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| Electric Metro Conversion Parts; convert your Metro to electric | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 23 2013, 12:03 AM (1,871 Views) | |
| evmetro | Mar 23 2013, 12:03 AM Post #1 |
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I am not really sure if anyone here gives a rats ass about electrifying Metros, but obviously I do. If anybody here has any interest in taking on an electric conversion, I am available for tips and info, but I think I may be able to help out on parts as well. I recently had a machine shop make a clutch hub for me, and most of my price was for setup. I ended up getting ten hubs made in addition to the one I needed, and I am about to get ten motor adapter plates made as well. (the clutch hubs simulate the end of a crankshaft so you can bolt your oem flywheel on, and the motor plates adapt the electric motor to your 5 speed tranny) I am also getting set up for reselling electric vehicle parts and am now set up to sell the AC motor kits that I prefer (hpevs) and chargers (Manzanita Micro). Long story short, I may be able to get you the best pricing on the conversion parts, and the thrifty folks of these forums and I can figure out the cheapest way to convert. I am gaining inventory of metro specific ev parts, so this may be a good resource for others.
Edited by evmetro, Aug 13 2013, 07:15 PM.
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| nerys | Mar 23 2013, 12:31 AM Post #2 |
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Grr
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prices? |
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| evmetro | Mar 23 2013, 01:28 AM Post #3 |
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I do not have a really structured system yet, as my endeavor is still in its infancy. My intent with this thread is to see if there is any interest out there, and if so to get it done in our Metro community for the lowest possible price. I will figure out pricing soon, but in the meantime you can google hpevs to see what the motors are that I can sell. I have only recently gotten set up to sell these, so I do not yet know if there are any regulations on if I advertise a lower price than everyone else. I want to offer these products to gmf for less than you can find them anywhere else, so feel free to see what you can find them for. The ac 50 and the ac 35 kits seem to be the best deal for AC kits, but you can get more bang for your buck with DC. The big advantage with the AC kits from hpevs is that you get regen brakes. As for the chargers, my preference is the Manzanita Micro chargers, because of the flexibility of the input power. 110, 220, adjustable amps draw knob. There are many chargers for less, but they have fixed rates of power. If it is about pure budget, a dc motor with no regen and a small fixed rate charger may be the answer. I am not set up to sell these items yet, but can help point people to where they can find them. The motor plates and clutch hubs I can get to you for 500 plus shipping for both. I have reason to believe that you can not find these two matched items for less, and let google be your guide. I have seen that these items are available at "EVwest" and at Electriccarparts company. I have done business with both of these businesses and have nothing but good things to say about them. |
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| nerys | Mar 23 2013, 10:54 AM Post #4 |
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Grr
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how much did you pay for the batteries. that is the only really relevant question because "THAT" price tag determines if such a project is doable or fantasy for me :-) also how much did the 144v 200amp/hr battery cost (I typically drive 45-50mph max so I don't care about top end speed ONLY range is critical to me REALLY need 75 miles 100 miles would feel a lot safer. my commute is 54 miles precisely but add in rain snow lights heater defroster and slush and that 75 miles might not work for 54 miles anymore :-) |
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| evmetro | Mar 23 2013, 11:24 AM Post #5 |
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Both of these batteries are the same price of $1.15 per amp hour, plus about $.095 per amp hour for importing fees, so about $1.25. That would make each of these 100 amp hour cells $125.00, and the 200a ah cells would be $250 each. For your commute, you might look at 160ah cells. |
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| t3ragtop | Mar 23 2013, 11:31 AM Post #6 |
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Turbo3 and Twincam Tweaker
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wouldn't you typically have separate battery supplies for traction and accessories? most of the conversions i've seen had a standard, separately charged lead acid accessory car battery for lights and radio. the only conversion i ever did was in the mid 90s to a 1400 lb plastic bodied car. it was okay for a summer project vehicle but when ice and snow came, i couldn't generate enough heat to keep the windshield clear. battery power density was a problem back then. when icing made it too hard to see to drive, the car got parked and eventually converted to a propane powered internal combustion engine. i think that you are correct in thinking that the clutch adapter and mounting adapter plate are the most cost intensive things unless you have the ability to machine them on your own. the machine setup costs at a shop are pretty stiff for a one off build. spreading the setup costs over a larger number of units is the only way to bring the machining costs down. i have a couple of g13 flywheels in my cousin's shop for aggressive lightening and the shop rate for just generating the cnc coordinates for the prototype is the highest cost. sharing that cost over a number of production units is the only financial relief. |
