It's officially underway... 1986 Mazda RX7 EV project!

[GasSavers_BigMouse]

As of today, my EV project is officially underway. I purchased a 1986 Mazda RX7 with a bad motor in it. More details and pictures to come. I'm hoping to turn this thread into the next Forkenswift style documentary of the process.

For those thirsty for pictures, here are some before and after pictures of my motor after a rebuild:
Before:

After:

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Is it just me, or is that one big motor?

[GasSavers_BigMouse]

Originally Posted by omgwtfbyobbq

Is it just me, or is that one big motor?

12" dia by 13" long. Dual output shafts. It's a Baker forklift drive motor. Brushes have been advanced 10 degrees. According to my dial indicating torque wrench, it produces 25 ft lbs of torque at 12v, 0rpm. Don't have an ammeter (yet) to measure current though. Either way, it should be MORE than capable of propelling my RX7 with 120-140v worth of NiCad cells behind it. I hope having a bigger motor doesn't effect economy the same way having a bigger gas engine does.

Quick reference:
Goals for my EV:
30+ Mile range minimum (70 or more hopefully)
65+MPH continuous speed
On-board 110v charger.
Minimum cost.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

It may, but it won't have the same magnitude. There may be a ~10-20% difference between efficiency, motor size, and average power needed, but it's not like gasoline engines where efficiency can drop by a factor of 2-6 depending on gearing and displacement. I'm curious, if you're trying to minimize costs, why did you go with NiCad batteries?

[Bill in Houston]

Ya, that's a biggie... Super cool! I hope it all goes great for you!

[SVOboy]

Sweet project! I hope you keep us updated step by step!

[GasSavers_BigMouse]

Originally Posted by omgwtfbyobbq

I'm curious, if you're trying to minimize costs, why did you go with NiCad batteries?

I'm getting the NiCad cells for free from the airline I work at. They are "unservicable" cells, which means that they're no longer fit for use on aircraft, but so far all (11) of them seem to be just fine for my purposes.



Each cell is 1.4v and 40AH. It will take me quite a while, but I'm planning on collecting about 100 of them. Of course, I don't plan on stopping when I get to 100. Gotta have spares and room for upgrades of course ;-)

Also, a picture of the car, just to keep things moving:

[SVOboy]

Free batteries, nice! What's the cd on that car?

[bbgobie]

Holy! 1.4V each! That's a lot of wiring batman!!

[GasSavers_TomO]

Pretty cool project there! With my new business of working on golf carts this summer, I think I might have to score a motor and controller and related parts for a future EV project of my own.