2012 E-Ride EVX2

So here is an oddball I just won on  Gov Deals to use at work on my 6 acre school campus, just under $2K. The company is fantastic, and picks up the phone when I called them before bidding so I feel good about them staying around and helping out. Their website has all the parts and schematics you could want, and this little thing is really just a golf cart with the frame and suspension to do real work. We will see how it cleans up, and if there are big hurdles to getting it running! It's past life markings seem to indicate use by the Coast Guard in NC.

First step is making sure my little single axle utility trailer can haul 2000 lbs, and is wide enough to fit it for the 100 mile ride back home. (If not, I may be calling on some GRM enabling help in the 843). Then I will dispose of wasp nests, scrap the dead old batteries (that will net $200), clean terminals and connections, check fuses, and make sure wiring is all good. I did inspect it in person and while the interior is rough and the windshield cracked a bit at the top, it seems to be watertight and in ok shape. The frame looks good, hood is fiberglass, and most of the tires even seem to hold air! In the future I will hopefully find something that fits a bit more lawn oriented, and will expreiment with different wheels to get something cheap.

My normal sites for this would be diy electric car, endless sphere, and buggies gone wild but none of them really have info on these. I may end up building a LiFePO4 pack for this, but will start with 6 Hawker AGMs that are sold used cheap locally. I also will experiment with Ryobi 40V packs in series parallel, since I have a ton around with no purpose... Should be interesting, and slow!

cool!

Dude.  Why am I just now hearing about this?

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Cause you're off mtn bkn in WV!

just inspected it yesterday, closed auction this morning. Can I borrow your truck next week or 2?

In reply to bbbbRASS :

Of course you can!

Some armchair planning and rough cost of included components and their specs:

AC Controller - Curtis 1238 ($1,200). 

AC Battery Charger - ELIPS 72V 21A ($500). Can do Flooded or AGM, not Lithium.

DC-DC Converter - SurePower 71030i 13.5V, 30A ($300)

Motor - HPEVS AC-12 ($1,800)

30' 1/0 Battery Cable - ($150)

Original batteries 10.2 wide. NATO 6T spec I want to use is 11.26. Supposedly battery tunnel is 12" wide. We will find out soon.

Truck acquired (thanks to wvumtnbkr for enabling!), co-pilot and truck fueled, trailer hitched. Hopefully the ramp opening is wide enough. Find out in 100 miles!

Nice truck!  Lolz.

Good luck.  We are all counting on you!

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Of course the rest stop has closed restrooms due to no water. Love SC infrastructure! Truck is super nice, since it's over 200K miles!

Well, that's not something you see every day. Color me interested.

Failure on my part. I failed to measure when I first saw this conveyance, and the 6x12 U-Haul clearly states the ramp is only 57 inches wide. 
 

I'll return Friday with car hauler I guess. At least I yanked the batteries so it will be under 1500lbs next trip. 

This trailer, I do not like it. 

Take 2!

Success!

Lunch stop at Sweatman's BBQ in Holly Hill SC. Changed ownership about a decade ago and isn't what it used to be (as in, a place I would drive 2 hours each way just to go) but it still a great stop if you are within 30 minutes 1 way. 

Unloaded at new home, and a tiny bit of cleaning. Will bust out pressure washer, shop vac, and blower next week then assess. From work orders I found inside it was in service at least as of March, 2019. 

Well, I got the truck back (full of gas), so I assumed it made it to its new home.

Can't wait to see this little berkeleyer.

Got a little time on this project.

New (used) batteries fit, but I still need to figure out the hold downs since those positions have now shifted. The cables were quite crusty,

but some time on the wire wheel and with a dab of Noalox we got them working.

I had 3 extra cables since I was going from 8V to 12V battereies, so the 3 most corroded got left out.

Also removed, cleaned, and reinstalled the positive - contactor lead, and the negative - disconnect lead.

For the 12V circuit battery I put in a little LiFePO4 that's been sitting around, and I think passed around a bit. I got it from Rob a few years ago. I attached a pair of Deans connectors that I had sitting around to make the connection a bit easier. This circuit is fused at 25A, so not too worried about high power. Before reattaching everything I cleaned under the hood a bit. Still haven't figured out the pressure washer, so no too clean. The DC-DC converter and 72V AC-DC charger are both fanless designs, and their heat sinks were coated in dust. Changed AC-DC charger from the flooded setting to AGM.

This thing didn't come with a key, and the ignition cylinder was hidden inside the dash.

A little hot wire later, and she fired right up!

The dash just turned on, and you hear a click from the contactor.

That's the only way you know it's on. Almost anticlimactic how easily it all worked (I guess not counting years of prior knowledge and hours of research). The tires even hold air, even though they are from 2011. I connected a simple on/off switch for ignition, and will eventually look to replace tires with sometime more like this (anyone with cheap 27x8.5/14 let me know). Brake lights not working, brakes quite worn, suspension rubber worn out, and need to replace wipers and front right turn signal.

A quick 3D print and a couple zip ties that were found laying in the truck and we have a passable switch!

Finally doing work!

if anyone else ever needs this info, turn signal bulbs are C194. 
 

In reply to bbbbRASS :

You should LED all the bulbs... and maybe put some El Cheapo off-road lights on that awesome front bumper!

I'm sitting here trying to remember what type of little critter we used at MCRD San Diego. Very similar to this, but with a cab-over arrangement and no doors.

In reply to Recon1342 :

I may in the winter when I have time to play. Right now I needed it to get to work!

What you described I bet was a Taylor Dunn of some kind, like in Austin Powers. 

Anyone able to help with fiberglass knowledge? The hood attached to a hinge, and had some supports for the grill. The grill supports are ripped off, and the hood is ripped off and cracked. Can I reglass this to be strong enough again, or should I just drill some holes and bolt on some metal plates? Not urgent, as I don't really need a grill and can easily lift the hood onto the ground if I need access, but it gets annoying. 

In reply to bbbbRASS :

I would clean up and glass everything back in using woven mat, covering grille openings and everything with one sheet. Do a couple of layers that way, and wet the mat down well enough to get everything laid down around the corners, etc. Once it cures, go back and cut out your grille openings. That should spread the load enough to make it pretty strong...

In reply to Recon1342 :

Thanks. I have to lay the metal parts in the repair and have them hold. Ill see about some of the marine epoxies also.