Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Second drive

Sorry no video or pictures this time but they are coming! I actually had a few errands to run last night when I got home from work so I took the EV out to put some time on the batteries and get those broke in but mostly just to learn more about the nature of the car. I was surprised when I returned home and had put 6.5 miles on just driving around my little town.

I'm learning the torque curves a lot better now and this thing can really accelerate if you shift right. I'm becoming more impressed with the performance as the driver gets better.

I was having trouble figuring out the remaining capacity on the BMS system and after talking with Elite it turns out I need to do some rewiring. Apparently this system also tracks the current being charged into the cells and my wiring design didn't take this into account so add that to the list of remaining items.

Still to do:
- Put my front bumper back on.

- Finish wiring the BMS system inside the car. It's just sitting there on the console and needs to be mounted. Turns out there is also no way to turn the power off to the BMS computer or the BMS monitor so I will be installing two switches. The monitor only needs to be on if you want to see the output (driving). The computer needs to be on while driving or charging but you could turn it off otherwise.

- Build covers for the cells so they are not completely exposed and a potential hazard.

- Finish the electronics and wiring for the heater.

- Setup DC/DC converter to switch on only when ignition is on.

- Fabricate the serpentine pulley for the AC and get that all mounted up.

- Add a protective shroud under the motor. It's a pretty clear shot between it and the ground right now so preventing anything from bouncing / spraying directly onto or into the motor would be a good idea.

- DMV registration

Probably some other little details I'm forgetting but that's the schedule for the time being.

I'll be trying to do a video with a quick walk through of the car and components with an inside drive this weekend if time permits.

9 comments:

LeftLibertarian said...

Damn . . . you have the coolest S2000 ever.

Anonymous said...

I tried to leave a donation but your company didn't like either of my e-mail addresses and I don't like PayPal. To Bad!
Ray

Brian said...

Thanks Ray for the attempt. You can donate by clicking continue next to the credit card section which shouldn't require you to create a PayPal account as well.

zombi said...

Any ideas or projections for the range?

Brian said...

Projected 100 mile range. I'll update the blog later when I've had time to test this at different speeds and conditions (i.e. hills vs flat ground, city vs hwy).

Patrick said...

Congratulations!

Norm Walker said...

This has been a really interesting read I saw the link from Gizmodo.com they love stories of people that tinker at home. What is your work background I get the impression that you have a back ground in electronics.


Thanks

Brian said...

Very cool Ace. Do you have to have the link at Gizmodo? I love seeing what others are saying.

I have a BS in computer science actually. The electronics is just a hobby when time permits.

. said...

Perhaps Ace saw this http://jalopnik.com/5151642/man-builds-his-own-electric-honda-s2000-in-garage

which is a gizmodo.com property (owned by gawker media)