150 Mile Jeep Hybrid Trip And The Move To Gassavers.org
Category: Blogging

I am embarking on a 150 Mile trip this Friday from Lake Charles, LA to Kemah, TX in my Jeep.  A lot of work is going into this because I want to make sure I do not run out of battery power during the trip.  I am installing two additional batteries in the back of the Jeep.  I am also excited because we are expecting to hit 20+ MPG! 

I ordered a set of LED brake lights because they are taking a considerable amount of power while I drive.

Finally, I am sorry to report that I will no longer be blogging my work here.  I am moving to the Gassavers.org forums and posting my work there.  The reason is simple, viewership.  I do not seem to be drawing a large crowd here and my posts in Gassavers.org have been creating quite a buzz lately.

Thanks MySpace for all the fun!

Here is a photo of my dog JR helping me with my prototype battery charger.  Several more photos of my 150 mile trip can be found in my picture album:

4:47 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Jeep Hybrid now gets 19.5MPG!!
Current mood: triumphant
Category: Automotive

19.5MPG!  We did it! 

Latest fillup with Group 24 Gel Cel, Electric fan, engine fan removed, alternator disconnected and battery charger onboard:  54.7 miles / 2.803 gallons to top off gas tank = 19.541MPG!

Using a Kill-A-Watt meter to monitor killowatt hour usage, I spent 1.45 Killowatts to charge the battery during this run.  

Previous MPG runs over the past few weeks in the Jeep: 

4/24/2008: Mechanical engine fan on, alternator connected, highway miles: 170 miles / 12.5 gallons to top off gas tank = 13.6 MPG

4/21/2008: Mechanical engine fan on, alternator connected, highway miles (part of the run overlapped with Jeep in hybrid mode) :  170.1 miles / 10.339 gallons to top off gas tank = 16.45 MPG

I installed an electric fan and a Group 24 Gel Cel battery last Wednesday night.  I could tell right away that the engine had a lot more power because I could climb a very tall bridge on my way to work while in 6th gear, a feat I was never able to accomplish. 

I will likely stay offline for the next few weeks because I am going to be busy purchasing a used Dodge Dakota to start my electric vehicle conversion.  However, I encourage anyone with questions to message or comment here so that I can help you. 

Please believe me, these are results verified by several friends and neighbors.  Charging the battery takes very little power compared to the gas costs we are now facing!

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Brief Update!
Current mood: rejuvenated
Category: Automotive

I have put my research on hold for three months as I looked for a job that would offer more stability.  I have left National Networks as their lead programmer and moved to a large steel supplier as their DBA and put in charge of integrating Microsoft Dynamics AX into their nationwide business. 

An even more positive note is the electric vehicle work.  A week and a half ago Wholesale Battery in Lake Charles sold us a Group 24 Gel Cel.  Last Monday, I picked up a prototype battery charger from my father.  Tuesday through Friday, I installed an electric fan and all the safe guards for it.  For example:  I put in a 30 amp fuse, installed the Gel Cel, fabricated an aluminium frame to hold the fan in the Jeep's radiator and instlled a 25 amp 12VDC quick disconnect system for battery charging.   The new upgrade seems to be working great.  I have a lot more torque with both the alternator and mechanical engine fan off. 

I will post an exhaustive listing of MPG for you to browse through in the coming days.  Additionally, I am looking for a 1997-2004 Dodge Dakota with a manual transmission.  The vehicle will be converted into a electric vehicle and pictures will be posted online for all to see.  If you are interested in selling yours for a fair price please let me know!

For now visit this website if you are interested in increasing your vehicle's gas mileage!  GasSavers.ORG

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60 electric cabs once ran in New York city, read how they did it!

Michael Brian Schiffer - Taking Charge: The Electric Automobile in America

The book will show you how GM and Ford killed electric vehicles in the 1920’s. Really amazing stuff!

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New EV book review submitted, Plug-In Hybrids!

I just submitted a book review about Plug-In Hybrids. 

The book answers several questions about hybrid, electric and hydrogen technologies.  Check it out!

 Plug-In Hybrids The Cars That WIll Recharge America

7:54 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Reuben, why do you post all these blogs about your work?

