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July 2008
The Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association (LVEVA) will meet on the third Saturday of each month during 2008. Meetings will be held at the Clark County Library on 1401 E. Flamingo Road from 10:15 AM to 12:15 PM. Members will be displaying their own electric cars and answering questions before and after the meeting.
Calendar
July 4 Boulder City Damboree Parade
July 19 Monthly Meeting
August 16 Monthly Meeting
September 20 Monthly Meeting
October 18 Monthly Meeting
October 18 Poker Run EV Road Rally
November 15 Monthly Meeting
December 6 Boulder City Christmas Parade
December 20 Monthly Meeting
LVEVA Board of Directors:
Richard Furniss, President
Lloyd Reece, Vice President
Bill Kuehl, Secretary/Treasurer
Al Sawyer, Jan Himber , Al D’Inzillo, Stan Hanel
Newsletter Editors and Contributors:
Richard Furniss, Lloyd Reece, Bill Kuehl, Al Sawyer, P.E.,
Jan Himber, Brent Singleton, Kent Singleton, Stan Hanel
WATTS HAPPENING
is published monthly by the
Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association,
a chapter of the Electric Auto Association
Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association web site
http://www.lveva.org
Electric Auto Association web site
http://www.eaaev.org
Electric Auto Association
Membership Renewals
323 Los Altos Drive
Aptos, CA 95003-5248
Current EVents contact:
At http://www.eaaev.org/eaaboard.html
Ron Freund
Chairman, CE Publication
Address Correspondence to:
LVEVA
2816 W. El Campo Grande Avenue
No. Las Vegas, NV 89031
Call for Information:
Richard Furniss (702) 453-6196
Jan Himber for Al Sawyer (702) 642-4000
Bill Kuehl (702) 636-0304 Stan Hanel (702) 405-0506
Contents:
-- LVEVA Members Participate in Two Local 4th of July Parade Celebrations
-- LVEVA Members Exhibit Lectra Motors Car During Solar NV Meeting
-- Bill Kuehl’s “Saga of An EV Wannabe” (Part 1)
-- Electric Vehicle Switch, Relay, Solenoid and Contactor Technologies
-- Three More Japan Battery Manufacturers to Develop Lithium-Ion Batteries for EVs
-- U.S. Auto Makers Crash and Burn in June 2008! Toyota Prius Most Popular Car on AOL!
-- LVEVA DVD Reference Library
-- EV Repairs and Service
-- EV Conversion and Fabrication Support
-- EVs and EV Parts for Sale
LVEVA Members Participate in Two Local 4th of July Parade Celebrations
LVEVA members participated in two local 4th of July parades during 2008, exhibiting electric car technology in both Boulder City and the Summerlin area of Las Vegas.
Boulder City hosted its 60th Annual Damboree Celebration on Friday, July 4th. More details of the event schedule are shown on the Boulder City government web site at: http://www.bcnv.org/Damboree/
The local Rotary Club sponsored a fund raising pancake breakfast at 7 AM from a booth at 1100 Colorado Street. 40 lbs. of pancake mix served up 900 plates to early risers during the event with help from local political candidates, Jon Porter and Dina Titus. Both candidates will be competing to represent the local U.S. Congressional district during November elections and both were featured with their supporters during the parade. Dina Titus poured pancake syrup for the breakfast participants while incumbent Jon Porter served up sausages amidst jokes about “pork” and politics.
For the last several years, the LVEVA has participated in the Damboree parade that begins at 9 AM on Colorado Street and winds through the city’s downtown area before finishing by 11 AM at Robert Broadbent Veterans Memorial Park between Avenue B and 5th Street.
LVEVA members participating in the parade this year included Pat Aschenbach, his daughter and friend in a GMC Electric Pickup Truck conversion, Dan Trujillo and friend in a Lectra Motors Centauri Electric Car, Bill Kuehl and Amanda Cabillan in a Toyota Prius™ hybrid gasoline/electric car, as well as Lectra Motors founder Al Sawyer and Jan Himber riding in Al’s Toyota Prius™ hybrid gasoline/electric car.
At 11 AM, ceremonies included a flag-raising, singing of the National Anthem, parade awards and speeches by local dignitaries. Midway booths staffed by non-profit groups at the Veterans Memorial Park provided food, drink and games to Damboree visitors. Festivities continued throughout the night with entertainment that included music by local DJs, food, games, water park activities, and a fireworks show that started at 9 PM.
During the same day, LVEVA President Richard Furniss participated in the 14th annual Summerlin region 4th of July Patriotic Parade, located in western Las Vegas. Richard drove a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle on behalf of the Springs Preserve that he helped developed for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) at: http://www.snwa.com
The hydrogen fuel cell project was implemented on a Taylor Dunn electric truck with the research efforts of Professor Robert Boehm and his students from the Howard Hughes School of Engineering at University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV). SNWA mascot “Deputy Drip” rode on the electric truck during the parade.
The parade started at the corner of Hillpointe Road and Hills Center Drive in the Trails Village. Over 60 parade attractions were entered, including one with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman riding on a local firefighters’ rig. Attendance was estimated at 35,000 people. Independence Day festivities in Summerlin included an evening open-air concert by the Las Vegas Philharmonic in the Pavillion at Hills Park that concluded with the 1812 Overture and a fireworks presentation.
“A good time was had by all”!
LVEVA Members Exhibit Lectra Motors Car During Solar NV Meeting
Solar NV, the Southern Nevada chapter of the American Solar Energy Society, met during their monthly meeting on Wednesday evening, June 18th, to view the award-winning documentary “Who Killed The Electric Car”. This group of interested Nevada citizens continues to promote the use of solar power in the state of Nevada since its founding during March 2004 at: http://www.solarnv.org
Local chapter meetings are held on the third Wednesday evening of every month at the Nevada Power corporate headquarters on Sahara Blvd. in the Wengert conference room behind the main office building. The web site for the chapter’s parent organization, the American Solar Energy Society in Boulder, Colorado is: http://www.ases.org
After the documentary was shown, LVEVA Board Members Al Sawyer, Jan Himber, and Lloyd Reece participated in a presentation to the Solar NV chapter that included a history of Lectra Motors. This electric automotive manufacturing company was co-founded by LVEVA Board of Directors member Al Sawyer during the early 1980s, producing over 1,000 full-sized electric cars and trucks at its factory located on Valley View Drive from 1980 to 1983.
