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Porsche 944 conversion DC/LiFePO4

79K views 95 replies 29 participants last post by  Yabert 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, I signed up here a couple years ago, and this is my first post, but really it's the first time I have something to share with the community. After reading thread after thread, toying with a budget, trying to come up with the perfect donor car my conversion is about to begin.

I've decided on a 1986 Porsche 944.
It could use a little bit of body work, but it drives and handles amazingly well (for a gas car!).

The conversion will start as soon as the gas tank is empty, but it will probably be a slow road just like many of the builds I've read about.
I've gone back and forth trying to decide on motors/controllers and batteries (batteries being one of the hardest).

But I think I've almost narrowed it down to a realistic parts list:
Warp9 motor. nothing different, nothing new, but it should do what I want, I was very close to choosing the 192V Kostov 11 over this, however a ~15xV pack is more practical and cost effective.
Warp Drive 160V 1000A or 1200A controller. this controller is fairly new, it was a tight race between this and the Soliton1, however with the real world power that I will be able to get out of the batteries the Soliton1 is a very sexy but over budget/overkill solution.
Thundersky LiFePO4 160AH or 200AH 48 cell pack I was really hoping for CALB 180AH cells, to have a little more continuous current 720A vs 480/600 for either of the TS solutions but Randy at CANEV has a pretty damn good price on the TS cells and that will most likely make the decision for me.

If you made it this far I'm sorry my component choices are somewhat average or mainstream but it's hard to beat what seems to work, I would have loved to go AC or use a pair of motors but reality wins and this is most likely what will end up in my first EV.

With the "big 3" decided, there's only the small things to worry about,
Heater (ya I'm up in Canada, this isn't optional) I've ordered a fluid heater for testing. I would rather not hack up the dash to put in a ceramic heater in.
Air conditioning, it came with the car, it's going to stay with the car, however it will be powered by a dedicated motor because it won't be used that often, so the only penalty is the weight I carry around the rest of the year. To power it I'm looking at "re-using" the stock alternator and doing something like this: http://www.alternatorconversions.com/ the alternative is a treadmill style motor.
DC/DC converter well as my name might imply audio is important, so I will most likely run dual dc/dc converters plus the stock battery. The 2nd dc/dc converter will allow me to have a completely isolated power system for the stereo. Both will be made from common 75-150watt brick style dc/dc converters in modules that give me the peak currents that I'm looking for. Most likely 45A for the stock electrical and 80A for the stereo.
BMS after looking at tons and tons of systems, most of them very expensive, while they may be good I see the BMS as an insurance policy for your pack, something necessary but affordable. Well that leaves only one, MiniBMS! dimitri expect an order in the spring :) I will be doing some of my own guages, so I already need to run a wire from each cell to a 48 channel volt meter, so the centralized MiniBMS should be easy to install at the same time.
Vacuum my step dad is a VW mechanic, and I've read that some VW's have or had electric vacuum pumps, I'll have to double check this and ask for his recommendation.
Power Steering this is the one weak link in the Porsche, it leaks, and when it leaks it destroys the ball joints. I have a feeling that mine leaks already, so it's either going to need new seals at the very least along with an MR2 pump or similar to power it. OR I will try to compare this with the cost of swapping out for a manual rack out of an older 944. I may have to test drive a car with the manual rack and see if I like it, the 944 with power steering is still a lot "heavier" than my Infiniti G35.
Adapter/Coupler I have a small CNC machine so the adapter plate(s) shouldn't be to hard, the coupler on the other hand might be a little trickier since I don't have a lathe. It will retain the clutch though, and probably be similar to a VW conversion on here that used a taperlock pulley setup from Grainger. (I appologize I forgot this members screen name)

That's it for now, I think I've addressed the main requirements. If anyone out there has tips/recommendations/advise I would be happy to hear it. I have lots of automotive experience, as well as electrical but this will be something new for me. I hope the journey is as rewarding as the outcome.








Needs some work, but not bad, and the interior is mint!

