Alternative fuel infrastructure

Today the Aero Vironment charging dock installation was completed so that we can start charging the Leaf at 240V. I took the opportunity to also pre-wire the garage for a second unit in front of where I park the Yaris. Whether I install another Aero Vironment dock or one from a different manufacturer, the hard work of running the lines from the panel to the garage is done. Here is the unit powered up and ready to charge an EV:

I took the photo below while the unit was still open and not yet wired so that you can see some of the inner workings. Like an EV, it has a contactor inside that is open until it receives a signal from the J-1772 plug telling it to close and energize the wire and charge the car. This signal is sent from the car via the proximity pin on the J-1772. It looks like this safety feature will require me to investigate a unit for my Yaris that can duplicate this signal so that I can take advantage of charging stations with the J-1772 plug such as my garage.

Metal!

Here are two update photos of the motor-flywheel adapter being machined. This part is being turned on a lathe from a solid piece of 4130 (chrome-moly steel). It will installed on the drive-end motor shaft with and secured using the keyway (and probably a set screw to really keep it secure). Six holes will be drilled into the face so that the flywheel/clutch assembly can be attached the same way it did on the gas engine.

Above you can see a dial indicator which can be used to ensure a surface is within allowable tolerances as it rotates. It's critical that the face of this part be square to the center line of the motor shaft so that the flywheel will not wobble as it rotates.

Below is the aft-motor mount being fabricated. This will support the commutator end of the motor and bolts up to one of the OEM motor mounts already in the car. It's going to be made from multiple pieces. Here are the two largest pieces being milled as a single piece to be split at the end so that the two halves can be installed around the motor in a cradle-like configuration.

A third piece is needed to connect the cradle plate seen above to the OEM motor mount. This piece is in essence an adapter and many measurements were take to ensure that the geometry of these parts would result in a shaft alignment that matched the original gas engine. With these parts completed, the mechanical drive-train will be complete. Back to cutting up the car!

Down but not out!

We had a major house disaster last month that put the EV project on hold for 3 weeks while we lived out of a hotel. However, we are back in our home and had a surprise turn of events. We picked up a Nissan Leaf EV and have been living with it for at least 3 weeks now. This has given me tremendous insight into life with an EV. It's been VERY good. Here's our new ride:

Back to the Yaris project! I received some fuses I ordered from EV Source in the mail recently. I ordered 2 because I didn't know how many I needed. If I only need 1, then I have a backup. If I need 2 of these monsters, then I guess I'll have to buy another backup. These Ferraz-Shamut fuses are rated at 300V DC and 500 amps. The pictures don't really explain how big these things are.

I hope to have some in-progress photos to post of the motor aft-end support/mount and the motor shaft hub (adapts the Warp 9 shaft to the flywheel). I plan to get back to cutting the tire-well out of the car now so that I can update my measurements for the battery box(es). More to come.