# WHy does Tom Hanks get 150 miles per charge?



## Zer0 (May 9, 2008)

The EV that Tom Hanks drives utilizes the same motor/controller that is the base for the Tesla Roadster, the AC Propulsion AC-150 system. If I remember correctly, it also has the same amount of cells, 6831 Li-ion cells to be precise. The AC-150 also has many proprietary efficiency improvements (Tesla has made their own improvements on top of the standard AC-150) and comes with regenerative braking out of the box.

Short answer: Yes, he has more batteries, but there is more to it than that.

http://www.acpropulsion.com/ebox/

www.teslamotors.com


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## G90man (May 19, 2008)

Thanks,

And the upgrade to the original is $70k?


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## Zer0 (May 9, 2008)

G90man said:


> Thanks,
> 
> And the upgrade to the original is $70k?


Do you mean to the Scion xB? 
If you look at the pricing and availability page for the eBox, it says 13k-18k for the car, then 55k for them to convert it.

If you look around their site, you'll see that for just the AC-150 (which includes motor, inverter, charger, power supply and cooling system) they're asking $25k

Then you have to buy the li-ion batteries on top of that.


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## G90man (May 19, 2008)

... I see

But the battery count would be the #1 reason they're getting 100 miles to a charge, right?


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## hybrad (May 24, 2008)

G90man said:


> ... I see
> 
> But the battery count would be the #1 reason they're getting 100 miles to a charge, right?


not actually..more batteries mean more voltage that means more speed/performance...higher amp batteries however add to the range...


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

Actually the higher battery count adds voltage and amp hours, (range). With over 6000 batteries some are wired in series giving higher voltage and some are wired in parallel giving higher amp hours and therefore range.


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## ww321q (Mar 28, 2008)

Miles = $$$$ J.w.


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## Manntis (May 22, 2008)

You can build a fast, efficient, affordable conversion.

^ Pick two


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## redux (Jul 22, 2008)

Manntis said:


> You can build a fast, efficient, affordable conversion.
> 
> ^ Pick two


And invert/negate the 3rd...


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## ww321q (Mar 28, 2008)

Manntis said:


> You can build a fast, efficient, affordable conversion.
> 
> ^ Pick two


"PICK TWO"hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!
hit the nail right on the head . Manntis stop it ! my sides hurt ! J.W.


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

The www.acpropulsion.com is the best drive-train on the market.I would build with this and in a couple of years the battery technology will spill over to the DIY market.The Tesla chassis design is an ultralight weighing only 150lbs. and has a tosional rigidity strength of 11000lbs.This chassis design is easy for the DIY because it is rivet screwed and epoxied together and requires no welding.Welding is a liability anyway as far as durability is concerned.I'm using the www.blackjackzero.com kitcar which will weigh only 800lbs. ready to charge.The steel chassis will be substituted for the Alulight chassis design.The lighter the ev the faster and longer it will travel costing less in motors and batteries.Build time is faster also.


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

If you are willing to build an EV less weighing than 800lbs. the battery pack would be much smaller and less expensive.I'm building my ultralight EV with www.alulight.com aluminum foam panels.I'm using Lotus chassis design.The construction is very simple but yet very strong.


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

The USA link is www.alulightusa.com


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

Sorry about the wrong link.
Here is the correct site : *alulight-america.com*


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

Try using the "edit" button instead of reposting.
The Alulight panels look interesting but I wonder if they give any advantage over foam cored fiberglass/epoxy construction for body panels?


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

Thinner,stronger,anti-electromagnetic,heat and sound proof and can be epoxy/screw riveted together.Strong enough for chassis construction.


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

sunworksco said:


> Thinner,stronger,anti-electromagnetic,heat and sound proof and can be epoxy/screw riveted together.Strong enough for chassis construction.


Well fiberglass is strong enough to build boats that smash into waves over and over for years, and of course can be bonded together as well, not to mention forming complex shapes with no need for fastenings, and ease of repair when damaged. Also anti-electromagnetic. I just wonder what the real world difference is and if it's worth what I suspect is a large cost difference, though I don't actually know what the cost is. Aluminum isn't exactly cheap, though I do like the recycling aspect of it.


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