I'm nearing the home stretch in the conversion of my 1967 VW Beetle to run on electricity and the car is really coming together. I've got all the parts, besides the all-important charger and some odds and ends, and I've just installed a pair of drop-dead gorgeous battery boxes.
Seriously. These things are hot.
Batteries are, of course, the heart of any electric vehicle and finding a place and method to secure them is vitally important for several reasons. I don't want them moving around while I'm driving, and I certainly don't want a bunch of 70-pound boxes of acid flying around in an accident. I'm using sealed lead-acid batteries, but if I ever got flooded batteries it would be nice to have something that will contain spilled electrolyte.
I'll be adding 700 pounds of batteries to my V-Dub, which only weighs 1,900 pounds to begin with, so I'll need to distribute the weight evenly. Although I've ditched the engine and fuel tank, that only bought me 70 pounds for the fuel tank (when full) and around 50 or 60 pounds difference between the gas engine and the electric motor. After seeing what the car looked like with all the batteries in the back, I've decided to put some in the front and some in the back.
Seven batteries weighing a total of 490 pounds will sit in a box where the back seat used to be. Three more, weighing 210 pounds, will go up front where the fuel tank used to be. That will put all of the batteries roughly over the axles, keeping the center of mass close to the center of the car. That will minimize the impact of all that weight on the driving dynamics and ease some of the strain on the rear suspension.
Once I knew where the batteries were going, I needed boxes to hold them in place. My neighbor Jamie Larson hooked me up with Jeff Powell, who owns Stainless Dynamics. The company makes stainless steel work surfaces and shelving for commercial kitchens. Powell also happens to have an interest in restoring cars, and although I've never met him, Larson somehow convinced him to donate the time and material needed to build the boxes. Yes, donate.
"Battery boxes" is so inadequate a term to describe them. They're works of art fashioned from 16-gauge stainless steel polished to a mirror finish. The welds are gorgeous. Powell and his crew are artisans. The boxes will be by far the prettiest part of my car which looks kind of shabby in comparison. It's like pinning a Cartier brooch on a thrift-store dress. They're already the envy of at least one EV converter who stopped by to check out my project.
Installing the rear box will be fairly straightforward. I'll need to fabricate brackets to hold it down and cut a hole in the bottom so I can get to the transmission access panel. I'll probably weld the back edge of the box to the floor.
The front box was a bit more complicated. It must fit in the hole left by the gas tank, which I removed a few weeks ago. The tank was a snap to take out. Six screws held the float assembly for the mechanical fuel gauge, and four bolts held the tank to the body. Once I removed them, it was a simple matter of lifting the tank, clamping the line and cutting it. I drained the gas -- about half a gallon -- into a gas can. And with that, my Bug threw off its last tie to gasoline.
I was surprised how light the tank is, perhaps five pounds. I'd hoped to save a lot of weight removing it, but 10.6 gallons of gas weighs just 64 pounds. I plan to put three batteries -- 210 pounds -- in its place. It is looking more and more like adding some springs to the suspension or tightening the torsion bars will be a good idea, if not a necessity.
The battery box, which looks a bit like a sink, neatly leaves room for the steering column, and I should be able to secure it with the same four brackets that held the fuel tank. I still have to figure out how to secure all the batteries in each box, and I'm leaning toward an insulated bar of some type across the top.
Got any advice, suggestions or ideas for Matthew? How about leads on a charger? Share ‘em with us! Follow his progress on Twitter @Wired_EV and here at Wired.com every week. He’s also launched a blog, evBeetle.com, to cover the conversion in microscopic detail.
Photos: Matthew Redd/Wired.com. Be sure to check out all Matt's previous posts here.
Out with the old and...
...in with the new.
Test-fitting the rear box. So hot. So very, very, hot.