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| evmetro | Mar 23 2013, 11:46 AM Post #7 |
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Yea, I use a dc to dc converter to keep a small sla battery charged so that I can use the original 12v equipment like the lights and wipers, etc. My heaters run off of the traction pack, and are just home depot cheepo heaters with the elements stripped out and mounted in my heater box. One 1500 watt space heater is barely enough to keep a metro warm, and two gives me 158 degrees at the vents with the fan set at its fastest setting. I wish I had a bunch of spare flywheels laying around... I have thought about getting my own flywheels made up for these electric metros, which would mean that I would have ten laying around and ready to distribute to other metro converters. It seems to make sense to get ten of anything made when you prototype a part at a machine shop. |
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| DesmondGhostRider | Mar 23 2013, 07:25 PM Post #8 |
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I would be interested in this if you included detailed instructions and sold it all as a conversion kit. Id probably buy a parts metro and just make it a side project. |
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| dayle1960 | Mar 23 2013, 07:32 PM Post #9 |
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Fastest Hampster EVER
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evmetro, what are your estimates on miles your metro can travel on a normal interstate highway run? Say, 60 mph. |
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| t3ragtop | Mar 23 2013, 10:29 PM Post #10 |
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Turbo3 and Twincam Tweaker
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depending on how you do pricewise with the shaft adapters and adapter plates, i might be interested in them just to hang onto. for years i've been threatening to build a 'lectric vert.
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| nerys | Mar 24 2013, 12:39 AM Post #11 |
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Grr
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volts of the cells? ie what kind of pack what I need to be efficient at 45-50mph "capable" of 60mph in a short sprint and go 75miles in good weather but 60miles "worst case" ie everything on bad weather. $250 per cell but how many cells? 10? 20? |
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| evmetro | Mar 24 2013, 02:41 AM Post #12 |
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I will eventually have enough custom parts dor a complete kit ready to bolt n ride, but there are many different ways to go, such as ac or dc, high end or budget minded, etc. One would have to spec out a kit based on individual needs. The clutch hubs and motor plates would be suitable for any electric conversion though. T3, the accuracy of these is all that, and the biggest variance so far is in the 5 speed bell housing bolt patterns. Not really a problem, but the are not all "exact". The adapter plates do not match every 5 speed the same way. Most people would never even know it though, since it still fits every tranny really nice. |
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| evmetro | Mar 24 2013, 02:59 AM Post #13 |
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Nerys, all lithium cells are 3.2 volts, and you wire them in series. Two cells in series is 6.4, three cells is 9.6, etc. The pack in the tevie1 is 34 cells for 108 volts. Since those are 200ah cells, it is a 200ah pack... basically a 200 amp hour 108 volt battery. Everybodys total pack voltage will be different depending on their specific needs and component selection. Once you determine how many volts your components require you can the devide by 3.2 (volts) to determine how many cells you need. More info after my break... |
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| nerys | Mar 24 2013, 03:07 AM Post #14 |
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Grr
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wow. well it kind of don't matter. even that 108v pack would be $8500 or many many times what I can dream of affording :-( |
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| evmetro | Mar 24 2013, 03:25 AM Post #15 |
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Ok, now we know how pick the quantity of cells, and next we need to know how big (how many amp hours) they need to be. I will assume an average watt hour per mile usage of 200, which we can compare to the same way you would drive a 3/5 gasoline powered metro to get 40 mpg. If you want to have a 75 mile range, you will use 200 watts for every mile so 75 times 200 is 15,000 watts. (15 kilowatts) you need 15 kilowatts available to travel the distance. The catch here is that you cannot deplete your pack or any one cell more than 80%, or a safer 70%. This means that when you have used your 15 kilowatts, they were only 80% of your total pack. 15 kilowatts is 80%the of 18.75 kilowatts. Your pack needs to be 18.75 kilowatts. The last part in a few minutes... |
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2:27 PM Jul 11