History:
This Escort was originally converted to 100% electric when new by Solar Electric (AKA Electricar) in Sebastopol California. In fact, there are still instructions from the company on the back of the driver's side visor:
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The vehicle later spent some time in Canada before being imported back to the United States. I'm told that on Earth Day in 2004 the Curtis controller failed and overspun the motor destroying both the controller and the motor.
After sitting for four years it was fitted with a replacement motor (7" ADC L91-4003), a borrowed controller and some batteries to confirm that it was still in working order. I bought it from the gentleman in Georgia who did this work, but it came without batteries or a controller.
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Current Condition as of 5/30/09:
It is still a glider. I've purchased 18 (John Deere OEM version of) Exide 6 volt batteries and ordered a Logisystems 120AFX 750 amp, 72-120V controller. EV calculators show an estimated range of 33 miles at 50 mph. I plan to use it as a commuter car for my 12 mile (one way) drive to/from work. I have some winterizing to do, but right now I just want to get it up and running, registered and on the road. Even this will take some weeks.
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6/26/09:
The Eco-Escort is operational! After wrestling with batteries, battery cables, and a number of other issues, it's working. Of course, I could only drive it 50 feet up and down the driveway because it's not yet registered. Registration will be on Monday. I already have an appointment with my mechanic on Tuesday to have a once-over including a good look at the brakes and suspension. I created and placed "High Voltage" signs in appropriate places to keep the mechanics out of trouble. Stay tuned for test drive and performance information.
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7/14/09:
I've been driving it for a few weeks now. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the performance. It accelerates well on the flat. It does struggle a bit with hills. This is most likely due to the less efficient 7 inch motor. The vehicle originally had a 9 inch motor. Also the batteries could be more powerful. The current batteries are about 78% of the amp hours and range of the ones I wanted, but I had them installed and working before finding out the difference. I plan to drive the vehicle like this for the next year or so before considering going back to the 9 inch motor and upgrading the batteries.
I also still need to do some winterization - primarily, insulating the traction batteries and providing the capability to heat them. I still don't know if I'm going to do this with AC heaters or heaters run off the traction pack. I am also considering charging the batteries at strategic times so that the insulation just retains the natural heat caused by charging.
8/21/09:
The vehicle continues to run well. I've installed a 110 volt, 30 amp circuit at home so I can charge it at 100 percent of the Russco charger's capacity. This provides a full charge in about four hours. Early testing of the heater indicates there may be some work to be done there. During the only test on a morning in the low 40 degree range, the heat would only come on for about 10 seconds every 2 minutes. This may be a thermostat problem. Right now it is too hot to be working on a heater, but stay tuned.
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10/13/09:
The car is in my garage for that long awaited winterization. It turns out that the water pump for the heating system had stopped working. I've ordered a replacement. I'm also figuring out how to cut styrofoam so that I can insulate the batteries. The last winterization item is to figure out where and how to add heating within the confines of the insulated batteries when the original design did not include this possibility.
While the car is off the road, I'm also taking an opportunity to get the potentiometer that controlls the motor adjusted. It was showing a resistance of about 500 ohms when the accelerator was all the way up instead of zero. LogiSystems is repairing it for free under warranty.
So, it looks like it will be at least a week while I wait for items to arrive in the mail and get working on the insulation. I can't wait to have the heat working correctly now that we've had a couple of nights below freezing.
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Late October 2009:
The manual transmission failed less than a mile from work on my ride in one morning. There is no way to tell for sure, but this is probably the result of replacing the transmission fluid with a lighter weight fluid a few weeks back. This was done after researching suggestions for winterizing an electric vehicle. Some suggested that a lighter weight fluid would work better in cold weather and make the car run more efficiently with less resistance from the transmission. In my case, soon after I made this change, the transmission failed.
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Late October 2009 to mid January 2010:
I first took the car to my regular mechanic hoping for some help troubleshooting since, at first, I wasn't sure it was the transmission. They don't do transmissions and they appeared to be a bit afraid of working on the electric car.
So, I took the car back to the auto department at Morrisville State College, where I work. This was the low cost option, but it was also, the "wait until we have room in the garage and can spare some time to help you" option.
In the long run, the local car parts/junk yard had a refurbished transmission that I bought. I also took advantage of the opportunity, since everything was going to be apart, to purchase and upgrade to the 9 inch motor the car was originally equiped with. Work was done at the end of the fall semester and during the winter break. Having a heated garage with a lift was wonderful. Also the help and advice from the auto department faculty was very valuable. I learned much about how the car works and how it is put together.
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1/13/10:
The car is back on the road! I accomplished some insulation around the batteries, but not as much as I would have liked due to the lack of space for insulation in the original design. I also installed battery heaters to warm the batteries before winter travel to keep them more efficient than when they are cold. The first ride home went without a hitch although I had a little bit of vibration from the transmission. It may have been there before, but I was being very sensitive to any sign of trouble.
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1/30/10:
Back on the road for over two weeks now. I've been driving in the winter weather and have a few observations and learnings:
- Strategically timing the charging of batteries is more effective than using the battery heaters to warm the batteries before use. So, I leave about an hour of charging to be done right before I leave home or work.
- The heating system for the passenger compartment can keep the front window defogged, but that's about all. The trip is the most comfortable, if I turn on the heat about 15 minutes before I leave and warm up the cabin. Temperatures drop during the drive.
- I was considering buying studded snows for the winter. Should the back lose traction, I'm concerned the extra battery weight might make it hard to recover. So far, the car has handled the snow and ice well, so I'll hold off a while. Of course, the extra weight also provides extra traction.
- Yesterday was the coldest day yet to drive it. 3 degrees when I left for work and not much warmer when I came home. Everything worked and I made it, if a little chilled. This is the low end of the temperature range for reasonably safe operation of the vehicle.
- It may be time to switch to a DC to DC converter. The 12V deep cycle accessories battery is having a tough time with all the extra demands due to the cold weather.
- It's difficult to tell how much the bigger motor is helping because the cold weather is also sapping the batteries. However, acceleration, especially at low speeds is clearly better. I still struggle a bit on the hills. Hopefully this will improve with warmer weather.
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