AEVA Forums

Hi kando, You can definitely own and drive electric vehicles in Victoria; many people out there already do. I suspect your informant was getting confused after hearing about the REVA electric vehicles, which the Solar Shop has been trying to get authority to import and sell in Australia. Unfortunate...

1) Vacuum pumps - yes! I have some coming soon, the MES-DEA 70/6E to be precise. I've got one in my MX5 already and it works nicely. Compact, relatively quiet, and with integrated vacuum switch to simplify installation. A vacuum tank is recommended but not necessary as they are happy to turn on and ...

NCOP14 is a little nonspecific about AGM lead acids but I'm pretty sure all that battery venting ruling in Section 2.2 and 2.3 refers to flooded lead acids only. e.g to quote Section 2.2: All batteries that contain liquid or give off gases ... must be individually sealed and externally vented. AGMs ...

'94 Charade, good choice of car. The best voltage to run an L91 at is indeed 120V, whether it be 10x 12V batteries, 15x 8V batteries or 20x 6V batteries. 6V or 8V batteries are usually flooded lead acids, as used in golf carts. They're about the cheapest option by capacity, but are also relatively l...

I'm certainly planning to use my electric MX5 for some motorsport once it's finished. As you say the autocross / motorkhana type events are a pretty easy place for EVs to compete without needing to be hugely powerful or needing long range. You do need a pretty well maintained vehicle for any motorsp...

Yeah that's always been the intention, we don't have any electric vehicles competing head to head against the dino-burners here in WA so I'm keen to give it a shot. It probably won't be particularly competitive with the current build (batteries and speed controller are limited to about 100hp) but it...

Simon: Yeah I'd love to do a 3-wheeler (reverse trike), I have huge respect for the Aptera for example. It wouldn't surprise me if we see a lot more of that type vehicle in the future, so much more efficient than normal cars. Benonymous: We'd be talking big money to do a proper electric race car wel...

Hi all, With the completion of the MX5 in sight, I've had a few people ask me what will be going on in the ZEVA workshop afterwards, and it got me thinking.. My primary interest at this stage is getting EVs out there which push the boundaries, to show the general public what's possible. I'm interest...

Latest news, the motor and drivetrain are all installed now, so I had quite a momentous occasion this afternoon: The wheels were turning under electric power! (OK maybe that doesn't sound that exciting but it's been a long time coming http://forums.aeva.asn.au/smileys/smiley17.gif ) Pics and descrip...

Sure, you might want to wait a few weeks though - then you can actually take it for a spin around the block!

Hi all, Anyone got any good sources for purchasing small quantities of copper (e.g 3x20mm strip) and/or aluminium (e.g sturdy right angle extrusions)? Preferably here in Perth, and I don't mind rifling through offcut bins! Bunnings have a pretty limited range, and places like Austral Wright aren't v...

Here's a scan of an article featured in today's edition of WA newspaper The Sunday Times on electric vehicles. In this one, Neil Dowling talks with Rob Mason about his (growing collection of) electric vehicles. Quite a well balanced, in-depth article I think: http://zeva.com.au/media/SundayTimes-11M...

For those who may have previously flicked through the conversion journal for my MX5, I just added a new entry covering what's been happening in the last month or so! Here's the link: http://www.zeva.com.au/conversion_blog.php?vehicle=1&post=11 It's all looking pretty good so far, should be smooth sa...

Looks like a great place to start an EV conversion - much cheaper without the engine, and saves the effort of removing it yourself! That said I'd advise making sure everything else is up to scratch and won't cause problems come licensing time (if not, replacement parts can get expensive quickly!) Mi...

Thanks for the answers. I confess the carbon fibre reference was just for psychological intimidation http://forums.aeva.asn.au/smileys/smiley17.gif I certainly plan on dedicating most of the budget to the electronics. Currently looking at a 10S12P pack of the PHET PE-1150 LiFePO4 cells, and a 1kW br...

May I also encourage everyone to put their cars up on http://evalbum.com?

I see WA is only two vehicles behind NSW in the EV tally - go WA (there must be a few more west aussie EVs yet to be listed? c'mon..)

Well I posted my entry form in today and have started throwing ideas around on paper, it sure is gonna be a fun build. So in my efforts to exploit loopholes in the rules http://forums.aeva.asn.au/smileys/smiley36.gif , I've got a few questions people might help me clarify.. Forgive the hair-splittin...

You know, for a while now I wanted to try making a single-wheeled Segway. I don't see why you'd need two wheels side-by-side except for static stability.. if you kept it moving you should be able to ride a single-wheeler just like a unicycle. Obviously it's not going to be particularly easy to ride,...

I use this company for my customs agent: http://www.allports.com.au/

I can't speak for the Sydney office, but the Perth guys are very good..

Congratulations John, that's fantastic news

I can't wait to get a ride in it - you'll have to bring it down to the next WAEVA meeting (BBQ Lunch 11am Sunday, 18th May at Patterson Park Burswood) to show it off!

Looks like a beautiful conversion, do we know what part of the country he's in? With the right batteries, at 640kg with a Zilla 1K and 9" motor that thing would be a lot of fun to drive. The article mentions first-generation ThunderSky Lithium Cobalt cells, and almost all reports I've heard of them ...

My 2 cents (and/or rant).. http://forums.aeva.asn.au/smileys/smiley17.gif 1. If the purpose of a conversion is to save money, think again. With current battery technology, the ongoing running costs, factoring in battery replacement, can be greater than an ICE and factoring in the initial installatio...

Yes and no.. In many cases it's not the cycle life but the calendar life of the cells which is the weak link. E.g if you only charge your EV once per week it takes 10 years to rack up 500 cycles. 10 years is about all you can possibly hope for with either lead acids or lithiums (due to natural degra...

Your friend is completely correct from a technical perspective, but when you're actually putting money down you can't overlook the economics. I agree AC is a technically superior solution but so much more expensive (something like 3x the price for equivalent power) that very few people go for it. Th...

Hi Ann, and welcome to the forums http://forums.aeva.asn.au/smileys/smiley1.gif Firstly, I'd highly recommend heading along to one of the Victorian AEVA meetings (in Melbourne) - a good opportunity to network with people who can help you with such a project and maybe take a ride in a finished conver...