Opening up the Donor

Paid a visit to Pro Automotive to drop off a new clutch pack and found that Robert Juarez had been hard at work fabricating the space for the rear battery compartment. Last week he and Keith got the old gas engine out, leaving the motor bay a blank canvas.

It will be a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle to fit the Seimens motor, DMOC inverter, cooling system, one bank of batteries, electric power steering pump, electric air conditioning compressor, power brake vacuum pump and reservoir, contactor and precharge resistor box, and all the plumbing and wiring for those devices.

Easier to visualize, the rear hatch area of the car has been opened up for the rear batteries.

Two banks of batteries will installed on the left and right of the opening, sunk down straddling the rear of the transaxle. The center of the battery box will be raised to clear the transaxle and will hold the charger, charger controller, and other electrical bits. With a solid cover over the battery bay, the rear cargo area will still be as functional as before.

The chassis structure runs beside the opening to support what I estimate will be around 325 pounds of batteries and charger. Steel angle is being added to reinforce the sheet metal front and back. The battery box will be fabricated to fill this space after the transaxle is reinstalled and the battery packs are on site so we can be sure of the dimensions.

The gas filler has been removed and will be replaced by the J1772 charge port.




In the meantime, I'm still bottom balancing the battery pack and should be finished with the last of that this week.