102 replies to this topic

[TopCatCustom]

Well done

[jonny f]

Congratulations on getting it going. Very impressive.

Might be worth put a few design patents in for when we run out of fuel and all us mini owners want to go electric ;).

[MalcolmB]

Quite possibly, one of the coolest builds on the forum.

Thank you!

Might be worth put a few design patents in for when we run out of fuel and all us mini owners want to go electric ;).

Nah, nothing new here, it's just repackaging stuff I've picked up from the online DIY community. Besides, it's too late, it's already out in the public domain

[Ethel]

Great work, but I bet it still drips oil on your drive


You know you can get an electrically heated windscreen from Minispares?

[MalcolmB]

Great work, but I bet it still drips oil on your drive

Thanks, but at least I won't have to drive with the windows wound down all year to avoid asphyxiation from the leaking exhaust

You know you can get an electrically heated windscreen from Minispares?

No I didn't, does the MOT accept that as an alternative to a demister?

[TopCatCustom]

Apparently an MOT does not require a demister- but an SVA does. I believe I have heard of people using a heated screen to get SVA/IVA whater it is approval.

Surely you will need some sort of heater in there though anyway..? Gas heater?

[MalcolmB]

OK thanks, that's good to know. I don't have a heater, but I have a demister of sorts. It's a 110V hair dryer installed behind the dash and connected to the main battery pack via a high-voltage relay. I've plumbed it into the windscreen vents. It's a bit Heath Robinson, but it's out of sight so no-one will know...
It produces a reasonable amount of heat at 72V and should work pretty well when I bump the voltage up.

[momini]

Awsome Malcolm. One talented guy!

Edited by momini, 23 October 2012 - 06:00 PM.

[MalcolmB]

Thanks Mo, would you mind telling my wife that?

[Wil_h]

Great to see it nearly done. Any videos?

[MalcolmB]

I'm road legal Passed the MOT with no advisories at all. I'm still waiting to get the V5 back from the DVLA with the change of fuel type, then I can claim my free tax disc. Chuffed to bits.

It was only a couple of miles to the testing station, but enough to confirm that she needs more power. It's nothing a few more dilithium crystals can't fix though. The motors are capable of a lot more, the bottleneck right now is in the battery pack and controller. She should be pretty nippy when get round to fitting the rest of the pack and a higher voltage controller. I'm aiming for 0.4g acceleration from 0-60 mph.

The batteries are secured in an angle iron frame in the rear seat space, with a square-section restraint bar to stop them joining me in the front. I've installed the chargers in the space either side of the pack.

Instrumentation is minimal right now. The speedo is the original tachometer, taking pulses from an inductive proximity sensor on the tail shaft of one of the motors. I worked out the speed at given rpm and then printed off a new dial for the tach.

I'm planning to fit a ZEVA fuel gauge, designed for electric conversions. This measures the state of charge of the battery pack and displays it on the original fuel gauge. It also monitors the battery current and displays this on the original tachometer (I have a spare).

I also want to wire up a pair of analogue ammeters, one for each motor, just to check how they are sharing current under different conditions.

I haven't done any cosmetic work yet, as you can tell. It looks as if the Mini is going rusty, but that's just glue from the old carpet. Fibre glass doesn't rust as far as I know
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[TopCatCustom]

Well done

[momini]

Do you get any heating issues from the batteries?

[MalcolmB]

Thanks c4annon.

momini: Heating issues, in the UK, in November... no, not been a problem yet :) Just the opposite, I nipped out to Asda first thing this morning when the batteries were a bit cold and I really noticed the drop in power because the voltage sags a lot more under load. That's mostly a problem because I'm using such a small pack.

Not really expecting any overheating problems even when it gets warmer as the cylindrical cells I'm using have plenty of ventilation space between them and they're rated for rapid discharge. I'm more concerned about insulating the cells to keep them warm in the winter. Overheating becomes more of a problem in racing, where you're pushing cells beyond their recommended discharge rates.

[Nick Warwick]

Amazing build mate