1986 Honda all electric conversion

[spencer rifle]

This car stripped out the camshaft sprocket in 1994. I had never rebuilt an engine at that time, and was thinking of junking it, since it was burning a quart of oil a week before that. Our family decided to try something else and keep it out of the waste stream.

I now drive it to work every day, and do lots of short trips around town - store, school, post office, etc. It took more money that anticipated, but I am not an electrical engineer, and had a lot to learn. I started this project before there was an internet, so I had a lot of reading and phone calls to do. Now that it is done, it gives almost no trouble and requires almost no maintenance. If we stop at a gas station, it is just to fill the tires.

Details here:
DIY Electric Car Garage - show

 

[printcraft]

Very interesting!

 

[Deadly Z Driver]

I have wanted to do this for a while. I lack the funds to do so... I was supposed to get motor and controller for free from work, I am a forklift technician and we scrapped an old lift and stripped it down I was told I would get them but I don't know what happened...

 

[Gabriel]

I forgot that Honda also makes cars.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Sweet deal!

I've been an EV fan since before I could drive.

How much did the LiFePO4 pack run you? And what is the kW rating on the pack? Oh, BTW, I see the bat sticker

 

[Hotdoger]

This car stripped out the camshaft sprocket in 1994. I had never rebuilt an engine at that time, and was thinking of junking it, since it was burning a quart of oil a week before that. Our family decided to try something else and keep it out of the waste stream.

I now drive it to work every day, and do lots of short trips around town - store, school, post office, etc. It took more money that anticipated, but I am not an electrical engineer, and had a lot to learn. I started this project before there was an internet, so I had a lot of reading and phone calls to do. Now that it is done, it gives almost no trouble and requires almost no maintenance. If we stop at a gas station, it is just to fill the tires.

Details here:
DIY Electric Car Garage - show

Thanks!!!!!

I see batteries in the back and front?

What motor did you use and how did you hook it up?

 

[Hotdoger]

Sweet deal!

I've been an EV fan since before I could drive.

How much did the LiFePO4 pack run you? And what is the kW rating on the pack? Oh, BTW, I see the bat sticker

I thought of you when I asked spencer rifle to make a thread about his car. I knew you would like it!

 

[Leo]

outstanding work, great job!

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

I could do well with something like that; I drive about 1.3 miles to work, and there's a grocery, pharmacy, bank etc on the way. Good on ya for DIY

 

[spencer rifle]

Sweet deal!

I've been an EV fan since before I could drive.

How much did the LiFePO4 pack run you? And what is the kW rating on the pack? Oh, BTW, I see the bat sticker

Entire LiFePO pack was about $4000 including duty and shipping (drop shipped by truck). KW rating is 43. Bat sticker is because I still go caving (NSS member).

Thanks!!!!!

I see batteries in the back and front?

What motor did you use and how did you hook it up?

Cells under the hood above the motor and in back where the spare tire/gas tank used to be. Advance DC series 8" motor, 20 hp peak through a Curtis PMC 1221 controller. There is an aluminum adapter plate between the motor and transmission. It still uses the original 6 speed transmission, but I took out the 4WD shaft to save weight. I would do things differently now, but I got all this equipment from ElectroAutomotive in 1995, so that is what I used.

 

[steveh_131]

I am curious about the cost effectiveness of this.

Have you calculated a cost per mile to drive this vehicle based on your electric bill?

 

[spencer rifle]

It is rather difficult, since we don't notice any significant difference in our electric bill. We just plug it into a 115V 20A outlet for about 6 hours and it's charged. Might cost $1 per charge? And we only need to charge it maybe twice a week.

 

[Delmar]

I would be very interested in a plug in electric if there was a way to get the cost down. Seems like a very practical 2nd vehicle. My wife drives the family mini van and the vehicle I drive is a gas hog so I mostly just go back and forth to work with it.

How does your electric do in cold weather?

 

[MrSmitty]

Ok, not a fan of electric, but since it was a DIY car...kudo's and neat! I have a scooter for great mileage, but it's kinda cold!

 

[shibumiseeker]

I would be very interested in a plug in electric if there was a way to get the cost down. Seems like a very practical 2nd vehicle. My wife drives the family mini van and the vehicle I drive is a gas hog so I mostly just go back and forth to work with it.

How does your electric do in cold weather?

He's got about $14k in it now that he's on the second set of batteries. Donor vehicle is essentially free. Conversions are as low as about $8k depending on options, and of course you are DIY. Can't get much cheaper than that for a short distance commuter. With FLA batteries you're better off topping them off at every usage, but you should still get 4-6 years out of them unless you are deep cycling them each trip.

I'm really curious at how the LiFePO4 batteries will perform, both in short term gain in range and top end, but also in lifespan.

As far as cost per mile goes, it'll be somewhat cheaper than gasoline, but not a major amount cheaper. The biggest gain comes for vehicles driven very short distances for a daily commute since the batteries last longer and you don't have the engine wear that comes from not being fully warmed up which can cut the life of a gasoline engine in half as well as being poorer fuel economy.

 

[spencer rifle]

I would be very interested in a plug in electric if there was a way to get the cost down. Seems like a very practical 2nd vehicle. My wife drives the family mini van and the vehicle I drive is a gas hog so I mostly just go back and forth to work with it.

How does your electric do in cold weather?

Much better now than with lead acids. They were heavy, needed lots of maintenance, were always spitting acid electrolyte on everything, had limited charge cycle life, and hated the cold. Mileage in winter was close to 10. LiFePO is much more cold tolerant, lighter (almost 1000 lbs lighter for the pack), maintenance free, clean, and longer lived (over 3000 cycles compared to less than 500 for LA). But overcharging kills them, so that has to be carefully managed.

He's got about $14k in it now that he's on the second set of batteries. Donor vehicle is essentially free. Conversions are as low as about $8k depending on options, and of course you are DIY. Can't get much cheaper than that for a short distance commuter. With FLA batteries you're better off topping them off at every usage, but you should still get 4-6 years out of them unless you are deep cycling them each trip.

I'm really curious at how the LiFePO4 batteries will perform, both in short term gain in range and top end, but also in lifespan.

As far as cost per mile goes, it'll be somewhat cheaper than gasoline, but not a major amount cheaper. The biggest gain comes for vehicles driven very short distances for a daily commute since the batteries last longer and you don't have the engine wear that comes from not being fully warmed up which can cut the life of a gasoline engine in half as well as being poorer fuel economy.

My commute is .4 mile one way. I can drive to work and back for two weeks without charging. All the short-range driving is done with this car. The two Geos mostly handle the longer stuff. If they are treated carefully I might be able to get 10 years out of them (if they live up to the hype). By then there is likely to be an even lighter, more power-dense cell chemistry available. As gas continues to go up, the comparative cost per mile improves even more.