 
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#54 · (Edited)
rwaudio, here is your countryman from Winnipeg.
I've got a 944 '87 3 speed auto ready for conversion. Car is not, it's in perfect condition but I am ready. It's an automatic and not very popular for conversions.
What I found so far is that this transmission needs less than 400 rpm to keep good valving pressure.
The stall speed is 2800 rpm which will allow higher motor rpm. Also the position "2" will keep it from shifting into 3rd gear (equivalent to 4th manual) so it is like using 2nd and 3rd in manual. Throttle would need to be adjusted to 300-400 rmp idle and beside that only con for this conversion i see would be maybe 20% loss on hydraulic efficiency. It would provide convenience of automatic for my wife as this is her car which mostly I drive especially in winter.

I am so convinced it would work regardless of what anybody else may say.
So this is not why I am posting this.

I have seen all your work before I found this forum and I would love to hear your opinion on this:
Looking at the picture of your 944 rear floor open and the fuel tank removed I can't help but picture two 6-7" AC motors facing one each wheel, connected to drive axles direct. No dif. AC reversible gearhead motors, single brake recovery controller driving both in parallel providing limited slip dif efect.

I am sure this crossed your mind more than once. Your opinion on this is much appreciated. Would it be even legal?

P.S. I love your SENSORS--->BLUETOOTH--->7" ANDROID TABLET" instrument cluster idea.

Branko
 
#55 ·
rwaudio, here is your countryman from Winnipeg.
I've got a 944 '87 3 speed auto ready for conversion. Car is not it's in perfect condition but I am ready. It's automatic and not very popular for conversions.
What I found so far is that this transmission needs less than 400 rpm to keep the fluid flood the torque converter and valving and it's ready to go.
The stall speed is 2800 rpm which will allow higher motor rpm. Also the position "2" will keep it from shifting into 3rd gear (equivalent to 4th manual) so it is like using 2nd and 3rd in manual. Throttle would need to be adjusted to 300-400 rmp idle and beside that only con for this conversion i see would be maybe 20% loss on hydraulic efficiency. It would provide convenience of automatic for my wife as this is her car which mostly I drive especially in winter.

I am so convinced it would work regardless of what anybody else may say.
So this is not why I am posting this.

I have seen all your work before I found this forum and I would love to hear your opinion on this:
Looking at the picture of your 944 rear floor open and the fuel tank removed I can't help but picture two 6-7" AC motors facing one each wheel, connected to drive axles direct. No dif. AC reversible gearhead motors, single brake recovery controller driving both in parallel providing limited slip dif efect.

I am sure this crossed your mind more than once. Your opinion on this is much appreciated. Would it be even legal?

P.S. I love your SENSORS--->BLUETOOTH--->7" ANDROID TABLET" instrument cluster idea.

Branko
Welcome to the forum, good choice of donor.

When I was calculating my gear ratio's I stumbled across the auto ratio's and I don't think it's a bad choice at all. Like you said 1st and 2nd in the auto should be similar to what I get using 2nd and 3rd and you have the option of 3rd in the auto if cruising at higher speeds. I would recommend a controller like the Soliton1/Jr since it already has what you need to control the idle and it works very well.

If you were to remove the tranny all together there is a lot of room back there once the gas tank is out. A dual AC setup with the right gear reduction would fit and probably work well, but once you had a pair of AC motors and controllers you could probably do a DC conversion with 3x the power or 2x the range.

Given my experience with the car I would suggest keeping the auto and doing a simple conversion like mine (of course I would because that's how I did it)....

I think you would either need deep pockets or cheap access to a CNC machine shop to make the dual AC set up worthwhile. I've drooled over Mate Rimac's configuration with the controllers/motors/transmissions in a sweet package, bolt that up to some modified CV's in a 944 and you are off and running.

I can't take credit for the Sensors/Bluetooth/Tablet idea, the hardware and idea come from a few people on here, I did want something like this when I started, but don't have the software skills to do it myself. Luckily EMW is filling that void for a fair price.

