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1983 Porsche 911 SC Targa

Monday, July 22, 2013

Celebrate Hillsboro and Another Video

I had the car on display at a local event called Celebrate Hillsboro – a city festival with music, kids activities, sports, bicycle rides, and a farmers’ market. My car was positioned in the intersection right in the middle of the event. The car generated a lot of positive attention.

A few people expressed disappointment in my choice of donor. Some were misinformed on the performance capability of electric drive and others were dismayed that I messed with a classic. But the response was overwhelmingly positive. I even met a few people that are currently converting their own vehicles. By far the most common questions I get are range, cost and battery life (100 miles, a lot, and 3000 cycles).

I’ve received a lot of requests for another video. I’m pleased that the controller in quiet mode no longer generates that obnoxious 8 kHz switching buzz.

16 comments:

  1. Hi Joey,

    Jack Rickard talked about 7000+ cycles few months ago with these cells when going through the chemistry details of LiFePO4
    If under charging, and stopping the discharge at 80% (if I recall)
    That would lead to 20 years when a cycle (Charge & Discharge) everyday

    Christophe
    http://myelifenow.blogspot.com

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    1. That would be awesome. I don't think anyone knows for sure, as these cells are less than a year old. I do plan to use a conservative portion of the capacity - like the middle 70% (avoid the top 10% and bottom 20%).

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    2. You are right about this, and staying in this save range should be the best to prolongate their lives

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  2. Joey,

    Great video! Your car really turned out nice and looks like it is a blast to drive.

    Randy

    cztree.blogspot.com

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  3. Hey Joey,

    Awesome vid! Goosebumps, man. I watched it 3x...

    The "Last drive with ICE" is starting to hit home with me, as I sure have been enjoying driving mine under petroleum-power. That must have been a tough drive for you as well. Once we get into the usual "wet"-coast rain here, I'm sure it will be a lot easier to park it and put it up on blocks -- but for now, this is proving to be the ideal summer cruiser. The killer is, is that I think I am going to have to skip a summer, as like you I think this is going to be almost a 1.5-2 year project.

    At any rate, watching you whiz by on those country roads is completely inspiring, and it sure looks like you are having fun. Don't worry about the lack of EV grins in the back-seat. I guess (and hope) that EVs will be the norm for them when they get their driver's license. Perhaps for them they will experience FV-grins (F=Fusion, or Flying) years from now...

    That's also great that you have been showing off your ride at these events, as I strongly believe that the more people that are corrected on the misnomers of electric power, the more the EV revolution will take hold. And if a few of those people (like me a year ago) get the conversion bug, then all the better!

    BTW: You talk about avoiding the top 10%. What Voltage are you charging your pack at, on the cell level? 3.3V (90% of 3.65V)? I was planning on charging as 3.5V per cell.

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    1. Thanks. I actually didn't know that it would be the last drive at the time. I was just collecting proof that the motor at one point was functional, for when I need to sell the motor. I had been driving the car under gas power for a couple months and figured I would continue while my adapter plate was on order. Then I got a call that they didn't have my transmission pattern on file, after all, and I would need to send in the flywheel. I pulled the motor that weekend.

      It was a long project, and my level of enthusiasm fluctuated. The start and near the end were high points. In the middle, there were low points - cleaning grease and oil from the engine compartment, getting cut up pulling the conduit, waiting forever to some of the ordered parts. It was all worth it, in the end.

      I think the topic of battery charging and measuring state of charge is a big enough topic that I'll create a separate blog post really soon. The main point is that voltage is a flawed indicator of state of charge.

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  4. Hi Joey,
    Nice video! I didn't know the porche had backseats. I wish I had converted a 4 seater sports car instead of my 2 seater MR2.

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  5. I guess I am just wondering out loud (because I could always call the Orion guys and find out for sure), but aside from SOC upper and lower limits, I'd like to know whether the C rating on the battery is just an expression of the cell's actual maximum possible output (including burst), or if this rating is presented as a guideline that possibly could, but should not be exceeded by the end user. I'm thinking about tweaking the settings on my Torque App to allow higher burst discharge without sounding the annoying alarm.

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    1. As far as I know, heat is issue. By the time you measure a rise in case temperature, the internal temp is a lot higher, so limiting current is the best way to control temperature. I'm not sure is higher current has any other negative effects.

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  6. Hello Joey,

    Nice video. I didn't know the Porche 911 is a 4 seater. The biggest regret I have in converting my electric MR2 is that I wish I had converted a 4 seater so I can use it when taking the family out.

    Ken

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    1. My wife insisted on a 4 seater. It took me several hours to find a picture on the internet with car seats in the back of a 911. Another bonus: The back seats help reduce the insurance premium.

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  7. Hi Joey Great conversion, well done! Comments on the rear seats are interesting, 911's are quite practical cars, we got 4 adults (just about!) in my old 993, regret selling it now but ce la vie. The video was great, the external shots really showed that EV's are not the silent killers that some would have you believe, tyre and wind noise are much louder than engine noise. Im an avid viewer of EVTV too, dont always get the time to watch it in one go though! Good luck for the future, are you thinking about your next conversion yet? Regards Mark Davis UK.

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    1. Mark, thanks for your kind words. I really watch out in parking lots and at speeds below 10 MPH, because that is when the EV is silent.

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  8. Really nice work. Congrats Joey. I also own a 911 and tought of EV swap but cause we have a period of 6 months I can't use the car (It's called winter) :( I don't think the batteries will survive that long without demand or with long charging.

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    1. Lithium batteries have a very low self discharge rate (about 0.5% per month). 6 months stored at about 60% state of charge would not cause any problems, as long as you disconnected the pack fully from any loads.

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