I'd like to get the car off the jack-stands and back into a position where I can drive it while still adding things like the guages. After installing the speed sensor, the last thing needed under the car is the splash guard to protect water and grit from getting into the Warp9. MORE
I tried installing the Zolox sensor mounting ring for the Warp9 motor from EVsource today. It looks like the holes on the mounting ring don't line up properly. The holes for the Warp9 casing don't match, so I had to drill them a bit larger so the bolts would go in. MORE
After futzing around awhile, I was able to get the spacer ring for the Zolox tachometer sensor to line up. Here's the bottom of the mounting ring. MORE
It's still pretty cold in the garage, but I motivated myself to get out to TAP plastics (10 blocks away) and pick up some ABS plastic for the improved splash guard. Here's the 3/16" thick piece of ABS lying on top of the existing splash guard. MORE
Santa was good to me this year. I received a Link-10 battery monitor from my parents. I don't think they understand what it does and why it costs so much, but okay, they got it for me anyway. The items on the right came from Belktronix. The wires on the upper left are the Link-10 voltage prescaler. MORE
The announcement that BYD, the Chinese battery giant turned automaker, has actually begun selling its plug-in hybrid, is pretty big news. Shares rose about 15% on the Hong Kong stock exchange Monday. Earlier this year Warren Buffet invested over $200 million in the company (10% share). MORE
“It’s gonna be Earth Day on STEROIDS !&# That’s how EV fan Paul Thomas lured us to the sun-scorched Barona Drag Strip to film this year’s Kick Gas Festival. Barona has seen many grudge matches over the years, but this was one we couldn’t miss; the first head to head between electric dragsters and old school gas guzzlers. Would Michael Kadie’s electric blue coupe kick gas in more ways than one? MORE
This is a cool day(And not just because it's freezing outside). The package with the custom tachometer from SpeedHut arrived. Although I received the 2-hole pillar pod last Friday, I wanted to show it here since I ordered both items from Speedhut. The wiring harness is nice and long. MORE
I got some fun stuff today. The plastic boxes for the BatMons and the Zolox speed sensor with Warp9 mounting hardware came in. Here's a pile of 2x2" plastic boxes 1/2" high that fit the BatMon boards quite well. MORE
The Wall St Journal's new glossy mag, WSJ, reports on the rivalry between Tesla's Elon Musk, and Henrik Fisker. A bit of scratching and clawing. MORE
Changes in percentage of teenagers with driver’s licenses, 1983 to 2008. In contrast, in 2008, the largest group included those 70 years and older. Data: Sivak and Schoettle. Click to enlarge. MORE
A white base-model 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid has just crossed 500,000 miles, which possibly makes it the highest-mileage Escape Hybrid on the road. If you ever had any doubt that hybrids were durable--and many people do--here''s a case study to set your mind at ease. That''s much higher than the Escape Hybrids with 300,000 miles of taxi service in San MORE
Plug-in 2008 in San Jose, California witnessed a noon-time address by new heavy-weight convert, Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel. Attesting to consumer desire for plug-ins, hundreds of people flooded the Plug-in 2008 auditorium for the low-cost “public” event, which included Plug In America’s Chelsea Sexton participating in a panel discussion. Once again, a conference on plug-in cars. Coming on the heels of the Google/Brookings event in Washington, D.C., MORE
For more than a year now in this blog I’ve been researching and reporting on climate change, energy and transportation issues and related environmental stories covering them on both a personal and a global perspective. MORE
Back in 2009, we told you about the official National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall of the 2008 Zap Xebra three-wheeled electric motorcycle. At the time, the NHTSA said the recall was to rectify an excessively long braking distance, which U.S. electric vehicle vendor Zap and the Chinese maker of the vehicle, Qingqi group Motorcycle MORE
As we move into the final month of the year 2008 I keep looking up at my rooftop longingly. MORE
A late comer to the now hugely popular ''compact crossover'' market, Peugeot is still hoping that its new 2008 vehicle can make significant inroads into the sector, thanks to its combination of competitive pricing and low emissions. MORE
Gav's EV Conversion - Living with an EV - IV from Gav on Vimeo. If you aren't familiar with Gav, he's been a long time contributing member of DIYElectricCar under the name of "kiwiev." MORE
What does it take to winterize your electric car, and keep it running well (and far) in the cold MORE
Tags: Editorials candidates senator barak obama john mccain ev electric vehicle phev hybrid range extended campaign race 2008 energy sustainable clean solar wind biofuels diesel hydrogen MORE
During the test drive, I noticed that the speedometer wasn't working. It had worked fine before I removed the engine. After researching the Helms manual, I needed to get at the speed-sensor on the transmission to figure out what was going wrong. MORE
