Long range lithium conversion

If you own a Electrique or any of the other PSA range of vehicles then look here for your answers and post your questions or general views here
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Kevin Sharpe
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Re: Long range lithium conversion

Postby Kevin Sharpe » Sun Jul 08, 2012 6:46 pm

timpootle wrote:First big outing to the Bevob meet in Bristol was aborted...
we missed you today :)

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Kevin Sharpe - Founder and Patron for UK registered charity Zero Carbon World. Founder and Chairman Mainpine Group. http://about.me/kevinsharpe

Beemer
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Re: Long range lithium conversion

Postby Beemer » Sun Jul 08, 2012 10:05 pm

Wow Tim. You must be looking at 240 miles with safety!

But what is the diode warning light about? Can always get a bigger diode these days.

mattcarr
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Re: Long range lithium conversion

Postby mattcarr » Mon Jul 09, 2012 7:33 am

you have to remember that the capacity of your pack it calculated using the nominal operating voltage of the battery - and according to the manufacturer your batteries have a nominal voltage of 3.2 - times that by 51 cells gives you give 163.2 volts then you have 600ah of capacticy which gives 97.92 kwh. Your journey figures above average out to 312 wh per mile - so you technically have a maximum range of 313 miles so even 90% capacity would give 282 miles.

The figures for real world driving look much better than we had been guessing at.

mattcarr
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Re: Long range lithium conversion

Postby mattcarr » Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:32 pm

How is your van behaving at the moment? You done any more longer runs in it yet?

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timpootle
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Re: Long range lithium conversion

Postby timpootle » Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:46 pm

No. I charged it up when I got home on Sunday, but I haven't been far since.

I'll plug the diagnostic computer in to see if it logged the fault light.
Tim Crumpton

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timpootle
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Re: Long range lithium conversion

Postby timpootle » Wed Jul 11, 2012 9:21 pm

Spent the evening playing with diagnostic computers.

The Lexia logged an intermittent chopper fault, which I have now cleared.

It was great fun watching the laptop respond to gearstick movement, charging flap opening etc, and the dials being tested through their full sweep (ecometer and energy gauge). I couldn't make the brake lights or hazards come on, though. Nor could I reprogram the energy meter for 600Amp-hour. There WAS a setting for the on-board charger; 10A, 13A, 14A.

On to the Guantuo BMS download software. I was able to watch instantaneous cell voltages, currents etc, and save the data, but didn't find the "download last 7 days data" button. More play needed.

Many thanks to John Kay for the loan of his Lexia box.
Tim Crumpton

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timpootle
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Re: Long range lithium conversion

Postby timpootle » Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:27 pm

Time for a heater, which means dashboard out. I am using PTC ceramic cores just like Gavin Shoebridge in New Zealand did
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni9-E0696KM

Photos on flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/timpootle/ ... 139647784/

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Tim Crumpton

Grumpy-b
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Re: Long range lithium conversion

Postby Grumpy-b » Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:23 pm

I have just engineered a PTC heater for the Evies, and it uses an 80v core that I have had made for me. It will give around 1800 to 2000w at around the 80v. THis is made as a special version for EVs and has insulated PTC elements. The std ones like the You tube clip, is not insulated and both sides of the PTC element are open to the elements, so if you get wet air (ie from outside ) you could get direct shorts across the element. Thats not an issue in a household heater. But if the heater has been pulling in damp air and not turned on you could have a smal problem. They also consume a goodly inrush current of perhaps 30+% greater than operating, so any contactor and fuse has to be up for that. Thats also one reason why the mains one as per the clip is 750 and 1500w , so no problems with running on 13amp supply.

This is my final version that just goes into the hole vacated by the C1 heater matrix.
Thes cost around £250 inv vat as a complete engineered kit. I also have some 80V cores like the mains ones on order, as a trial. THey come with some simple end mounts so making mounting really quite easy.

Good luck, they really do work well, my Smart has one (Although the contactor has just packed up) but the small ones are a bit weak at low voltage. WIth 160+ that should be OK.

Grumpy-b
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Grumpy-b
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Re: Long range lithium conversion

Postby Grumpy-b » Tue Oct 22, 2013 9:29 am

I have just taken a Berlingo heater apart, and although is not exactly the same construction / size as the C1 Evie heater, I could readily get a PTC core to suit and use a similar construction as my Evie item. As a kit including a contactor cabling etc, it would be over £300 but certainly an achievable option and an alternative to the webasto heaters that seem to be going up in cost. I think that a 2kw output is more than achievable, not as much as the webasto, but would heat up much faster.
It would also be possible to add a second heater in the rear if people have a Multispace type vehicle. This could be much smaller, although the housing would be a bit more challenging regardless of size.

Grumpy-b

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Rory166
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Re: Long range lithium conversion

Postby Rory166 » Thu Aug 28, 2014 10:15 am

Hi All

Just read some of this thread out of interest as I drove to Tims house yesterday to collect some cells for repairing the Astra. Bit of a trip from Norwich so I decided to ICE being as I don't yet have rapid charging 24/7 route from Norwich to the West. I could probably reach the services at Peterborough if I stick to 40 mph in the Leaf. Must send that Email to the Green Britain Centre at Swaffham. The Belfry Hotel at Cambourne is a Possibility but I somehow feel reluctant to pay for rapid charging.

Back to the topic, I am curious about the manufacturers mounting requirement for these cells. I thought I had read they should be clamped between end plates? I think side mounting is ok but should be vertical not horizontal? My Astra appears to have destroyed 2 cells due to not having full support for the end of the battery. There was an angle iron frame which allowed the cell to swell like a balloon. Not sure if this happened before of after the cells were removed from the circuit.

Thanks to Tim I now have some cells to restore the Astra to full working order. Details on another thread. I see there is mention of high IR without loss of capacity on these cells. My plan is to test all the Asta cells and make pairs up with One high IR and one Low IR so that hopefully I get a Low IR pack with full capacity. It seems to me that under load one cell of the pair will supply most current but eventually be recharged by it's buddy?

Rory
Electric Seicento conversion, Leaf


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