# "Planning 1992 Honda Civic Hatchback Conversion"



## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

Welcome to the forum, rotarydreams89

Your goals are pretty realistic, but 60 miles depends on the speed you are cruising at. Also, the civic is a good donor car because of the light weight. It really depends on how much you can spend on this and if you can get some of the parts second hand. I would guess you could be rolling for $7000 (all new parts) or less if you can put up with a shorter range. The required top speed is also good because you can go for a smaller motor/controller package than most use and that will save you some of the cost. I would suggest the D&D like this: http://www.thunderstruck-ev.com/ddmotor.htm
WarP and ADC are other brands that carry smaller lower priced motors http://www.beepscom.com/category_s/41.htm


I'm a long way from chicago, but Robert Green is over there. He's the forum founder and main administrator. You should head over to the "chit-chat section and ask there if there are any others from your town.


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## rotarydreams89 (Nov 19, 2008)

Thanks for the advice. I could probably lower my desired range to 40 miles and my top speed to 45mph. Would that be more reasonable? I saw this video on instructables.com involving a guy converting a geo metro to electric with very little money. I am looking to spend somewhere in between $1000 and $2000 for my first electric car project. As i get better i will be willing to invest more into building a more efficient electric car.


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## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

I think you are talking about forkenswift? There are lots of videos on Utube of that car and the related tech and conversion. http://forkenswift.com/

He probably did one of the most cost effective conversions of all time. If you had the ability to just buy an old electric forklift, then you could probably reach your goals for that price.

I really hate to do this to you, but this thread has some good info on picking out a good forklift motor for a road going EV: http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/using-forklift-motor-and-choosing-good-7598.html

I'm apologizing because its nearly 40 pages long!


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## rotarydreams89 (Nov 19, 2008)

It wasn't forkenswift. I did look at his project before. The one I am talking about is the "Electro-Metro" Project. Do you think i can get a 40mile range and a top speed of 45mph out of a forklift motor?


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## TheSGC (Nov 15, 2007)

rotarydreams89 said:


> Thanks for the advice. I could probably lower my desired range to 40 miles and my top speed to 45mph. Would that be more reasonable? I saw this video on instructables.com involving a guy converting a geo metro to electric with very little money. I am looking to spend somewhere in between $1000 and $2000 for my first electric car project. As i get better i will be willing to invest more into building a more efficient electric car.


You should search your local scrap yards for forklifts and get a motor that's 8" in diameter, maybe 9-10" if available. You should also aim for a 72 volt system for the 45 MPH speed, but if any 48 volt forklift controllers are available you should go for them to get you going. 

For comparison, my I have spent $3500 on my Civic EV conversion, including the car and all the parts. I am in the final stages of assembly and I have a 96 volt system. All my parts were surplus, except for the batteries and controller which were new. I have been purchasing parts for about a year and having the costs spread out didn't hit me hard.


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## rotarydreams89 (Nov 19, 2008)

I will check out some places this week and see what i find. Is the condition of the motor really important? Is rust and corrosion a problem? What books should i read to help out with my first EV project?


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## TheSGC (Nov 15, 2007)

rotarydreams89 said:


> I will check out some places this week and see what i find. Is the condition of the motor really important? Is rust and corrosion a problem? What books should i read to help out with my first EV project?


The condition of the motor is really important, but the great thing about them is that they are easily rebuildable. Most of the time just degreasing them and giving them a good cleaning through will do it.

As for books, I think Bob Brant's Build Your Own Electric Vehicle is a good read. Most of the books out there are pretty dated, but most, if not all, the components listed in them are still sold today.


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## rotarydreams89 (Nov 19, 2008)

Sounds great. I enjoy building things. I can't wait to start my EV project. I have to save some cash first. In the meantime, i will check some books out from the library to get me started. Thanks for the quick response.


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## rotarydreams89 (Nov 19, 2008)

What amount of hp should the motor have to reach my 40miles range and 45mph top speed?


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## TheSGC (Nov 15, 2007)

rotarydreams89 said:


> What amount of hp should the motor have to reach my 40miles range and 45mph top speed?


The 40 miles would be determined by the batteries, and if you go with 72 volts you would want 6 volt 220Ah batteries for a consistant 40 mile range. 

For the 45 MPH, any 8" or 9" motor with 8 brushes on it should work fine. HP is determined by the volts X amps of the motor so it can vary, but for the most part you are limited by your controller. My 6.7" motor is rated at 10 HP continuous and 35 Peak, but I have squeezed 42 HP peak out of it on occasion and I am adding a blower to it for increased continuous HP.


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## rotarydreams89 (Nov 19, 2008)

Thanks everyone. I am currently looking for forklift motors. What brand controller is most cost effective?


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## TheSGC (Nov 15, 2007)

rotarydreams89 said:


> Thanks everyone. I am currently looking for forklift motors. What brand controller is most cost effective?


I guess you have to describe "cost effective". If you do go with the 72 volts, an Alltrax or Kelly would be the cheapest. Plenty of EV'rs use an Alltrax 72 volt controller in their conversions and are happy with it. I have a 96 volt Kelly and I am perfectly happy with it. The Kelly was less expensive than the Alltrax, but there wiring is a lot more complicated with the Kelly and easier controller to fry if you mess something up. Or you could suck up the costs and get a Curtis controller as they will takes 72 volt on up to 120-144 and have great reliability.


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## Jzap (Aug 13, 2008)

What part of the Chicago area are you in? If you are out west, you may want to link up with the Fox Valley Electric Auto Assn. They have been active for many years and hold regular monthly meetings in Naperville. Next one is 12/19/08.

http://www.fveaa.org/


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## rotarydreams89 (Nov 19, 2008)

I live in wicker park. Thats closer to downtown chicago.


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## rotarydreams89 (Nov 19, 2008)

I just purchased my donor car for my project today. It is not a 1992 honda civic hatchback. It is a 1990 honda civic wagon. there is some rust near the rear wheels. Is that repairable? I will upload some pictures some time this week.


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## rotarydreams89 (Nov 19, 2008)

Where can i get a used forklift motor and the batteries for my project? How many batteries would i need?


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