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[update December 2007] : Van has now done 62000 miles..  

I have just aquired a Peugeot 106 electric, with the usual murdered battery syndrome.  I plan to put Li-Ion batteries in this one.

evLite is now available for ordering!  Click here.

evLite is a device I designed to replicate the Actia "elit" test tool that is required for servicing and diagnostic functions on PSA cars.   The main purpose behind doing this is to allow battery watering to be done without taking the car into the (in my experience untrustworthy) Citroen dealer, have them keep the car for two or three days, press the button, and charge you a couple of hundred quid for the priviledge.  

evLite is the result of many hours of reverse-engineering the data protocol used, and will be sold as part of a kit including a water-filling device with appropriate connector, and step-by-step instructions on how to do the battery watering procedure. 

here are some photos of the prototype in use on my Berlingo.

Finally the fast charger is working.  In the end I decided to use a single-phase 63A supply, since this is more widely available than 3-phase (at least at the places I plan to charge up). The total charge current is 58A, and in one hour, it can recharge the van from 25% to 100%.  The charger is pretty heavy but it's just about portable, as shown below..

In transport, the charger goes in the back of the van, where it ties on to the luggage rack for safety.  In use, the charge plug goes out the window to the charge port, and the mains cable goes off to its plug.  I tend to leave the back doors open anyway when its in use as there's a fair bit of warm air to get rid of.

The second picture shows the scary wiring in my garage when I was testing it.

 [April 2005] I am now the proud owner of a Citroen Berlingo "Electrique", or 500E.  

There are a number of these vehicles finding their way into private ownership at the moment, as more of the vehicle leases have started expiring, and for whatever reason Citroen has not followed the lead of the US car manufacturers who are adamant about taking them back and crushing them, so that's good.  However, it appears that of the Saxo, 106 and Partner/Berlingo models, this is the only type still manufactured - PSA's future plans are not known.

I've collected some technical info on the van and will present it here soon.  I hope to obtain or make a diagnostic console and then be able to service the vehicle's systems myself.  Since several people locally have expressed an interest in buying one, I am on the lookout for more ex-lease models to pass on to them.

So, how does it go?   After a month in service, I've not had to drive my other (lpg powered) car at all. I's been doing about 50 miles per day on average, it's been as far south as Edinburgh and as far north as Blair Atholl from our location in Fife, and has been carrying all sorts of loads that were too big or inconvenient to fit in the car.   It keeps up with traffic on most roads well, although I stick to the slow lane on the motorway.  I will be taking accurate energy recordings, but so far it seems to take about 500Wh per mile (measured at the mains) - more than I expected, but probably reasonable for a big van and still very economical at less than 3p per mile, and it's running on a renewable energy tariff when charged at home (RSPB Energy).

Avcon type connector.  Maker is "Mareschal"	Under the bonnet.  On the left is the steering pump and reservoir, in the middle is the controller, and behind that is the smallest of the battery packs.	Motor nameplate.   There is a big blower mounted on top.
Amp meter at the top, useful energy meter where the tachometer would be, and a speedo.	A label on one of the traction batteries.	A view of the commutator and one of the brushes.

My first electric car is a 1976 Reliant Kitten. Since I've owned it, I've upgraded the battery pack, repaired the controller, replaced the wiring, fixed up the interior, added a charger and DC-DC converter, painted it and fitted bigger wheels.  I bought the car running and registered from Paul Compton (technical officer of the BVS). He'd already done the difficult bits, especially procuring the electric motor and connecting it to the gearbox.  By coincidence, I'd already begun collecting parts to do my own conversion from scratch, also a Kitten - but this was a good shortcut.

Also, it provided me with a "training set" of batteries: it's a commonly held tenet that EV newbies will ruin their first pack in short order, and sure enough the already old Exide leisure batteries only lasted a year on the Perthshire highland roads..

green machine!

Now it's been upgraded, the spec is as follows:

Motor	Unknown make, large series wound DC
Controller	Curtis 1221B 400A, 120V
Batteries	10 Elecsol 90-110 flooded lead acid
Charger	Home made on-board 1KW
12V system	Vicor 150W DC-DC, small reserve battery
Weight	....
Top speed	60 MPH
Maximum range	25 miles

Installation:

The battery layout is 3 up front, 5 behind the back axle, and two under the back seat. The boxes aren't sealed, but the batteries are all vented to the outside of the car.  The controls are all as standard, the clutch has been retained which makes gear changes very easy even with the big motor.  The throttle pedal works a pot-box under the bonnet, which is wired to the PWM motor controller.  There are two contactors (big relays) on the + side of the pack, which is a good safe setup. The main switch also serves as a panic-stop button, so it's manually operated, and the second contactor is operated by the ignition key.

interior	instruments	batteries

At the moment the car has my prototype BATMAN (battery management) system installed. This started out as a simple way to monitor the individual battery voltages on an LED readout. But it's accumulated dozens more features along the way, and now serves as a charge-regulator, a warning system, a range estimator, a charger controller.. you name it! The latest addition is my Palm 3c to provide a colour dash-display of more technical details than you could possibly want to know..

What's it like to drive?  At low speeds, and around town, it's rather easy as you don't have to change gear and the accelleration is more than enough. You do have to suffer the smoke of the dinosaur-burners around you, but at least you have the satisfaction of using 0 energy when coasting, or waiting at lights.  The car isn't silent, but it's quiet enough that you need to be careful about pedestrians.
 

Added in November '01: nice wheels? They are Minilife 12" (copy of Minilite) supplied by the Mini Spares Centre at a very reasonable price. The Firestone 145/70 tyres are allegedly "fuelsaver" low-rolling-resistance, and almost cost as much as the rims :(  Luckily, the wheels have less positive offset than most, and this combination allowed them to be fitted without needing spacers, longer studs or modified bodywork.  The gearing is increased by 5% due to the larger circumference.

Hello to any Reliant Kitten Register readers who have found their way here!  

Here are links to a couple of other electric Kittens..
Lynch Motors
RCMS