Mounting Battery Rails

Mounting the battery bank rails made out of used aluminum transport trailer roof rails. that were donated to the project. Remember people ask if you can have it, everything for the project was donated.









Son riveting battery rails in place. How many kids are building Electric Cars these days, I know of only one. Despite the sad look on his face he is actually having fun.

















Load testing the battery grouping with a little jump.







Video jumping.







Battery configuration, trying to maximize space and balance the weight of all the pack. Each pack weighs 20 lbs, so just in the front there is 360 lbs.

After the battery placement has been finalized then we will add both fibreglass and rigid insulation to enclose the boxes to maintain the heat for the winter time. We will add vents and controls for the summer time.

These rails were cut down to bridge the gap across the front void where the spare tire (center) and the radiator (right) use to be.

These rails were also riveted in place by our son, he also calculated the correct Ah capacity that the car would need to travel 150 km.

You Can't Do That!!! (the day the dreamers "grow up")

Changing our world one kilometer (or mile) at a time.

After people tell me,

"You can't do that for next to no money, made from a recycled
car, recycled batteries, recycled wires and recycled dreams."

It kind makes it hard to just let it go, knowing how easy this converting process is. A couple weeks ago deer hit me on the way to work and destroyed our car, we were going to replace the car with another "beater" as a commuter car but thought this would be a perfect time to realize our dream and convert a car from gas to electric. We started looking more intently for a car which would make a ideal donor car and found Brian.

Below is a picture and video of Brian Sauve the person who donated our first donor car, Brian dream originally was to convert this same car to electric but time does run away. Here he had just drove the car onto the car trailer for us (Uhaul rocks). It was a sad moment for Brian but he was very happy that his car will have the second life in the manner he dreamed of. When this conversion is operational Brian will one of the first and few to drive this reincarnated "Lean Mean Clean machine"

The car now in our drive way after searching for this model and year for over a year and a half now safely in our drive way. The planning and time lines start, six weeks the goal to have the car "operational" may be harder to adhere to as working on the car out side with no garage dancing with mother nature (she always wants to lead). The full range target to work and back is 150 kilometers (93.21 miles), down hill to work and uphill back its like a 12 hour roller coaster, 12 hour slow roller coaster.

Plugging in at work would not only reduce my need for full range from 150 km (93.21 miles) to 100 km (62.14 miles) it would also lighten the vehicle thus placing less stress on bearing, joints, suspension and other mechanical items.

Lightening the car would also allow it to maintain what little cargo space is has and allow "a passenger" other that bobble heads.

Adding solar panels on the roof unfortunately will not add much generating capacity (except maybe to charge the 12 volt operating system. You need a lot of amps to charge batteries and a couple of 100 watt solar panels only generate about 16 amps, I think the car would have to be parked in the sun for about 3 days straight to charge the batteries up to full, but I still learning this whole amps, volt and watts language. But I think a couple of peel and stick solar panels as racing strips up the hood, across the roof and down the tails might be a nice touch.

It does make the mind, body and spirit work harder, to improve and prove that dreamers are the ones most planted firmly, success is in my dreams and reality. Only you have the right to deflate your dreams.