# 1977 Chevy Nova



## Grfximage (Dec 23, 2011)

I am new to the site. I have a 1977 Chevy Nova, with a inline 6. I want to convert it to an ev. I have an automechanics and auto body backround. Also, with an ev is it possible to make it self charging? Their are some videos on youtube, where they talk about charging batteries magnetically.


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## PeterH (Mar 20, 2009)

Welcome.

Just about anything can be converted if you want to spend enough. First thing to ask is if this is a car you are willing to spend another 15 to 20 thousand dollars on. Next question might: how much does a 77 Nova weigh? I recall they were a mid sized sedan. Next, is does it have a manual or auto trans?


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## madderscience (Jun 28, 2008)

I imagine a 77 nova will probably have performance comparable to a converted S-10 pickup, given the same components. Not the 'best' car from an efficiency standpoint but if it will do what you want in the budget you wish to spend, don't let that stop you. I keep thinking a pontiac aztek might be my next conversion. Not the most efficient either, but has other attributes I like.

The short answer on magical infinite charging-as-you-drive is no, you can't, it is physically impossible to do this and get a net benefit. See the "free energy" thread in the technical forum. However you CAN have regenerative braking and recover some energy that would be otherwise wasted when slowing down or going down a hill, if you use a system that supports it (AC basically). You can also install solar on your house and use that to feed back into the grid and offset charging the car, basically making it 'free' to drive after the initial investment, of course 

Welcome to the forum.


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## Grfximage (Dec 23, 2011)

Thank you 

for your replies. My Nova weighs about 3300 lbs. That weight will drop without engine and trans. I have to find the weight of the both of them as well. The transmission is an automatic, 2 spd.


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## Grfximage (Dec 23, 2011)

I made a mistake earlier my trans is a 3spd automatic.


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## madderscience (Jun 28, 2008)

If you use a lithium battery pack say about 100AH at 156v (this is 50 cells or about 350lbs of weight) and a 9" DC motor with soliton or zilla 1000A controller (no regen, but still a good and fairly inexpensive setup) The overall weight of the converted car will probably be within a few hundred # of stock.

Compare that with my car which I started converting 5 years ago with its 1200# lead acid battery pack: original weight 2400lbs, current weight 3400lbs. this includes removal of about 550# of ICE drivetrain and related components. The motor, controller, charger, DC/DC, hardware and ancillaries weigh about 300#.

Just guessing but you will probably be able to remove more like 700-800 lbs of drivetrain components, owing to your car being larger, older and heavier than my MR2 was. So you might end up being even slightly lighter than stock deending on your battery configuration.

Note: You will still need a transmission unless you live in a pretty flat area or you want a BIG (and expensive) controller (Z2K, etc). While automatics can work with EVs, it is much simpler and easier to use a stick shift. On an older car like yours the retrofit should be fairly easy. You can even potentially leave out the clutch as some people do making it even easier (at the expense of having to plan ahead to shift) You will mostly use it as a range selector, e.g. probably 2nd for everything up to 45 or 50mph and 3rd for highway. So don't figure on losing the tranny unless you are doing a high performance build basically.

Note 2: Unless budget is the overriding concern, don't bother with a lead acid battery pack. Lithium may be more expensive up front, but it is vastly superior on all facets; performance, weight, range, lifespan. The only downside is you need to have an appropriate BMS to regulate the cells.


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## CrazyAl (May 9, 2011)

Although regenerative braking is fairly straight forward with AC motors, it can be possible with various types of DC motors.

Regenerative Braking is also possible with 


Separately Excited DC Electric Motors eg. Kostov make some Separately Excited DC Motors.You need a compatible controller that supports Regenerative Braking.
Permanent Magnet DC Motors, again just need a controller that supports it.
Brushless DC Motors.
Check out 
http://kellycontroller.com/dc-seriespmsep-ex-controller-kdzkdc12v-120v-c-79.html & 
http://kellycontroller.com/general-brushless-controllers-12v-144v-c-23.html
and you can see examples of controllers that offer Regen for various types of DC motor.

With Shunt Wound Motors, controllers offering Regen are rare.
Check out http://www.canev.com/Faq/pages/controllers.htm

With Series Wound Motors, it is very difficult to find a controller that supports Regenerative Braking. Some have tried, but reliability is an issue.
Check out http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8848
and
http://www.cafeelectric.com/curtis/regen/index.html


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