December 10, 2006 by Rob.

Looking at the Metric Mind site, the Siemens ACW-80-4 (21 kW) motor seems like a good choice. They’ve got some sexy alternatives, but the Siemens seems like the right basic choice. I’ve seen it used in other conversions.

Posted in EV Tech | 1 Comment »

December 10, 2006 by Rob.

Here are the specs for my car:

• Engine Model: 115 to 135 Hp, 3S-FE (4 cylinder in line), 122 in3.
• Length x Width: 162″ x 67″
• RAV4 EV Specs
• Gross Weight (with batteries): 3,440
• Motor: 67 Hp / 50 kW
• 288 Volts on 24 NiMh batteries

Motor Power based on Metric Mind’s commentary would be 25% of ICE Hp or 30 Hp.  Since 1 Hp = .736 kW, my target motor would be 22 kW.  I’ll round up to 25-30 KW.  I’m not sure why Toyota used three times the power for the RAV4 EV.

I found this while looking for the specs: build a 96 RAV4 with scissors!

Posted in Conversion, EV Tech | 1 Comment »

December 10, 2006 by Rob.

I’m looking into the power system for the EV and have found a couple of vendors.  I’ll narrow down the list in future posts.  I want to instrument my EV by hooking it up to an on-board computer, so having some type of interface (RS232 seems likely) is very important to me.

• Metric Mind provides matched AC systems (motors & controller).  They are more high-end, but I really like the package.  On a pure technical side, AC seems like the better choice.  The cost is higher and I will have less flexibility if the controller and motor are paired.
• Cafe Electric provides DC controllers (Zilla) that have been used in several Austin EV conversions.
• EV-America is very customer service oriented and sells whole systems as kits.  I think that would help me move quickly, but I’d have less choice on the components.  It looked like they were using “dumber” controllers, but that is based on a pretty quick review of their site.

I’d love to have some feedback!  Please let me know if you have other recommendations.

Posted in Planning, EV Tech | 1 Comment »