Do you have range and performance expectations? That can help narrow the choices on what would work best for you.
Good luck with the conversion.
 

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#56 ·
Thanks for replying to my message.
I will check out Mate Rimac's system. We have few CNC mills and lathes where I work so that would not be a problem. The problem is that I like simple solutions which is how you did it.
As for expectations, I don't have special expectations. Anything is I think better than 2.5 N/A automatic. So much noise for so little power by today's standards. At least the conversion would be quiet.
I don't think I went for more than 50 km in a day in 4 years with 944 as a daily driver.
For sure I would need Warp 11 or double 9 as I still have power steering pump to run. This could get swapped to manual later if it becomes trouble. It is drivable without the steering pump running. It's hard but it's possible to test the efficiency with and without power steering.
A/C is also not necessary. I could keep it there ready to go without the belt and slip the belt on for those one or two weeks max each summer when it helps.
Heat in winter is as you know a problem. Not as much for feeling cold as much as for keeping fog off the windows.
I need to spend some more time researching battery charger and dc-dc converter for 12V system and will start soon putting together bill of materials for the project.
Branko
 
#57 ·
I would agree with the simple system as being potentially better. Since your range requirement is modest you could get away with a 200-300v pack of A123 20ah pouches in a 3P (~56-58Ah) configuration. If going with 200v then a regular warp 11 would work, if 300v then a warp11HV. In either case I would recommend the Soliton1.

I don't think you could do a pair of 9's end to end unless you highly modified the torque tube to get one of the motors as far into the tunnel as possible. Even then I doubt you could run any accessories off the tail shaft as there wouldn't be room. I can say that an 11HV does fit nicely though!

Decide on your battery pack first, then find a charger/dc/dc converter that will work with it.
EMW has a nice charger kit (or finished) for a good price.
There are a number of power supplies that will work as a dc/dc converter.
IE a few of the Mean Well ones, including the one I modified for dual voltage.
 
#58 ·
Here is an old 944 conversion with two 9's belted together.

http://www.jstraubel.com/944EV/EVproject.htm

What is space/weight of Headways vs A123's? Did you switch to A123 cell for better design reasons or because you came across the cheap stash of pouches.
Headways seem very elegant when packaged with spacing for air circulation for even heating/cooling. A low temperature self-limiting heat trace cable could run in between cells.
 
#59 ·
That's actually a pair of 8's belted together, I'm not saying a pair of 9's is impossible but I don't see how it could be done easily.

I went with the a123's for one reason only, high power output with the lowest voltage sag of any cell I tested. The headways are easier to work with, but the a123's are more compact lighter and higher power.
 
#61 ·
That's interesting, too bad they don't have more pictures. From the picture they do show they aren't stacked like JB's 8" motors. They mention being connected tailshaft to input shaft with a chain, does that mean one motor is offset to one side and in front of the other??

If someone wanted a pair of 9's I would look at the prejoined Kostov motors that are available, first of all they are cheaper than two single motors and already joined, along with being potentially shorter and massively cheaper than two motors custom joined.

This would put the tailshaft of the front motor (if it has one) just behind the front bumper, this would make it virtually impossible to accessories unless you got really lucky with the final placement.

For reference a clutchless 11HV moves the accessories back about 3-4" from the stock location on the gas engine. A/C lines are long enough to work without modification, I'm not sure if the P/S would still work if used since mine went away.
 
#62 ·
With HV motors available I don't see much reason to use two motors. Except you get two internal fans working. It should have benefits on low speed.
123's should be easier to use with tabs then what you had to do with the tabless.

The 944 from rochesterricer's link is a masive $$$ conversion. I still don't know how he seats 4 adults.
 
#63 ·
I haven't been updating this thread much, so to get myself back in the habit here are the results of all of my measuring work to group the A123 cells.

