The new fuel tank for the truck. 32, 3.2 volt lithium batteries. |
The parts have started to arrive. It's like Christmas in August! I picked up the batteries from the local distributor today--all 450 lbs of them. The battery pack consists of 36, 3.2 volt, lithium batteries connected in series for a total nominal voltage of 115 v. The batteries are rated at 180 amp-hours. If my calculations are right, this should give about a 50 mile range on a fully charged battery pack. Now I have the task of designing the fixtures and boxes to hold the batteries. As I mentioned in an earlier post, most of the batteries will be going under the bed of the pickup between the frame members. I've made a SktechUp model of the frame and the drive train, which you can see below. It's a little crude but accurate enough to determine the basic battery layout. The layout below shows all 36 batteries under the bed. I think I'll move some of the batteries up to the engine compartment to help with weight balance. The electric motor I'm putting in weights quite a bit less than than the gas engine I removed, so it will help to put some of the batteries up front.
First option for battery placement under the truck bed |
I've also received a lot of the miscellaneous parts including, vacuum pump (for the power brakes), DC/DC converter (to run the 12 volt accessories off the 115 volt main battery pack), wiring, relays, fuses, contactor, throttle control box, & tools. I'm still awaiting three major parts: the motor, the motor/transmission adapter, and the battery management system.
Well I'm off to design some battery boxes.
Pretty cool Kitch. Can't wait to see the finished product.
ReplyDeleteIt's been great following, Bill. Looking forward to seeing the work-in-progress! Well Done!
ReplyDeleteHow much did the batteries cost? I have the same truck and i am looking towards doing just like you!
ReplyDeleteGuibrou, I was able to get the batteries for about $1.25/AH each. So do the math, it's a little over $8,000 for the pack. That's the single most expensive component. I did save about $600 - $700 in shipping because the importer's warehouse is just a few miles down the road from me, so I was able to pick the batteries up directly from the warehouse.
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