One year now, driveing E-Truck.

[Jerry]

It was last April (05) when my E-Truck hit the road. I started out with a set of oddball missmatched batteries. They worked well till the end of sommer then started loosing preformance. I put in 20 new Exide in October and they've worked very well.

I've learned warmer weather makes for greatly improved preformance. Its a fun daily driver. Also as sugjested coasting and slow exceleration increase distance. The addition of an amp meter has helped a bunch.

Keeping the tires at 45 LBs seems to work quite well also. I hope to have the water heater core replaced with an electric eliment buy next winter. I do have a small electric heater setting on the floreboard and it makes plenty of heat.

Its nice to never stop at the gas station. No gas, oil, filters, sparkplugs, belts, antifreeze ECT. I do buy distilled watter. Takes about 4 galons a month at @ 50 cents a galon. $2 a month ain't bad plus $20 for charging from the grid each month.

                           JK TAS Jerry

[zap]

Pretty neat Jerry. I would have never guessed 4 gallons a month for water replacement but then I've never spent much time around a large battery bank.

$12 a year probably isn't enough to worry about but a low tech solar powered water distiller could even rid you of that cost?

[georgeodjungle]

have you thought of making your own water?

plus ya might look in to foaming your tires "bulit proofing".

ya know to help from wearing the centers.

or larger rims, will help, but they do not do as good in bad weather.

also the hybrids use specal tires.

how much heat do you think you'ld need?

last thought:

are the batteries exposed?

to keep some of the heat.

any ways great job.

[windstuffnow]

  They sell an LRR tire for electrics, hybrids which are designed to run at 45 psi without abnormal wear.   I believe its a goodyear tire.   I plan to put a set on my S10ev when its road ready.

  Are you running a 4 speed or 5 speed?   Do you ever find a straight run where you can get it into high gear?

  The advice on conserving energy goes side by side with any vehicle your driving, especially "dinosaur" driven vehicles.

I'm envyous jerry, I still have a ways to go...

.

[ghurd]

Any plans for a truck charging windmill at the house and at the store?

That would be tooo cool!

G-

[Jerry]

Hi G. Yes I've acctuly done that a few times useing an inverter. I want  to do that with a dedicated 150v genny and bypass the inverter.

However I still havn't started putting the wind farm back up on the store roof.

                               JK TAS Jerry

[Jerry]

Hi Ed.

Its a 5 speed. Never get into 5th gear. It just won't go. I want to change the rear gears from 3:73 to 5:13 to 5:56 or around there. I may go to a 3/4 ton Dana 60.

This will improve both load handeling plus intown exceleration. A few days ago I was cruzing along at 73 MPH. I thought it was odd that I was passing trafic till I looked at the speedo.

I think I had a good tail wind?  Today I halled my electric golf cart to work on a small trailer and pulled with the E-truck. That load and the wind kept speed to 48 MPH. But the trip went just fine.

Other the the drag I couldn't even feel the load. I think the 11 batteries over the rear axel stabelized the towing expirience as far as swaying and such.

Prety handy littel truck and I make it do work. I don't let it loaf.

                       JK TAS Jerry

[Jerry]

The batteries are out in the cold, bummer. I've thought of collecting the distilled watter from our home air conditionong system in the sommer. It makes a bunch.

I've thought of those 12 ply trailerhouse tires?

My comute is very short 7.5 miles. I'll run these till they quit?

Then look at options.

                     JK TAS Jerry

[Jerry]

Hi Zap.

It seems to be more watter in the sommer and less in the winter. Its drawing 220 amps for 6 miles and charging at 5 amps for 9 HRs each day. Much bubling going on in those batteries. So watter is lost.

Its a 120 volt system. At the end of the day the batteries are measuring 160 to 165 volts but the batteries are still cold. This is the same as 16.5 volts accross a 12 v battery. I'm using a pulse charge system so no harm done. The batteries real love and there good to go.

                          JK TAS Jerry

[domwild]

Jerry,

Good to hear from you again. Why not use rain water or condensation water from airconditioners to save yourself even that piddly little amount?? Unless you live in an industrial coal burning area with acid rain you should have no problem. Or does it even rain heavy metal like your mills from the roof of your office??

One importer of electric vehicles in Oz has found his imported vehicle has to undergo a US$210,000 crash test program as here in Oz they do not have a special category for those light vehicles, i.e., for two adults max. + two children. His vehicle was impounded at customs as it was considered unsafe!

 

[paradigmdesign]

I love hearing stories like this.  I am interested, what is the max distance you can travel with it, and what is the cost/mile as far as the electricity goes?

[powerbuoy]

We are running a forclift at our shop. This unit uses a pretty decent size battery as well. The water has not been changed or refilled in a year.

I believe that you should look again into your charging circuitry ... something does not sound right. Bubbling normally occurs when you overcharge or when the charging current is to high at the end of the charging process. Charging current should be regulated a trickle when the batts are nearing a "nearly full" state.

Powerbuoy

[Jerry]

Hi paradigmdesign.

I've gone 30 miles. However the batteries are 220 amp hr, while on the hyway at 55 mph the amp meter reads 220 amps. From this I would asume 55 miles distance? I think the distance could double at 30 mph. It seems to operate real eficiently around 30 mph.

My son calculated a cost of $20 per month for my daily 20 mile round trip comute.

                           JK TAS Jerry

[Jerry]

Hi Powerbouy.

I see 12.5 amps at the begining of charge. Thats at 9:00 in the morning. At 6:00 that evening I see 1.25 amps. Thats 9 HRs. The batteries a bubbling some and the battery cases are cold.

This is a 120 volt system (20 X 6 volt golf cart batteries). There SG reads around 1275. This SG has been this # for a year now. At the end of the day battery voltage is around 160v to 165v with cold batteries.

These batteries are subjected to a daily heavy load/discharge and a daily heavy charge.

I'm using a home built disulphater pulse charger. I'm very pleased with both the batteries and pulse charger preformance.

We also use a 2850 LB fork lift battery in our shop. We add watter to this battery about a once per month schedule.

The pulse charger has been posted here on the board several times. Its very simple and it works.

I've built 6 of them so far. Working on #7 now for my 36v golf cart. I've used it to restore many batteries that were thought to be junk. Dosen't bring them all back but quite a few.

                         JK TAS Jerry

 

[halfcrazy]

I would guess a lot of the loss of water may be under load? that is a big draw 220 ah either way you arent adding much more then i do to my golf cart batteries in my off grid house. love the truck i think we may try our hand at it this winter coming if we get time. keep us posted jerry