In my testing I came up with an average capacity with a 2C discharge to 2.25v of 18.666....Ah this gives me a 3P average of 56Ah, so I grouped the cells accordingly within 0.01Ah.

I've been assembling modules finally and put one of them to the test to see if all of this work is actually worthwhile, it seems to work pretty well so far!

The cells were essentially top balanced, as each cell group was charged individually to 3.65v with a c/20 termination. The pack as a whole was then cycled once, recharged to see if it remained in balance then discharged.

The discharge graph of the four cells as produced by the PL6 is attached.

At a 40A discharge ~0.71C I recorded a pack capacity of 57.488Ah for module 3, the true test is if all 24 modules come in at +/- 0.1Ah then all of this will be worthwhile.
 

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#64 ·
First test fit of the tablet running EMW EV Dashboard.

This is one of those things where I got lucky, I knew the size was just about right when I bought the tablet, but it's absolutely perfect! The screen is 100% visible in any gear but 3rd (and 1st but I won't be using that anyway) and in 3rd the shifter only covers the bottom right corner so I will make the lower right gauge a less frequently monitored one.

The tablet is at a nice distance and angle and should be within reach for easy use, at first I thought a larger tablet would be nice but this actually fits the space very well and since the seating position is quite close the small tablet looks to be the perfect size.

I did have to remove the back cover of the tablet and move the dock connector and audio output jack so they can actually be used, but it fits nice and hopefully it's a good angle where glare won't be too big an issue in everyday use. I have an anti-glare screen protector to go on so that should help as well.
 

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#68 ·
I don't update this thread that often, but I've made quite a bit of progress, I'm driving the car now, with no instrumentation so I keep it to about 50% of my theoretical range or less just to be safe. I have just under 1/2 the final pack in the car which is 145v/57Ah worth of A123's.

I took the car down to get weighed to compare the current weight to my theoretical (but mostly measured) calculations.
Current weight:
Front = 560Kg (46.3%)
Rear = 650Kg (53.7%)
Total = 1210Kg (2662lbs)
My spreadsheet says I should be at 2660lbs based on the size of the battery pack installed. So I'm dead on with the weight, but I'm a bit off on the front/rear distribution. To keep complex calculations out I added and subtracted weight from the front/rear with the assumption that what I put back was in basically the same place as where I removed it from, this is obviously slightly off. The 11HV's center of gravity is significantly further back than the stock ICE with accessories was. The battery box is also further back than the gas tank was.



I had expected my final weight distribution to be around the ratio I'm currently at, I don't have a significant amount of weight to add to the front, some fans for the AC, the heater's and pump, a heat shield between the motor/controller, but I still have ~165lbs of batteries to go in the back, plus a slightly heavier charger.



This gives me a theoretical final F/R weight balance of 43.5/56.5, definitely not horrible especially for a rwd car but I might look at bringing some weight forward. The driving position does not affect the ratio as it was exactly the same with me in the car. I'm on track for a finished curb weight of ~2800lbs, the 12v lead acid still needs to come out and I need to add 165lbs of batteries plus a few other small things.



I'm not doing too bad though since the stock curb weight was right around 2790lbs but with a 50.7% front/49.3% rear weight distribution. (when finished I will have double the HP and torque of the 944 I started with) In real driving the torque from the 11HV makes an insane difference, 1st gear with the NA engine and turbo tranny was a bit too tall, with the 11HV 2nd gear is almost ideal at 1000A.

I also installed the 20A receptacle in the fuel filler that I will use until I get 240v in the garage, then I will likely switch to a J1772 connector.



 
#70 ·
The front is actually pretty empty, however for wiring and temperature issues I don't want to split up the pack. I may move the charger to the front but I'd have to weatherproof it or put it in a suitable "box" that still allows me to air cool it.

I'm still not as heavy on the back as a 911 though, I'm sure if I took it to a shop that was familiar with both 944's and 911's they could set up the suspension for a rear heavy 944.
 
