Now we are motoring

Well this weekend was one of actual driving the electric Mini.  The motor is mounted, the stabilizer bar connected, the controller, inverter, 18 V supply, throttle and 12 V system are all connected and operational.

So we backed out of the garage.  The electric reverse switch is a wonderful feature.  Just leave the car in 2nd gear and the motor can change direction with a flick of switch.

Heading up the hill.  No Smell, No fumes, No Gas

At the top of hill, it was quick turn-around and then coasting down at about 20 MPH.  A good test of the transmission.  Regeneration is still turned off at this point.  

Then we turned around again and headed back up for another test.  

Observations for the day

1. Electrics are quiet and you can really hear the radio and birds.
2. 25 Volts is only good for about 10 miles an hour on level ground in 2nd.  I figure we are only getting 1000 RPM.  The current meter reports about 300 amps (probably close to 33 ft-lbs of torque).  The original 988 could generate 52 ft-lbs @ 2700 RPM.  With the real batteries, the electric should easily surpass this.
3. Going up and down the block gets a little boring after awhile.  However, with limited battery capacity, it would not be wise to stray too far from home, especially where you can't coast all the way home.

Next steps.... Time to size and purchase the real batteries - Probably 26 LiIon packs... More to come....

In and Out

We pulled the old engine out and actually were able to install the electric in the same day.  It even spins.

Here is a shot of the old oil-leaking gas engine.  The engine lift ($99 from Harbor Freight with $6 shipping) made it fairly easy to lift and move around.  It would have cost more than $6 in gas to drive to the nearest Harbor Freight in Salem.

This is the empty engine compartment.  Lots of clean-up to do.  The Subframe is in good shape.  The real test is whether the electric would fit  You can see the CV joints on the end of the drive shafts, just next to the exhaust manifold, which is now removed.

Here is the electric in place.  It is attached to a Standard rod-change Mini transmission, so the engine mounts can be used with out much modification.

Here is the new engine compartment.  Still lots of wires to cleanup

Here is a video of the wheels actually spinning.  The controller is turned down and only two 12V batteries are attached at this point, so the speed is limited.   The squeal is from the helical gears which need to break-in to mesh better.  Also, there is no oil in the gear box at the moment, so that will help quiet things down.  The thumping sound at low RPM is expected in 3-phase DC motors.  It smooths out with speed.

Next Steps...

• Connect the gas pedal to the controller so we can actually drive
• Buy and install the batteries
• Clean-up the wiring