That being said (also, I have not ever actually done a conversion) I felt I learned enough, that refreshing my memory on motors and batteries in the future would be easy should I decide to start a conversion, but the controller was something that was vital, but very complex, and if I ever was going to get one, they would be very different and improved by the time I got interested in them. I was very impressed by the developement that was going on with the controllers for racing EV's. Google "Zilla controller" and "NEDRA". These guys are "open-source" and dedicated to home-made controllers that can be "beaten like a rented mule". (PS, Ultracapacitors are much better at capturing regeneration braking energy than the battery pack, not yet a common controller capability)
I remember seeing two sites with someone who did an EV conversion, and although they were dedicated to using it, they were disappointed in the range, and each developed a trailer with a scrap engine/generator to use on the occasional long trip.
The Toyota Prius has sold over one million units so far for a variety of reasons. Blogs have shown that some fans of the Prius hoped to replace the (expensive) battery pack with a newer battery type as they came available (when the stock NiMH battery wore out), and also the Prius configuration made it fairly easy to convert it to a "plug-in Hybrid" (larger 30-minute "electric only" battery range and a controller upgrade). A company called Hymotion in San Francisco (I think) will convert a stock NiMH Prius to a "plug-in" Li-ion (voiding warrantee) for $17,000 (yikes!)
Are you interested in alternative fuels because:
A. Don't want to pollute when going to get a burger, and thus help to remove one more methane-belching cow from our fragile eco-system.
B. Want to ease US dependence on foreign oil when going to buy mercury-filled fluorescent bulbs from Wal-Mart made by Chinese political prisoners in a coal-powered factory.
C. Want to be independent from society when fecal extrusions strike the spinning air-flow inducer.
Do you recall in the 1970's being told on a regular basis that the biggest problem with pollution was the Carbon Monoxide from car exhaust? You've heard of the volcanos Vesuvius, Krakatoa, Pintaubo?..well it was Mount St Helens (made in America!) that was well-monitored and shown to spew forth more Carbon Monoxide in its one eruption than ALL OF THE CARS EVER MADE IN HISTORY! (how many volcanos have there been in the geologic record?) now they're saying its carbon DI-oxide (AHA! the real problem is all those PEOPLE breathing out!) and methane from cow belches!
Mammoths (North American elephants) lived in lush green forests in Siberia and Alaska in areas where there is NOW no edible greenery year-round (check the core samples). There was coral in the water it was so warm (how much foliage does one elephant eat each day?, how could huge herds survive winter in Alaska without Purina Mammoth-Chow??). How about when there was a 1,000 ft thick GLACIER covering North America? Did the giant dinosaurs breathe out carbon dioxide, belch methane, smoke tobacco, and drive SUV's??
We shouldn't dump chemical waste into the water tables drinking and irrigation water, but mankinds contribution to global warming is a urination in the ocean.
My interest is in becoming more independent, self-sufficient, and to retire as soon as possible before the governments mismanagement of the coming urban riots. It happened before, don't kid yourself... We'll survive, but it will be a painful transition to a more difficult end result than the life we have now.
Acquire Knowlege..., and combine with tools, a creative mind, and access to free junk. -RonStatistics: Posted by spinning-magnets — Thu Jun 28, 2007 11:09 pm
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