LVEVA Vice-President Lloyd Reece brought his 28-year old restoration of a Lectra Motors electric car to display to the audience to help explain the battery-powered electric technology inside. All three LVEVA members answered questions from the audience and were grateful for their warm welcome and attention. Solar NV Secretary Deidre Radford provided Al Sawyer a DVD copy of the documentary. Several members of the Solar NV chapter reciprocated by later attending the monthly meeting of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association on the following Saturday, June 21st at the Flamingo Public Library.
The LVEVA looks forward to continued cooperation with Solar NV in the future as our two volunteer, non-profit organizations seek to help encourage the development of more eco-friendly power and transportation infrastructures within the Las Vegas Valley region.
The Saga of an EV Wannabe (Part 1)
By Bill Kuehl, LVEVA Secretary/Treasurer
Editor’s Note: This month introduces the first of a nine-part series of practical EV conversion tips written by LVEVA Secretary/Treasurer Bill Kuehl, who is also a co-founder and former president of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association. The series recounts some of his thirty years of experiences as part of a small group of pioneers who believed they could convert gasoline vehicles to roadworthy electric battery-powered vehicles. This series of articles was originally published in the LVEVA “Watts Happening” monthly newsletters during 2003. With the recent rise of gasoline prices during the last few months, Bill’s story of his lifelong commitment to enabling EV conversions continues to hold many insights and helpful hints for the “do-it-yourself” EV builder. Bill Kuehl has converted over 200 gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles during the last forty years. He also holds records for ¼-mile electric vehicle drag racing and electric vehicle endurance racing.
Terminology and Definitions: Bill Kuehl starts the first part of his “saga” by using readily available lead-acid (PbA) storage batteries to power his electric vehicle system. These rechargeable chemical storage batteries contain energy as electric power that can be discharged to a load, such as an electric motor, over time. The unit of measurement for the energy capacity of these batteries is “watt-hours” where “watt” defines the amount of electrical power available in terms of potential voltage (“volts”) and electrical current (“amperes” or “amps”) that can be discharged to the electrical load over time (“hours”):
Energy Capacity of storage battery = Power (Watts) * number of discharge hours (h)
where Power = Watts (W) = potential voltage * electrical current = volts (V) * amps (A)
Battery packs with multiple batteries that have sufficient energy storage capacities to provide power to an electric vehicle are measured in thousands of watt-hours or “kilowatt-hours” (kWh). Individual batteries can be connected in series, parallel or series-parallel combinations to provide scalable energy packs that deliver power through different relationships of potential voltage and current to the load. For an electric motor, adding more current by connecting several battery packs in parallel provides more current flow to the motor, also making the armature turn harder (more torque). Higher voltage from multiple batteries connected in a series battery pack pushes electric current to the motor at a faster rate, forcing the motor armature to turn faster under its magnetic field (more speed). Electric vehicle (EV) motor performance specifications are shown on “torque-curve” diagrams that define the relationship between torque and speed of each individual motor as electrical power in the form of voltage and current are applied to it. Units of measurement for torque are “foot-pounds” (ft-lbs.) or “Newton-meters” (Nm). The unit of measurement for electric motor armature speed is denoted as “revolutions per minute” (rpm).
Enough torque must initially being generated by the battery pack and electric motor to overcome the weight of the EV as well as any rolling resistance from the tires and internal mechanical drive train. Scalable electric motors are very good at providing almost instantaneous torque that can move a full-sized electric vehicle from a standing state of inertia into a quick burst of acceleration if enough voltage and current are available.
Once the vehicle starts accelerating, overcoming inertia and rolling resistance, the electric motor itself does not need as much electrical power to keep the electric motor armature turning at higher rates of speed. However, at these higher speeds, all vehicles run into additional wind resistance from the air that will attempt to slow down vehicle speed and overall performance. At each point along the electric motor’s “torque-curve” power specifications, an electric vehicle designer must decide if it is more efficient to increase electric motor speed by providing more current to the electric motor with less voltage or add more voltage to push through less current to the motor at a faster rate of speed. A motor speed “controller” can govern the amount of current and voltage applied to the electric motor throughout this dynamic acceleration range. For best efficiency, an electric motor and its related motor speed controller are designed to perform together with the battery pack source as one inter-related symbiotic package. Expanding the electric vehicle design to also include mechanical gear shifting, in conjunction with an electrical battery pack and the electric motor power train, can provide optimal acceleration performance that rivals or exceeds gasoline-powered vehicles.
Bill Kuehl’s saga of EV conversion, experimentation and discovery begins…
Way back in the 1970s, when the price of gasoline was about 33 cents per gallon, nobody thought much about putting gas in their cars. Then came the OPEC oil embargo in October 1973. Gas prices rose dramatically to around $1.50 per gallon, gasoline supplies became limited, and long gas lines at the pump slowed everyone’s schedule each day for several weeks. Gas station owners tried to work out fair transactions with consumers by only allowing them to pump 10 gallons during each fill-up. Another solution was to use license plate numbers to restrict fill-ups to odd or even days of the calendar week. Sitting in line one day, I began to see a way to drive a car without having to put gas in it all the time.
After I graduated from high school, I had joined the Air Force and was trained to be a Jet Mechanic. At 19, I bought my first car and had to do some work to get it running right. Other guys in my squadron needed help repairing their cars and I soon started gaining a lot of experience. In later years, I became a master mechanic and opened my own automotive repair shop here in Las Vegas.