Okay, it's time to get your wiring spaghetti on. I spent part of last evening (after fixing the speedo) and all of this morning wiring up the Batmon boards. In the process I blew the OVP channel on the IsoBatMon unit. MORE
In addition to the thick, high-current battery cables, we need to route the OVP (over-voltage protection) and LVP (low-voltage protection) wires from the rear BatMon boards to the front BatMon boards. MORE
Even though all the BatMon boards are not wired up, I was itching for a quick test drive. It was time for me to get the wheels on the car and take it for a short spin. This is the picture of my front hallway closet. MORE
Not surprisingly, we need to connect the batteries in back with the batteries in front and also include the main circuit breaker under the parking brake. These lines are typically routed under the car in the trough left by the exhaust system. MORE
Much of my time was spent wiring up the controller, charger and integrator box from the Belktronix kit. I had to unbolt the charger in order to get access to the fast-on connectors on the side of the main motor controller. MORE
In order to shunt current around each fully charged battery, the BatMon boards use an external 3 ohm resistor. Since mounting these resistors involves drilling holes in metal, I wanted to mount them before mounting the BatMon boards to prevent metal shavings from sprinkling into the electronics. MORE
more A nd here is the announcement from Hyundai as reported in Wired : Hyundai Going Electric With Hybrids and Plug-Ins By Keith Barry September 01, 2008 Hyundai's been making so many announcements about electric vehicles and hybrids lately you'd think it was ZAP. MORE
One of my goals for this kit was to utilize as much of the existing infrastructure of the car as possible in terms of fuses, relays and wires. To properly wire up the Gast vacuum pump, I wanted a fuse for safety and ideally a relay to protect the pressure switch from arcing too much. MORE
At some point, I guess we have to charge this thing. Most people like to be clever and put the charging outlet under the gas tank cover. I don't like this because it's near the back of the car, away from most charging station outlets at parking spaces. MORE
T he Plug in 2008 National PHEV Conference in San Jose by most accounts was a big success. The announcement, which follows Google's request for proposals from companies with electric car technologies, came Tuesday during the Plug-In 2008 conference in San Jose, Calif. MORE
One of the major tasks during construction of an EV is properly crimping all the heavy duty battery cables together. Here's the process that I used. MORE
Whew! I finally got my internet connection back up at home. This is the first of ten entries that will attempt to show many of the tasks I performed over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend. First up, we need to beef up the rear suspension to handle the extra 420 pounds of batteries in the trunk. MORE
Japan and Europe by 2010 By Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press June 11, 2008 TOKYO -- Toyota is introducing a plug-in hybrid with next-generation lithium-ion batteries in the U.S., T oyota President Katsuaki Watanabe made his company's intentions clear yesterday about PHEVs. MORE
The next step involved preparing all the mounting hardware for the BatMon boards that sit on top of each battery. MORE
How far will big hybrid SUVs go? In a previous post about AFS Trinity’s 150 mile per gallon vehicle, we highlighted one company’s rage about the popularity of hybrid SUVs that get only a few more miles to the gallon than their standard fuel counterparts. MORE
It's one thing to read about a Prius powering a home during a blackout. Check out this video showing an unexpected benefit to the torc, power and design of the Tango electric car. MORE
The next step was to figure out where to put all the control electronics under the front hood to minimize wiring. The Belktronix system comes with velcro attached to the underside of most of its components. MORE
Today involved trying to mount the major electrical components to the car. Before covering up the transmission, I thought it would be a good idea to fill it with transmission fluid. The Honda Civic specifies 10w-30 oil for the transmission. MORE
Like Milton from Office Space , did the LA Auto Show try to move Edward Furio to the basement? Last June, we told you about the 150-mile per gallon hybrid developed by Washington state company, AFS Trinity Power Corporation. MORE
Just a the coal companies go on the air with ads that could be Obama campaign commercials, down to the Yes We Can (make coal clean,) the real world intrudes. MORE
I installed the remaining hold-downs for the 12V auxiliary battery and the extra battery in the rear trunk this evening. I hadn't designed these hold-downs before I sent all the pieces off to powder-coat, so I'll have to paint them with POR-15 protectant before I finish. MORE
2008 Related Topics Hybrid SUV Blog
DECEMBER 14, 2008
How far will big hybrid SUVs go? In a previous post about AFS Trinity’s 150 mile per gallon vehicle, we highlighted one company’s rage about the popularity of hybrid SUVs that get only a few more miles to the gallon than their standard fuel counterparts.
