Good range so far, but controller overheating

So I had my first drive today to/from my new workplace. Thankfully the trip (w/ a small 2-mile side trip for lunch) only took me down to just below 50% DOD (that's depth of discharge). After some research the past few days, it seems the following things are good for your batteries:

1. It is best to charge around the 50% point, even though one can safely discharge down to 80%.
2. One should avoid opportunity charging (charging whenever you stop) as that will 'cycle' the batteries too often and lead to a shorter battery pack lifespan.
3. One should charge just after driving to avoid sulfation on the battery plates. Not really sure what that means other than the lead plates loosing the power to transfer energy due to build up of material (sulfur) on their surface.
4. Disconnect the pack after charging to de-energize it (this I need to read more on, but it makes some logical sense - the energy is not lost in heat or doesn't flow through the whole pack but becomes isolated and stored w/in each battery).

So, since my roundtrip commute is about 17 miles, my test today shows that if I gain some range here after a few more charges, I'll have guessed right that my pack is good for my range purposes - commuting to/from work while still being able to make small trips to the store, library, etc. Then, I'll charge in the afternoon/evening.

With performance though, it is another, and more depressing, story. I think my pack may be too small for the hills on Wornall road past 75th as my controller almost burned out on the way home. I think the main issue was that my controller was in the afternoon sun today (which it was above 90F today w/o any clouds) and so on the way home I again heard the 'going thermal' high pitched whine as I climbed a few hills. Also, I may have had a lurch happen in the vehicle at one point, but I'm not sure as I was taking my foot off the pedal everytime I heard the whine and coasting a lot when I could.

Not to mention, I'm spending too much time floored to get up hills as the pack get below 20%-30% DOD. Going to work it is ok, a bit hard up steep hills, esp if I hit any red lights and have to start up from a stop going uphill, but overall I had a fine ride going there. Coming home was a different story.

I'm going to try a light, breathable cover to go over the control board so as to avoid afternoon sun. I thought about a curtain, but...that's way overdetermined - an orange VW w/ curtains!?

I'm leaning towards getting another T1275 to make this a 108V system, so as to increase my power and decrease the amps I draw when climbing hills. Hopefully that may address stressing the controller, but I'm not sure, I'll need to look into it.

Driving only w/ gauges would help a lot. They should be here tomorrow or Friday. What I've been doing is constantly checking the pack w/ my multi-meter before/after every drive, as the voltage climbs a few hours after a drive and is much lower just after you stop driving. Also, I've been shifting a lot to insure I'm not going to burn out the motor or overstress the controller - but of course, the latter seems to be happening. 1st gear up to 15mph, 2nd up to 30mph, 3rd up to 40mph, 4th no more than 50mph. What I need to read up on is what gear to be in when climbing between 25-30mph.

The short of it is this: this car may be a bit heavy for a 96V system on a Curtis 1221C controller and an 8" Advanced DC motor. Probably I should have spent more $$ and gone w/ 120V pack, 1231C Controller, and a 9" motor. But, I didn't. So, I need to shed some weight, drive more strategically and conservatively, keep the car components cool by installing another fan on the controller, and making sure it stays out of the hot sun.