I knew that I could get a surplus aircraft starter/generator that I could use as a motor to somehow propel a car. I checked around and found one from the Lincoln Surplus Center in Nebraska for $179.95. Now I had to save up the money to buy it. Meanwhile, I also had to get a car that I could use for this project. I checked used car lots, but they wanted too much money. I went to several car auctions and found one that had a blown engine but a good body. I bid on it and got it for $325 – a 1974 Ford Pinto.
As the next couple of months went by, I removed the engine, transmission, and all the other parts that were not needed for my conversion. I cleaned out all the oily gunk on the chassis that was deposited there by the gas engine. During this time, I saved the money to buy the surplus aircraft starter/generator, a GE 2CM77. I ordered it along with a coupling to fit the spline on the motor shaft for total cost of $195.
By now, I had removed the transmission and gotten a two-foot square piece of 1/8-inch thick steel plate that would fit over the front of the transmission housing. I would use this plate to attach the motor and I would also have to figure out how to join the motor shaft to the input shaft of the transmission.
The splined coupling that I got with the motor had two lug ends on it that were ¼-inch wide by ¼-inch high on the far end that was 2 inches across with ¾-inch hole in the center. I took the clutch disc and cut out the center part that fit the input spines on the transmission shaft. I then cut two vertical slots on one side of it to match the motor coupling land ends in order to slide both pieces together, making a connection assembly from the motor shaft to the transmission shaft.
Next, I propped up the transmission on the tail shaft and took measurements from the center of the pilot shaft to each of the outside transmission mounting holes. Then I made a template out of cardboard and measured on it for the position of the hole to be cut out so that the center of the motor shaft could go through and match up to the transmission input shaft.
I cut out the hole and checked to see that it was OK. I then put the template on the steel plate and cut out the hole for the motor shaft to go through. Next, I marked the motor mounting holes on the steel plate installed the bolts to hold the motor to it. Then I placed the motor and plate on top of the transmission and lined up the lugs on the motor coupling to the slots on the input coupling. Turning the motor armature by hand, I checked to see that both the motor shaft and the input shaft were turning straight with each other. I had to move the motor slightly to get the shafts to turn true and then clamped the steel plate to the transmission housing. I then hooked up a 12-volt battery to the motor to spin it around and see if both shafts were running true.
Then I drilled out all the outer transmission mounting holes, installed bolts, lock washers and nuts to secure the steel plate with the motor on it to the transmission. Later, I hoisted the electric motor and transmission assembly and lowered it into the front end of the vehicle. I position the assembly with the transmission going back under the body to be reattached to its original mountin on the chassis cross member.
The front of the assembly was temporarily supported by a length of angle iron from the sides of the frame under the motor. A metal support mount was built on each side of the steel adapter plate so that the original mounting arrangement was used on the frame to hold the motor assembly in alignment, in the same way as the gas engine was originally installed. Two round rubber mounts were used to fasten the metal supports to the cross frame. The angle iron support under the motor was removed allowing the motor to be supported by itself on the adapter plate.
I used four 12-volt starter batteries to power the motor. I got cables and hooked up the four batteries in parallel for 12-volts as a beginning. I put a Ford starter solenoid on the negative cable and also on the positive cable. I put an on/off switch in the dash to turn the solenoids on and off at the same time. I ran two cables to the motor from each solenoid, connecting the negative battery cable to one motor connection and the positive battery cable to the other motor connection.
I got in the car and, with the transmission in neutral, I turned on the switch and the motor started rotating. I turned off the switch and waited until the motor stopped rotating. I then put the transmission in first gear, turned the switch and the car started moving down the driveway and out on the street getting up to 6 miles per hour. I turned off the switch, pulled the shift lever out of first gear towards second gear and, when the motor rpm came down, pushed the shift lever into second gear. As I turned the switch back on with the motor still spinning slowly and the car still moving, the Ford Pinto accelerated up to 10 miles per hour. I went around the block and back home but knew I had to get it up to a higher speed in order to drive it on the road. I charged up the batteries and then figured out a different battery hook-up.
I left batteries 1 and 2 connected in parallel and batteries 3 and 4 connected in parallel. I installed two more solenoids, one between the negative terminals of the battery bank consisting of batteries 1 and 2 and the battery bank consisting of batteries 3 and 4. I installed the other solenoid between the positive terminals of the battery bank consisting of batteries 1 and 2 and the battery bank consisting of batteries 3 and 4. Next, I installed another solenoid on the negative terminal of the parallel bank of batteries 1 and 2 and put a cable and another solenoid to the positive terminal of battery 3. I also installed another solenoid from the positive terminal of battery 1 to the motor.
I then installed three separate switches to activate the solenoids in different combinations. I used my first switch to turn the solenoids on/off from the positive and negative terminals of the battery banks to the motor. My second switch turned the solenoids on/off between the parallel bank of batteries 1 and 2 and the parallel bank of batteries 3 and 4 to create 12-volts in parallel using all four batteries. The third switch turned on/off the solenoid between the series connection of parallel battery bank 1 and 2 added to parallel battery bank 3 and 4, creating a total of 24 volts from this series-parallel arrangement. Each 24 volt series string only employed two parallel strings, providing twice the voltage but only half the current compared to the 4-battery parallel 12-volt configuration.
To make the motor run, the second switch was turned on first, making all four batteries into a parallel 12-volt configuration for maximum current to the motor that would also enable maximum torque from the motor to the wheels. When the motor was running up to speed, the second switch was turned off and the third switch turned on to connect the batteries in series and provide 24 volts to the motor, decreasing unnecessary torque but increasing the speed of rotation of the motor in order to accelerate the wheels even faster.
When trying this arrangement on the road, I got 6 mph using the 12-volt configuration and 11 mph using the 24-volt configuration in first gear. In second gear, I got 19 mph with the 24-volt configuration. This was still not fast enough to drive the vehicle on the road, so I headed back home and recharged the batteries.
