BugE - More than a bike, less than a car

Unusual problems found with "normal" use patterns.

2011-09-11T19:35:00.017-04:00

Here's what I've found so far as the BugE is used for it's intended use - a pure electric commuter vehicle that operates in cool rainy conditions while keeping the occupant free of windchill and rain.

First, in terms of BugE specific issues, I've noticed more tire wear with the front two tires with little wear on the drive tire. This suggests my 'toe' is out of adjustment. I'm guessing too much toe-in. So, an adjustment of the steering rods will be needed. Fortunately, this is a simple task. Visit the express links on the right to see how this is done.

While it was waiting to be put on jacks for tie-rod adjustment, another unusual incident happened. It has to do with the BMS system. This type of BMS is no longer sold and has been replaced with a more reliable system. Unfortunately, I have the older setup. So, I came home to find the meter showing my batteries were rather low . I knew this, only due to noticing the BMS indicator lights were completely off. What apparently happened was that the DC-DC converter was doing a steady draw down of the batteries to power the BMS. However, the BMS wasn't triggering the AC charger to replenish the main pack. Finally, the DC-DC converter had the sense to cut off. However, the lead-acid battery discharged completely (turning off the BMS and it's indicator lights.) I'm sure the lead-acid battery took some damage but it's duty is normally rather light. So, it may have survived well enough to remain in service.

Fortunately, the main pack was not completely drawn down, just low. The cause was apparently due to a faulty LIN HUB. It failed such that it would only work if I bent the connector. When bent, all components seemed to work. When not, nothing worked. Unfortunately, when I tried solving the connector problem by trying to solder on a more robust replacement connector, I managed to loose what little function that circuit board still had. Unfortunately, it's a multi-layered board so it's beyond my ability to repair.

So, I removed the board, did an unbalanced charge of the pack to 50V and eliminated all parasite loads. Although 50V was not a full charge, it hopefully kept the lithium batteries in a safe state. Meanwhile, my vendor shipped me a replacement hub. Once replaced, the BMS returned to normal operation. Hopefully, the batteries are OK. We'll see if this is true in the next range test.

The last failure was severe enough to get my BugE trucked home. At times, if I accelerated even slightly, the vehicle stopped. After powering the vehicle on/off several times, the problem would go away. When I first noticed this, I thought the fault might be in the spade connectors I used for the throttle cable. So, I soldered the throttle wires to the speed controller inputs. This helped for a while, then the failure returned more often. So, this caused me to think the throttle potentiometer was at fault since it seemed to have similar symptoms to my previous throttle failure.

But no, these electric cars can be sneaky. Testing out the various components with a multimeter showed what the real cause was. After putting the rear tire up on blocks, I measured various voltages along the system. I found the potentiometer in the throttle was working just fine. However, the contactor (also known as the solenoid) was giving a voltage difference across it's terminals when engaged. This was not good since it's supposed to simply act as a hunk of wire between it's terminals when active. In fact, that's how I tested my hypothesis that the solenoid was at fault. I put a hunk of wire across the terminals. Sure enough, the motor driven by the speed controller worked just fine. So, I've ordered a new solenoid, at nearly $100 bucks. Hopefully, after installing the new one, I can take apart the old one to salvage it for a spare. It did cause me to question why these expensive solenoid's are needed at all. For an explanation, look HERE.

September 30, 2011 - My first commute!

2011-09-04T07:39:00.014-04:00

At last. It was time for my first real commute from Auburn NY to Wells College in Aurora NY. Russel Watson's "Faith of the Heart" song came to mind when I took off on this historic journey.

Although the BugE will do 50MPH on flat ground, this test wasn't a speed trial. Rather, it was to figure out the speeds that will be fast enough to be useful yet be slow enough to not loose too much energy to wind resistance.

Distance was just over 20 miles. Morning temperature was 60 degrees and sunny. Canopy practically eliminated windchill. Speed was kept at a minimum of 30mph, up the gentile slope to the ridge line. Along the top, maintained 35mph. The journey was so pleasant that I overshot my planned turn. Fortunately, I had an excess of charge so I could take the next turnoff which made the journey slightly longer than planned. The last 2 miles downhill were done at 45. Arrived with 40% of charge still left. Commute time was 45 minutes which was two minutes longer than I had planned.

The BugE recharged at the Stratton Science Building where it was put on exhibit for the day. Charging was done before noon. At the end of the day it was time for the return journey. Rolling the BugE out of the building, the outside temperature was 80 degrees & humid. This caused a temporary fog on the canopy that quickly dissipated in the sun. I did the long climb up to the ridge at 25mph to see if a lower speed would help conserve the battery. It did. Once half way up the hill, I maintained speeds of 30-35mph. Since I had more charge than expected, I took the last 2 miles home at 45mph. Pulling into my driveway, I still had 1/3 charge left.

The trip had one noteworthy incident.
The throttle didn't work! So, I exercised the interlock relay several times. Then, the throttle worked. When I returned home, I tried some contact cleaner compound on the throttle spade connectors. That seemed to fix the immediate symptom. However, this likely isn't the real cause. I suspect the interlock arrangement I have may be at fault. So, I'll be doing a wiring change to test this hypothisis.

BugE Q & A

2011-08-29T20:27:00.008-04:00

This blog posting is a partial response to some questions fermi_of_borg had in his BugE build.

The first photo shows how I oriented my direction switch. I found it was easiest if I had the forward direction pointing backward. However, this is probably opposite of what people normally would think when it comes to direction. I had to remove quite a bit of material with a Dremil tool to get a sufficient sized notch for the switch to go into. I decided to go with a notch instead of a hole since I open and close the battery compartment quite often for small adjustments. Now, no need to remove the handle!

The second photo shows the switch orientation without the cover. The direction switch is held in place with a couple of "L" brackets attached to a platform I made from a cutting board I bought at Wal-Mart. It's cheap, easy to cut, non conductive and needs no painting. Anyway, In the lower left is a little photo of a wiring change I did. In the original 48V wire diagram two wires were to be attached to a contactor terminal. Problem is, it's quite a tight space. So, I decided to attach the two wires together instead at the top terminal of the reversing switch. Electrons don't care which end of a wire they are on. To them, one terminal of a wire is identical to the other terminal of the same wire.

When it comes to connecting the lug rings, the type of nuts should connect very TIGHT! Using Nylock nuts will help. Also, double check the little screws on the lithium battery pack. They should be tight too. One way I happened to find a couple of a loose screws that I had forgotten to fully tighten was when my BMS said it had a "volt diff" error when I accelerated. Inspecting the pack, then tightening the loose terminal screws got rid of that error.

Last is a photo of my BMS wiring harness which is an example of perfection being given up for progress. It's ugly, but it works. Making a better harness will be a winter project. Meanwhile, this mess seems to work for me right now.

Another range test

2011-08-28T10:16:00.009-04:00

This range test was a 22 mile test to simulate a commute in terms of distance and hill climbing. This would be to the half way point, then do a return on one charge. First part of journey was at going to half-way point on relatively flat ground, then downhill from 860ft to 420 ft. Speed as before was kept between 30-35mph. At bottom of hill, I briefly tested battery recovery. Unlike a lead-acid pack, parking for 5 minutes showed no significant battery voltage recovery from the batteries in the main pack. Then back up the long slope at 15-25mph. The remainder leg home was done at 40-45 over the flat and downhill sections of road.

However, as I feared, my charge controller could not charge the accessory battery fast enough to keep up with usage. So, near the last mile of the journey, the 12V battery became weak enough to make the headlight interlock relay de-energize. So, the main pack still had 25% charge left but I couldn't go! No problem. I pushed the BugE to the side of the road. Turned off all navigation lights. Then waited 5 minutes for the charge controller to catch up. Then quickly proceeded home. Still had 20% left.

