gkf@drux3.UUCP (Francis) (10/19/83)
(Sorry this is posted to net.general instead of net.auto, but *THEY* turned off net.auto to our machines.) Thanks to those who responded to my inquiry about charging electric cars at work. Suggestions included adding more batteries so that I could make the trip without recharging (Not practical, because of space and controller limitations.) or running a small, gas powered generator during the day to run the on-board charger (I'm going to think about doing this.). Other respondents mentioned electricity being provided at some locations for block heaters (including a Western Electric location where there were outlets where the company cars were parked, and an employee with an electric car was allowed to use one of those stalls). One company was reported to have installed chargers and restricted parking in several spaces to electric cars. Unfortunately, despite a positive attitude from the AT&T Information Systems people I talked to, our landlords (We are a Western branch location.) were afraid it would set a precedent of providing service to the employees, and refused to provide an outlet, even at my expense. For those who asked or are curious, my car is a 1960 Volkswagen Beetle. (No, it doesn't float anymore.) It has 12 golf cart batteries, located where the rear seat, gas tank, and spare tire used to be. The motor is an aircraft generator. (A poor choice, but it was available at low cost.) The controller is made by PMC, and contains 800 amps worth of transistors to control the armature current. The car will go 60 mph, and I have driven it 30 miles on a charge at speeds of 30 to 45 mph. (My commute is 28 miles round trip, and I won't make it when it is cold.) For those who may consider building their own electric car, you should realize that it is a fairly major project, and it may take months or years until you have anything useful. It also will cost a *LOT* of money, with many unexpected expenses, such as hundreds of dollars in machining costs to adapt your motor to the transmission. (My car cost about $4000, including $450 for the car body and motor, $720 for batteries, and $1500 for the controller.) You will need a technical background or lots of advice to finish everything. When (and if) you get your car to run, you still may find it inadequate for your needs (such as range, top speed, speed up hills, or reliability), and there does not appear to be a market for used (or new) electric cars. On the other hand, I am now quite satisfied with my car, which was an enjoyable (mostly) project, which performs about as I expected, and which saves me $25 or more in gasoline per month. If anyone out there builds an electric car, I would be more than happy to hear from you and give you any help I can. Good luck! Gordon K. Francis ...!drux3!druxu!gkf (303) 538-4999