Electric 240z Project Pics

[Careless]

he said he would be switching to another battery later. for now this is how it's gonna be.

 

figure with the saved money from gas after all is said and done, it will actually pay for itself, even before the battery swap.

 

(oh dear, we're talking about higher horsepower battery swaps now. NOOOOOOOO)

[Careless]

you can bolt on a flywheel, but I chose not to. Instead there is an adapter thamates the motor shaft and the transmission shaft.

 

 

so in order to shift, you just ease up on the throttle and slip the gear in while the motor is idling?

[jmead]

this might sound really dumb but I have not seen anyone ask this yet.

 

so the setup weights some 800+ pounds with those heavy 30+ pound batteries. Is it possible to use light weight batteries that weight around 12 pounds like deka etx series or braille batteries for example?

 

 

Sure, generally larger batteries can put out more amps, or the same amps for longer period of time. For a strictly drag race only vehicle you could use a pack of lightweight high amperage batteries for short blasts down the track. The batteries white zombie uses I believe are 16lbs each.

[jmead]

so in order to shift, you just ease up on the throttle and slip the gear in while the motor is idling?

 

Thats it, its suprisingly easy to do. If your going down a gear you just blip the throttle and ease it in, it will shift when you get the rpms right, pretty similar for upshifting. You let the synchros do the work, but the motor is very light and doesn't have alot of intertia so they can match its speed easily. It doesn't put nearly as much stress on the tranny as trying to do the same thing with a full engine attached.

[Slow_Old_Car]

so what is your top speed so far?

[Careless]

I think this will be what happens to my Z31 if the motor pops.

 

My father has been working, teaching, living, breathing, and rebuilding A/C and D/C Starter motors for about 40 years now. Surely this is something he would definately want to help me on, as he loved the car when he found out I paid 1700 for it!

 

Where would one acquire such a motor anyways? I'm sure my dad knows, but just for FAQ sake.

[Gollum]

Don't tell anyone I've been browsing this site....

 

http://www.evparts.com/prod-MT2144.htm

[V8INtheZ]

Don't tell anyone I've been browsing this site....

 

http://www.evparts.com/prod-MT2144.htm

 

I caught you Gollum! Come back towards the light

 

Lol, jk. You have a stellar project there. I love burning dino blood as much as everyone else (Gollum just got excluded from this group ) but I really dig your car. More POWER to you! Lol, get it?!?!

 

Keep the updates coming dude.

[jmead]

so what is your top speed so far?

 

I don't have the spedo hooked up, but it pulls so hard i've probably hit 50 in that little parking lot i've been testing it out in. I can't begin to tell you guys how much fun it is. I used to think it was a fast car in stock form, now its almost silly. I used to be able to chirp the tires in a straight line, now I can roast them.

 

Careless - why wait? Sounds like your dad knows everything needed to build an EV. I think most starter motors operate at lower voltages than most street vehicles, but their operation is the same. There are lots of EV suppliers, though I got my motor on ebay actually. NetGain makes several sizes that appear very solid, if anything happens to my motor I'll probably switch to one of theirs.

 

Gollum - That thing is a beast! Their curve ends at 450 amps but that is just a fraction of what it can handle. At 1000 amps you're talking like 280 ft/lbs! At 2000 Amps.....

 

Just $4000....hmm....

[Six_Shooter]

this might sound really dumb but I have not seen anyone ask this yet.

 

so the setup weights some 800+ pounds with those heavy 30+ pound batteries. Is it possible to use light weight batteries that weight around 12 pounds like deka etx series or braille batteries for example?

 

The problem I've been seeing, reading and heard about with the DEKA or other AGM small case batteries is that you need more of them to equal the same reserve capacity of a larger case battery, even though the instant discharge rate might be the same or close. This would work well for a short run, high rate of accel car like a drag racer, but not for distance like we want.

 

The guy that is or will be helping me, has been looking into using Li/ion batteries in the AA or AAA size, which we will then place into our own cases, replaceable as modules.

I'm likely going to start with conventional batteries to get it going and then switch out later, once the initial cost of conversion is dealt with.

 

jmead;

 

I'm more interested in the choice to use the tranny, especially without the clutch. I've held onto my clutch for now, because I figured it would be easier to drive with, especially while down shifting. I can drive no problem without using the clutch, but still need to work on my clutchless down shifting, I would imagine this would be more difficult (for me) than with a gas engine, since I'm used to the rate of decay or RPM on a gas engine, especially with a heavy flywheel, with just the coupler, the rate of decay should be higher, making that time to slip into the lower gear shorter.

I'd rather run without a clutch, since that's added weight that will eat power, on accel, but may help once your rolling along.

 

I'm even considering doing away with the tranny, and going with a taller gear, to save weight, but I'm not sure how towing will be effected by this. Hmmm, removing 1st and 2nd gear, and leaving only the last 3 gears for towing accel and cruising may be an option.

 

Thoughts?

[m4xwellmurd3r]

if I had the money and time I would SO build an electric Z. I really don't drive too much. considering I live NEXT DOOR to work. So really i only would be driving like 10-20 miles TOTAL a day.

[Derek]

I hear ya.

I think I drove a total of 50 miles all last week. I could probably get by with a lot less batteries.

Great now I have to finish my EFI intake manifold and build an electric Z

 

Derek

 

if I had the money and time I would SO build an electric Z. I really don't drive too much. considering I live NEXT DOOR to work. So really i only would be driving like 10-20 miles TOTAL a day.

