So now that the Vitara is in the “work” bay I’ve had the opportunity to take some measurements and start the planning in my head.
Although a Leaf pack is very functional and easy to work with, they are very “hot” items right now. A single wrecked leaf is going for anywhere between $3000 and $5000 USD on Autobidmaster. That’s a bit more than I want to pay for a battery pack, not to mention I want 1.5 packs which involves buying 2 cars! Yes I can sell parts and make some of the money back, but after doing that with the S10 I’m less than excited to do that again, let alone twice.
In terms of battery packs I’m looking for somewhere in the range of 30 KWh at 144 Volts. I have all the parts for this and the 144 Volts will allow me to upgrade to an AC motor in the future if I so choose. My search for batteries lead me to the Chevy Volt. These packs are a little more volatile and difficult to work with than the Leaf cells, but they come in 48 Volt cells with included heater and cooling system. Not a bad deal if you ask me! I would need just under 2 of them (leaving me 1 48 volt pack left after) and they are $1,800 USD at a wrecker just across the border (less traveling for me). These cells also come with wiring for a BMS system. It’ll need to be a large and expensive BMS, but easy to connect. Seems like a good plan so far…
***Problem… with the cooling system these packs are big, and take up a lot of space. This means I can find room for 2/3 not problem, but I have more cells to find space for. This is going to be a challenge***
Soon I’m going to need to get my hands on a pack to get exact measurements. There is a really good thread on these cells here: http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/2012-chevy-volt-battery-93101.html It’s a huge thread but there are a lot of details in there.
Onwards!