A schematic of the 24-volt series parallel circuit with solenoids and switches is shown below:
Schematic 1 Note: Switch 2 is “On-Off-On” with center position neutral
To enable 24-volt Series-Parallel Circuit:
1. Turn Switch 1 “ON” to energize Solenoid 1
2. Switch 2 latched in 24-volt position to energize coils on Solenoids 2, 3 and 4
My next “series-parallel” design was to increase from 24 volts parallel to 48 volts series (Note: See 48-volt circuit position of Switch 2 in Schematic above and follow-up circuit schematic below). This time, I connected batteries 1 and 2 in series for 24 volts and connected batteries 3 and 4 in series for 24-volts. I put one solenoid between the negative terminals on batteries 2 and 4 and one solenoid between the positive terminals of batteries 1 and 3. I also connected one solenoid between the negative terminal on battery 2 and the positive terminal of battery 3. Another solenoid was connected between the positive terminal of battery1 and the positive terminal of the electric motor. I also retained the solenoids running from the negative and positive terminals of the electric motor to the positive and negative terminals on my battery bank.
I used my first switch to turn on the negative terminal solenoid to the motor. Instead of two switches for 24-volt and 48-volt configurations, I used on switch that could be positioned in two direction with the center position off (ON-OFF-ON). Position the switch in one direction turned on the positive solenoid to the motor along with turning on the two solenoids to parallel the two series banks of battery pair 1 and 2 with battery pair 3 and 4 for a total of 24-volts. Positioning the switch in the other direction turned on the solenoid between the negative terminal of battery 2 and the positive terminal of battery 3 as well as routing the positive terminal of battery 1 to the electric motor positive terminal for a battery series total of 48 volts. A schematic of the 48-volt series circuit with solenoids and switches is shown below:
Schematic 2 showing 48-volt part of combined series-parallel circuit
During operation, the first switch turns on the solenoid connecting the negative terminal of battery 4 to the negative terminal of the motor and stays on all the time. The second switch is positioned in either the 24-volt position or the 48-volt position depending on driving needs.
The following circuit schematic shows how all six solenoids can be used to switch between a 24-volt battery bank configuration and a 48-volt battery bank configuration:
Note: Schematic 3 is a combined overview of the connections for all six solenoids based on the switch hookup shown in schematics 1 and 2
1. Turn Switch 1 “ON” to energize Solenoid 1 and allow current flow to Motor negative “-“ connection while driving.
2. Turn Switch 2 to the “24-volt” position to energize solenoids 2, 3 and 4 while leaving solenoids 5 and 6 “open circuit” for 24-volt operation.
3. Turn Switch 2 to the “48-volt” position to energize solenoids 5 and 6 while leaving solenoids 2, 3, and 4 “open circuit” for 48-volt series operation
To provide some form of instrumentation to monitor my electrical circuit, I bought a voltmeter with a scale that indicated 0 to 50 volts, an amp-meter with a scale indicating 0 to 50 amps, and a shunt resistor with one end connected to the meters and one end connected to battery pack ground (negative terminal). I mounted the meters to the dashboard of the vehicle.
In road testing this configuration, I got 11 mph in first gear at 24 volts and 19 mph at 48 volts. In second gear, I got 25 mph at 24 volts and 36 mph at 48 volts. My road testing with this configuration was short-lived as one solenoid was destroyed on my first attempt. I replaced it but another solenoid burnt out on my next try.
I found out that when the switch was first turned on, the motor drew a very high current of 500 amps but, if the switch was turned off with a high DC current draw, it would cause the contacts to act like an arc welder when the points opened. The high electric current would jump the gap while burning and pitting the surface of the solenoid’s internal electrical contacts. These contacts could also fuse shut over time due to the heating of their surface areas.
Also, three of the four starter batteries lost their charge capacity and were no longer any good. Their internal storage plates and electrolyte chemistry had been damaged by the high current draw. I needed to get some 6-volt deep cycle golf cart batteries that would take a heavy discharge and be able to charge back up again time after time. I found out where to get some rugged 6-volt deep cycle batteries and also got their size specifications in width, length and height. This design change would also increase my battery pack count to eight batteries instead of four as well as add extra weight to the vehicle.
I removed the electric motor and transmission from the 1974 Ford Pinto so I could re-install the clutch assembly into the system. I now needed to be able to disengage the clutch in my next attempt to get the Pinto to drive as an electric car. I had to get an adapter plate built on which to mount the electric motor that would also fit onto the transmission bell housing. Also, a coupling had to be built that would fit the motor shaft and have the flywheel installed on it along with the clutch. While waiting for the adapter plate and coupling to be built, I started constructing my series-parallel controller.
I also built eight new battery supports from 1 ½-inch x 1 ½-inch x 1/8-inch thick angle iron. The first supports were built to hold four 6-volt deep cycle batteries in the front of the Pinto, across the top of the vehicle frame, just behind where the radiator was normally mounted. The next four angle iron supports and batteries would be located in the trunk of the Pinto. After I got the electric motor, clutch, and transmission re-installed back into the car, I purchased the eight 6-volt deep cycle golf cart batteries. I installed four batteries in the front of the vehicle and four batteries in back.
To interconnect the batteries, I had to get fifty feet of 2/0 welding cable, as well as the lugs that could be crimped onto the cable to fit the battery terminal posts. I cut each cable long enough to reach from the positive post on one battery to the negative post on the next battery, and then crimped a cable lug on the ends of each interconnect cable. I also had to figure the lengths of the cable running from the front batteries to the back batteries as well as the lengths running to the electric motor and controller.
I had designed my electric motor drive system to work from either a 24-volt series-parallel battery pack configuration or a 48-volt series-only battery pack configuration. Now I had to build a series-parallel battery system controller that could switch between configurations without damaging mechanical contacts as high amounts of current passed through the electrical motor system. I used two contactors instead of solenoids, each rated at 200 amps with 12-volt operating coils and two diodes with a “Peak Inverse Voltage” (PIV) rating of 400 volts. I controlled the contactors with a two-position foot switch.