[Gritz]

The problem I've been seeing, reading and heard about with the DEKA or other AGM small case batteries is that you need more of them to equal the same reserve capacity of a larger case battery, even though the instant discharge rate might be the same or close. This would work well for a short run, high rate of accel car like a drag racer, but not for distance like we want.

 

The guy that is or will be helping me, has been looking into using Li/ion batteries in the AA or AAA size, which we will then place into our own cases, replaceable as modules.

I'm likely going to start with conventional batteries to get it going and then switch out later, once the initial cost of conversion is dealt with.

 

jmead;

 

I'm more interested in the choice to use the tranny, especially without the clutch. I've held onto my clutch for now, because I figured it would be easier to drive with, especially while down shifting. I can drive no problem without using the clutch, but still need to work on my clutchless down shifting, I would imagine this would be more difficult (for me) than with a gas engine, since I'm used to the rate of decay or RPM on a gas engine, especially with a heavy flywheel, with just the coupler, the rate of decay should be higher, making that time to slip into the lower gear shorter.

I'd rather run without a clutch, since that's added weight that will eat power, on accel, but may help once your rolling along.

 

I'm even considering doing away with the tranny, and going with a taller gear, to save weight, but I'm not sure how towing will be effected by this. Hmmm, removing 1st and 2nd gear, and leaving only the last 3 gears for towing accel and cruising may be an option.

 

Thoughts?

 

I saw something on tv called "Future car part 1-4"...I think one of the guys there said that laptop batteries are the best, because there are light and can withstand a lot of abuse...Downside, they are expensive..

[Six_Shooter]

I saw something on tv called "Future car part 1-4"...I think one of the guys there said that laptop batteries are the best, because there are light and can withstand a lot of abuse...Downside, they are expensive..

 

That seems to be the problem...

 

Plentful and cheap, but heavy and/or low storage capacity

 

OR

 

Good storage capacity, light but expensive.

 

[jmead]

The guy that is or will be helping me, has been looking into using Li/ion batteries in the AA or AAA size, which we will then place into our own cases, replaceable as modules.

I'm likely going to start with conventional batteries to get it going and then switch out later, once the initial cost of conversion is dealt with.

 

As fas a wh/lb goes lithium are unbeatable, I attempted to buy several thousand 18650 cells not that long ago to do the same thing, but the deal fell through. The amount of man hours needed to build a pack of sufficient size is huge, don't underestimate the amount of effort required. I'd definitely go lead acid at first. You'll get a few years to work the lithium angle, and prices are always coming down.

 

 

I'm more interested in the choice to use the tranny, especially without the clutch. I've held onto my clutch for now, because I figured it would be easier to drive with, especially while down shifting. I can drive no problem without using the clutch, but still need to work on my clutchless down shifting, I would imagine this would be more difficult (for me) than with a gas engine, since I'm used to the rate of decay or RPM on a gas engine, especially with a heavy flywheel, with just the coupler, the rate of decay should be higher, making that time to slip into the lower gear shorter.

I'd rather run without a clutch, since that's added weight that will eat power, on accel, but may help once your rolling along.

 

I don't have a flywheel, partially for that reason, more inertia coupled with the motor. I can't say how it effects shifting, but it does seem like it would take longer for the syncros to change match the motors speed.

 

 

I'm even considering doing away with the tranny, and going with a taller gear, to save weight, but I'm not sure how towing will be effected by this. Hmmm, removing 1st and 2nd gear, and leaving only the last 3 gears for towing accel and cruising may be an option.

 

Seems like the last 3 are even less important the first. It seems like you really only need 2 and 3, though 1st is nice to have for very steep grades/very slow speed.

 

Direct drive does sound interesting. I bet the ~5% parasitic loss difference would end up being more noticeable than the ~50lbs of weight difference, together they would probably be significant. But that gain in efficiency at cruise is offset by a loss at low speeds.

[Mike kZ]

Very cool project, keep the info coming! Looks like EV's are probably our future.

[Careless]

Careless - why wait? Sounds like your dad knows everything needed to build an EV.

 

My father and I only recently started to get along, and only now is he seeing that all the funky stuff I talk about or I'm interested in is stuff that I can see becoming a life-long passion or side-career.

 

He thought I was gonna bring home a pile of junk when I said "87 300zx Turbo" because

 

it was an 87, like his rusty 87 jetta...

it was a 300zx, which is synonymous with our old neighbor's expensive z32, so 1700 bucks SURELY cannot mean good things,

and because it was a Turbo, and Turbo also means expensive to him.

 

But when I brought it home, he was the one to drive it into the garage, and he took it around the block. I think he fell in love... so it's something that I'm sure he'd be open to.

 

Just gotta justify doing it. Only way is break the current engine

[OlderThanMe]

Just for reference...

Some of y'all may want to contact the former member; Ernie (Ala RacerX) about electric converted cars....

You can find his email if you search the web for it.

[Wedge]

wouldnt a automatic or even an CVT transmission work on an engine like that i know youd need a tranny cooler and a T converter but is it doable ?

[OlderThanMe]

You don't really need it...

Electric motors can rev really high and really don't even really need a transmission. A slush bucket tranny would just require more power to the motor for the same RWHP. Upgrading to a bigger motor isn't cheap either...