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ghia4mea
Samba Member
Joined: July 23, 2007
Posts: 478
Location: Largo Florida
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 Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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I have been very interested in eventually purchasing an electric vehicle. Yesterday I ran across this news item that gives me hope for a really decent electric vehicle battery system coming soon.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2014/05/...n-battery/
Yes it is barely in production, but if it lives up to half the claims, it is way ahead of other battery technology in terms of safety, charge rate, etc.
Ken |
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dcat917
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2014
Posts: 185
Location: Greenville, SC
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| Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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So I cleaned out the interior of the cab and floorpan down to bare metal. The car is now out to be treated with an acid wash followed by a spraying of POR-15 in silver. I posted some photos of the before and after in the gallery
Not to interesting yet, but I do have some tips to share on POR-15 patching that may help the group. I just don't know where to put it yet on the site. |
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kman
Samba Member
Joined: November 04, 2005
Posts: 739
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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| ghia4mea wrote: |
I have been very interested in eventually purchasing an electric vehicle. Yesterday I ran across this news item that gives me hope for a really decent electric vehicle battery system coming soon.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2014/05/...n-battery/
Yes it is barely in production, but if it lives up to half the claims, it is way ahead of other battery technology in terms of safety, charge rate, etc.
Ken |
Wow. |
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Kmolenda
Samba Member
Joined: June 18, 2013
Posts: 309
Location: Cottage Grove Mn
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| Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 7:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Lol, not to burst your bubble, but no maintenance? Electric (forklifts, AC or dc) need more maintenance than any other vehicle I have ever worked on, doc motors obviously more than AC, but the torque of the AC motor likes to shred opinions, ring gears, shafts, woodruff keys etc. The batteries alone can drive a guy nuts, dead cells, bad lugs, open wires. I understand that your going with a new motor, batteries, and, controller, but that's it. You still have all the other car maintenance. Trans, brakes, front end. Like the other guy that did the math, very cool project, but you can buy a lot of gas for the price tag.. |
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jray3
Samba Member
Joined: March 04, 2004
Posts: 23
Location: Tacoma, WA area
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| Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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| John Moxon wrote: |
Lot's of topics on the subject over the years but strangely they rarely get past the second page...I wonder why? 
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John, I think a lot of these projects go into hibernation like any other restoration project, and once we get 'em done, we tend to stop talking and start driving! I'm more active in the EV world than the VW world, and haven't posted on the Samba in several years.
Loren, thanks for plugging my Karmann Eclectric. The car's been great fun, running a reliable 16.8 at 82 mph when it hits the track (with most of that speed attained in the 1/8 mile, as 82 is max speed with my motor on stock 091 transaxle gearing) while also accomplishing many daily commutes. I took the pack apart this winter for a rebuild, and am currently awaiting the return of my battery charger for the latest upgrade for compatibility with public charging stations. |
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jray3
Samba Member
Joined: March 04, 2004
Posts: 23
Location: Tacoma, WA area
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| Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Kmolenda wrote: |
| Lol, not to burst your bubble, but no maintenance? Electric (forklifts, AC or dc) need more maintenance than any other vehicle I have ever worked on, .... Like the other guy that did the math, very cool project, but you can buy a lot of gas for the price tag.. |
Forklifts may not have cracked the nut well (though my 1965 Pettibone Mercury 36V lift was a more reliable machine than any of the six modern LPG lifts I ran).
Street EVs are another story. I've put 39000 miles on my Mitsubishi i-MiEV in 28 months, and the only maintenance cost has been cabin air filters (per factory recommendations!). That's at 2.4 cents per mile of energy cost!
My Ghia conversion, with a pack of wet cells, is another story. I knew that the flooded batteries would be maintenance-intensive, but the four-puck clutch disc that turned into copper snot, the scorched 5000 lb Kennedy pressure plate, and the tires, oh the poor tires.......  |
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jray3
Samba Member
Joined: March 04, 2004
Posts: 23
Location: Tacoma, WA area
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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| KGCoupe wrote: |
While I've seen quite a few VWs converted to a straight electric drivetrain, I've never heard of anyone trying to convert to a hybrid drivetrain.