#72 ·
Thanks Bruce, I've been driving the car all week and it's just awesome! Gave a few co-workers an EV grin as well. I normally drive an '07 Infiniti G35 and although it has tons of power (306) and a decent amount of torque (~275) the auto is always in the wrong gear and it typically has to shift down 2 gears for anything to happen, it's annoying. In the Porsche I use 2nd or 3rd so I'm always in a gear with useful torque and so much of it. The driving experience is so much better.
 
#73 ·
A bit of data/experience for other 944 converters or others using the 11HV in a non-race car type conversion.

3rd gear has become my normal driving gear, I start in 3rd which is a 4.725:1 overall ratio, using the Soliton1 (motor/battery current set at 1000A).
There is plenty of torque off the line and acceleration is better than a stock 944, (especially since I reach 100km/h ~60mph without shifting) there is no tire squeal or noise I just surge away from all the other cars.
The car cruises beautifully anywhere between 50-100km/h in 3rd and I never have to shift. (max speed limit on my new commute is 80km/h)

The biggest difference I've found between the 944 @ 130hp/300ft lbs and the Infiniti @ 306hp/275ft lbs is that the power/torque is actually in a usable place with the 944, it's fun, it's accessible and I don't have to rev to 7500rpm
just to use the power band.

This is all with 145lbs or $2640 worth of batteries. Just like Jack R. said, with this type of set up there really isn't much reason to go lead acid.

If the NA transmission can stand up to the torque I believe that 3rd gear would be the perfect starting gear when using a 1000A controller, with a 5.670:1 overall ratio it would be about half way between my 2nd and 3rd gears. With a 1200 or 1400A controller I believe that my 3rd gear 4.725:1 would be perfect.

This should only get better as I increase the voltage of the battery pack (currently only 44S ~145v) but it's been an incredibly enjoyable 370km so far.
 
#74 ·
Thanks for the feedback - it would seem to be a common theme that an EV really only needs two gears and reverse if you have a decent setup.

Will be interesting to see how your car goes when your battery pack is completed.
When are you finding the torque dropping off at the moment - around 80 kmph?

Any idea on your current 0-100 time?

Cheers
 
#76 ·
I guess you are currently configured at 44S3P. That means pulling 1000A is more than 16C.

Do you have concerns about heat and/or lifetime? And will you still have concerns if you double the battery pack?

Do you limit the Soliton differently in normal vs. "sport" usage? In my car (old 1200A Raptor controller (x2)), when it was running, it was hard for me to keep acceleration gentle enough to only draw 600A or less, and yet accelerate like an ICE car.

Where did you get these cells for $20/each?
 
#80 ·
16C is well within the peak limits of these cells, heat does not seem to be a problem. When I double the pack it will be 96S3P so the load on the cells will not go down, the power will simply go up. (all depending on how I drive of course) I don't have any limits on the Soliton1 yet, I will be doing some sort of valet switch that will do that in the future. I can easily drive keeping the battery current below 300-400A but it's more fun with short bursts in the 800+ range.

The cells are from China, they are the short tab A123's. Landed cost including shipping/duty/tax was $20/cell. They are working well so far.

Try " Car Performance" free version
Thanks I'll give that a try!

Any chance we could get a video of the acceleration?, some data on your 0-60 would be nice to see (as you mentioned).
I tried to take a video however my little canon doesn't do well with the glare, I'll give it another try under more forgiving lighting conditions.

Based on a Soliton1 log file and some calculations using that, during this mornings commute I used up 23Ah (3.258Kwh) over a distance of 16.2km for an average wh/mile of 321.8 which isn't bad based on my rather lead foot. I was in no way trying to conserve energy, it was a very enjoyable drive!

Car needs a wheel alignment still and it's running on some 40psi staggered wheels 8" rear, 7" front, I can't remember the tire size I'll update it later.

Excel sheet attached, headings in Italics are calculated values, temperature was ok, the Soliton1 is currently air cooled.

the Excel sheet won't attach in a zip, I'll host it on my site and link later.
 
