I recently bought an unfinished vw beetle electric conversion off craigslist and intend to follow through on a basic, short distance, fair weather, in-town, electric car for my wife. It'll be her birthday present which comes up in mid-May, so i got my work cutout for me. I am an air-cooled vw car restoration enthusiast and do all my own welding, mechanical, body, electrical, hydraulics, etc.
My goal is to put together a quality electric Beetle for as little cost as possible. It needs to go 40mph for 25% of the time, 30mph for 75% of the time, and have a range of 20 miles.
I want the vehicle to be stupid simple. For my non-mechanically inclined wife, I would like to just have a single outlet for the charger and a simple driver/car interface. I do not intend to install a voltmeter or amp meter. I would like to install a range indicator (I saw one for around $50 online somewhere).
My value system is as follows and will dictate my system purchases:
Safety > Durability > Simplicity > Range > Speed > Comfort
I am currently thinking of following through with the EV Wilderness setup of a 72 volt Alltrax 450Amp controller powering an ES-15A Series Motor (40HP peak, 12 HP continuous).
I already have the EV Wilderness VW adapter plate and shaft coupler for the ES-15A motor and also the throttle box and Kilovac EV200 Contactor (these parts came with the beetle).
Any other recommendations or thoughts on controller and/or motor?
I could use help sizing the batteries for my requirements. My general thought is either 9 - 8volt golf cart batteries or 12 -6volt golf cart batteries. Any opinions? Would 9 - 8v batteries cut it for my needs (I had read somewhere that 8v batteries need to be replaced more frequently (less charge cycle life). I had also read that a rule of thumb is about 3 miles/battery for in town driving - which I am sure is an oversimplification)
I also am torn between spending the money for a 72v to 12v converter for 12v accessories or maintaining a separate 12v deep cycle battery (came with the car) with a separate 12v charger (I have an old marine battery charger). Basically the converter option costs a couple hundred bucks, but is simpler to operate. Any major disadvantage to the converter? Better to spend my money elsewhere and stick with the second charger and battery which i already own? - Can I wire both chargers to one plug-in location? Does the 12v charger need to be connected/disconnected from the battery every time the 12v battery is charged?
I have not shopped for 72V battery chargers and am open to suggestions.
I am currently cleaning the body and repairing the floorboards. I have also ordered a front disc brake conversion to help stop the heavy beetle. No power steering, power brakes, AC or heat on VWs, so that part is really easy.
I'll post some pictures tomorrow...
Mark
My goal is to put together a quality electric Beetle for as little cost as possible. It needs to go 40mph for 25% of the time, 30mph for 75% of the time, and have a range of 20 miles.
I want the vehicle to be stupid simple. For my non-mechanically inclined wife, I would like to just have a single outlet for the charger and a simple driver/car interface. I do not intend to install a voltmeter or amp meter. I would like to install a range indicator (I saw one for around $50 online somewhere).
My value system is as follows and will dictate my system purchases:
Safety > Durability > Simplicity > Range > Speed > Comfort
I am currently thinking of following through with the EV Wilderness setup of a 72 volt Alltrax 450Amp controller powering an ES-15A Series Motor (40HP peak, 12 HP continuous).
I already have the EV Wilderness VW adapter plate and shaft coupler for the ES-15A motor and also the throttle box and Kilovac EV200 Contactor (these parts came with the beetle).
Any other recommendations or thoughts on controller and/or motor?
I could use help sizing the batteries for my requirements. My general thought is either 9 - 8volt golf cart batteries or 12 -6volt golf cart batteries. Any opinions? Would 9 - 8v batteries cut it for my needs (I had read somewhere that 8v batteries need to be replaced more frequently (less charge cycle life). I had also read that a rule of thumb is about 3 miles/battery for in town driving - which I am sure is an oversimplification)
I also am torn between spending the money for a 72v to 12v converter for 12v accessories or maintaining a separate 12v deep cycle battery (came with the car) with a separate 12v charger (I have an old marine battery charger). Basically the converter option costs a couple hundred bucks, but is simpler to operate. Any major disadvantage to the converter? Better to spend my money elsewhere and stick with the second charger and battery which i already own? - Can I wire both chargers to one plug-in location? Does the 12v charger need to be connected/disconnected from the battery every time the 12v battery is charged?
I have not shopped for 72V battery chargers and am open to suggestions.
I am currently cleaning the body and repairing the floorboards. I have also ordered a front disc brake conversion to help stop the heavy beetle. No power steering, power brakes, AC or heat on VWs, so that part is really easy.
I'll post some pictures tomorrow...
Mark