The first foot switch position engaged contactor 1, allowing the current to flow to the motor from the front bank of 24-volt batteries and rear bank of 24-volt batteries in the direction regulated by the two diodes. The battery pack was supplying 24 volts from two parallel banks of four batteries each to the motor. The second foot switch position engaged contor 2 with changed the current flow in series from negative to positive on the front 24-volt batteries through the second contactor to the negative terminal on the rear 24-volt battery pack out of the positive terminal on the rear battery pack of the motor, supplying it with a 48-volt series configuration. As the second contactor was engaged, the two diodes were “reverse-biased” and no current flowed through them.
The following circuit schematic illustrates the current flow in this controller that switches between series and parallel battery banks:
Schematic 4
When operating this system, I would put the transmission in first gear with the clutch in, then push on the first foot switch to supply 24 volts tot the motor, let the clutch out, let the motor pull the car up to its highest rpm for that voltage, and then step down to engage the second switch that would supply 48 volts to the motor and let the motor speed up to its highest rpm for that voltage and current draw.
When shifting to second gear, I would hold down my right foot on the foot switches, push the clutch with my left foot, shift up to second gear, let the clutch out and let the motor rpm increase while accelerating the vehicle to its highest rpm and speed for that voltage/current draw. In first gear, the top speed was 25 to 35 miles per hour with a range of about 40 miles. In second gear, the top speed was 45 to 50 miles per hour with a range of 25 miles.
I also monitored the amp-meter on my dashboard while driving. Anytime the motor amperage draw was above 200 amps, and I wanted to slow down or stop, I would first push the clutch in. This would unload the motor, allowing it to increase its rpm and cause the amperage draw to diminish far below 200 amps. I would then release my right foot off the switches, opening the contactors at a point of lower amperage which would also diminish the chances of arcing across the contact points in my contactors so as not to ruin any more of them.
I drove my electric Ford Pinto through the summer and fall of 1980, using a power supply consisting of eight 6-volt batteries for a total of 48 volts. This electrical system served me well on my daily commute back and forth to work from 3:30 PM to midnight, a round trip of 16 miles. However, when the cold winter weather set in one night while I was coming home from work in November, my batteries ran out of current when I was only two miles from home. I had to park by the side of the road for about 15 minutes until the batteries recovered some of their energy. Then I crept along at 10 miles per hour for another mile and the batteries lost energy again. I waited another 15 minutes and stated out again slowly. At that point, the road had a slight down grae and I was able to almost coast all the way home. I drove the last two blocks at 5 miles per hour but could not get up the driveway. I walked into my house, waited 30 minutes, then came out again and finally drove the Ford Pinto up into my driveway.
I hooked up my battery charger, assuming the batteries had not been fully charged the night before. The next day, I checked out my batteries and they indicated that they were fully charged. I went to work that afternoon and the car ran fine. When I got off work at midnight and started driving home, the batteries behaved the same way as the previous night. As before, they lost energy about 2 miles from home. Once again, I had to wait 15 minutes for the battery pack to recover some of its energy so I could drive further down the road. I had to stop two more times before I made it home. Good thing it was on a Friday, as I had to figure out why the batteries were not holding enough charge to get me home so I could return to my commute on Monday.
Then I remembered that a battery does not have as much energy capacity in cold weather. I needed to double my battery capacity. The next morning I went down and purchased eight more 6-volt golf cart batteries. I installed four more in the front and four more in the back. I wired these in parallel with the other batteries to create a 48-volt system with double the current capacity.
On Monday, I went to work at 3:30 PM and got off again at midnight. I drove home with no more stops! HOORAY! I drove this car for 3 ½ years, back and forth to work with a daily range of 16 miles.
Then in 1984, my workplace location changed and I had to double my range, driving 16 miles to work and 16 miles back home. I could not do this with just the 48-volt system in the 1974 Ford Pinto, so I had to think about building another electric vehicle with a longer range…
End of Part One! More fun to come in our next LVEVA newsletter, “The Saga of an EV Wannabe (Part Two)”!...
Electric Vehicle Switch, Relay, Solenoid and Contactor Technologies
by Stan Hanel
Four components that are very important devices for moving electrons around circuits in every electric vehicle are switches, relays, solenoids and contactors. All of these components come in many shapes, sizes, voltage ratings, and current ratings.
Switches
Switches are the most widely used electrical component of all, either connecting or disconnecting two metal contacts that enable or disable the flow of electrons throughout an electrical circuit. When a switch contains only one set of metal contacts, where one contact either “makes” or “breaks” with another contact, it is designated as a “Single Pole, Single Throw” (SPST) switch. The contact “pole” only “throws” in one direction to make or break its connection. Most SPST switches are easy to recognize because they only have two connection lugs attached.
A “Single Pole, Double Throw” (SPDT) switch will have three connections. The center contact pole of this switch can “throw” in two directions. These switches will “make” a connection with one metal contact while at the same time “break” a connection with another metal contact. On many SPDT switches, the center lug is labeled COM for “common pole”, one lug is labeled NC for “Normally Closed” and one lug is labeled NO for “Normally Open”.
Switches can have multiple poles with multiple throws such as “Double Pole, Double Throw” (DPDT). This switch will have six connection lugs. Usually the middle lugs are for the two common poles and the outer lugs correspond to the “Normally Open” and “Normally Closed” contacts for each pole. Both poles are moved in the same direction at the same time the front end of the switch is moved. Scaled up versions of these types of switches can be designated “3-Pole, Double Throw” (3PDT), “4-Pole, Double Throw” (4PDT), etc.
Different switches can also be defined and labeled by their function in making and breaking contacts. Usually the words “On” and “Off” are used to designate make or break contacts in different positions. An SPDT switch can be configured as an “On-On” switch or an “On-Off-On” switch where a third position of the switch is added that is open or unconnected when the pole is placed in its center position.
