The car on the lift

Car on lift

I received the lift on Tuesday, but didn't have time during the week to do the first test.

First thing I had to do is buy wood to elevate the car 3in above since its to low to have the lift go under. With the help of my sister it took less than 10mins to align everything.
One thing to watch out for: the Porsche is so wide that the jacking points are really at the maximum of the lift's width. Everything needs to be perfectly inline to have all four jacking points at their correct locations.
First attempt the car was too far back and it was really leaning backwards.

The Car

The Porsche Strom, is based on a Carrera2 Chassis.

the car

Year: 1999
Model: 911 (996)
Weight: 1350Kgs
Weight (front): 520Kgs
Weight (Rear): 830Kgs

Length: 4430 mm
Width: 1765 mm
Height: 1305 mm
wheel base: 2350 mm

Motor torque is 350N.M at 4600rpm. (at 0rpm, it should be around 200N.m)
0-100Km/h in 5.2 sec

Porsche Strom - Key Caracteristics

Performance -
Torque and acceleration needs to be similar to the actual 911 C2 (350N.m)
Speed - Over 160km/h is not needed. But will probably reach way more.
Range- 90kms is the weekend commute to go to the cottage. With max 80% Depth of discharge (DOD) it makes around 120kms of range.
Target weight is max 100kgs more than the original, so approx 1400Kgs. This is critical to pass all inspection tests and get it approved by the SAAQ.

System design
AC motor/controller was chosen for reliability, control, regen, higher voltage.
The battery technology is not yet chosen, but Lead acid is out of the question. A123 / Kokam, are the favorite choices for now.

Project Start

The idea behind the project is not just a simple conversion. It is fairly simple to buy kits on internet, make them fit in a stripped car, add a couple of lead acid batteries, and get it running on electricity.
Were the challenges begin is when you talk about Performance, Reliability and Range. However, experience shows, that to combine these three, the two things you need most are money and qualified people.
Money, we will need to buy the best parts out there on the market, and with low volume, they come very expensive. Buying quality parts will give you reliability for at least ten years and make troubleshooting (if needed) much easier.
Now, it's not enough to just have money. We need to know what to buy and know how to fill the gaps. We are at a stage were electric cars are still Engineered to have the basics(Performance, Reliability and Range) and we will have to do the same. This is why the team is the most important.

The objective of the project is to make one extraordinary electric car by putting all the chances on our side:, Money, Skill, Experience and dreams.

Getting organized - Car Lift

We are still at the stage of getting organized. One of the key items is the lift to work on the car.
After looking of the different option, we will be going with a scissor lift. Simple, movable and no installation is required. And since space in the garage is limited, few options for two post lifts are available.
The only drawback is having the legs of the lift underneath the car while we work. But most of the work will be done behind or on front of the wheels axles.

UQM vs SIEMENS

What to choose for a motor?

Two options seem good for now.
The SIEMENS 1PV5135WS28 - 67KW cont, 150KW max, max 400Nm - 650/900Volts.

OR
The PowerPhase 150 from UQM, - 100KW Cont, 150Kw max, Max 650Nm - 300-420Volts