Matt Muelver wrote: > On Monday, August 12, 2002, at 09:40 PM, Peter VanDerWal wrote: > > Remember this box will probably be holding over 1/2 ton of > batteries, > > do you really want to risk having them come loose at speed > when you hit > > a bump or have an accident? > > Actually, it'll probably have more like 300-390 lbs. But no, I don't > want to have them come loose in an accident! I believe that > a properly > bolted box can be just as strong as a welded one, maybe even > stronger as > long as you use the correct materials and mounting points. > > > I doubt the original tank will be cube shaped, they tend to > be curved. > > Actually, I was thinking that the curves might help. I can sit the > batteries on the flat floor and fill the curves with insulation. The > tank is held very securely to the car as it is, so why try to > reengineer > it?
Because a full tank weighs less than 100 lbs. You need a battery box that keeps everything in place under a 4 g vertical load and 8 g horizontal. These are NEDRA specs for racing, but they're good guidelines for any conversion. That's a 1560 lbs. vertical load and 3120 lbs. horizontal for your 390 lbs. pack. Don't guess, check the sheet metal thickness at each bolt point and do the math. > I haven't seen any Optimas with the EV recommended lug-style > connections. They all have standard automotive posts. I > take it that > this isn't really a problem, since the Optima is still one of > the most > preferred batteries for EVs, but how is this issue dealt with? Just put quality automotive-style lugs on your cables. They have more contact area than the eyelet lugs and give you more freedom in cable routing. They'll handle all the amps you can feed them. Chris
