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Forum Index : EV's : Electric Car Images
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Tim_the_bloke Senior Member  Joined: 15/11/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 105 |
Some time ago I looked at an electric car which was for sale locally. I took lots of photos as it was prospectively for a family member in WA (the other side of the country) who was returning to Sydney and wanted a car (he is a greenie). At the time I was also playing around with a JavaScript image gallery for my commercial site and used the car images as a test run. The page is still up on my site but not linked to in the menus. Electric Car images I hesitated to share this as it looks like just a link to my commercial unrelated site  , but it was how I shared the images with my family as is relevent to this forum.
Les, who did the electric car conversion did a neat job. His workshop had several other vehicles at various stages of conversion. I was impressed with his work. A manual car without a cluch pedal was a little weird. |
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| VK4AYQ Guru  Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Tim Any specs on the car, range speed etc. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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MacGyver Guru Joined: 12/05/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 1329 |
[Quote=Tim_the_bloke]A manual car without a cluch pedal was a little weird. When I was young and in college, I had a friend who put a VW bug engine and trans-axle into a 30-foot skiff. It worked like a champ. In heavy seas, he ran it in a lower gear and when we had flat waters, he jammed it into 4th and we skipped right along. The "weird" part was he had a clutch and even the driver's seat from the car in the boat. Together, we ran that thing from Newport Beach to Catalina Island and back once (27 miles one-way). I know the song says "26 miles across the sea. Santa Cataline is a waitin' for me." but that's if you leave from San Piedro, north of Newport. My point here is: Would there be any advantage to using a constant-speed motor against a clutched transmission? It doesn't seem weird at all to me; then again, I'm a bit 'different' anyway! . . . . . Mac Nothing difficult is ever easy! Perhaps better stated in the words of Morgan Freeman, "Where there is no struggle, there is no progress!" Copeville, Texas |
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| Tim_the_bloke Senior Member Joined: 15/11/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 105 |
No, I never got specs. It was a little Mazda about 10 years old. I think Les said to expect a safe range of 60km but perhaps he meant 120km round trip. We took it for a ride and it drove very well, accelerated great, in fact it went a lot faster than I would normally drive. As a commuter vehicle it would suit someone who could plug it in at work as well as home. This has made me notice power points in the multi level council car parks near my work and wonder how long I could get away with charging there (I suppose I should not) |
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Downwind Guru Joined: 09/09/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2333 |
Neat job. The 3 pin mains plug in the fuel filler got me, as it is backwards to a standard socket so to use it you would need a cable with male pins on each end which i think is highly dangerous and outright stupid. Unless the car has an inverter and the socket is for mains power out. Pete. Sometimes it just works |
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GWatPE Senior Member Joined: 01/09/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2127 |
Hi Pete, I think these are suicide leads, and I have seen them for home built generator backup connections as well. Not good. Gordon. become more energy aware |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Tim Did he give you any idea as to the cost of doing the conversion, as most of the ones L have asked have quoted prices that would run the car on petrol for 10 years. I have built a electric hybrid car over thirty years ago out of scrounged parts and resurrected batteries and it was a cost effective device as the total cost was under $500 but the ones I see now are a great thing if you are a millionaire not a pensioner. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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| Robb Senior Member Joined: 01/08/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 221 |
If you look close you can see those are male pins sticking out there  You plug your extension lead in there like a caravan.
Like that:  |
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| Downwind Guru Joined: 09/09/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2333 |
I blew to picture up as big as i could get and it still looks like a suicide lead to me. I will take your work that it is not, as it would be the most dumb idea ever if it was the way it appears to be. Cant help wondering how long your extension cord would last plugged into a carpark GPO. The copper value would make it vanish the first day i would expect. Pete. Sometimes it just works |
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| GWatPE Senior Member Joined: 01/09/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2127 |
Hi Tim, I blew the pic up as well to try and see. Still looks like a sockert, but will take your word. I await 3D pics. The photographer and 2 helpers could have leaned to one side to get a better shot. If I had an EV, I would want inductive coupled charging, without any cords, and a 300km range. Gordon. become more energy aware |
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| Tim_the_bloke Senior Member Joined: 15/11/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 105 |
No suicide lead required. Under the petrol cap are three prongs. A normal extension lead is what is attached. Though I like the term suicide lead. I have been tempted to prepare one to connect a generator up to a house circuit during blackouts. But with kids around I resist. Cost: Spend $10K buying a car. Don't get a cheaper (older worn out) one as the conversion is a lot of effort to do on a worn out car. Then Les would charge $8K to $12K for the full conversion depending upon what grade of batteries you select. |
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GreenD88 Senior Member Joined: 19/05/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 104 |
Looks like a male connector in the charging door and a female connector on the extension cord. Licensed Master Plumber / EPA 608 Universal License / 410a Safety Certified / Medical Gas Brazer/Installer |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Tim The overall cost isn't to bad, If it could be kept for ten years with a couple of battery updates it would be an excellent town car, I hope we see more of these conversions in the future as Our drug like dependence on petrol has to be beaten. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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Trev Guru Joined: 15/07/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 639 |
Nothing suicidal about that cord plug in, all legit. Bob, the only way to fix the drug like dependance is make a conscious decision. Trev @ drivebynature.com |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Trev I would dearly like to do a EV and am looking at options at the moment, the cost of a useful size motor is the biggest draw back, I have been looking for a 110 volt out of a crane, about 30 HP, I did have one years ago but didn't go ahead at the time due to lack of a suitable controller, They are a bit heavy but bullet proof, the ones I had where out of a crane I converted to hydraulic drive, it only had resistance controllers which are very inefficient for EV work. My idea is a hybrid with a small diesel motor constant charger running on bio diesel to reduce the battery costs and weight. So at the moment In stuck with petrol. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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