Is that a project that would just be too complicated to attempt in a home garage for a person with average mechanical ability?
... or is the notion of a hybrid vintage VW simply not appealing enough to even consider? |
I've been imagining "Hitler's Hybrid" for many years now (as a Kubel, Schwimmer, or at least a flat green Thing). The technology was available EVen back then. Take a WWII shunt-wound 24V aircraft starter-generator and use it to replace the 6V Type I generator. Then you have a super high-torque hill-climber or blitzkreiger without too much extra battery, and a good operator should be able to significantly increase fuel economy (fuel supply was a bit of an issue for the Germans). Stretch it out with a direct coupling to the crankshaft, and that leaves the fan belt for nothing but fan power. High torque belt drives are still a maintenance issue 70 years later...
The torque of 400 instantaneous amps even at 24V can trash a stock transaxle, but a simple resistor-based stepped control or switching batteries in and out of series can solve that. |
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stanthedog
Samba Member
Joined: October 11, 2006
Posts: 357
Location: Portland,oregon.
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dcat917
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2014
Posts: 185
Location: Greenville, SC
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KGCoupe
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2005
Posts: 3580
Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 5:47 am Post subject: |
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Those are some mighty stout wires!
They almost look like red garden hose.  |
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dcat917
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2014
Posts: 185
Location: Greenville, SC
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dcat917
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2014
Posts: 185
Location: Greenville, SC
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dcat917
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2014
Posts: 185
Location: Greenville, SC
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dcat917
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2014
Posts: 185
Location: Greenville, SC
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| Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:25 pm Post subject: Status for 6-1-2014 |
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This week I took the dash instruments and switches out and left the car running for drop off at my mechanics shop.
He will rework my front end and add a heavy duty sway bar. Next we will drop the engine and pull the gas tank.
While it's there I have been working on the wiring harness from E-Z Wiring. Here is a video of that:
Link
Next weeks plan is to pick up the car on Monday and trailer home. Pull the last of the old wire harness out and start prepping the hood and trunk for sandblasting. I'm going to try and get it sandblasted using this new technique, dustless blasting. They use recycled crushed glass and water to strip the car. Then POR-15 these area and the interior chassis will be done and ready for the rebuild.
_________________
1981 Puma GTB http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7794566#7794566
1971 Karmann Ghia http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=591290&highlight=
Past Projects:
1951 Studebaker Business Coupe https://goo.gl/photos/eHPuNo89m9PXZwBM8
1953 Studebaker 2-Door Sedan https://goo.gl/photos/pe38HEShzUrVSwcV8 |
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bluedot
Samba Member
Joined: April 25, 2013
Posts: 439
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| Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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When I contacted some EV companies about seriously pricing this out for a 200 mile range, I was looking at $12k in batteries.
What's the range you expect to do on $5k of batteries? Or has technology changed that fast in a year?
I can't wait until i can afford to electrify our ghia! |
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dubulup
Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2008
Posts: 387
Location: Earth People
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| Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 9:10 am Post subject: |
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interesting...helping get past the second page.
sounds like a fun projected for a retiree |
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OLD VW NUT
Samba Member
Joined: February 23, 2011
Posts: 2776
Location: High Desert of Washington 98823
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| Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 11:40 am Post subject: |
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| bluedot wrote: |
When I contacted some EV companies about seriously pricing this out for a 200 mile range, I was looking at $12k in batteries.
What's the range you expect to do on $5k of batteries? Or has technology changed that fast in a year?
I can't wait until i can afford to electrify our ghia! |
| dcat917 wrote: |
| Shooting for a 144 volt traction pack or about 42 cells, should give me 60 miles around town and support freeway speeds. Not going to be a cheap project but I should learn lots of new tricks on this one. |
_________________
71 Ghia Coupe - stock body - no rust! Powered by a 2110 W/Dual HPMX 44's - Rancho Pro Street Transaxle - A/C by Gilmore
Other car - 2013 VW Golf TDI |
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dcat917
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2014
Posts: 185
Location: Greenville, SC
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c21darrel
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009
Posts: 8211
Location: San Dimas
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dcat917
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2014
Posts: 185
Location: Greenville, SC
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