Hybrid SUV Blog
DECEMBER 3, 2008
Like Milton from Office Space , did the LA Auto Show try to move Edward Furio to the basement? Last June, we told you about the 150-mile per gallon hybrid developed by Washington state company, AFS Trinity Power Corporation.
Green Cars News
MAY 15, 2013
A late comer to the now hugely popular ''compact crossover'' market, Peugeot is still hoping that its new 2008 vehicle can make significant inroads into the sector, thanks to its combination of competitive pricing and low emissions.
Green Car Reports
JULY 16, 2013
A white base-model 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid has just crossed 500,000 miles, which possibly makes it the highest-mileage Escape Hybrid on the road. If you ever had any doubt that hybrids were durable--and many people do--here''s a case study to set your mind at ease. That''s much higher than the Escape Hybrids with 300,000 miles of taxi service in San
Plug In Partners
AUGUST 1, 2008
T he Plug in 2008 National PHEV Conference in San Jose by most accounts was a big success. The announcement, which follows Google's request for proposals from companies with electric car technologies, came Tuesday during the Plug-In 2008 conference in San Jose, Calif.
DIY Electric Car
JULY 28, 2008
Tags: Editorials candidates senator barak obama john mccain ev electric vehicle phev hybrid range extended campaign race 2008 energy sustainable clean solar wind biofuels diesel hydrogen
Plugs and Cars
JULY 31, 2008
Plug-in 2008 in San Jose, California witnessed a noon-time address by new heavy-weight convert, Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel. Attesting to consumer desire for plug-ins, hundreds of people flooded the Plug-in 2008 auditorium for the low-cost “public” event, which included Plug In America’s Chelsea Sexton participating in a panel discussion. Once again, a conference on plug-in cars. Coming on the heels of the Google/Brookings event in Washington, D.C.,
Green Car Congress
DECEMBER 1, 2011
Changes in percentage of teenagers with driver’s licenses, 1983 to 2008. In contrast, in 2008, the largest group included those 70 years and older. Data: Sivak and Schoettle. Click to enlarge.
Plug In Partners
SEPTEMBER 15, 2008
more A nd here is the announcement from Hyundai as reported in Wired : Hyundai Going Electric With Hybrids and Plug-Ins By Keith Barry September 01, 2008 Hyundai's been making so many announcements about electric vehicles and hybrids lately you'd think it was ZAP.
Creative Greenius
DECEMBER 2, 2008
As we move into the final month of the year 2008 I keep looking up at my rooftop longingly.
Plug In Partners
OCTOBER 8, 2008
GM Finally Unveils Production Chevy Volt Popular Mechanics By Larry Webster September 16, 2008 After 100 years of making cars, it's party time at the General's house.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 29, 2008
Santa was good to me this year. I received a Link-10 battery monitor from my parents. I don't think they understand what it does and why it costs so much, but okay, they got it for me anyway. The items on the right came from Belktronix. The wires on the upper left are the Link-10 voltage prescaler.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 29, 2008
I tried installing the Zolox sensor mounting ring for the Warp9 motor from EVsource today. It looks like the holes on the mounting ring don't line up properly. The holes for the Warp9 casing don't match, so I had to drill them a bit larger so the bolts would go in.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 29, 2008
After futzing around awhile, I was able to get the spacer ring for the Zolox tachometer sensor to line up. Here's the bottom of the mounting ring.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 29, 2008
I'd like to get the car off the jack-stands and back into a position where I can drive it while still adding things like the guages. After installing the speed sensor, the last thing needed under the car is the splash guard to protect water and grit from getting into the Warp9.
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 26, 2008
It's one thing to read about a Prius powering a home during a blackout. Check out this video showing an unexpected benefit to the torc, power and design of the Tango electric car.
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 25, 2008
Just a the coal companies go on the air with ads that could be Obama campaign commercials, down to the Yes We Can (make coal clean,) the real world intrudes.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 19, 2008
It's still pretty cold in the garage, but I motivated myself to get out to TAP plastics (10 blocks away) and pick up some ABS plastic for the improved splash guard. Here's the 3/16" thick piece of ABS lying on top of the existing splash guard.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 18, 2008
This is a cool day(And not just because it's freezing outside). The package with the custom tachometer from SpeedHut arrived. Although I received the 2-hole pillar pod last Friday, I wanted to show it here since I ordered both items from Speedhut. The wiring harness is nice and long.
