The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Bench Racing → Only 1 electric car in Lemons?
Hi,
Has there only been one electric car in Lemons?
The datsun from Hoonatic Racing?
DIY EV cars seems to be pretty popular, getting a 100 hp system seems possible for a few k.
I think key would be to have a couple of strong friends to swap the batteries, shouldn't take more than a normal refuel .
I have thought about this before. The most difficult part, aside from the fact you'd have a top speed of about 50 mph for about 15 minutes, would be the recharging. Unless you want to bring a couple pallets of batteries in the trailer, you'll need to rig a charging solution that's not 250 or so amps going through a pair of jumper cables.
TL;DR: it's a great idea if you have a lot of money and experience.
Batteries are the big limitation. Nobody can afford good ones-- cheap used EV battery packs don't work, good ones are pricey. I have been trying to work my connections with LeMons-racer engineers at certain EV-building car companies to see if they can sneak proper Li-ion battery packs out for Hoonatic, but there is no way.
However, the Chevy Spark EV (sold only in California and Oregon) is fast as hell (it uses the electric motor out of the much bigger Volt), and nearly all of the examples sold are leased. When they start coming off lease (during the next year or so), they are going to be dirt cheap... and that means that the crashed ones at Copart are going to be really cheap. There is your Lemons electric car.
The batteries were the problem for the Prius we ran, as well. While we were able to cycle 2 different packs of battery cells and compile a crappy pack and a crappier pack, it was pretty much just running off of the gas motor. The electric assist lasted about 1/2 a lap of throttle before hitting zero bars.
I would love to run on the Prius team again, but I'm not sure what happened to it after it had issues at its first race with its new owner.
Batteries are the big limitation. Nobody can afford good ones-- cheap used EV battery packs don't work, good ones are pricey. I have been trying to work my connections with LeMons-racer engineers at certain EV-building car companies to see if they can sneak proper Li-ion battery packs out for Hoonatic, but there is no way.
However, the Chevy Spark EV (sold only in California and Oregon) is fast as hell (it uses the electric motor out of the much bigger Volt), and nearly all of the examples sold are leased. When they start coming off lease (during the next year or so), they are going to be dirt cheap... and that means that the crashed ones at Copart are going to be really cheap. There is your Lemons electric car.
Nissan Leaf? You can already get decent ones for $8k. Ton on Copart already.
Well this one started as a hybrid does that count 
Seriously, wrecked Spark EVs are going to be utterly worthless in a couple of years-- GM is only selling them to meet state zero-emissions-vehicle requirements, resale value is going to be zilch. And they're fast. Swap the drivetrain into the back of a Fiat 124 Spider and you'd have something.
If that ends up being true, I think we found our rear drive train for the Dustbuster.
If that ends up being true, I think we found our rear drive train for the Dustbuster.
Fiat 124 Spider / Dustbuster Van.... One of these things is not like the other!
OnkelUdo wrote:If that ends up being true, I think we found our rear drive train for the Dustbuster.
Fiat 124 Spider / Dustbuster Van.... One of these things is not like the other!
4wd hybrid u-body > electric Fiat
Does that clear it up?
So how many days would it take to recharge the pack from our 16 amp 240V generator at Joliet?
It would have to be on momentary switch so that only when we went full throttle would it kick in...sending the rear on a totally different line than the front...unless we went 4ws as well!
Probably the way would be to do it is to use the RV plug ins.
Probably can negotiate with the RV people, and borrow the juice to charge the packs.
Would have to be swapable power packs for sure, if you want to compete.
240V, 30A =7.2kW-h
Spark EV has 21.3kW-h, up to 80% can be fast charged. so 17kW-h, so
240V and 30A should charge in 2.36hrs, so lets say solid 3hrs.
SOOoooo,
next question how long the pack lasts, and how long it takes to charge one.
so lets say a pack lasts 1 hr, then need 4 packs, running 1, 2, 3, 4. by the end of the 4th pack, the 1st pack would be good for 80%.
There is probably way to limit max output from the motors, so packs last longer, Spark EV has continuous 75HP, which is lots.