#82 ·
Great job RW!! It's so cool to hear that your 944 is on the road and driving regularly.

Thank you for posting your gear preference and ratio. This is very promising news, as my 4.86:1 first gear is quite similar.

It may not be of much use to you now, but I came across a great page regarding corner balancing and weight distribution for 944 spec racing. http://www.944spec.org/944SPEC/technical-articles/171-corner-balancing
 
#83 ·
I finally had the chance to do a 0-60mph run, I was at around 60% SOC, batteries were at ambient (25C I hadn't driven the car for a couple hours), tires were cold so I launched gently before getting on the throttle. In those conditions I recorded a 5.0 second 0-60 time which is simply awesome in my eyes. With a full charge, a warm pack, and warm tires and a more aggressive launch I shouldn't have a problem getting into the 4.7 - 4.8 second range, maybe even lower since I'm adding 9 more cells shortly.

Currently I have 92 cells (74 CALB CA 60's and a block of 18S4P A123 pouches) motor current at 1000A, battery current at 750A, slew rate at 2500A/s. I have no idea what the pack sagged to or anything like that. It was in 2nd gear, no shifting.

For reference a stock '86 944 will apparently do 0-60 in 8.8 seconds.
 
#89 ·
That was 2nd gear all the way, I'd have to add a second or two if a shift was required, clutchless shifting is easy and smooth, but not fast.
The overall gear ratio is 6.949:1 and I hit 60mph at 5600rpm, I have the Soliton set to cut off at 6000rpm. I'm pretty sure I only have 225

Very impressive!

The best thing we can do to convince the rest of the world to go electric is to burn some rubber :)
I agree, I'll have to see what the car does under ideal conditions, if I was able to get down to 4.4 seconds I would have cut the 0-60 time in HALF.... that would mean something to the ice guys!

Nice! I'm impressed you could pull that much current from 60 AHr batteries.
These CALB CA's seem to do very well, they aren't quite A123's but I'm pretty happy with them so far. My continuous current is between 0.5 and 1C, so 5 second bursts once in awhile will hopefully not significantly affect their life span.

One day I may try a single 0-60 run at 1000 battery amps and see what happens. I have new suspension on the way and 9 more cells to install, I won't try it until all of that is sorted out.
 
#90 ·
As always with this thread it's way too long between updates.

So what's new?
Everything? That should about cover it.

What's the same might be a better question.
The heater is the same, ya same heater!

Technically the CALB's are also still the same, however they are scheduled to be swapped out as well.

Like many others on the forum, I found a Chevy Volt battery pack for a very good price, it's from a 2012 and at $1200 it's pretty hard to say no. (Ya I know, lower potential cycle life than my CALB's)

The Volt pack is the exact same capacity as my CALB pack, however it's at a voltage that should work better with my DMOC645 and Siemens motor.

Ya those haven't been mentioned in this thread before either. The car is now sporting the Azure Dynamics drive system with the DMOC 645 inverter and Siemens 1PV5135 motor.

What else is new?
The charger, now a Brusa NLG513 (with a 2nd one waiting to be installed)
The DC/DC converter, now a TDK which I believe also came from the Azure system. Water cooled and OEM quality.
Vacuum pump, while technically not installed yet I have the Azure version as well.
Wolftronix DMOC Adapter, similar to the GEVCU it connects to the throttle and all that and sends the CAN messages to the DMOC to drive the car.

While I need more data the early thoughts on AC vs DC (Siemens vs Warp), the Warp 11HV was a raw torque monster, I'd liken it to an American V8. The Siemens is much smoother and more refined, quieter and pleasant for a daily driver, more like a German straight 6. I'll admit I do miss some of the power, but the silky smooth acceleration along with regenerative braking won me over for a daily driver.

If I was building something for autocross/drag racing or similar, it would be the 11HV without a doubt, but if you want to drive it every day with spirited but not fast driving, being stuck in traffic and daily life hands down the AC motor wins.