Switches can also be spring-loaded so that the switch contact makes connection when pressed but breaks connection when released. These are called “Momentary” switches and many manufacturers will use a parentheses symbol ( ) to denote a momentary feature in a switch. An SPDT switch that is denoted “On-Off-(On)” not only has an open center position but has one position where the switch center pole makes contact only when pressed in place by the user. When the switch is released, it springs back to its center open position. The other direction of the switch latches the center pole to the second contact until it is manually moved by the user back to its center position.
There are also many different names for the front end of the switch that also describe its function with regard its shape or user interface. “Toggle”, “Rocker”, “Push-Button”, “Slide”, “Rotary”, “Paddle”, “Knife”, and “Membrane” switches are just a few.
All switches should have voltage and amperage ratings that show the maximum values that the switch can tolerate before breaking down. When selecting a switch, a good engineering “rule of thumb” is to try to allow twice the rating of the switch for the circuit that the switch will be placed in to handle any possible transient current or voltage surges that might accidentally occur.
Relays, Solenoids, and Contactors
Relays, Solenoids, and Contactors function in a similar way as switches but “make” and “break” their electrical contacts by using electro-magnetic coils to open and close these contact connections. Electrons must flow through the wire coil on the front end of the relay, solenoid or contactor to create an electromagnetic field that pulls on an internal metal plate or permanent magnet attached to the pole contact. This pole contact connects or disconnects with other contacts inside these devices to close or open an electrical circuit. The wire coil electromagnet in a relay, solenoid or contactor can be made to operate at many different voltage ratings, using both AC and DC power sources. 12VDC coils will energize and pull in an internal metal plate or permanent magnet at 12 volts DC while 120VAC coils will energize and pull in a metal plate at 120 volts AC. There are also current ratings for each coil that should not be exceeded when energizing the electromagnetic field.
The “contact end” of a relay, solenoid, or contactor often follows the same terminology and conventions as switch terminology. There are “Single Pole, Single Throw” (SPST) as well as multiple pole, multiple throw relays, solenoids, and contactors. The COM, NC and NO terminologies are also used to label the “Common Pole”, Normally Closed” and “Normally Open” connection points located outside the housing of the relay contacts. The contacts of the relay, solenoid or contactor will also have maximum current ratings that should not be exceeded. Excess current flow across the internal contacts while they are making or breaking connection can cause arcing and pitting of the contacts over time. Adding a capacitor across the outside connections points of these contacts can sometimes help prolong their life by absorbing and smoothing some of this excess current flow.
Switches are often used in conjunction with relays, solenoids and contactors as a remote method of changing the direction of much larger electrical current flows that the switch could not normally handle by itself. The switch can be mounted on the dashboard of an electric vehicle and be rated to match the current and voltage characteristics of the input coil of the relay, solenoid or contactor. The coil of each device can then be energized with a relatively small amount of voltage (usually 12 volts) and current from a small auxiliary battery source. Much higher currents and voltages can then be switched through the output contacts of each device to allow current flow from the battery pack to the motor speed controller and to the electric motor.
While relays can handle larger current flows than switches, more rugged solenoids and contactors can handle even larger current flows than relays. Solenoids and contactors with bigger coils and internal contacts are heavy duty “big brothers” to medium-duty relays. Contactors are usually chosen to handle much higher voltage and current flow when the main switch is thrown and high current is routed from an EV battery pack to an electric motor drive train.
Examples of specifications for popular contactors are as follows:
1. Albright Engineering Model SW-200B Main Contactor:
a. Single Pole Single Throw (SPST), Normally Open Contacts
b. 250 Amps continuous, 360 Amps intermittent duty
c. 1500 Amps rupture (contacts)
d. 120 volts DC maximum
e. 12 volts DC coil @ 1.8 Amps = nominal voltage and current to energize coil
f. Dimensions: 5.92 inches Height x 4.00 inches Wide x 3.23 inches Diameter overall
g. Weight: 4 lbs.
h. List price: $130.00
i. Internet Web site for Curtis Albright Contactors: http://www.albright.co.uk
2. Kilovac Corporation model EV-500-4A Sealed High Voltage Main Contactor (BUBBA)
a. Single Pole Single Throw (SPST), Normally Open Contacts
b. Hermetically sealed, case is made from high temperature plastic
c. 600 Amps continuous, 1000 Amps intermittent duty
d. 3300 Amps rupture
e. 320 Volts DC Maximum
f. 12 volt DC coil, 1.5 Amp holding current
g. Contains Coil economizer circuit and internal arc suppression diode
h. Connections are by 2 each #6-32 terminals- 12 volt DC
i. Dimensions: 4.90 inches Height x 3.40 inches Wide x 2.63 inches Diameter overall
j. Weight: 4 lbs
k. List Price: $580.00
l. Internet Web site for CII Technologies, Kilovac Division:
- http://www.kilovac.com or http://www.ciitech.com
- Local sources for switches and relays can be found at neighborhood Radio Shack or Fry’s Electronics consumer electronics stores, as well as at local industrial electronic component supply stores. Solenoids and contactors can be ordered from each manufacturer’s authorized distributor.
Three More Japanese Battery Manufacturers to Develop Lithium Ion Batteries for EVs
In the June 2008 LVEVA “Watts Happening” newsletter, we profiled a partnership between Panasonic, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company and Toyota to develop Lithium Ion batteries for the newly proposed Toyota Prius™ Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles with a goal of preliminary integration by 2010. Three other Japanese battery companies have also announced efforts to partner with worldwide automotive manufacturers to produce EV-scale Lithium Ion battery packs.
In May 2008, Sanyo Electric Company and Volkswagen AG announced that the two companies would be collaborating to develop Lithium-Ion battery technology for Volkswagen vehicles. Sanyo currently has the biggest global market share of lithium-ion batteries used in smaller scale personal computers and mobile phones. The company announced it would spend 80 billion yen ($769 million) over the next seven years for this project, with a goal to begin mass production in 2009.
