No pistons, no fuel, no worries! Toyota Sera EV Conversion begins…

[VA61DETT]

Yep, have to agree.

Nothing beats a good solid electrical connection.

Inductive chargers can stay with leccy toothbrushes thanks ;p

[Matty P]

They had an electric car challenge on Aussie Top Gear last night.

One did a Kingswood with a big electric motor like yours. The other was a Mighty Boy ute powered by 4 cordless drills.

Guess which one worked better

[Billzilla]

They had an electric car challenge on Aussie Top Gear last night.

One did a Kingswood with a big electric motor like yours. The other was a Mighty Boy ute powered by 4 cordless drills.

Guess which one worked better

At least the one with the electric drills has the ability to let the driver use part of the motor to repair the car if it breaks down.
(Which it did, quite a lot)

[JustCallMeOrlando]

The inductive charge paddle used on the EV1 has nothing to do with "fast charging".
Its just a way of making a connection without electrical contacts.
The paddles are water, moisture, dust, etc proof which is why they are used.
An actual cable can move more current if required with less transmission los

Think about an electric toothbrush

[TERRA Operative]

Ah, my mistake. I assumed regen.

For overnight recharging, I would go for a dedicated 15Amp, or even 20Amp circuit for the charger. Drive in, park the car and plug it in.
If your switchboard is in or on the garage wall, it will be relatively cheap to have a power outlet installed close by.

[VA61DETT]

15A plug already wired up
Ol'man is a electrician which is handy.

Also have 3Phase power available for fast charger, maybe later down the track...
Currently planning to have the charger on-board with a extension lead handy, The charge rate can be ramped down for conventional 10A outlets too.

-A

[TERRA Operative]

Sweet. Always handy to have an electrician around.

[ra23celica]

Is there a formula or rule of thumb where you can assess an electric motor (DC or AC) plus its number/capacity/rating of batteries, and the gearing (via a transmission or direct drive?) and determine what this is equivilent to in terms of ICE power and torque? I would like to know technicaly what makes the Tesla different to most EV conversions with have 0-100km/h in 10 seconds and 50 - 80km range only (besides cost)? Thanks.

[VA61DETT]

Tesla Wipes the floor with everyone because...

A. Super efficient 3phase motor & controller package, designed specifically for the job.
B. Batteries
C. Batteries

[Hiro]

Tesla Wipes the floor with everyone because...

A. Super efficient 3phase motor & controller package, designed specifically for the job.
B. Batteries
C. Batteries

You forgot to mention the batteries.....

[greywolf]

Not to mention the materials that are used to build the car, it's designed to be an electrical car from the ground up, not a conversion.

[ra23celica]

Yes, an overall weight of 1240kg, a 185Kw / 375Nm engine weighing 52kg and a 450kg battery pack combining to give 0-60mph in 4 seconds and a range of 350km. Nice.

[trdee]

how is this coming along now?

[wa5]

Not to mention the materials that are used to build the car, it's designed to be an electrical car from the ground up, not a conversion.

Doesnt the Tesla share a lot of its chasis with the Lotus Elise?

[greywolf]

Nope, brand new chassis designed around Lotus Elise chassis development technology.

Got that from Wikipedia.

EDIT : Again from Wikipedia, apparently it shares less than 10% of it's componets with Lotus vehicles, just minor stuff. It is manufactered at the Lotus factory though.