| Owner | Chris Jones |
|---|---|
| Location | Santa Rosa, California USA |
| chris@thjmedia.net | |
| Vehicle | 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible |
| Motor | HPEVS AC-51 AC Capable of up to 88 peak horsepower and 107 ft-lb peak torque flat up to 4700 RPM at 144V/500 amps, but motor controller throttled to 300 amps max default to protect the small battery pack. Estimated power and torque is linearly reduced to 53 HP and 64 ft-lb. (upgraded from Advanced DC FB1-4001 Series Wound DC that died after 13 years) |
| Drivetrain | Electro Automotive custom B-Face motor adapter kit Stock flywheel and clutch 4 speed Ford Toploader transmission - 2.78, 1.93, 1.36 and 1.00 ratios 4.62 8" Ford racing differential, upgraded from stock 3.00 for higher efficiency for electric motor |
| Motor Controller | Curtis 1239E AC (upgraded from 2 Curtis 1231C-8601 DCs that died after about 5 years, then ZEVA MC1000C DC that didn't die but the DC motor did) |
| Throttle | Curtis ET-126 Hall effect sensor With added microswitch, and a stopper to prohibit it from going in reverse; NEED TO ADD 3RD RETURN SPRING SINCE THE ET-126 HAS NO PRELOAD AT 0V (upgraded from PB-6 potentiometer that became intermittent and was replaced after 14 years, then a PB-8 that was replaced after only 2.5 years) |
| Batteries | 12 Valence Gen 1 U24-12XP 12 Volt LiFePO4 modules with integrated BMS and external BMS controller. (First battery pack capacity dropped to 77% in just 2 years and was replaced under warranty. Module 3's BMS voltage sensor from the second pack became intermittent after 10 years and was replaced for free by Valence with a used module since their Gen 2 version isn't compatible with Gen 1. Module 12's BMS voltage sensor from the second pack failed after 14 years; Valence was then out of business so it was replaced with a used module from Thunderstruck Motors that happened to be programmed as Module 12 since Gen 1s were not field programmable.) |
| System Voltage | 144 Volts |
| On-Board Charger | Brusa NLG-511-SA Charge time 5 hours when batteries were new @ 240V/16A AC, 8 MPH; 20 hours at 120V/8A, 2 MPH. (IP54 fans died after 3 years. Replaced with IP55 that last 10 years. Replaced with IP56 fans in 2019.) |
| Portable Charger | 2 Thunderstruck TSM2500s with Basic EVCC Charge rate 16 MPH. Purchased May 2021. |
| Heater | Custom design utilizing Point Of Use electric water heater for sinks; UNDER CONSTRUCTION (Original MES-DEA system stopped heating after 3 years. Repalced with EV Source one-chamber model that failed after a few months at one of the copper fitting to aluminum thread interfaces; it appears that copper to aluminum is not a good fluid seal interface.) |
| DC/DC Converter | Elcon (Brusa DCDC died after 1.5 years; Inside didn't look roadworthy mechanically. Replaced with an older version of Elcon which lasted 1.5 years; bias shunt resistors overheated, probably because they were potted. Current version is different on outside.) |
| Vehicle Management System | Inertia switch and custom made discrete logic through hole circuit board. (Original circuit used 6 automotive electromechanical relays and two diodes.) |
| Instrumentation | Stock fuel and temp gages driven by BMS via custom made gage driver circuit board. Tracton battery current gage using Hall effect sensor and custom gage driver board - BOARD NEEDS REPAIR Accessory battery current gage with shunt and custom gage driver board - BOARD UNDER CONSTRUCTION Charger, BMS and DCDC output voltage monitor status indicator lights added under dash, driven by custom made status circuit board. |
| Top Speed | 70 MPH (112 KPH) |
| Acceleration | 0-60 MPH in 23 seconds (Much slower than the 8 second 289 V8 and 14 second 200 six, but just fast enough for SF Bay Area traffic) |
| Range | ~30 miles in summer with 16 year old batteries. 42 miles average, 45 miles max range in summer when batteries were new at 104 amp-hours vs. 100 amp-our nameplate. Range improvements from AC motor at ~6% effiency and ~6% regenerative braking would have been ~47 miles average/50 miles max new, so batteries are down to about 60% to ~62% of nameplate capacity. |
| Efficiency | 2.84 Miles/kWh DC |
| EV Miles | 56,981 (3?)54,692 start in July 2006; (4?)11,673 as of July 2024, ~3,166/year over 18 years. |
| Seating Capacity | 4 adults. 708 lb payload. Trunk space not impacted. |
| Curb Weight | 2,971 Pounds (estimate) vs. 2,904 for stock V8, added about 35 lb per axle |
| Tires | P19575R14 inflated to peak tire pressure rating of 35 PSI vs. 28 PSI on door jamb 77.5" per revolution. Toed in less than 1/16", just enough for straight freeway driving to minimize tire friction. |
| Conversion Time | 213 hours of shop time to get on the road between March and July 2006 Plus over 400 hours since then making improvements, and hundreds more doing research and design before the conversion. Plus hundreds more hours restoring and maintaining the non-EV parts of the car since purchased in 1992. |
| Original Conversion Cost | $29,449 EV parts after $755 federal rebate (original cost), not including donor car which would be ~15K so ~$45K total not including conversion labor so over $50K if done for me |
| Additional Features | Custom made EV component mounting hardware. No body or suspension modifications. |
e-Stang to Tesla Model 3 AWD comparison
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DISCLAIMER:
A high voltage EV conversion can be dangerous during assembly and/or operation if not done correctly, and can cost a lot of money and take a lot of time. Proceed with caution and seek professional help as needed if you attempt to do something similar. This information may be inaccurate or misleading, so verify any information posted here independently before making any decisions based on this information. Contact me at chris@thjmedia.net if you have any questions or comments.