Production of the battery cells will begin in Sanyo’s Tokushima factory located in western Japan. The first installation of the new Sanyo Lithium-Ion large format automotive battery packs is planned on an Audi AG hybrid vehicle platform by Volkswagen in 2010. By that time, Sanyo hopes to have built a new factory that will produce 15,000 to 20,000 batteries per year with an ultimate goal to reach a manufacturing capacity of 10 million cells a month by 2015. This capacity is projected to provide enough battery supply for 1.7 million cars or about 40% of an estimated 4.5 million hybrid vehicle automotive market projected for development at that time.
At the Geneva Motor Show in March 2008, Volkswagen unveiled its new Golf TDI hybrid concept vehicle that combines a diesel engine and an electric motor for its propulsion system.
In the past, Sanyo has developed experience scaling up battery production and engineering of Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery packs on behalf of the automotive industry. The company provided industrial grade battery packs for hybrid vehicles manufactured by both Ford Motor Company and Honda Motor Company.
Sanyo Electric Company and Matsushita Electric Company are not the only Japanese battery manufacturers planning new joint ventures within the automotive industry. In addition, Japan’s NEC group is partnering with Nissan Motor Company and GS Yuasa Corporation is partnering with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation to mass produce large format Lithium-ion battery packs for their clients over the same time period, as well.
The NEC-Nissan partnership could be significant as Nissan is also partnering with Renault to help implement electric car infrastructure for the nation of Israel under the “Project Better Place” initiative by Shai Agassi. This nationwide government-industry cooperative will seek to establish public EV charging stations throughout the country where electric vehicles manufactured by Nissan and Renault can recharge inexpensively, decreasing that nation’s reliance on petroleum to fuel its vehicles.
U.S. Auto Makers Crash and Burn in June 2008! Toyota Prius Most Popular Car on AOL!
In the LVEVA June 2008 Newsletter, we highlighted an announcement by General Motors about a “sea change” in the U.S. consumer market as the company scrambled to close factories that manufactured trucks and SUVs while trying to ramp up factories that produced fuel-efficient gasoline and hybrid gasoline/electric vehicles. This severe reaction to a sudden drop-off in sales of trucks and SUVs because of rising fuel costs resulted in layoffs of over 8,000 production jobs However, it may have helped General Motors stay competitive in order to restructure during the later half of this year.
Auto sales figures for most major automakers, except Honda Motors, were drastically down during the month of June 2008 compared to the previous year. The overall U.S. consumer market fell 18.3 percent, according to Autodata Corporation and was the worst June sales drop for the industry in 17 years. Total vehicle sales for the month were 1.2 million, about 266,000 less than June 2007. Overall sales for the first half of 2008 compared to 2007 were down 10 percent.
Even Toyota Motor Company was unprepared for this sudden shift in U.S. consumer demand due to the unexpectedly sharp spike in gasoline prices from March through June of this year. The company had not provided its U.S. dealerships with enough Prius™, Corolla™ or Yaris™ fuel-efficient vehicles to meet customer demand, even though the public was searching for them. A recent America Online (AOL) survey in July voted the Toyota Prius™ the most popular sedan during a member survey with the Toyota Camry™ as number four in the same poll. Toyota cited battery shortages as a roadblock that slowed production of Prius vehicles during the 2nd quarter of 2008, but has contracted with Matsushita Electric to open a third Nickel-Metal Hydride battery manufacturing plant in Japan to keep up with hybrid vehicle production. Plant capacity of Corolla and Yaris vehicles were already at maximum during that period. This will push the company to expand factory production plans for its fuel-efficient product line in the future while curtailing production of its heavier truck and SUV product lines. These setbacks caused U.S. sales of Toyota vehicles to decrease by 21 percent during June 2008.
General Motors breathed a sigh of relief as analysts were predicting that Toyota would soon surpass GM sales into the U.S. market for the first time in the company’s history. As such, GM sales were off during June by 18 percent over the previous year but the company still held onto its number one position.
The other two major U.S. automakers were not so fortunate. Ford Motor Company continued to try to ramp up its one Ford Focus™ factory to meet customer demand for fuel efficiency but still relies heavily on truck and SUV sales. F-series truck sales dropped off 41 percent during June and Explorer SUV sales dropped off by more than 50 percent. Overall company sales figures dropped by 28% during June 2008 compared to June 2007.
Chrysler LLC, now a privately held company, showed sales figures dropping by 36 percent in June 2008 compared to June 2007 with car sales dropping by almost 50 percent and truck sales dropping by 30 percent. The company announced a sales promotion in May 2008 to offer a “gasoline credit” to consumers for one year to cap the increased cost of gasoline at $2.99 per gallon. The company would refund the difference in price back to the consumer if they purchased a Chrysler vehicle by July 31st of this year.
Nissan Motor Company in Japan also experienced a sales drop off in the U.S. market of 18 percent.
Only Honda Motors experienced a gain in June 2008, with a sales increase of 1 percent over June 2007. Honda’s product line has always been focused on the production of smaller fuel-efficient vehicles during the history of the company. The Honda Accord™ was the 2nd most popular vehicle in the AOL member survey for 2008 vehicles behind the Toyota Prius™. The Nissan Altima™ was number three. Of the top ten vehicles, Japanese automakers had the top four most popular automobiles with the hybrid Toyota Camry™ also in the number 9 spot. General Motors came in at number 5 with the Chevrolet Malibu™ and at number 8 with the Saturn Aura™. The BMW 335™ was at number 6, Hyundai Elantra™ at number 7, and the Volkswagen Passat™ at number 10. The only other U.S. model that was close on the “top-ten” list was the Chrysler 300™ at number 11. This car was designed and manufactured with the help of German engineers at Daimler-Chrysler, before Chrysler was reorganized into a privately-held corporation.
As recently as March of this year, U.S. automakers once again pushed back requirements by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and its Zero-Emission-Vehicle (ZEV) mandate program to produce less than 2% of automobiles sold in California as totally emissions-free, using cleaner alternative energy resources. This compromise decision by CARB was a culmination of legal battles stretching over 15 years where the automobile industry continuously insisted that states could not regulate their production choices, that only consumers and the marketplace should be the ultimate decision makers. Now that consumers have spoken, the U.S. automakers are two years behind consumer demand for fuel-efficient vehicles, as it will take that long to develop and ramp up production and distribution for the new flexible fuel and sub-compact cars that GM, Ford and Chrysler are designing.
