This weekend we had a block sale where many of us tried to sell our stuff (in some cases successfully). I had my car set out w/ a 'For Sale: Electric VW' sign on it. It generated a lot of questions and two people who took down my number. One of them was uber-excited thinking her son would for sure be interested.
But, I think I am done w/ having it on the market. I think I'm going to keep it. Lots of reasons I won't go into here, but let's just say it is reliable and my concerns about the winter are dwindling. I can always bum a ride or something on those absolutely undrivable days (rare I'm told in this city).
I didn't get around to the bike conversion yet, but there is yet another mode of transport I'm going to be considering that was one of my pre-EV conversion options towards the top of the list: a Vespa or some other low budget 125-150cc scooter. Maybe I should trade off the car and scooter for commuting and get even more life out of the Squareback.
For those of you who don't personally know me, I'm told this is a habit of mine (infinitely exploring options and seeking more ways to make life more complicated). To me it seems a bit complicated to consider many transport options (b/c you increase your overall maintenance needs and 'kipple' factor - see PKD for clarification), but on most days it seems to me that this is the best approach: take the long view, decentralize your technological commitments, and consider what is essential for that task. I rarely _need_ a motor-powered 4 wheel enclosed shell but do want to avoid being totally sweaty when I show up to teach.
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1973 VW Type III Variant ('Squareback'), converted from gas-power to electric-power for essential transportation needs
5 comments:
Hey there!
I am also working on a VW Squareback, the same year and color as yours (totally by accident). I just got my motor in and am trying to find the best places for the batteries and controller.
Do you have pictures of the "boot" where you placed the batteries and, if you did, the controller?
I'm going to be working with a 120V pack as I have hills as well and you mentioned the 96V seems to lag a little on the hills.
Thanks for the information!
Jeff
PS I will be posting pictures soon of my conversion, although yours is plenty detailed, I don't need to post a blog.
Jeff,
That is great to hear, crazy it is the same year/color. First off, for sure post a detailed blog, seriously. If there is yet another Squareback owner looking to do a conversion, seeing alternative ways of doing things is helpful. I heavily relied upon blogs and wished there were more VW conversion blogs (and particularly SB conversion blogs).
Here on this page is the specific picture of my boot as well as a picture of the early stage of the rear:
http://www.evalbum.com/1858
Are you going w/ 12V batteries? 8V? I took out the gas tank up front and placed an MDF board in its place that the batteries sit on. In back, I just put them flush against the backseat and didn't enclose the box back there (meaning there is an open space between the batteries and the back seat).
I would be more than happy to answer any and all questions or provide pictures of how I did things so you can have more info on how to make good design decisions.
W/ regard to the controller, I kept it in back and mounted it on an MDF board (which replaced the insulated engine cover - I cut the MDF to fit just like that cover so I could remove it to get to the motor).
Keep me posted - really - and let me know the address if you do decide to go w/ a blog.
Ken
I am definitely going with 12V for the same reasons, weight and an added boost up hills.
Alright, good point about the blog. I will post one with as much information as possible tonight and let you know where it is on here.
How sturdy is the mount for the motor? I have a simpler mount on mine, and I noticed the transmission is basically unsupported elsewhere. Are you only supporting the motor, or do you have other support for the transmission down the line a little bit?
Jeff
Jeff
Jeff,
If you too are going w/ 12V (for cost and space savings), know you won't get as much power as you would if you go w/ 8V (or even more so w/ 6V). I may be wrong (it might just be that 12V has a more limited range, not decreased power in acceleration). I see the amp/hr rating of a 6V is almost double that of a 12V. I mention this b/c it was something of surprise that when I accelerate uphill, I sometimes have to nearly floor it to maintain - or barely increase - speed. For me it is not much of an issue, I just get over to the right lane on my commute and it only lasts for a 10-20 seconds. Not sure where you live, but if you live in the NE or NW and you have a bit more $$ to spend, I'd try the 8V...fwiw. But, then again, if you live in a hilly (read not mountainous) area, at 120V it may be you will see much greater performance than my 96V system.
My plans are actually to add two more batteries up front to achieve the same 120V system (my controller and motor can handle up to 120V).
With regard to the motor mount (that you can see on the evalbum site), I didn't realize one needs to take torque into account. Meaning it isn't just the vertical weight that needs to be supported, but the rotation too. That is, if you look it is just the transaxles that support the transmission (in addition to a small bushing at the front portion of the trans). Imagine now that you put torque on the trans input shaft. The twisting of the trans needs to be resisted so the transaxle and bushings don't have to absorb the torque.
I drove around w/ ratchet straps for a while to support the motor vertically but the mechanic who welded my mount explained the reason why I wasn't getting as much power as I wanted b/c the twisting of the trans (thus losing valuable power in propelling the vehicle). It was a STUPID idea, totally rookie mistake on my part.
The trans-motor connection and a mount keeping the motor secure is sufficient (I explain this in a few blog postings). One doesn't necessarily need a trans support and most I've spoken w/ agree. One said that there is an old VW bug wishbone mount for the trans one could install for added support.
Hope this helps
Hey again.
Thanks for the wishbone idea, I'll search it up to see what I can find to help the torque. Thank you very much for pointing that out!
My site is:
http://www.digital52.com/vw
Jeff
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