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snj Tue Jun 03, 2008 7:37 am

67type0ne wrote: is there a way to hook a alternator('s) up to charge the batterys as you go along? if you could get the car to 'self charge" you would really have something....not that you don't now but it would-could be alot better i think if you could use the energy of the moving car to resupply your supply :idea: :idea: :idea: maybe???

No.

UncaJim Tue Jun 03, 2008 8:20 pm

Harsh, but essentially true.

If you use an AC induction motor, you can switch the motor to a generator quickly under load, but with DC it adds needless complexity for a 10% power savings.

Remember, the drag of that alternator is being overcome with more power from the battery pack, so you'd end up with a net loss of power.

vwdragguy Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:55 pm

what about solar panels to help charge up the batteries

onesojourner Wed Jun 04, 2008 5:48 am

you can do that but you would need a lot of panels to keep it all the way charged. Most people either have a solar station at there house to totally have green power for their car or they might have som small panels to get them a little extra range.

This guy puts his panels out at work and just gets a little extra juice when its parked.

bill may Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:48 am

Wayne S. Johnson wrote:




Burned my eyes looking at a picture collection of a fat chick beetle in a 1958-1967 beetle forum. how about posting NSFE next time?

kokomo808 Fri Jun 06, 2008 11:05 am

just out of curiosity how much does it cost to convert a car to electric motor?

Wayne S. Johnson Sat Jun 07, 2008 9:31 am

kokomo808 wrote: just out of curiosity how much does it cost to convert a car to electric motor?

Electro Automotive has quality kits from $6,425 for the Deluxe Universal Kit to $12,545 for the Voltsporsche Custom Kit. Batteries range form $950 up depending on the quanity and type.

Electro Automotive Deluxe Universal Kit


http://www.electroauto.com/catalog/kits.shtml#voltsporsche

kokomo808 Sat Jun 07, 2008 8:23 pm

Thanks for info


too rich for me $7500-$14000 :shock: for a kit and since I live in Hawaii shipping should be about another $1000, guess I will just continue to Mass transit

snj Sun Jun 08, 2008 10:59 am

kokomo808 wrote: too rich for me $7500-$14000 :shock: for a kit and since I live in Hawaii shipping should be about another $1000, guess I will just continue to Mass transit

I've no experience with either this company or the one Wayne listed above, but these people offer cheaper kits with a shorter range: http://e-volks.com/

UncaJim Sun Jun 08, 2008 11:53 am

I've done two cars and never spent that kind of money.

Not to knock either kit -they seem very complete and well-thought-out- but you can certainly do a good car and spend much less.

One word: Surplus! You can get very cheap batteries from a decommissioned organization-level UPS. Check in your local phone book under "industrial recycling". They will also probably sell used cabling and possibly chargers. On Hawaii, with the huge naval presence, you'd probably have good luck with military surplus as well.

You can buy a used motor, controller, and adaptor plate. That will save you a lot of money. I recommend the EV Tradin' Post and Ebay, but with the high shipping you might want to look for local industrial machinery repair facilities and forklift repair shops that can sell you a motor and controller used and in good shape. Again, check the phone book and the Internet. Ask people at the businesses where they'd go. If you have a drill press and can cut steel, you can even make your own adaptor plate, it's not that hard. Oh, *drop the money for class 8 bolts to hold it all together*...some things can't be skimped on.

Those are your most expensive components. Metal battery boxes can be bolted together if you can't weld, and fiberglass isn't expensive or that hard to work with if you don't need a perfect finish.

I bought almost everything for my current car used or surplus and I spent about $2500 total for the electric drive system end of the car.

Of course, I spent about that much again on restoring the car itself and getting it beautiful...before the hailstorm! :lol:

Hawaii seems like a great place for an electric because the temperature is moderate so you can use cheap lead batteries, it's not huge, and you don't need to go 80 mph on the freeway just to get to work.

Don't give up. Use the kit as a template of what you need to get. Take a while to assemble the components and spread their cost over a few paychecks. It's doable.

vwracer719 Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:44 pm

i was toying with the idea with doing an electric early beetle or with my 63 ford econoline. is there any instructional books or websites that have step by step how i can install all these parts. also i thought of the idea of hooking a generator up to a moving part on the car. like a custom gear like part that's hooked to an axel or tire. i know it wouldnt charge much but everything counts. also i heard that this site would help www.valence.com with some of the battery issues. i was told they makes lithium-ion technology in standard BCI lead-acid battery sizes for a wide variety of applications. weights half the size and twice the charge.

snj Fri Jun 13, 2008 8:21 pm

vwracer719 wrote: also i thought of the idea of hooking a generator up to a moving part on the car. like a custom gear like part that's hooked to an axel or tire. i know it wouldnt charge much but everything counts.

