Starion

Engine Battery Layout Update

September 30, 2008

This has been somewhat of an issue as we have to fit in other components. The battery arrangement may now look like this, simply so as to fit the required batteries in the available space….

Read the full article →

Cool DC motors for Electric Vehicles – Kostov Elprom-EMS in my Starion EV

September 26, 2008

A lot of people are asking me where they can get the DC motor known as the Kostov. If you’ve found it difficult to obtain a Kostov, then you’re in luck; Elprom-ems, a Bulgarian motor company who have long been making fork-lift motors are stepping up their production of AC and DC motors specifically for [...]

Read the full article →

Thundersky Battery Management Has Arrived (Well, Almost)

September 15, 2008

What I mean is I’m still waiting for the master controller unit! The waiting-for-parts thing has been a big thorn in our sides. I sometimes wonder if this may be because our interstate supplier might like to corner the local market and serve his customers there first with their EV conversions. Ah, but perhaps I’m [...]

Read the full article →

Of Time & Its Distance: The Debate over Batteries & Range

September 12, 2008

I often get queries from people wanting a car conversion that’ll take them for hundreds of miles between re-charges. While technically it is possible with the latest batteries, we’re not quite there yet when it comes to cost-effectiveness and space. For day-to-day average driving, many folks do about 50-80 miles which is an achievable thing [...]

Read the full article →

Thundersky Batteries Finally Arrived!

August 28, 2008

Thundersky Lithium Phosphate 160Ah Batteries are Here! A crate load of batteries (a few crates actually) has finally arrived. But…

Read the full article →

[Video] Gearbox Adapter Plate Done!

July 31, 2008

Determining Available Space We temporarily dropped the motor in for sizing, determining available space for batteries, controller and ancillary parts – power steering, air conditioning, and so on – as shown in this video. Kostov with Adapter Plate A 10ml thick aluminium plating was machined to fit the Kostov business end, and an adapter was [...]

Read the full article →

Rear Battery Tank Welded

July 23, 2008

Partly Completed Now the welding is partly completed for the battery compartment and positioned under the cut-out as shown below. As you can see, the mounting lip is yet to be done and welded to the hatch area floor. The tank should sit at the same drop-depth as the original gas tank, as shown in [...]

Read the full article →

Tire Well Removed, Ready for Battery Tank

July 21, 2008

Holy Hatch! Gas tank removed at last! Nathan’s now cut out the tire well for the battery compartment. It’s quite large. You can see from the image how the wheel arches affect available space. The beauty with the Starion is that there is a more room to play with for housing batteries, a charger unit [...]

Read the full article →

Gas Tank Issues

July 15, 2008

Problems Removing the Gas Tank The guys had difficulty removing the old gas tank as the tow bar was in the way. The tow bar weighs a few kilos and weight is an issue in EVs, however I may still keep the tow bar as it offers some form of protection in event of a [...]

Read the full article →

Curtis Controller & Cooling

July 14, 2008

Curtis Instead of Zilla I’m going to use a Curtis motor speed controller for now (as the Zillas have a long waiting list (and cost more)). These can get a little hot if there is excessive demand (like driving up a steep hill). The controller has a safety cut-out at around 75 degrees C which [...]

Read the full article →

The Batteries I’ll Use

July 12, 2008

Thundersky Lithium Batteries After looking at various battery types such as deep cycle lead acids, I decided to go with Thundersky Lithiums as on spec they provide stability, longer range and a much longer cycle life. Hope to get over ten years of life with proper battery management. News about the nano-titanate batteries are promising [...]

Read the full article →

Pulling Out the Motor & Gearbox

July 11, 2008

Out Comes the Motor This is the old motor is being hauled out of the engine bay. Some of these I’ll find useful as spares for my other Starion. As you can see, the engine bay has plenty of room for the new motor along with about two thirds of the batteries (the rest will [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →