the First Conversion.

[Bob]

Way back when I was much younger Mother-earth News Magazine ran an article on HOW to convert a VW beatle
to a electric car.  if it helps a picture of a VW Bug was on the cover and they boasted 200MPG from it while using a small motor hooked to alternators to charge up the batteries.
  I would Love to get my hands on the article again,... does anyone know what year and Month that was published in ?
  its been so long ago I only remember some key points like they made it at their Homestead back east somewhere and the guy picked up a 24vdc forklift motor  to replace the gasoline motor with, made a rack in the back seat for some batteries ( normal 12vdc lead acid car batteries) and ran it that way for some time, then the guy got the idea of hooking a B&S engine to a big altenator to charge the batteries
once he stopped... he put that behind the rear seat on the small shelf there. it wound up working so well that it extended his mileage to almost indefinitely, and he calculated the gasoline used against the miles traveled to be something like 200MPG... they made Plans that you could buy from Mother earth news shortly there after (which may still be available)  the only major draw back was the top speed of 45 to 50MPH....evidently they used a rather small electric motor....
but they did show how to make a controller and how to hook up the relays and such...and gave many much needed helpful hints on the fabrication of the beast.
...
I had the Magazine for years but lost it along with many of my valuable notes and papers when we were at a rental place and had a foot of water in the garage... where all that stuff was stored!
...
I do remember that it was very stright foward... hook the electric motor directly to the pinion shaft coming out of the transmition, no clutch was needed  as you let up on the throttle to shift, shift and then throttle up again. <GRIN> the controller was housed in a box under the hood  where 4 more batteries were kept , it was other wise just replace the gas motor with an electric one , put in a controller and as many batteries as you could stuff in there and it worked !
...
 but the after thought of the Pony motor turning the Alternators to charge the batteries was the most brilliant part.... it extended the miles from 150 ~200miles  before a charge was necessary, to all day's driving, with the little pony motor chugging along in the cubby hole behind the back seat!
... the guys original thought was to start the pony motor when he arrived in town at his destination
and let it charge up.... which he did a few times but eventually he decided to try it all the time and be in "Hybred Mode"(as we call it today!) and it worked very well indeed !
....
 if your at all interested in making your own version of an electric vehicle that article is a must have!
...
Bob......

[Bob]

I went to Mother earth news.com and suffered through all their advertiseing and pop ups for about an hour trying to find that article but it looks as if the farthest back of editions they have is 1980 and I'm fairly certain it was before the Opal GT conversion that they now sell... that place has became a series of for sale things and nothing is free anymore... its discusting!
the last Mother earth mag I bought I was appaled at ! it has nothing but advertisements in it and they even took out the "weird humor of Jack Vaughn !"   thats a heck of a note ! I mean I remember some of his jokes still.... like "save 100 bucks buy your car here(if no one buys a car in 10 min shoot'em All!)
and the expression on all the Bucks faces! it was priceless! LOL
...or things to use your Furry Friends for so they can earn their Keep... like a Cat Collar.... or 4 dog blanket....on those cold winter nights!
... but I guess that's over now.... I'll miss those chuckels ! HEHEHEHEHE
...
anyway... they did have plans to convert a Opal GT using a jet engine starter motor and a lawn mower engine and 100amp generator.... they said it would do 95MPH ! (yah right!)
...it is supposed to get 75mpg running down the highway... so its Not bad.... just not as good as the VW Bug ! LOL!
...
fwiw
Bob.......