What this says is either that I'll either need to increase the accessory battery size, reduce loads or use a faster method using the DC-DC converter to re-charge the accessory battery while under-way. Too bad I can't find a reasonably priced DOT approved LED headlight for a motorcycle! Hopefully, lower cost LED headlights will appear soon.

POST CONSTRUCTION NOTE: Since my September breakdown due to my accessory battery depleting too early, I've reverted to using a DC-DC controller. Now, 12V accessory lights are powered off the main pack. Also, the "range" estimate test was a bit low. Turns out I set my battery capacity meter to a single 60AH pack rather than the 4-pack capacity of 240AH. So, it turns out I had much more capacity than I originally thought. So, I'm planning to use up some of this discovered capacity by taking the majority of my commute at a faster speed.

Lithium charger mounting

2011-08-14T13:15:00.006-04:00

When using a lead-acid pack, I found an external lead-acid charger arrangement worked for me. However, the new lithium battery charger is larger, more expensive and has a really wimpy data cable that would quickly be destroyed through repeated connects and disconnects. So, I've decided to find a way to mount the charger so it does not need to be removed for each journey. To the left, you can see the end result. The charger has sufficient ventilation to keep cool. It also allows inspection of it's indicator LEDs on the end of it.

To the right is an image of how the holder just before it was installed. To mount, it's bolted in with nylocks and washers to the fiberglass battery pan structure. If assembled correctly, the charger should just "snap" into place. The only cable modification I needed to do was to lengthen the battery charger data cable so it could reach the "LIN hub". I suspect a "new" BMS system would only provide connectors & cable without being assembled, providing an opportunity to make cable lengths correct the first time.

Parts & tools required:
6ft piece of angle iron (you'll have some left over)
an angle iron bender (or use a vise & hammer)
hacksaw
drill
file
scratch awl
tape measure or ruler
(10) 6-32 flat head screws with matching Nylock nuts
(4) washers - used for mounting to the Plexiglas battery tray
spray paint and primer
zipties (to run data and power cable to battery tray)

Range tests

2011-08-07T09:19:00.011-04:00

One of the most frequent questions I get asked usually includes the phrases, "How far and at what speed?" Due to these factors being dependent on conditions of the day, It's an impossible question to accurately answer. However, I can say this.

I did my first extended range test today. My route to work is 20.3 miles. I decided to go to the halfway point on the route I plan to take to work. According to the GPS, I start out going to work at 620ft above sea level. Then took several small hills for an average climb height to 860ft. I figured if I had 75% of the pack left at that point, it's likely I could make it to work with a comfortable reserve since the remaining part of the journey is either flat or down hill. Once at work, the plan would be to charge up during the workday for the return trip.

For this test, temperature was around 80 degrees, overcast, with occasional sprinkles of rain. Travel through town was stop and go which limited speed to around 25mph. Once out of town, roadway turned to tar & stone. The roadway outside town had enough bumpy areas that I limited my speed to between 30 and 35mph. Visibility was very good. I was followed briefly by one car. Otherwise, I saw only three cars going in the other direction. For the return part of the journey, I decided to take a faster route home. Speed was kept to about 40mph for most of the journey. However, once I encountered the smooth road of the arterial highway, I decided to speed up to 50mph for about a mile. No problem. I returned home with 60% of charge left.

First test drive on the lithium pack

2011-08-02T23:58:00.004-04:00

Woha! The new battery pack makes this BugE perform much better! I decided my performance test would be at night. I drove in a mix of conditions with stop-and-go traffic along with hills. Total mileage was just over 10miles. I tried to keep speeds at least 30mph and go 40mph where I could. Passing cars was fun and I could even do so going up hills! At the end of the test, I decided to do a speed test on flat straight road. For the speed test, I sustained a speed of 50mph over 2 miles! At the end of the journey, pack still showed 60% of capacity left.

I decided to keep the retro analog meter to see how acceleration affected the pack. I noticed that the pack was either in white (full) or upper green at all times even during acceleration. I was worried that the 12V accessory battery would be depleted but it apparently has enough capacity to keep the lights relatively bright. Although I didn't have a digital meter, I did observe that headlight brightness seemed to be unchanged through the journey. The lithium pack also seems to have other benefits too. For example, braking and acceleration seem to both be better. Also, the BugE seems to deal with bumps better too.

The drive was not problem free. The BMS electronics have problems. For example, the LED readout has two LEDs that have already failed. Fortunately, I have the larger readout I can use instead. Also, the wiring seems to be of all the wrong lengths. I'm guessing this is because in it's original installation, the LIN HUB and all instrumentation was probably installed in the dashboard rather than in the battery compartment.

Still to do. The BMS system works but shows an error when the battery charger isn't present. So, next step is to mount the battery charger in the cargo area.

Charging up....

2011-07-31T23:09:00.004-04:00

At last, the batteries are installed and the wiring is connected! The pack is doing it's first charge cycle. Along the way, there were some interesting incidents.

Upon connecting the LIN HUB for the first time, the LED indicator panel showed a red LED "wiring fault" and the main display showed that the "battery capacity" was 0%. Yet no alarms were showing and going through the screens, it appeared as though each battery circuit board was being polled successfully. Also, when the charger was plugged in, the individual battery voltages seemed to be charging correctly. The fix was simple. Leave the charger plugged in. Then go through the settings. I found the unit was set as a zero AH pack. So, entering 60AH for my 16 cell pack size turned off the fault LED and updated the bar graph to show 100% capacity. The main pack, fully charged, shows 53.8V.

Another interesting incident. When I powered up the DC-DC converter, the charge controller for the accessory 12V battery was flashing that it was having trouble charging. I found the problem rather quickly. I had wired it in backwards! The battery was trying to charge the DC-DC converter, obviously failing to do so. Fortunately, no damage was done. After reversing, the unit appears to be charging the 12v battery properly. However, the charge controller, being only a 7A unit, seems to be on continuously even though no load other than the BMS is drawing from the battery. So, it's hard to establish that this circuit is charge limiting. At least I know the 12V pack, initially charged, was at 12.9V. I'll be measuring that voltage again later.

For now, the pack charger is removed when not in use. A mount will be constructed and the charger installed into it. After, it will be time to take the BugE out on it's first drive with the new pack.

On my BugE, all lighting plus the BMS is directly powered by the 12V battery. I did this since the battery safety cutoff circuit should stop all power being drawn from the pack including the DC-DC converter. That means in the event of a battery cutoff during a journey, not only would the BugE have no power, but it also would not be able to signal to other traffic that it had a problem!

I built my own wiring harness. The 12V system was built to be completely independent of the bottom of the BugE. That way, during assembly, I could just plug the + and - into the cowl lighting to test all lighting plus speedometer indicator lights without requiring the rest of the BugE to be present. Both cowl lighting and BMS run directly off a12V accessory battery (autocraft part#5L-BS). The size of the battery was picked due to it being on sale rather than being an optimal size. However, that battery size seems to work just fine. To charge the battery, I use a Sevcon DC-DC converter to feed into an ICP 7Amp solar charge controller. Not that either are optimal components. Both are much more expensive than are needed. However, to preserve the ability to go back to a lead-acid pack with no need for a supplemental accessory battery, I decided to keep the DC-DC converter arrangement as-is for now.

Post construction note:
If I were starting from scratch again, I would not muck about with a DC-DC converter at all. The weight savings isn't a big enough benefit. Instead, I would simply use a motorcycle battery with a separate 12v battery charger, mounted on the tail shelf where my DC-DC converter now sits.

Mouting the BMS electronics

2011-07-24T05:15:00.015-04:00

Unfortunately, I didn't have enough of the longer tabs so I couldn't arrange the batteries with 8 on one side, 8 on the other. Instead, I put them all together on one side. I put a thick mat on the battery tray floor to make the batteries level. Here is the pack shown with most of the BMS modules installed. They are installed in series, in specific order, beginning with the most negative battery first.

