electric 914 kit guy Options

[spare time toys]

is this someone from here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWPiUd9nMWA...ted&search=

[pjf]

Thanks SWL. That sounds like one sweet solar panel deal you have up there. In the US the electric utilities have to be forced to buy the excess electricity from homes with solar panels. And they will only pay you what it costs them to produce it nevermind more than what a customer would pay.

Yes, lead acid batteries have their problems (like their weight) but hopefully better stuff is coming.

[914Mike]

PJF,
The 10-20 million e-cars without a new power plant doesn't pass my personal 'reasonableness' test. They would have to be relying pretty heavily on a model where the cars are all being charged during the night when there is not as much stress on the grid.

Exactly, nighttime the plants just coast along, so the is plenty of capacity for lots of slowly charging cars. No one ever factors in the added fuel to keep the plants running at the higher capacity though...

PJF,

Still think Peter has the only really green answer. Put up your own solar panels. Ontario has a pretty good system going. They will give you a 20 year contract to feed power into the grid from solar panels. The $/Kwh is much higher than what we buy electricity for - enough that you can finance the solar setup over the 20 years and it doesn't cost you anything. The thinking is that the cost of building a new power plant is more than buying solar energy from individuals even at an inflated price. Works pretty well since the grid hits it's peak during the daylight hours when the sun is there to produce extra power.

CAlifornia currently rebates about 30% of your costs for a solar install. (I got mine in last year when the entire amount came back in a lump sum, I hear now it only comes back to you once you produce power.) With the rebate , the payback time is about 20 years, assuming rates stay the same. (Any increase in rates will shorten the payback time.) We have a 3-tier rate system with the ON-PEAK rate, PART-PEAK rate and OFF-PEAK rates at different times of the day, and weekends and Holidays all OFF-PEAK. (Winter and Summer rates vary also.)
ON-PEAK corresponds to daylight hours when my panels are producing the most, so I sell power during the day at the highest rate, and consume at the lower rates when I'm home.

You can see my solar output @ http://view2.fatspaniel.net/FST/Portal/Sol...dAdminView.html

PJF,
Again though, as much as I'd like to have one I don't think we are ready for large scale adoption of e-cars. Scares me a bit to think of the brake and suspension repercussions of carrying around an extra half ton all the time. Lead Acid will never do the trick well.

Purpose built E-Cars can do a LOT better than converted gas cars since they are designed from the git-go to handle the greater mass. Above 3-40 MPH, aerodynamics play a larger and larger part in the amount of energy need to move you, so a small, slippery shape is also a plus, not something you can do anything about on a conversion either. 914 is only so-so with it's cd of 3.18, but better than a bug or a truck! (Small pickups have the advantage though, already designed to carry extra mass and lots of room for batts!)

I have taken a different approach to converting my 914. I looked at the VoltsPorsche kit and decided it was too heavy, and the batteries were mounted too high. I can do without the range for now, so I will be using smaller 12V Gel batts, mounted as low as possible, and in approximately the same locations as the original motor and gas tank mass to try to keep the handling close to what I'm used to. I am only adding 400LBs in the rear and 200 in the front. Trade off is only 20 miles range. When batteries get better, I can always upgrade!

I looked at the ElectroAutomotive kit 10 years ago, and have seen a few conversions since, one thing that decided me was the regen in the AC kit. I drive my 914 with the throttle, and having a DC kit that did not slow the car down on lift just wouldn't work for me! So 22mm front bars and 165LB/in. rear springs should be just right, though I may want to go with a larger anti-sway bar (19mm now).
I have also upgraded the brakes, M in front with Mikey's hubs and V-Kits in the rear. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/type.gif) See my progress @ http://www.roadglue.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

[Bartlett 914]

Trade off is only 20 miles range. When batteries get better, I can always upgrade!

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/type.gif) See my progress @ http://www.roadglue.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

Hi Mike.
I have been following your thread on Roadglue with interest. Here you mention a 20 mile range. Is this 20 mile range less than lead acid batteries or are you estimating a 20 mile range per charge. This much effort for 20 miles would really scare me. What range are you expecting?

[scotty]

If that 20 mile range is with a 12 second 1/4 mile, I'm IN!

"I need a car that can go 200mph so I can get to work." -Bill Cosby

[914Mike]

Trade off is only 20 miles range. When batteries get better, I can always upgrade!

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/type.gif) See my progress @ http://www.roadglue.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

Hi Mike.
I have been following your thread on Roadglue with interest. Here you mention a 20 mile range. Is this 20 mile range less than lead acid batteries or are you estimating a 20 mile range per charge. This much effort for 20 miles would really scare me. What range are you expecting?

I calculated about 50 miles from full to flat. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/yellowsleep[1].gif)
20 miles is the range that will let the batteries get recharged at about 40% discharge. Running lead-acid flat all the time results in short life, so only expecting 20 miles is my way of keeping them from dieing too soon. As it is, I only drive 8 miles to work, where I can charge on 220, so the batteries should have a nice long life. "Opportunity" charging is also possible, the local Fry's has a 220 port, as do all the Costco's in this area. Popping into a store for 10 minutes could add 10-20 miles to my range with the PFC-20B putting out 30 Amps DC!

It's a fact that 80 or 90% of the cars on the road drive less than 40 miles a day, I have another 914 for the few times a year when I do need to go farther than this car will go, a rental would be another option... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[914Mike]

If that 20 mile range is with a 12 second 1/4 mile, I'm IN!

"I need a car that can go 200mph so I can get to work." -Bill Cosby

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

Well It's going to be faster than the lead-sled EA kits! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)