dargles wrote:Hi, Chris.
Somewhere along the line, I think I picked up on the fact that you converted a Fiesta to run on batteries, and then sold it on to someone else on the forum here? If so, what was the set-up like? What power motor did you use, what sort of batteries, and what was the top speed/range like? Did it take you ages and ages to do the conversion, or not too bad?
Regards, David
Yep I had a fiesta which I had to sell to start my own company up.
Alan has it down in Dorset now, it runs a pair of lynch motors with a curtis controller and started life with a set of elecsol LA batteries in it, 10 in all giving it 120v nominal. Alan fitted it with Li-ions but due to a problem is now back with LA's to my knowledge
The two 60v lynch motors where wired in series thus allowing the 120v through them, I kept it very simple and tidy with only the bear minium.
The motors powered the standard 4 speed gearbox with no clutch via a toothed belt.
Charging was done on the cheap using a standard 110v yellow building site transformer with just a bridge rectifier in it, and a couple of meters built into it, which gave a 10amp max output and would charge to about 150vdc.
Performance wise it could be provoked into spinning up the front wheels in first and second in the dry and 3rd gear in the wet, so it wasnt a slouch
Top speed ended up at 75mph but at 200amps (which was the max for the motors) the batteries would soon give up the ghost
The range was calculated at around 50 miles @ 30mph but as with all conversions calculated and real life range is never the same and best day to day range was about 35 miles, although when Alan was running it on Li-ions he said it was good for 100miles +
Time wise to build it is hard to say, if you take into account all the stuff I did to the car to fit the batteries and trays etc plus the spray job and all the waxoiling etc the whole build took over a year, but the basics could be done I recon in around 3mths working at weekends.
As with all conversions it starts off looking quite cheap but its all the little things that add up, the 10 battery clamps, the welding wire used for the traction power, all the heat shrink, the crimp lugs, the two dash meters etc etc while the basic build was just a couple of lynch motors at the time around £600 each, a Curtis controller @ £550 and 10 elecsols @ £84 each, gave just under £2600 for the basics. I then had the car plus I recon at least another £500+ in sundries/charger etc making it over £3000
and then there was all my hours and hours I spent building it.
Thus the next EV I vowed would be a comercial one, especially as the one before that was a comercial Bedford CF which had everything in it.
Hence the Berlingo was my next choice after a break of some 12mths being EV'less, bought for a lot less than the bits for the Fiesta and was very much plug and play, since then I've never looked back
Yes the berlingo has its faults but for a constant range of around 45-50miles ( best I have ever had from mine was 63miles) and a top speed of 65mph I just cant knock it
Would I do another conversion...........nah its not for me, I prefer to be using an EV than tinkering with it and cost wise in my view its cheaper.
I wouldnt ever say to someone dont build one but I would say be prepared for a fair bit of costs and if possible look for one thats been converted and then just add your own flavour to it
ChrisB