Shown here is an electronic mounting frame I'll be installing to fill the void on the right. It's made from wood and aluminum "L" channel. The frame has two purposes. First, it should prevent batteries from moving in the battery compartment. Second, it provides a mount point for the battery management electronics and a supplemental lead-acid 12V battery. Here are my initial thoughts on component position. The two tiny components on top are from the BMS system. The yellow box is a charge controller. It's needed so I don't cook the 12V lead acid battery due to overcharging. The box on the left is a DC-DC converter that will turn 48V to 12V to charge the 12V battery. The DC-DC converter will be left on except when the main pack gets too low.

POST CONSTRUCTION: Final configuration was close to this configuration. One change was to turn the blue BMS control unit so a 48V cable could pass through it. By doing so, it apparently measures current similar to how a clamp-on am-meter measures current. Although I don't have a scope to check this, I'm guessing that the speed controller would rapidly pulse 48V at varying frequencies rather than adjust voltage.

When the pack voltage gets too low, this cutoff module (see previous posting) will release voltage to the main motor contactor which will prevent further drawdown of the pack. For inputs it uses 12V and a ribbon cable input from the BMS. As output, it has a normally open relay that is energized if the BMS decides there is enough energy available. This will be put in series with the motor contactor circuit. This circuit will drop signal to the main contactor should the BMS detect excessive current draw. To construct the board, I used wire-wrap and perfboard. Once I find the circuit works as expected, I'll replace this board with an etched board.

As for how the batteries will be charged, I'll be charging them externally for now. At a future date, I'll be mounting the charger box in the front cargo area with some custom brackets fabricated from strap iron.

Deciding pack orientation for lithium battery upgrade

2011-06-14T21:38:00.017-04:00

When deciding how to install the batteries, it's useful to study photos. In the first photo is my setup for a lead-acid pack. Lifting up the rear, you'll see 4 Optima batteries plus Powercheq battery balancing modules on the shelf on the right. Note, the addition of a spatter shield wall that I made of fiber cloth with resin. I later added a rubber skirt for additional length plus a chain spatter shield. Since doing that, water has not been a problem for my BugE.

The next photo is from Allen Clark's installation. He decided to mount the lithium batteries to one side. This frees up some space for battery management electronics. In addition, I'm hoping I can fit a small 12V battery for emergency 12V accessory power. This would be needed in case the main pack goes into an unexpected shutdown while on a journey. If I was to use this configuration, the center hole in the front of the battery tray where the 12V harness goes through can not be used. Instead, a second hole would need to be drilled to the right. Fortunately, I left enough slack in the 12V wire harness that moving the pass-through location will not be a problem.

So, to check the arrangement of battery electronics and to avoid doing too much in a confined area, I decided to set up the lithium pack and electronics outside the BugE first. One issue I ran into was the inability of arranging a battery pack in series just by using the provided jumpers. I finally just made a cable to complete the series circuit (the brown cable on the bottom). The arrows trace how the jumpers make the cells into one big series circuit. The arrow path shows how the circuit begins at the (-) terminal and ends at the (+) terminal. Also, note the small stubby screwdriver on the lower left. When it comes to working on batteries, it's safety first! Either use a small stubby tool or at least wrap the metal stem of a regular screw driver with electric tape or heat-shrink so accidentally dropping it on the pack can't cause a short!

An alternate way of arranging batteries was suggested by Baka Nihao although his batteries are different in shape. The batteries in his tray are arranged in parallel and held in place for the season with "great stuff" insulating foam. I asked about battery management. He uses none. He also brought up an interesting point on having a separate 12V battery for lighting. If I was going to use a 12V battery for lighting and have it charge from from the main pack via a DC-DC converter, the battery will be in danger of being over charged.

Unlike Baka's setup, I have a 12V battery management system that will need continuous 12V power to balance cells in the large pack even if the pack needs to be shut down. So, I'm using an independent 12V motorcycle battery for powering the BMS. I'm going to try using a solar charge controller that I have left over from a previous project.

The LiFeMnPO4 pack and BMS arrives. What next?

2011-06-04T16:57:00.029-04:00

Note: This BMS system is no longer sold by Elite Power but it may still be available from other companies.

The batteries, charger and BMS came in two boxes. One was for the charger (large white box) and the other box had everything else in it. The batteries have removable purple covers. There is extra room in them. So, it's likely the tiny BMS boards can be installed under the covers to make the wiring look nice. Each set of four cells came pre-connected with metal bands on them (as shown in yellow box). Measuring the 4-pack gave a voltage of 13.1V .

Also with the BMS kit is a small LED bar graph display (middle black thing). Also, the vendor provided a free LCD display as well. The reason it's "free" is that it has a display defect. So it works, but looks ugly. Should I want to have a better looking one, I can purchase another one later. The BMS circuit boards came pre-wired, probably because I bought a "demo" system rather than a new one. On a new system, it's likely I would need to wire each board as I found it in the string.

So, this is the "big picture" of how the battery management system should go together.

Rick Suiter, my sales rep, emailed me instructions for a 24 cell model instead of a 16 cell model but I got the general idea. Like most things, these representative images are simpler than reality.

Since I need to make some decisions on mounting locations, I decided to lay out the components. The LED bar graph looks like it can be press-mounted into a rectangular space, perhaps somewhere on my polycarbonate dashboard. The "Control Unit" also has a mounting hole for a screw. However, the "hub" has no native way to mount it. So, I can mound it somewhere with double-back tape. Wire length may be the deciding factor on where things get mounted.

There were also some pieces that puzzled me. I got an assortment of additional metal pieces that I take to be conducting strips that work with the circuit boards. I'm also thinking having these strips will allow me to change the battery arrangement to have a wider or thinner pack.

There were also some flat to round adapters. They puzzled me. Why so many? They seem rather wimpy for a mechanical connection. However, wimpy they appear to be, Rick assured me that the parts would be sufficient for the job. Plus, he sent a photo too. He states below:

For #4 wire you can fold the edges around the cable and crimp it with a die size one or two larger. I've done this with 4ga wire and it seems to work well. See the attached picture. Soldering is an option, but there seems to be issues in a vibration intensive environment where the solder joints can fatigue and micro crack. If you did want to solder I would crimp first then back flow solder in to the wire, that way you are not relying on the solderto hold the connection, it is just there for extra conductivity.

The other mysteries had to do with recommended interlocks to prevent the pack from being damaged from too much discharge. Looking over my parts, I found I had a mysterious small heat-shrink covered component which was the reset switch. Since it was too small to be captured by my camera, I used Sketchup to doodle out an approximate image of what the component looks like. On each end are the letters "L" and "D". So, from the response below, the "D" was supposed to be an "O".

The little black piece with L and O on it is the low voltage cut off switch. ... The L side connects to the LIN hub, the O side is your output signal. You must provide a 12 volt and ground signal to the output side per the diagram, the middle wire is your switched signal for low voltage. I attached a document for the alarm cut out, it is for another version of the hardware, but the circuit on the last page will work to amplify the signal to drive a small relay directly if it is useful to you. Our warranty requires that the low voltage cut off be connected such that it disables the vehicle if a low voltage cell occurs.

Speaking of loads, in the diagram, there are two DC-DC converters. One small one seems to be for only powering the LIN hub with "control unit". This converter apparently remains on 24/7. The other is the high capacity 12V DC/DC converter for everything else. The larger converter appears to be able to talk to the LIN hub as well.

If a lithium cell either exceeds it's temperature or falls below a safe voltage, the BMS should "disable the vehicle" automatically. To do this, Rick offered the following suggestion.

In most cases the alarm switch signal will be used to drive a relay which will either break an enable signal to the vehicle main controller or break the power to a main contactor coil. Since the 5 milliamp signal is typically insufficient to directly drive a relay the below circuit can be used to amplify the output signal enough to drive a relay coil.