During that time, expect Japan, Korea, Germany, and other worldwide automakers to establish even stronger footholds in the U.S. automotive marketplace by providing fresher solutions to U.S. consumers who are looking for clean, fuel-efficient transportation needs.
LVEVA DVD Reference Library
The LVEVA maintains a growing library of DVD reference videos that are available to its members that can be borrowed for one month at a time. Bill Kuehl, LVEVA Secretary/Treasurer is also the LVEVA video librarian. He can be contacted to pick up and return these videos at each monthly chapter meeting. The current list of videos that are available for a one month rental are:
1. “Who Killed the Elecric Car” Documentary
2. Plug in Partners National Campaign (2006)
3. EAA Silicon Valley CalCars PHEV Technology Overview (2005)
4. Boulder City Christmas Parade Highlights (2006)
5. Convert Your Pickup to Electric (DIY Video by GrassrootsEV)
Note: This video can be copied to viewer’s hard disk to keep!
6. Tom Gage of AC Propulsion speaks at EAA Silicon Valley (2005)
7. Monster Garage EV conversion (Jesse James)
and John Wayland White Zombie Videos (2006)
8. Electric Avenue by George Gladic Fox Valley EAA Chapter 2006.
9. Bruce Katz of Polyplus Battery Company speaks at EAASV (2005)
EV Repairs and Service
Western Petroleum Station
2051 E. Sahara (corner of Eastern Avenue and Sahara)
Las Vegas, NV 89104
Contact: Jim Johnson
Telephone: (702) 457-2675
Web site: http://storefront.dexonline.com/jims-texaco
EV Conversion and Fabrication Support
Rock Monster Motorsports
5225 S. Valley View Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89118
Web site: http://www.rockmonstermotorsports.com
Tel: (702) 255-2700
Fax: (702) 255-2710
Contact: John
EV Parts and Kits for Sale:
GrassrootsEV.com
Las Vegas Office
Address: 5225 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89118
“Electric Vehicles and Everything for Them”
Contact: Jon Hallquist
Tel: (702) 277-7544
Email: jon@grassrootsev.com
Web site: http://www.grassrootsev.com
OKA NEV ZEV Parts and Kits for Sale: www.okaauto.com
OKA NEV ZEV KIT cars in stock now for immediate delivery prices start at $5,000 FOB Las Vegas. We also have 4844 ALLTRAX Controllers(48V 400 A DC for Series motor) in stock (more than we need) $550 list, $375.00 NET.
Contact: Miro Kefurt
OKA AUTO USA : www.okaauto.com
Distributor: MIROX Corporation
5015 W. Sahara Ave. #125-130
Las Vegas, Nevada 89146
USA
Tel: (702) 683-8292
E-mail: okaauto@aol.com
The Free Energy Store
300 West Utah, Suite 101
Las Vegas, NV 89102
Tel: (702) 320-0770
Fax: (702) 320-0270
Web site: http://www.freeenergystore.com
Contact: Russ Lord
Email: russ@freeenergystore.com
For Sale: Chrome "Electric" Emblems for EV's
Mike Chancey - Posted 06/25/00
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Checked: 07/13/03
Chrome "Electric" car emblems, just like the OEM factory lettering. Okay, so you own a beautiful electric vehicle, but does the world know? Show them with these profession quality "ELECTRIC" emblems. Fabricated from weather resistant thermoplastic, these signs feature a bright chrome like finish on the letter faces with a subtle matte black background. They mount easily with the self adhesive HighTack backing. Simply peel off the protective cover, and press the sign into place. Each sign is approximately 1.25" in height and 7" in length. Only $6.00 each or four for $20.00, plus $1.75 shipping and handling per order. Discounts for larger orders available. Send check or money order to:
Mike Chancey, 1700 East 80th Street, Kansas City, MO 64131, or order online.
EVs For Sale:
Electrans 3-wheel Futurista ETV
Range of 55 miles
Top speed of 45 mph.
Department of Transportation (DOT) approval to license this vehicle through the DMV
List price is $13,995
Contact: ElecTrans
Address: 5450 South Cameron #101, Las Vegas, NV 89118
Tel: (702) 889-2146
Web site: www.futurista.biz
For Sale: Electric 1985 Pontiac “Fiero” --Record-Holding Race Car
This 1985 Pontiac “Fiero” Conversion currently holds four National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) Class Records.
1. Class MC/F (Modified Conversion 97-120 volts)
2. Class MC/E (Modified Conversion 121-144 volts)
3. Class MC/D (Modified Conversion 145-168 volts)
4. Class MC/C (Modified Conversion 169-192 volts)
The 1985 Pontiac Fiero has been converted with:
1. A new Netgain Warp-9 Electric DC Motor coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission.
2. A DCP T-REX 1000 Water-cooled Controller with an Input Voltage Range of 96 to 336 Volts
and Motor Current Rating at 1000 Amps.
3. The Battery System is at 192 Volts. The battery pack consists of sixteen 12-volt sealed ODYSSEY PC-680 batteries with the capability of increasing battery pack capacity and voltages to compete in the NEDRA MC/B Class (Modified Conversion 193-240 volts) or to a maximum capacity of 336-volts to compete in the MC/A Class (Modified Conversion 241 volts and higher).
4. Tires are B.F. Goodrich G-Force T/A Drag Radials P215/60 R14 that connect the Electric Motor torque to the road for “no slip” acceleration.
5. Battery Charger is a 120- to 240-volt Variable Transformer with a heavy-duty full bridge rectifier. Additional cables and connectors are installed for Dump Charging from a DC battery pack.
Asking Price: $10,000 or Best Offer.
Contact: William Kuehl
Address: 4504 W. Alexander Road, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89032
Telephone: 702-636-0304
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