Simple, visit this website:  Drive Your Car On Water

From the outside, the site is interesting and appears to have a purpose.  However, all the website is doing is selling a book that describes hydrogen powered EV's and how to generate hydrogen yourself.  The information is easily available online.  All the website is doing, is trapping motivated amateurs and sucking their wallets.

My point is that capitialists believe they can get into "Green Energy" to make huge profits.  They conduct research and charge excessive fees for the results or products.  I am doing the opposite.  Publishing our research and results online allows everyone to see how a switching power supply is built.  Most importantly, I hope it gives you the confidence to build your own EV part that will help reduce costs and eliminate the "Green Capitialists"!

If you have any examples of this piracy, please post a comment!

3:17 AM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Project Update: Major progress this week and photos!
Current mood: triumphant

Here are some pictures of our progress over the past week.  We received several more boxes of parts and have been able to take large steps towards a fully functional prototype.

In this picture you can see the extra steps we take for safety.  A fuse block is being used on the board in the background.

Here we see the front end of the power supply with voltage.  It's supposed to just double the voltage, but I was reading about 337 VDC with 120 VAC input. The ripple on the DC was too small to measure.

Today we are adding the massive high voltage capacitors and see what that gives us.  After that, fit the transistors with heat sinks and install the multivibrator.

Finally, a company called Sherline makes low cost CNC machines.  I want to use one of these to produce prototype PCB's and use it for our first production run of these power supplies.

Currently listening : Wunjo By Giles Reaves

11:47 AM - 1 Comments - 1 Kudos - Add Comment

EV Power Supply UPDATE!

Yes, work is still going on!

The parts are quite expensive and in some cases extremely hard to find. In the past few months work has focused on repairing a broken switching power supply. After pinpointing the broken components and upgrading the internals to support higher amperage, we decided to try our luck at recharging a drained 12V lead acid battery. To our suprise we can recharge a dead car battery in less than three hours with an average efficiency of 85%! With this as motivation and several hundred $$$ in parts, we felt confident enough to move on to the build of the prototype.

Below are two pictures of our point to point, prototype power supply.

We have struck upon another feature than can be easily integrated into our EV power supply, the motor controller. Believe it or not, a 600 AMP solid state motor controller can be fit into this design.

Building the charger and motor controller into one unit will:

1) Save space in EV's, more batteries less bulky metal boxes.

2) Reduce wiring, use the unit as the brain for your EV conversion.

3) Reduce combined cost

4) Solid state design will conserve battery life.

5) Allows for hybrid mode: Find a generator capable of producing 120V or 220V and the unit will handle the logic required for smooth operation while driving.

I would like to thank the following specialized vendors for their support. Without them this project would have not gotten this far. These companies truly believe in our work and have given us untold hours of time and sample parts:

TSC International - PQ Ferrite Cores -We have ordered over 50 pieces of PQ Ferrite cores from TSC. On top of this, they have given us techinical advice. -TSC now has an online ordering system.

Cosmo Corporation -Cosmo provided us with plastic bobbins for the ferrite cores. The bobbins provide for a consistent method of holding the wire within the cores.

 TJ Assemblies -TJ Assemblies has given us several sample bobbins as well. Their bobbins are a little larger and will be used on the main power cores in the project.

Updates will be coming more frequently since the shop has been fully stocked with parts and reference books.

Make sure you check out my EV reviews on Epinions.com so that you can stay with us are we venture on this journey!

Noel Perrines Book: Solo life with an electric car.

 Electric Dreams: One Unlikely Team of Kids and The Race To Build The Car Of The Future

 ..

5:51 AM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Josiah Leming - A new refreshing sound...

Josiah was kicked out of American Idol this season because of one audition.  To help promote a talented musician I am posting some links for you to enjoy:

 Singing Grace Kelly, American Idol

 One Last Song

 Bad News Baby

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Green Week: Wednesday’s Tip, your AC filter.

Changing your air conditioner filter will allow more air to pass through your house's conditioning system.  The faster you can cool the air the sooner it will shut off, saving energy.  Simple!

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