This circuit can be built with Radio Shack parts:

MOSFET IRF510 Transistor Catalog #: 276-2072
0.5-Amp SPST Reed Relay at 12VDC Catalog #: 275-233
1N4001 Micro 1A Diodes Catalog #: 276-1101
1M Ohm 1/4-Watt Carbon Film Resistor Catalog #: 271-1356

However, warranty or not, it's safety first. I don't have a problem with the traction motor loosing power if the pack reaches it's discharge state. However, if I'm gliding to the side of the road, my BugE needs hazard lights to warn the other drivers behind me that this BugE is goin' down!

Actually, tripping the limit is nowhere near as bad as suddenly running out of gasoline in a car. The cutoff is for excessive current draw. So, letting up on the throttle can give the batteries the ability to partially recover within seconds. Once recovered, they can provide a lower level of power which should be enough to safely exit traffic. After sitting for as little as 10 minutes, the batteries may recover enough to allow a low-speed journey to a charging station.

So, how can I provide power to lights while the main pack recovers? Well, I need to re-think the decision of having a single DC-DC converter versus having a small 12V battery, charged with a 12v DC/DC converter. With Optima batteries, I think having a converter with no separate battery is the best approach. It's proven to be simple and effective. However, with a fussy lithium pack, a supplemental 12V battery is needed. So, this will require some changes to the wire harness to add a battery, charger, charge regulator and interlock. Then, there will be the challenge of finding a place on the BugE to mount a small motorcycle or gel cell battery. As they say, nothing is simple.

As for where to mount the other components, it looks like the LED bar graph could be mounted on the transparent dashboard where the existing 48V meter is. I could mount the larger LCD display on the dashboard as well. However, given the condition of my "free" display, it's likely I'll only use it for testing but not for everyday driving. So, I'll probably Velcro that display to the glove box area so it can be easily removed when not needed.

From Lead to Lithium - trading simplicity for performance

2011-05-15T23:30:00.012-04:00

I've decided to trade simplicity for performance. The lead-acid pack with battery management circuitry was very easy to maintain. Just plug in & charge. Lots of warning if the pack was being overdrawn and there was no need for temperature monitoring. They were durable batteries but they just don't give me the range I want. So, I ordered a set of higher-performance batteries plus a battery management system from Elite Power.

16 GBS-LFMP60AH LiFeMnPO4 - (4 banks, 60AH each)
1 BMS-16S battery manage system (no display)
1 EMC48-15 charger
With shipping, it all came to $2083.88 As a bonus, they did throw in a slightly damaged display. It's missing a couple LCD lines but it still has some use to it.

Even still, the whole system is quite a chunk of change! However, it will be worth it if it finally allows me to be able to use the BugE as a commuter vehicle. Over time, I hope to save enough gasoline to justify the cost of the pack. If gasoline prices stay where they are, that should not be too hard to do.

As a performance comparison, my real-world test range on a slightly damaged 2- year old lead pack was 12 miles with varying speeds & hills. Comfortable around-town range seems to be 10 miles one way. So, from the anecdotal evidence of lithium performance, I'm expecting an improvement in range due to...

1) not being damaged, unlike my present lead-acid pack
2) being somewhat lighter than the lead-acid pack
3) being able to use more of the capacity without damaging the pack
4) having more charge/discharge cycles before performance deteriorates

So, it's not beyond imagination to think I might be able to make the commute distance of 20 miles depending on how much energy I loose to wind resistance and hills. In order to do it, I'll need a re-charge at work for the return journey.

My journey will consist of roads that have rather easy slopes and allow me to drive at low speeds most of the time. All roads I've picked typically have good visibility and people are used to looking for roadway hazards such as deer or slow moving farm equipment. I have no doubt I could complete the journey at 20mph but be out of energy if entirely done at 50mph. So, the task is to find an acceptable mix of faster and slower speeds to allow the journey to happen in a reasonable amount of time.

The BugE returns to the roadways!

2011-04-19T22:20:00.011-04:00

This time of year it's hard to predict the weather. A day might start out nice, then be rainy and cold. When this happens and I'm riding on my petrol motorbike, I go through an extensive 15 minute "dress up" and "dress down" procedure. Options include using chaps, rain suit, boots, additional layers of clothing, gloves with liners, earplugs, sunglasses (more for eye protection due to bugs than sun protection) and applications of RainX and NeverFog to my helmet visor. This is all needed to deal with rain, wind and noise that comes with riding a conventional motorbike. Today, thanks to an inaccurate weather report, I needed every bit of that protection to get home from work today. After the biker "fun" in dealing with all the wet gear after the trip, I realized I still needed to go to the monthly Green Drinks event I host in the area. However, it was still raining!

So, instead of taking my car, I decided to drive the BugE. The contrast between my earlier motorcycle ride could not have been greater. I just unplugged the BugE, put on a light jacket and was immediately on the road. No protective motorcycle accessories required (other than a helmet). Even with a steady 36 degree drizzle, I arrived at my destination neither cold nor wet. Nice!

Winterizing the BugE

2011-01-07T00:28:00.005-05:00

Roadway salt is harsh on all vehicles. So, once the first salt carrying snowplow rumbled by my house, I decided BugE season was over. No special steps for winterizing were needed. Just park it in the corner of a garage with a battery maintainer plugged in and cancel the insurance. Cover it, check it once a month or so. Once spring arrives, I'm hoping all I need to do is re-insure & go!

No news is good news

2010-11-06T00:58:00.011-04:00

It's oil change day today. I do oil changes for every appliance all at once since it's often a messy operation. So, my regular car, regular motorcycle, lawn mower & snow blower all had their seasonal oil change. The BugE also was included in this operation. It needed a few oil drops on the chain. The other oil changes took much longer.

As it gets colder, I see fewer motorcycles on the road now and practically none are seen during cold rainy days. However, the BugE is just fine with that sort of weather. The BugE takes away the windchill and rain so it's a practical vehicle to use for cold weather driving. Due to the lack of wind and rain, the experience is similar to driving a car that hasn't had it's heater warm up yet. Practically the same since an across town trip usually isn't enough for a car to get warm anyway. Lack of windshield wipers isn't a problem. The lens stays remarkably clear of road spray (although I don't tend to tailgate other cars either). Even with the low temperatures, the batteries still have enough performance to go across town.

However, the BugE is not problem free. When parked in temperatures close to the dew point, the lens attracts fog (or ice if below freezing) Fortunately, it's not a problem while driving. Only when the BugE is parked. Parking in my garage eliminates this problem and it's usually not a problem with quick trips. However, it is a problem if the BugE is outside for several hours. Because of this, I now apply "never fog" to the inside of the lens with a microfiber cloth and I may try applying "rain-x" to the outside. Someday, if I truly get ambitious, I may try installing an electric Frost Fighter Kit .

New packs are available!

2010-09-14T13:04:00.013-04:00

Alan M. Clark, one of the first BugE owners I had contact with, has upgraded his BugE with a lithium battery pack. He reports he's found a kit that fits in the BugE nicely and now gives him an incredible 42 mile test range! He also reports the BugE is now lighter in weight so acceleration is quicker and his stopping distance has been decreased as well!

I'm guessing a more realistic performance in my hilly area that would not stress the batteries would probably be 30mi @30mph or some combination of speed/range. As for overall value, lithium packs are more expensive but they should also have a longer service life than glass mat Optima batteries. So far, my pack suits my needs. However, when replacement time arrives, more people should have experience with these packs so it should be clearer if these packs really are as good as the specifications would suggest. I'm also hopeful that a recycling system will be made for these packs so the depleted lithium won't just be lost to landfills. For more information, check the link to the site HERE

My first official breakdown - a simple fix.

2010-08-17T23:48:00.029-04:00

For the past week, the thumb throttle on the BugE has been acting rather touchy. Acceleration was more jumpy than I was used to. I was aware from the Google Groups that there were a batch of thumb throttles that were found to be bad. So, I really should have replaced it with a better control but it was a repair that was easy to put off. After all, it wasn't THAT bad.