[geezer]

    Bob....i still have the first 120 vol. of ma earth . cant find the indexs for them.
 all i can find now is the opel in #58 will look some more tommorrow. and you are
 right the sure went to he!!  at one time realy was great reading.  Glenn 
 P.S. dont send anymore cookies this thing is slow enough allready

[Bob]

Howdy Glenn !
 that issue I think was in the mid 1970's , the Opal car conversion was much later I am fairly sure
this was before anyone thought of a HYBRED version... and that is essentially what the Opal version is
...of course there's nothing at all WRONG with that...
....
Did you notice if it had a schematic of the motor speed controller by chance on the Opal one ? or do you have to buy the plans to get it ? (seams to be the way they are running now !)
...
I was talking to the wife about converting the Old 1985 toyota Tercell into an electric car... and she seamed open to the idea, didn't care for doing it to the truck and I agree with that really!...
...
I priced Magnets at $14.95 each for the new High Tech magnets 44lb holding power 1"x2"x1/4"
and also found some electro magnets to make the motor with but they wanted $74.95 each !  "I'll wind my own thank you" ...for that price!...
but I am thinking if I can make an electric motor that is strong enough and has allot of torque ...
I just might throw it in the Old tercell and see how it works...
...My wife said well you could get the Electromagnets dear , one per payday type thing, and I said "Nah I can wind my own for that price"...(I think I can anyway! LOL)
 so far the parts for this electric Car motor should be less than $200.00 all totaled! (Much less for me as I have a bunch of scrap to choose from!)...
 I think I'll start with 4 rare earth magnets and see what that gives me  on a 18" diam. Rotor
I will more than likely add more magnets than that but start there and work my way up in power...
I want to keep the power usage as LOW as Possible... and as long as I can get 4000RPM out of the electric motor I'll be very happy ! (that's over 90mph on the car or truck,(in high gear))
.... I dunno how to figure the possible torque for a 44lb pull at 18" but I know it will definitely be a bunch !(times 4!) LOL (such a large diam rotor may make it nessarry to have 6 or 8 magnets and electro-magnets on it... to get them close enough so there are no dead spots,but I havn't really gotten that far into it yet!)
...
I am in the middle of making a small wood stove for my Kid, to keep her warm in the converted Bus/motor-home.... so I have a few Irons in the fire at the moment! LOL !
...
thanks for Looking Glenn I appreciate that... Like I said there is a VW on the cover, I remember that very well.... so look for a VW bug on the cover and you should have it !
...
Bob.....

[crb]

Bob,
If you want to get a mind jolting event, go to evparts.com
crb

[Bob]

Oh wow ! Lots of information on that site ! Thanks CRB !
...
the more I look at it the more I think I am right in making my own electric motor simply because the Large diam. super high torque electric motors are not available.
they are all selling the typical golf cart motors or just larger versions of a golf cart motor... these motors are old technology, just updated a bit... they are NOT the New High tech High torque motors I've seen on TV.
... I doubt I can go wrong now by making my own motor because of the Physics of the motor itself... almost all of the motors I have seen are a mere 6" in diam. and if you are lucky enough to find a Jet engine starter motor their about 8" in diam is all...
if you want lots of torque You need a leverage ARM longer than 6"or 8"... its just reasonable.... I'd say 12" is a minimum.
but I think I'll shoot for a real large one and see what that gives me... 18"
sounds like a good number to me... but the problem with that is fitting the rotor disk on my lathe... so the LATHE may determine the size of the motor I make....
I think my lathe has a 14" throw... so that may well be the biggest I can make!
...
No doubt this will be a project that takes years to complete.... but I think it will be well worth it in the end.
 besides I don't have $650.00 to $750.00 to spend on an electric motor...
so if I can make a motor that's better in the first place I think I should!
...
Bob...

[Manta]

For your information.

In this week's New Scientist there is a mention of an electric car test across America in June 2010.

Maybe it will pass your area.

manta

[Bob]

thanks Manta, I'll keep an eye out  !
....
I just saw a program on alternate fuels and obviously electric cars were in it....
the electric car that impressed me was the "Tesla" it has the new type of batteries
and the new electric motor which uses less and produces more... if I were to buy an electric car that would be the one ! but they didn't mention how much they cost...
and I am sure if you have to ask you can't afford it! LOL
 it would be neet to drive around in a "Lamborghini" looking sports car that goes from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds and does it on electricity !...and has a 200 mile range!
... but I imagen they cost more than a 6 place commuter helicopter with a NOTAR tail !....
...
LOL !

Bob