>> 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.
Ah, I misunderstood, I thought you were building a vehicle with some range not a hotrod for short distance jaunts. Hmm, YTs weigh about 45 lbs each so you're only talking about 7 or 8 batteries? I thought you said 156V, that's 585lbs. Figure 600+ lbs with cables and connectors. Anyway, with only 13 YTs you are going to have a max range of 25 'maybe' 30 miles, that's to 100% discharged. And of course if you drive it 20-25 miles each trip you will be buying new batteries in about 9 months. Drive it only 10 miles per trip and you will get one to two years out of the batteries. If you are willing to live with these limitations great, if not you need to rethink how many batteries you need. >> 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? If your insulation fills the curves, it's going to have some thin spots. Also that tank is not nearly secure enough to be filled with lead. 10 gallons of gas weighs about 70 lbs IIRC. >I think you'd be surprised how big the spare tire well is on this car. I was mistaken about how many batteries you were planning, I thought you were going for a double string (about 1200 lbs worth). >I haven't seen any Optimas with the EV recommended lug-style >connections. They all have standard automotive posts. Who recommends those? Most folks prefer the automotive style, especially for high power setups. >Won't the fan that's already in the heating system work? Yup, absolutely. You're planning on replacing the existing core with the ceramic cube? Good plan. I was just trying to make sure you weren't planning on popping a Wal-Mart heater in their intact and then plug it into the pack. >I haven't seen any DC/DCs that are larger than 40 amps, >can I install two of them to get 80? Most will work like that, some won't. Best to check and be sure. Also they probably won't share the load evenly so your 80 amps might only be good for 60-70 amps. John uses YTs for his DC-DC backups and they have lasted him years. RTs would probably work well to since you won't typically be draining them much on a regular basis.