Well, it turns out it was. After hosting a Green Drinks event, it was time to go home. So I pulled out, then had enough speed to go through a traffic light, then tried to accellerate more and...nothing! Fortunately, I had enough momentum that I could glide safely to a lit parking lot. At first, I thought maybe a lose spade connector was at fault. No such luck! The thumb throttle had finally failed. Since I didn't happen to have an extra throttle with me, I called AAA to have the BugE picked up by flatbed and brought to my house.

After putting the BugE away, I decided to upgrade to a nicer twist-grip throttle. I found a supplier on Ebay and had it delivered in three days. Then, I just attached the throttle to the handle bar with two screws, ran the cable to the speed controller, crimped on a couple of spade connectors, plugged them in and I'm done!

Although breakdowns are never fun, the fact my "auto-shop" is next to my house and labor is always free sort of makes up for it.

Laundry day with the BugE

2010-07-27T23:20:00.009-04:00

My washer at home decided to start leaking. Unfortunately I don't have enough clothes to wear until my washer gets fixed. Fortunately, the BugE has ample cargo space for my laundry which can then be shuttled to the nearest laundromat. Just load up the BugE & go! Believe it or not, all my weekly laundry (minus the hamper) can fit in that cargo space. It's bigger than it looks!

I'm finding that this is a low cost way to have the convenience of a car without the ongoing expense. The BugE uses very little electricity, has inexpensive parts and only needs low-cost motorcycle insurance.

Usage observations

2010-05-28T01:08:00.011-04:00

So far, my BugE has been pretty well behaved. My suspension upgrade of lifters & frame sliders continues to give a very smooth ride in spite of potholes and railroad tracks. I've done round-trips to all 4 corners of my town and have demonstrated that I can still be in the upper green of my charge meter when I do it. I do need to "think" while driving as I do on a motorcycle since the BugE is a small vehicle among giants. However, I don't have a problem keeping up with in-town 30-40mph traffic. I still get more waves and smiles per mile than any other car except perhaps an ice-cream truck. I'm also starting to realize some nice cost savings by using this as my town runabout instead of my car. No gasoline, no oil, no exhaust system, no coolant, no transmission fluid, no "check-engine" light. I also really like the ability to carry stuff easier than I can on a motorcycle. Also, I don't need to dress in a rain suit when I just need to go on a simple errand. Trip after trip, the BugE is able to get me there and back.

As for the fear of "running out" of electricity, it's not really a problem. Driving the BugE is kind of like driving a horse. Gradual speedup gives much better range than doing full speed sprints. Just like a horse, the BugE will last longer if not being driven as hard. If the BugE is "tired" (meaning the meter is going into the lower green zone) let it rest. Parking for even 10 minutes will let the batteries get most of their performance back. Then, when I go back home, I need to plug it in to "feed" it.

So, what the heck happened?

2010-05-03T22:22:00.009-04:00

Got the motor back via UPS. I also talked to the person who repaired the motor. I found out my motor was not damaged by water. Instead, one of two things may have happened. First, there may have been a factory defect in the "core" piece of the motor. Second, the "core" may have failed due to driving habits. Turns out, if a motor has lots of current but can't move (maybe it's on a hill) then the windings can overheat. When that happens, some windings might short and the commutator can warp too.

So, to play it safe with the motor, I have changed my driving habits a bit. First, I avoid "flooring" the throttle just to show off, especially when going up steep hills. I find cruising at 30MPH keeps up with traffic yet doesn't lose too much energy due to wind resistance. Since doing these simple changes, I've discovered my range across town has increased dramatically.

Top speed mystery solved.

2010-04-15T16:22:00.027-04:00

For the last few trips, I figured my lower top speed was due to a damaged battery in my pack. However, I noticed even if I totally opened up the throttle, the batteries would dip a little but still stay in the upper green. So I figured something else must be wrong. On the last few trips, I would think I would smell something that seemed electrical or possibly a dragging brake but I could never pinpoint it. Then, today, when in a 40mph zone, I noticed I could not get above 30 on flat roadway with the throttle wide open and still in the green!

When I got home, I Immediately inspected the BugE to see if I could pinpoint the problem. The rear parking brake was cool. The front brakes were warm as expected but not excessively hot. The splash plate had come undone and was rubbing against the tire but that would not possibly be enough to slow the BugE down that much. The motor controller was cool too.

Finally, I inspected the motor. Very hot! At first, I thought the chain may have been miss-aligned. It had a little slack in it but it looked OK and had plenty of grease on it. The sprocket teeth also looked OK too. So, I re-aligned the rear tire, tensioned the chain and took it for another test drive around the block. Same thing - poor top speed and the motor heated up again. Normally, the motor runs cool so this was very unusual. The last symptom was that that the motor now makes a sound similar to what I thought was a miss-aligned chain drive. However, when I took off the drive chain, I noticed the sound was still present! It was quite a bit different from the "Boba-Fett" whine it normally makes when underway.

I then decided to take the end motor cover off to check the brushes. No signs of rust and it was not terribly dirty. What I did find was a very uneven commutator pickup with lots of carbon on it and an end bearing that did not turn very well. When operating, the brushes were bouncing up and down quite a bit! That apparently was where the "chain sound" was coming from.

So, I contacted the Advanced DC motor people. They recommended a motor shop relatively near where I live. Since the motor is more than two years old, this problem isn't covered by the manufacturer. However, the repair place I took it to replaced the whole "core" and gave me a new 6 month warranty. Although it was no fun paying for that, there was one bright spot. Unlike a car or even a street motorcycle, it was easy for me to extract my motor and bring it to the repair shop myself.

Works better if I plug it in.

2010-03-27T22:53:00.014-04:00

Turns out my charger was in trickle charge mode. 2a@12v. That charge, split between 4 batteries (with the powercheq mods) is not a lot of power to replenish the pack. That suggests the batteries may have simply been under charged on my second set of trips. So, i suspect I had the volts, but not the amps. However, waiting for a full charge has restored the pack.

The adventure into the 12v/powercheq way of charging is just a temporary measure. When my 48v side charger failed (from dropping one too many times) I thought about just getting another to replace it. The problem is, they are over $150! Instead, I'll be trying (4) Black-and-decker 12v-2a mini chargers. These don't charge up fast but four of these are less expensive than another 48v charger. They should also balance the pack when charging. Charging at 8AH, it would take 27.5hours to completely replenish the theoretical 220AH capacity of the pack. However, I don't anticipate drawing down the pack that far. If I drive moderately, I should be OK with overnight charging. Not that this will make a huge difference in my electric bill. The whole charging system will use in the neighborhood of 96W. So, I expect the charging cost on my utility bill would be approximately like leaving my porch light on all night.

The chargers could be mounted in the battery pan or on a shelf similar to the ones in this photo. Why use this particular Black and Decker kit? Each charger outputs 2A (versus normal 1A that most battery maintaners output). Plus, they come with all the cords shown which would save the trouble of putting on molex disconnects for future maintenance. These charger kits are available for $19.95 ea. (plus $4 shipping) from Tyler Tools.

Water Bug!

2010-03-25T19:18:00.010-04:00

It's been raining quite a bit. So, I again decided to see how the BugE would do. It is very convenient!

The Good. The cowl protects against windchill and rain REALLY WELL on rainy days. Much better than it's shape would suggest. I have not needed gloves nor chaps. Just wearing a sensible coat allows me to arrive warm and dry - even in 35 degree rainy weather! The front brakes work BETTER in the rain. That was handy for two panic stops I did! As for visibility, the "road film" on a car windshields does not seem to be forming on the BugE canopy. A bird did poo on it. However some water/vinegar mix and a microfiber cloth removed it off just fine! On a rainy day, I just take the BugE out of the cycle shelter, unplug it, put on helmet, get in and go! (note, if unplugging in rain, outlet should be GFI) Also, now that people in town have seen it in action, I don't get stopped as often by people with questions.