I'll update the various different changes in more detail as I take appropriate photo's and describe the before and after.
 

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#91 · (Edited)
I was not aware of the Wolftronix adapter. (Actually, after searching some threads, it seems I was aware of it, but completely forgot about it :eek: ) Nice to know there is a non Jack Rickard option :D How do you like the unit?

Do you have 0-60 time comparisons between the Warp and the Siemens setups?
 
#92 ·
I was not aware of the Wolftronix adapter. Nice to know there is a non Jack Rickard option :D How do you like the unit?

Do you have 0-60 time comparisons between the Warp and the Siemens setups?
I love the Wolftronix unit, I'm the first beta tester, and 2nd unit in a vehicle so we are working through some bugs and other small things, however in the near future I should be able to make a fair 0-60 comparison.

My current dashboard is attached, and works very very well.

The Wolftronix has all the same capabilities of the GEVCU but in a smaller and more controlled ecosystem meaning tested firmware will work, there will be less firmware vs hardware issues and generational incompatibility. The other side of it is slower development and much lower future compatibility with things like the Brusa/Scott drive/Rinehart and other brands of inverter, etc.
 

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#93 ·
Early impressions and information about the Chevy Volt battery:

The build quality and system design are impressive. Disassembly is easy for one person using very basic tools.

Some of the included "extras" one might not consider:

The front block (if not damaged due to front end collision) has a pair of Panasonic 120A 400V relays (AEV14012). good for main contactors.

There are a trio of Panasonic 10A 400V relays (AEV31012) which are good for precharge and accessory switching, heater/dc-dc/precharge etc. These are PCB mount, not screw/terminal mount so not as easy to work with.

Precharge resistor, pair of series resistors making a 25ohm high power resistor.

Fluid heater, 68ohm resistive heater on the main input (one side may be difficult to connect to, it's the weird connector you see at the input, but the other is the 0.75" barb used in the rest of the pack)
This translates to about 1300-2300 watts at 300-400v respectively, or 1850 watts at nominal pack voltage.

There are a couple of quality 600v 15A fuses (KLM-15), the holder is likely too difficult to reuse, but these are the fuses you should have protecting HV accessories!

If you plan to use this pack in it's high voltage configuration these parts are a very usable freebie that adds to the already exceptional value of this pack going into a conversion.

The BMS appears to be of good quality and design, however making it work might be the most difficult aspect of the Volt battery. I plan to try and implement the low and high voltage flag that others have talked about. Getting voltage and temperature would be nice but I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
#95 ·
The data I have so far doesn't portray a fair transition. The first firmware version of my DMOC controller had me hard wired in Econo mode. I was only able to use a little over half power. It was a good experience though, other than complaining that I don't have full torque the car was still nice to drive and perfectly acceptable in traffic, no issues with top speed or anything. So I will configure an "econo" switch that gives me 3 settings, Econo/Normal/Sport which should help me extend my range when desired.

Everyday driving with the Warp was 300wh/mile (3000lb car), conservative driving was 275wh/mile. Aggressive driving was 325-350wh/mile easily.

Forced Econo mode with the Siemens was 235wh/mile in basically the same to/from work drive without regen. With regen it dropped to about 210-215wh/mile. I now have a portion of full power back, so usage is up to about 240wh/mile with more power and regen. When I get full power available I'm guessing conservatively at 250-270wh/mile. But the key is knowing the car is capable of low 200's in mixed driving if I'm very gentle with the throttle.

Because of the fairly low energy usage the heater seems to take a larger portion of the total. I'm still working out the settings to get enough heat without being wasteful but the increase in wh/mile is very significant. Lowest run with heat is 300wh/mile, but more typically 320+wh/mile. That's not horrible, but it's not really cold yet, and almost 1/3 of my energy use goes to heat. I expect that to increase as the temps decrease.

In short with the AC driving experience if I end up at 250wh/mile for normal driving I'll be exceptionally happy. Even 350wh/mile with comfortable heat will be better than my estimates.
 
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