Sine you get about 1hp per kWh when you take inverter losses into account that 17kWh battery will last about 15 minutes of full throttle use. Regen braking and less time at WOT will make it last longer but I wouldn't expect more than 30 min of track time per battery pack.
In my estimation you'd need about 40kWh of battery to make it an hour per stint. And that would still require driver discipline.
An electric Lemons car isn't going to be on the track very much compared to a gas car, but it will be more fabulous.
Bring a huge diesel Lister engine coupled to a generator head to charge the batteries.
Bring a huge diesel Lister engine coupled to a generator head to charge the batteries and mount it in the car.
FTFY, because I'm sure you were describing making it into a locomotive-like diesel-electric hybrid. Play some Jethro Tull as you go through inspection, because you'll have more stamina than the other electric cars.
Bring a huge diesel Lister engine coupled to a generator head to charge the batteries.
Now that I got covered! 
Bring a huge diesel Lister engine coupled to a generator head to charge the batteries and mount it in the car.
FTFY, because I'm sure you were describing making it into a locomotive-like diesel-electric hybrid. Play some Jethro Tull as you go through inspection, because you'll have more stamina than the other electric cars.
For the win, folks.
EriktheAwful wrote:Bring a huge diesel Lister engine coupled to a generator head to charge the batteries and mount it in the car.
FTFY, because I'm sure you were describing making it into a locomotive-like diesel-electric hybrid. Play some Jethro Tull as you go through inspection, because you'll have more stamina than the other electric cars.
For the win, folks.
Yep. That's the way to go. Except for the Jethro Tull (which in hind sight, duh!) I've been mulling something like this over ever since Hoonatic's first attempt with an ev.
Time, money, know-how- what I wouldn't give for some of those. Sigh.
I see where this is heading
http://topgear.wikia.com/wiki/Hammerhead_Eagle_i-Thrust
I see where this is heading
http://topgear.wikia.com/wiki/Hammerhead_Eagle_i-Thrust
yep...I even looked at a 4-cylinder Kohler-engined Generator the other day...
Bring a huge diesel Lister engine coupled to a generator head to charge the batteries and mount it in the car.
FTFY, because I'm sure you were describing making it into a locomotive-like diesel-electric hybrid. Play some Jethro Tull as you go through inspection, because you'll have more stamina than the other electric cars.
if you didn't know, the 6hp listeroid weighs over 900lbs. it would accelerate like a locomotive.
I really do want a pair of them, a 6/1 and 12/2 please santa?
EriktheAwful wrote:Bring a huge diesel Lister engine coupled to a generator head to charge the batteries and mount it in the car.
FTFY, because I'm sure you were describing making it into a locomotive-like diesel-electric hybrid. Play some Jethro Tull as you go through inspection, because you'll have more stamina than the other electric cars.
if you didn't know, the 6hp listeroid weighs over 900lbs. it would accelerate like a locomotive.
I really do want a pair of them, a 6/1 and 12/2 please santa?
The 6/1's are still pretty easy to come by (even the real Lister's) but 12/2's are pretty rare.
Bring a huge diesel Lister engine coupled to a generator head to charge the batteries.
The Military generators MEP-802 and MEP-803 use Lister Petter engines.
The MEP-802 will do about 6.5kw. It weighs about 900lbs. Its powered by a LPW2
The MEP-803 will do about 13kw. It weighs about 1200lbs. Its powered by a LPW4
mechimike wrote:Bring a huge diesel Lister engine coupled to a generator head to charge the batteries.
The Military generators MEP-802 and MEP-803 use Lister Petter engines.
The MEP-802 will do about 6.5kw. It weighs about 900lbs. Its powered by a LPW2
The MEP-803 will do about 13kw. It weighs about 1200lbs. Its powered by a LPW4
I think, but am not sure, that these are "modern" Listers verses the traditional 6/1 and 12/2 that are now reproduced in Indian and Chinese factories aka Listeroids.
Still great diesel engines but lacking the wonderful twin flywheels.
http://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88320
Never a more simple diesel was produced in such vast quantities.
I want a 6/1. I'd run my shop off a 6/1. Maybe another 6/1 to power an air compressor and dedicated welder head.
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