The Bad. I unfortunately when I constructed it, I didn't seal the cargo area well enough so rain collected in the cargo area. For now, I just drilled a hole in the bottom to let the water flow out but I'll be putting a better seal around the door. Also, the foot well is collecting water from my wet shoes however two small drain holes can take care of that. Also, I've noticed potholes around town are quite large so I need to pay attention to road conditions much more than I would in a 4-wheel car.

The Ugly. Today, I used the BugE for three round trips downtown at rather slow speed (15-20mph). Each round trip was around two miles each (although, I will say, these trips DO have some hills which may be why range seems so low). I did opportunity charge at home, but apparently not enough. On the last leg of the 3rd trip, the needle again went completely limp when my throttle was applied going up the final hill. So, this time, I pulled over and waited a few minutes. The pack recovered enough to make the hill and get me home again. I later found that I hadn't left home with a full charge since it was set to trickle charge mode instead of full charge.

Originally, I charged with a 48V external charger. However, it was dropped one too many times so it doesn't work. So, I'm now charging with an automotive 12V charger and relying on the powercheq modules to even out the charging. I'll eventually be installing 4 individual low profile 2A-12V on board chargers instead of one big charger. Now I know the terrain limits around my area, I should be able to drive without running into range problems.

A test of it's range - lead-acid pack

2010-03-21T19:41:00.007-04:00

40 degrees, sunny. It would be a cold day for a regular biker but the BugE protects against windchill so there was no need for gloves or chaps. Just regular street clothing & a helmet.

So, I started out.

2.6 miles from home to walmart, the streets were stop & go for 3 stop signs, then 40mph down a hilly boulevard. Kept up with traffic and even passed a few cars :) I stopped for around 10 minutes, got groceries. Then decided to visit the park. It's 3.8 miles from Walmart. To get there, 40mph down boulevard again, full throttle to climb a hill, then more stop-go back street driving. The majority of the journey, I maintained 30mph with light traffic. When I got there, I decided instead of stopping at the park, I would head home - which I realized was now around 3 miles away on a slight uphill grade! So, the return speed was kept to 28mph, then I slowed to 25mph with needle creeping lower each time as throttle was applied. By the last mile, the needle was completely limp when throttle was applied but I managed to maintain 15mph through downtown where I knew speeds could stay slow. I almost pulled over to let the batteries recover but parking wasn't favorable to that plan. What was really disturbing was in the last 1000 feet when the controller started to turn off, then on. I managed to make it home & do a last climb up the driveway.

I noticed at the last two stops, that turning the headlight off at traffic lights (but not brake light or turn signals) helped the needle creep back into the green zone until it went limp again when the throttle was used.

So, there it is, a variety of driving. I can't say I'm thrilled with the experience of my last mile but "resting" the pack and opportunity charging should allow me to safely stay under this tested range.

My Optimas D45s are now two years old (bought in spring of 2008) and they would spend months not connected to a charger during construction and refits. Plus, there was the shorting incident which took away even more performance. Since shorting two of the batteries, I've no longer been able to reach over 50mph even down hill with that pack. So, I did not expect full performance.

BugE - now road legal in New York!

2010-03-18T22:03:00.011-04:00

Finally, FINALLY, after all this time, I managed to get a plate from the NY-DMV!

I decided to take the BugE for an across town trip. OMG! This thing is fun! At first, I was a bit conservative on my route, only going along back roads. However, after getting used to how the vehicle worked, I was soon flying down the main strip with no problems keeping up with traffic! Acceleration remained good through the journey and battery life was much better than expected (probably due to the powercheq modules). I criss-crossed from one side of town to the other and was still safely in the upper part of the green zone when I returned. Both suspension changes work great - even over railroad tracks! Clear skies, nice sunset. Truly a fun ride! I ended the ride with a well earned beer at the local bar.

However, it has all been a bitter-sweet experience. Thanks to New York State, this simple vehicle became needlessly expensive in terms of up-front money and time. Paying sales tax on my own home-built vehicle made of retail parts was a final insult. However, it's over. Now, I just pay motorcycle rates for registration, inspection and insurance (just over $200 for the year). Of course, I also don't need to buy gas either - just occasional batteries. If I go for a different battery technology such as nickel iron, I may not even need to do that again either! Repairs of course are now very affordable and hopefully infrequent too. If I were to use my 200W solar array, it would even be Fusion powered!

So, I've gotta say, after a long journey, the future has arrived!

Sway bar and splash guard upgrades

2010-01-25T01:05:00.032-05:00

The shock mount problem is specific to 2007/2008 models.

The shock mounts were too short on the 2007/2008 models. Mark Murphy, the designer of the BugE kits has informed the group that later models will not have this problem. Still, there may be some BugEs on the road that never had this issue fixed. It's referred to as the "chitty-chitty-Bang-Bang" phenomena since the "Bang" is the cowl meeting the frame as the vehicle goes over bumps. One remedy is to install plates to lift the bottom shock mount so the shock can move a longer distance over bumps. The plates I installed are similar to the photo on the left (photo by Fred_dot_u). A custom set of these plates were made for me by another BugE builder, Sammy L. Rogers. Thanks Sammy! Another way to fix this would be to lift the whole cowl up slightly by using the "cowl retrofit" kit which was offered at a later time by BlueSky. Most owners I suspect have done one or both of these solutions.

If using the plate solution, I discovered another problem. Originally, a stabilizer bar was present which allowed up-down movement with only a little bit of side-to-side movement. With the inner frame section lifted, the geometry of the stabilizer bar changed so it would cause an exaggerated side-to-side movement. Over time, this side-to-side movement could fatigue the central shock mount enough to eventually cause a failure.

Here's one way to correct the stabilizer problem. The approach is to discard the stabilizer bar entirely and instead use two assemblies on each side of the outside frame that allows up-down but not right-left movement of the inner frame. The parts are quite basic. Two slider pads are mounted towards the bottom of the inner frame (see image). The sliders on either side of the inner frame then press against pieces of slippery plastic on either side of the outer frame. The section of plastic is supported from behind by small pieces of thick strap iron so the material stays stiff. This arrangement gives a slippery, yet firm surface which limits side-to-side movement while still allowing up-down movement.

The parts for a retrofit are quite simple. The sliders are "as seen on TV" sliders available at Home Depot. A cut down section of plastic cutting board makes a slippery and rust-proof sliding surface. The metal support pieces are simply some 3 1/4"sections of strap iron I use for spacers with a hole for the bottom bolt to secure them. Bolts are 2 1/2" 1/4x20 with nylock nuts. The metal piece with the three holes were made from sheet metal. The edges are bent up give it a stiffer strength.

The photo on the left is the left-side assembly installed for a test fit to show how the parts would go together. Jumping up and down on the inner frame shows smooth movement up and down but virtually no right-left movement. Very fun to prove!

The next photo on the right shows the right-hand assembly installed with the battery tray and cowl sections installed. The painted assembly was trimmed down for clearance. The further forward the assembly can be moved, the more clearance from the battery tray lip it will have. Had I mounted the sliders all the way at the end of the inner frame, the original untrimmed assembly would have allowed quite a bit of movement before encountering the bottom of the cowl. However, it is my hope I never encounter a bump requiring even close to that amount of movement!

I've put around 200 miles with this stabilizer arrangement. I have found some pretty big pot holes for testing and the BugE goes over them just fine.

While doing frame work, I also thought I might correct another problem too. This photo is an image of a small fiberglass wall I made out of 4 sheets of fiberglass cloth made stiff with fiberglass resin. This wall, working with the existing splatter shield, limits the amount of spatter from the rear wheel that makes it to the rear electronics. It also stops drips moving along the top of the body section as well. Since I had more cloth and resin left over, I also converted the seat bolts to permanent fiberglass hard points too.

