# Elinta IDS-70 Controller / Charger / DC-DC converter unit



## Slim Pickens (Feb 9, 2014)

Hello all,
I've been component-hunting for a 144V conversion of a BMW E30 and stumbled across this Lithuanian outfit today. They make a combo controller, charger and DC DC unit called the IDS-70 that seems to be exactly what I'm looking for. I've just sent them a request for a quote but in the meantime I wanted to ask if anyone here has any experience with any of their products.

Here are the specs. (There is an option for a 9kw three phase charger, which is great for me because 3-phase is everywhere in France but wouldn't be much use in North America):

IDS-70 features:
> Liquid cooled powerful 70 kW motor controller (40kW continuous power).
> Integrated BMS with CAN and user friendly Bluetooth interface
> Integrated 3kW charger with IEC-62196 Mode 3 plug support.
> Powerful 63A - 13.8V DC-DC converter.
> Universal vehicle control board.
> GPS / GPRS data transmitter. 
> USB port for programming interface with software for Windows.
> CE, UNECE Rule No. 10 and No. 100 ready. 

http://www.elintamotors.com/Drive-Systems/IDS-70-Integrated-Drive-System/
http://www.elintamotors.com/out/media/ElintaMotors_IDS_70_USER.pdf

Thanks for any info you might have!


----------



## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Looks interesting
Any idea how much?


----------



## Slim Pickens (Feb 9, 2014)

Got an email from him this morning:

"Hello XXXX,
3 Phase model is IDS-70 Plus. 
IDS-70 Plus list price: € 8,490.00
IDS-70 price is € 6,490.00

The only difference is charger and its size. Please read attached documents."

He sent along a detailed user manual / installation guide as well.


Worth checking out, I think.


----------



## CKidder (Dec 12, 2009)

It does look like a nice controller. In my opinion it is quite expensive. I wouldn't put that sort of money into a motor controller of that power but it isn't out of the realm of reason price-wise. 

It does include quite a lot of functionality. It seems to be an ECU, a BMS, a charger, and a motor controller all in one box. That's both good and bad. It's good that it would be easy to integrate into a vehicle. It's potentially bad because the loss of one device could (likely) easily cascade through the whole thing. Additionally, if one thing breaks you have to remove the whole big box and either replace it or send it for repair. This limits your options if you have component failure. 

One other thing I'd be leery about is that I've never heard of this company nor do I know of anyone who has used their hardware. You'd have to trust that the designers knew what they were doing. It might be nice to ask them for a customer you could talk to. Of course they won't send you to anyone they they know had problems but it's still nice to see if they've got anyone they'd be willing to have you talk to. Googling seems to suggest that this company has been around since 1991 which is a good sign. Ultimately you might have to be the test subject and tell the rest of us how it goes if you decide to go with their controller.


----------



## Slim Pickens (Feb 9, 2014)

I just might have to be the guinea pig on this one!

As for the price, the other option I'm looking at is one that includes an HPEV / Curtis package from Rebbl :

AC 75 Motor /Curtis 144V/500A Controller: € 5,750.00

So, for the sake of argument let's say the Controller counts for 2500 of that.

Then I'd need three-phase charging, so from Rebbl I could pick up three Elcon 2500W HF/PFC Battery Chargers for € 2,025.00 

Add in an elcon 90-230V 600W 45AMP DC/DC converter for €300 (this is an EVwest stocked item that seems somewhat comparable to the elinta converter)

And then a heater core, let's say a Mesdea liquid heater for €409

That comes (sans motor) to €5234.

Assuming for the sake of argument that I could fit and wire all that cleanly enough to pass inspection, it would indeed come out cheaper. I suspect however that once I factor in the time I'd spend getting all that cleanly squared away under the hood it would pretty much be a wash. 

Elinta also offers an AC motor whose performance is pretty similar to the AC 75's, so one might be able to wrangle a package deal for the IDS-70 and the motor and bring the price down a hair.
http://www.elintamotors.com/datasheets/ACM-132.pdf

As an aside, the power might seem a bit low for some, but when tooling around town in my Kangoo ZE with 260Nm (191 lb-ft) of torque it never feels at all pokey in city traffic despite weighing 1400 kg. Having 230Nm peak on tap with the Elinta or 250Nm with the AC-75 in a somewhat lighter vehicle should work just fine. 

Of course, if any other controller/ motor combos come to mind, I'm all ears! 

And why not DC? I am leaning towards an AC setup because as I do loads of stop/start city driving I am a big fan of regenerative braking (on the Kangoo with its extremely agressive regen setting when you let up on the accelerator I hardly ever touch the real brakes).


----------