This was already asked.

snj wrote: 67type0ne wrote: is there a way to hook a alternator('s) up to charge the batterys as you go along? if you could get the car to 'self charge" you would really have something....not that you don't now but it would-could be alot better i think if you could use the energy of the moving car to resupply your supply :idea: :idea: :idea: maybe???

No.

Wayne S. Johnson Sun Jun 15, 2008 3:40 pm

Life is sweet with Solar panels at full power!




ladylafee Sun Jun 22, 2008 7:55 pm

My husband and I have a 70 beetle that we are thinking of converting to electric, but I was just curious if there was a way to do it where the back seat would be usable and not full of batteries.

Wayne S. Johnson Sun Jun 22, 2008 8:50 pm

ladylafee wrote: My husband and I have a 70 beetle that we are thinking of converting to electric, but I was just curious if there was a way to do it where the back seat would be usable and not full of batteries.

This Bettle seats 4 and the range is about 20 to 30 miles. Adding more batteries in the rear seat area would allow you to get about 50 to 60 miles range.

Manitou Springs High School, as of November 2002 almost 500 Drivers Ed. students have driven Sparky. We are sporting the tallest trophy at Manitou High School, for first place at a car show. Sparky has also received a clean air award from the city of Colorado Springs. We are the only school in the state with an electric car.
http://www.evalbum.com/135


UncaJim Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:59 pm

If you don't need more than 20-30 miles of range or are willing to pony up for NiMH or LiPo batteries, you can use the whole interior of the bug. You could put the batteries in the trunk and around the motor in the engine bay; I know others have done that successfully. I got away with just the trunk.

Hell, you could probably get some batteries behind the back seat if you needed to. :)

jmsmilin Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:53 pm

Wayne S. Johnson wrote: I used front and rear coil over shocks in my 68 Bug electric conversion. This Bug was converted to electric 29 years ago, the front and rear coil over shocks were installed a few months ago.

The 68 owner’s manual specifies permissible load weight at 838 lbs. and gross vehicle weight at 2,645 lbs. My Bug gross vehicle is at 3,380 lbs. including driver.

Stinking Gas report;
5/30/08, San Jose, CA $4.25
My GMC Sierra has a 32 gallon tank, total cost to fill the tank is $136. At 2 cents per mile, my Electric Bug can travel a distance of 6,800 miles for $136 of electricity.

That means you can drive an Electric Bug from San Francisco to Key West, FL and back for the cost of ONE tank of gas.

Wayne

See how you can convert a Beetle to run on electric power.
http://public.fotki.com/WAYNEWANG/electric-car-beetle-ev-/






That is sweet, is this your daily, and whats the range? Gas prices dont phase you huh?

Wayne S. Johnson Mon Jun 23, 2008 4:16 pm

jmsmilin wrote: That is sweet, is this your daily, and whats the range? Gas prices dont phase you huh?

My Electric Bug is my daily driver. The range is 65 miles and I charge it for FREE at several locations.
Where can you get FREE GAS?

Some people charge at work and drive over 100 miles a day. I drive about 15 miles a day (450 miles a month), which cost me $9 for power each month. I charged at the park and Costco today, which saved me about 15 cents off my daily cost of 30 cents.
My Electric Bug has not been in a gas station for the last 29 years.
Here are some additional pictures and information. http://www.evalbum.com/1798

KTPhil Mon Jun 23, 2008 4:36 pm

Wayne S. Johnson wrote: I charge it for FREE at several locations.


Do the folks who pay those electric bills know about this? :lol:

snj Mon Jun 23, 2008 5:16 pm

Wayne S. Johnson wrote: jmsmilin wrote: That is sweet, is this your daily, and whats the range? Gas prices dont phase you huh?

My Electric Bug is my daily driver. The range is 65 miles and I charge it for FREE at several locations.
Where can you get FREE GAS?

Some people charge at work and drive over 100 miles a day. I drive about 15 miles a day (450 miles a month), which cost me $9 for power each month. I charged at the park and Costco today, which saved me about 15 cents off my daily cost of 30 cents.
My Electric Bug has not been in a gas station for the last 29 years.
Here are some additional pictures and information. http://www.evalbum.com/1798

How many years do you get out of batteries? That seems to be the one thing left out of these otherwise seductive statistics. 30 cents a day is nice, but the cost of batteries is a fair chunk of change upfront.



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