In rain, this wall works well. When I first tried it, a little spatter would make the rear of the DC-DC controller wet. I've since extended the length with a two inch rubber skirt held on by rivets which has taken care of that problem.

I also found that the foot wells would collect small puddles of water from my wet shoes. So I drilled two holes at the far ends of each foot well so that water could drain out. These small modifications seemed to have taken care of the rain issues.

After months of investigation, NY-DMV manages to get it wrong anyway.

2009-12-14T18:08:00.015-05:00

Ok, so I finally get a certificate which shows my vehicle can be registered. Let's see. VIN is right. My name is spelled right. Obviously the address is right otherwise I would not have gotten it. Oh, and apparently, I need to give the new owner this letter if I ever sell it so I'm guessing I don't get a conventional title mailed to me as I would with a normal vehicle?

Yippee...aw...Cmon! You gotta be kidding!

The vehicle weight is written as 3660 lbs which is the weight of the transport rather than the BugE weight. The BugE only weighs 440lbs. So, what makes more sense? A 440lb motorcycle hauled around on a 3600lb transport or the other way around? This large weight may not have that big of a consequence when it comes to registering. However, it would have a huge consequence when insuring it! That is, if a small 440lb vehicle slams into something it's a lot different than a 3660 pound thing!

So, I write a letter to my DMV caseworker asking what to do. Instead of a letter saying I should send back the inaccurate letter for revising, I get a letter back saying I should contact the weighing company and then sort it all out at my local DMV office! Riiiiight. But hey, at least I got THAT suggestion in writing. So, if it is possible for my local DMV person to update the records to the proper weight, they now have clear authority to do so. I just hope the 3660 weight isn't in "the system" as such. It would be a real pain if someone pulling the VIN for something like a CARFAX got the high weight and quoted insurance based on that. Hmm, what are the odds.....

Anyway, it's getting close to refit time too. The custom refit parts for lifting the front shock mount should be arriving most any day. Also, the rear BugE bumpers have become crushed over time so I have replaced them with hockey pucks. They are only $0.99 retail and work remarkably well! I was also going to put in a defroster but I think a built-in heated one of sufficient size would probably kill the batteries. So, I'll be relying on "Never Fog" and "Rain-X" instead. If the canopy can start out without fogging then the little inside fan circulating cold air should be good enough to prevent additional fogging from happening while under way.

POST CONSTRUCTION NOTE
The journey has been very long. However, I do now have the satisfaction of being able to have broken the ice for anyone else who wants to build three wheel ELECTRIC vehicles in New York. A second BugE of the same layout would not face nearly as much trouble as I did. That's why my license plate is displayed on the website. It PROVES a BugE can be built, registered and insured successfully in New York State.

Hopefully a last set of NYS-DOT demands.

2009-12-06T11:24:00.017-05:00

Turns out Technical Services doesn't just automatically send out a VS-103 form. No, no, no! My NYS caseworker found more problems. Some are legitimate. Others, well, probably not so much.

The first problem that my caseworker had was that the side driving lights that I understood were acceptable now are not. (dang, I KNEW I should have clarified that in writing rather than taking his word over the phone that I could keep them). I then asked if I could put some approved reflectors over the holes and specified the type and location of the reflectors. He responded to my email by another email that it was OK. GOOD. At least I got that in writing. I replaced the lights with reflectors and took another set of photos. Thank goodness for digital cameras! It is curious though how I got an inspection appointment if these lights were not OK. After all, I did submit photos of my vehicle along with the application when the side lights were clearly visible in the 4-photos that I was required to submit with my application.

Then, he wanted to confirm the turn signals are DOT approved. So, I sent them documentation HERE and HERE plus I referred to the receipts I submitted earlier showing that I had indeed bought them. Not good enough? He also wanted a photo of the markings on the lamp. So, after a fruitless search for K&S closeups that showed the lettering on the lamps, I decided I needed to find a way to make an otherwise nearly invisible set of lettering visible. So, I smeared on some turtle-wax to make the lettering stand out enough to be photographed. After photographing the lamp, I just rubbed the wax off.

Just in case he wants it, I also saved a photograph of the tail light too. It's an OEM tail light I bought on Ebay. It is a nice lamp and it's a perfect fit but it's also nearly 25 years old! However, it was one of the only tail lights I could find that had proper SAE/DOT markings on it.

I had the same problem with the headlights. Only one website finally had the sense to mention the headlights they were selling were DOT/SAE approved and listed the markings found on them.

The final issue was that the weight certificate I got earlier should have had a VIN number on it. In the description, they just filled in the description with "general freight" rather than writing the VIN number in the field. Unfortunately, that was my fault. So, I had to drag the BugE back to the weighing station for another go. But hey, I learned from that experience.

So, since the DMV doesn't provide detailed instructions on how to weigh a vehicle in an acceptable way, I'm providing suggestions here!

So, here are my tips on weighing a vehicle for DMV registration.

Since you'll need to unload your vehicle quickly (perhaps in front of impatient truckers), use a ramp trailer.
If using U-HAUL ramp trailer, don't just assume the reservation via the web means anything. You should call ahead to make sure they REALLY have a trailer waiting for you. Apparently only reservations taken 24 hours ahead mean anything.
Know where a second weighing station is just in case there is a problem with the scales. In my case, the weighing station I originally wanted to go to was listed on the web didn't exist! It was out of business! Fortunately, I knew where another weighing station was.
Before driving on the pads, visit the weighing operator (likely the same person who also collects fuel payments and sells other merchandise too). Tell him/her that your BugE is very light in weight so you'll need to weigh with the vehicle on, then re-weigh with it off. Sometimes a "re-weigh" is less expensive than weighing it twice. To get a feel for prices, the price for weighing was $9. A re-weigh was only $1 more.
Now, this is the MOST important step. Read THIS STEP TWICE so you make sure you get it right! In the comment section of the weight certificate, have them type the VIN number of your vehicle that Field Investigation issued to you during inspection. If you don't have the VIN you can't prove you were weighing the vehicle rather than a box of rocks. Make SURE they put the VIN in for what was weighed rather than "general freight" or some other ambiguous comment.
Then, drive the car, trailer (with your BugE on the trailer) onto the pads. Communicate via intercom for them to do the first weighing. Then unload the BugE. Tell them you're ready for a "re-weigh".
Then load the BugE back on your trailer, drive off the scales and fetch your copy of both weighing certificates!

Of course, with every email or letter I send, I'll need to wait for a week before prodding them with another email or phone call asking if the have enough for the next step. Next, I wait for the VS-103 form. I then need to trailer the BugE to a private motorcycle shop (since that's a "safety inspection station"). I probably will then need to fax (or worse mail) the form back to the field investigation office so they can sit on it again before stamping it. Why this second inspection isn't combined with the the field investigation inspection is beyond me. Do they really think Elmo the motorcycle guy is more qualified to inspect a vehicle than a field investigation officer?

It's ironic that I got a letter from my state assembly man asking support in cutting taxes in state government. However, I've apparently been giving my own personal caseworker in Albany an occupation for close to half a year. So, if he's serious about cutting out government waste, think I have an idea or two for him.

VIN Inspection day.

2009-11-17T15:58:00.022-05:00

The night before, it was time to pick up my reserved 5x9 uhaul trailer with a ramp. A couple weeks ago, I reserved one online. So, I figure arriving at the u-haul place at 6pm gives plenty of time to recover from mistakes.

They didn't have it.

Fortunately, it was early in the evening so I still had some options. The least favorite option would be to use a trailer without a lift gate. Since I would likely be loading and unloading the BugE several times, and each time it would require another person, that was not an attractive option for me. Fortunately, after making several calls, the clerk eventually found a ramp trailer from another location I could use. Whew! It was an extra 50 miles of driving to fetch it, but hey, I got a trailer.