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 16, 2008
The announcement that BYD, the Chinese battery giant turned automaker, has actually begun selling its plug-in hybrid, is pretty big news. Shares rose about 15% on the Hong Kong stock exchange Monday. Earlier this year Warren Buffet invested over $200 million in the company (10% share).
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 11, 2008
I got some fun stuff today. The plastic boxes for the BatMons and the Zolox speed sensor with Warp9 mounting hardware came in. Here's a pile of 2x2" plastic boxes 1/2" high that fit the BatMon boards quite well.
Creative Greenius
DECEMBER 8, 2008
For more than a year now in this blog I’ve been researching and reporting on climate change, energy and transportation issues and related environmental stories covering them on both a personal and a global perspective.
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 9, 2008
The Wall St Journal's new glossy mag, WSJ, reports on the rivalry between Tesla's Elon Musk, and Henrik Fisker. A bit of scratching and clawing.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 5, 2008
Okay, it's time to get your wiring spaghetti on. I spent part of last evening (after fixing the speedo) and all of this morning wiring up the Batmon boards. In the process I blew the OVP channel on the IsoBatMon unit.
DIY Electric Car
DECEMBER 5, 2008
Gav's EV Conversion - Living with an EV - IV from Gav on Vimeo. If you aren't familiar with Gav, he's been a long time contributing member of DIYElectricCar under the name of "kiwiev."
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 4, 2008
During the test drive, I noticed that the speedometer wasn't working. It had worked fine before I removed the engine. After researching the Helms manual, I needed to get at the speed-sensor on the transmission to figure out what was going wrong.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 3, 2008
Whew! I finally got my internet connection back up at home. This is the first of ten entries that will attempt to show many of the tasks I performed over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend. First up, we need to beef up the rear suspension to handle the extra 420 pounds of batteries in the trunk.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 3, 2008
The next step involved preparing all the mounting hardware for the BatMon boards that sit on top of each battery.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 3, 2008
At some point, I guess we have to charge this thing. Most people like to be clever and put the charging outlet under the gas tank cover. I don't like this because it's near the back of the car, away from most charging station outlets at parking spaces.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 3, 2008
One of the major tasks during construction of an EV is properly crimping all the heavy duty battery cables together. Here's the process that I used.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 3, 2008
In order to shunt current around each fully charged battery, the BatMon boards use an external 3 ohm resistor. Since mounting these resistors involves drilling holes in metal, I wanted to mount them before mounting the BatMon boards to prevent metal shavings from sprinkling into the electronics.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 3, 2008
One of my goals for this kit was to utilize as much of the existing infrastructure of the car as possible in terms of fuses, relays and wires. To properly wire up the Gast vacuum pump, I wanted a fuse for safety and ideally a relay to protect the pressure switch from arcing too much.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 3, 2008
Not surprisingly, we need to connect the batteries in back with the batteries in front and also include the main circuit breaker under the parking brake. These lines are typically routed under the car in the trough left by the exhaust system.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 3, 2008
Much of my time was spent wiring up the controller, charger and integrator box from the Belktronix kit. I had to unbolt the charger in order to get access to the fast-on connectors on the side of the main motor controller.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 3, 2008
In addition to the thick, high-current battery cables, we need to route the OVP (over-voltage protection) and LVP (low-voltage protection) wires from the rear BatMon boards to the front BatMon boards.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 3, 2008
Even though all the BatMon boards are not wired up, I was itching for a quick test drive. It was time for me to get the wheels on the car and take it for a short spin. This is the picture of my front hallway closet.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
NOVEMBER 26, 2008
The next step was to figure out where to put all the control electronics under the front hood to minimize wiring. The Belktronix system comes with velcro attached to the underside of most of its components.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
NOVEMBER 19, 2008
I installed the remaining hold-downs for the 12V auxiliary battery and the extra battery in the rear trunk this evening. I hadn't designed these hold-downs before I sent all the pieces off to powder-coat, so I'll have to paint them with POR-15 protectant before I finish.
Plug In Partners
JUNE 11, 2008
Japan and Europe by 2010 By Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press June 11, 2008 TOKYO -- Toyota is introducing a plug-in hybrid with next-generation lithium-ion batteries in the U.S., T oyota President Katsuaki Watanabe made his company's intentions clear yesterday about PHEVs.
Open Source Civic EV Kit
NOVEMBER 16, 2008
Today involved trying to mount the major electrical components to the car. Before covering up the transmission, I thought it would be a good idea to fill it with transmission fluid. The Honda Civic specifies 10w-30 oil for the transmission.
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