Drivers view. Meters: Left - surface voltage Right - battery current |
Short throw, easy shifting 5-speed, AM-FM radio |
Front view hood open,
controller in the center |
View of K&W BC20 charger & vacuum pump |
Heater fluid tank
& curtis controller |
Front side view hood open |
Front side view hood closed |
Charging cord plugs into where the gas inlet was |
Escort EV * *
(At cost, No profit)
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Repairs
Tires, shocks, brakes, transmission are all handled the same as with
as gas car. I have found that with the reduced amount of daily driving
and less stress an EV puts on the vehicle, what could considered
'normal repairs' are much less often and easier to plan for.
When taking your EV to a gas repair shop, either allow you to drive
the EV into the stall or a quick overview of how to make it move
can be given (clutch in, foot on the brake, turn the key, it doesn't
need
starting, it is already on, release the clutch and give it some
accelerator. I usually get "Hey that's easy enough!" hmm,
nothing different).
If there were either a repair/add-on/upgrade performed to your
EV, then our local qualified EV mechanic is Clare Bell http://geocities.com/evet_tech
EV Tricks and Tips
With both my Blazer and Escort now using Goodyear GLS Invictas,
20% above the nominal will increase your range, by reduce rolling
loss.
Shifting
Some people are let the clutch slip as like they were driving a
gas car (to keep the engine from dying). There is not engine to
stall. I find giving less acceleration, letting the clutch out quicker,
and
then applying power with the accelerator is a smooth power transfer
that extends the life of the clutch.
Insurance
I have CSAA, and they are others that insure EVs as well.
There are many on the EV List that can discuss what their EV insurance
company is, what they cover, and what region they reside in.
I also have the $15/yr tow plus plan. This means that if you needed
a tow this plan would cover a 100 mi distance for free (but only
a couple of times per year). There are other insurance companies
that
offer this, and one can have this tow plan membership without using
CSAA insurance (i.e.: XYZ insurance and CSAA membership tow plan)
Also see:
EV Insurance
ELECTRIC
VEHICLE INSURANCE
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Charging:
The onboard K&W BC20 charger uses a standard
120VAC 20 amp outlet. With this outlet, charging at 10amps, the
EV will totally recharge in 10 hours (8 hours to 80% or 4 miles per
hour of charge, the final portion of the charge cycle is slower at
a lower current). With a 120VAC 30 amp outlet with the charge set
to a 20 amp charge current, the total recharge time is 6 hours (4
hours to 80% or 8 miles per hour of charge, the final portion of the
charge cycle is slower at a lower current). If a additional Zivan NG5 charger
(using a
220VAC 40 amp outlet) were connected to the fast charger port
and the onboard charger used, the 80% recharge time is 2 hours.
A 108V system with flooded batteries needs to charge to at least
135V. Each 6V battery is charged to 7.5V x 18 = 135V. This
is an easily understandable mistake since 18 x 6 = 108. After
charge the batteries should settle down at rest to about 119V.
After driving, when the batteries are at 108V (when NOT under load)
you are more than half discharged.
If you have a newer battery charger, their chip inside will equalize
your batteries. Else, every 10 cycles is a good rule of thumb to
equalize your batteries. All this is explained in the Kitty Roden
Trojan Battery Report http://geocities.com/brucedp/evbatt.txt
The battery posts are the round SAE automotive posts (solid stud).
No squishy stud with the bolt hole through the middle.
There two DC-DC converters under the body that provide the 12V
power for the lights, radio, wipers
and more. This means there is no aux 12V battery to maintain.
Maintenance
I find whether it is my power hungry, water slurping Blazer or outlet
nursing, water sipping Escort, checking and watering the EV once
at the end of the month is fine.
A trick that was given to me by a cool Electrician at one of my
work sites, is to make the watering easy. With his advise, I when
to Home Depot, bought a cheap plastic garden sprayer ($10), unscrewed
the the
spray tip (now it squirts), and dedicate it to only be for watering
batteries.
Distilled water is what I use, and recommend. Too many experiences
and reports are given to me of people that go cheap, using so called
'good for batteries' water (either out of machines or the store.
Distilled water in the 1 gal container cost me $1.10. I use 1/4
of that for the Escort on each watering. That's $.28 Don't
be penny wise, and battery foolish.
Bat. 20 AH Wt. pack
pack range Cycle miles miles X cycles
type rate Lbs. volts
Wt. miles life /Lbs. /Lbs.
T-105 217 61
96 976 59.4 754
.06086 45.89
T-125 235 66
96 1056 64.3 650 .06089
39.58
Cycle Life test - T105 Wet cell battery
Capacity
100%- . . .
-100%
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. . .
. .
80% - . |
. - 80%
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60% - |
| . - 60%
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Cycles 100 200
300 400 500
600 700 800
* Extrapolating for a T125, at 600 cycles you would be at 80%
capacity.
Any future EV questions can be brought up and discussed on
the EV List for free.
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History:
12/99 DMV has now got the Escort in my name and put 4 Goodyear GLS Invicta
tires (balanced),
pack is broken in, EV is ready for sale to a good EV family.
11/99-7/99 minimum use of the EV, only to maintain it, as I wait and
wait for the DMV to
transfer the title.
7/99 After completion: arranged for a tow of EV to my home (battery
pack was too new to discharge
them too deeply, one should wait until they have been broken in.
6/99 US-125's have
been ordered, Clare Bell of the Women's Racing team, will be changing
out the batteries and installing a 10 gauge cable pair from the front
battery connections to the rear interior area.
A SB50 connector will connect a 220V fast charger. |
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