So, I load the BugE on the trailer so it's ready to go. It's getting late. Time to tie it down. Dang! Busted off the mirror mount! Fortunately, I had access to tools and materials for a quick fix. After doing the repair, I decided to do a final test drive (top speed was only 42 but I attribute that to cold batteries). Other than that, all systems checked out. So, put the BugE back on the trailer being much more careful when tying it down.

Morning arrives. It's a crisp autumn day. A little too crisp. The temperature dipped down into the 20's. So, I go out that morning to find that the BugE canopy covered with thick frost! Fortunately, it was early enough in the morning that i could cover the canopy with a motorcycle cover and run a hair dryer to melt the frost into water beads. Not great, but at least I can see through a bunch of frozen water beads. During the journey, the water beads didn't go away but at least it didn't get worse. Fortunately, once I parked the BugE in the DMV parking lot, the beads eventually melted and evaporated away.

So, I drove the BugE in line with other cars who need VIN investigations for one reason or another. Fortunately, I brought a book. Once my turn comes, I drive the BugE into the DMV garage. The guy is nice and seems genuinely interested in the vehicle. So I give a tour of the BugE controls, give them a tour of my pre-made notebook itemizing all purchases and then I get escorted to the waiting room. Although I didn't see the inspection process, I'm thinking that they were more interested in examining the purchases featured in the notebook than establishing the BugE could perform as needed. Glad I brought that notebook! Eventually, a nice shiny yellow VIN certificate is glued to the side of the frame and I'm able to load it back on the trailer. Yipee!

Well, not really. The Field Investigation office needs to fax the MV-272.1 form back to technical services. Then technical services mails a VS-103 form back to my address. So, more waiting. Then, I get to trailer the BugE AGAIN to a "safety inspection" station (read 'local motorcycle shop') where they will apparently ponder the boxes on a VS-103 form which they might see once in their lives and fill it out best they can. Why the field investigation people aren't trusted to inspect headlights and tail lights is a mystery especially since they are the ones who pull people over for lighting should a vehicle not meet inspection requirements!

What was also interesting was the guy who inspected my vehicle also said, "I'll fax them a copy today. However, you should wait a week, then give them a call to follow up." Based on past experience, I expect I'll need to contact them. I've been doing communication in writing when I can so a record is kept.

Anyway, the inspection process killed the morning, but I still had some afternoon left. So, I decided to get a weight certificate. This private inspection station was on the "approved" list of stations I could take my BugE to. So, I avoid the big rigs, pay my $10 to the cashier and drive the BugE on the truck drive-on scales. Then I realize the truck scales in the photo have two problems. First, they aren't sensitive enough to just measure the BugE. Second, to request a weighing from the weight operator, the weighing station buttons were VERY high (since truckers don't want to get out of their cabs). So, I had to find a long stick to push them. It was almost comical. Fortunately, there were few trucks that day. So, I did a tare-weight of the car and trailer. Then I drove the BugE on to get the weight difference. I found my BugE weighs in at 440lbs.

Unfortunately, I was to discover that weighing the BugE did me no good at all this day. In the description, the weight operator just put in "general freight" rather than typing in the VIN number. It wasn't their fault - I didn't tell them to type it in. Due to this, I was to discover later that the VIN omission on the weighing slip made this weighing a useless exersize.

Motor & headlight interlock

2009-11-15T21:59:00.007-05:00

Since this vehicle is a motorcycle, the traction motor should not be operated without an interlock requiring the headlight to be illuminated either in a high-beam or low-beam state. So, the idea is to tap into the 12V going from the handle bar to the lamp from either the high or low beam light circuits to energize a small relay. This little relay in turn would then energize the the larger motor contactor relay.

Sounds simple. Ah, but life isn't so simple. I can't just tap the high-beam wire & tap the low-beam wire, then tie them together so when either one is powered. Otherwise, both filaments stay on since one feeds the other where they meet which would be just before the relay coil. So, I need to put some diodes in to prevent this back-feeding. Also, when using the handlebar control to switch from high-beam to low-beam I noticed there is a tiny bit of time when neither circuit is powered. This can make the small relay drop it's contact, then momentarally drop the larger motor contactor, which is probably not a thing we want happening when underway. So, a capacitor has been added to power the relay coil for a brief amount of time during hi-low or low-hi switchover. The capacitor has a rating of more than twice what I needed so the relay will stay energized a few moments after the lighting is switched off.

I'm sure there is a better way of doing this. However, this was the quickest way of adding an interlock without changing the wiring too much.

Hey, poke...poke...anyone alive in Albany NY?

2009-10-21T20:12:00.011-04:00

Since my last email to the Field Investigation caseworker was apparently ignored, I decided to write again to see if there was anything I could do to speed up the process. When it comes to government rules, one just never knows. The silliest thing might hang up a process and I wanted to make sure my paperwork was not waiting for something silly - such as a fax of a blank piece of paper to prove the back of the certificate was indeed blank.

As I look at the dates of when things happen, I can't help but think some major foot dragging is going on when it comes to processing the paperwork. So, as an incentive for them to move a bit quicker on this, I did point out in the email that I have done talks on this vehicle in the past and that I will be continuing my presentation at this year's activism symposium at Wells College. I can't be sure if that dislodged the paperwork so it could go to the next step. However, I did get a reply the same day and I was informed the letter for my inspection date went out the day before. Coincidence? It's hard to say. Now, back to waiting....

Auburn NY Newspaper features the BugE!

2009-08-31T17:43:00.016-04:00

This was the color photo that went with the newspaper article. One major change from the plans is that big ole headlight that New York State insisted upon. I also replaced the Eurosport mirrors with larger pickup truck mirrors that work much better. Because the turn signals are not built into the new mirrors, I have added some K&S DOT approved blinkers for the front. The tail light and rear turn signals have been upgraded with lights that have clearly marked DOT markings on it.

I went through the receipts so the inspection people have something to base sales tax on. The major component cost came in at $7200. The kit can be built for less. However, my vehicle has some optional features that drove up the price. For example, I added more wiring for reverse, a Powercheq battery management system, a dc-dc converter with more capacity and a seat slider. This amount doesn't include all the fiddly bits such as nuts, bolts, connectors, paint, tools and materials I used from previous projects. It also does not include the special journeys to the store I made when I was short a bolt or two. The true cost also includes upgraded parts not used, excess materials not used, some new tools plus a nice tool chest to keep them in, garage floor refinishing materials, painting supplies, respirator cartridges, small shop vac and even a trailer hitch installed on my OTHER car so I can haul the BugE around! Plus, it also includes a cycle shelter to keep it in. This much larger total came to around $12k. However, these things are not "in" the car. So, when people ask, how much did it cost for my little adventure (or rather how much would a new BugE really cost for them) it depends. Of course, my labor isn't counted in this total either. But hey, it's my first attempt at putting together an electric vehicle. Given how much a custom motorcycle can cost I think I did quite well!

I've also saved up enough money to go the next step which is to register and insure it. So, I've filled out the paperwork to get a VIN.

The packet came with a form that explained what I needed to do. I needed to send some paperwork to Technical Services and a multi-copy form (with a check) to the field investigation department.

Obviously, NY-DOT hasn't inspected very many electric motorcycles. Some fields such as "fuel type" could be filled in by "electric" and it makes sense. However, other fields such as "displacement" are rather tricky. So, I just put in 150CC and then a side note that it was just a guess on equivalent power. I also had to loosen the motor clamp to read the motor serial number. I found out I have number 701. The weight field I left blank since I was informed by my caseworker that I could provide the weight upon registration rather than make a special trip to a NYS approved weighing station just to fill in the blank. So, I gave an approximate weight of 400lbs with batteries just in case they need a ballpark figure for some reason. Along with the form, I need to send copies of receipts for "major components". So, the packet I sent off was quite large at that point.

Now, it's time to wait. Since the request is being shared between two state offices, I'm expecting quite a long wait. I just hope I can get the vehicle registered before December 31st so I can qualify for the Federal tax break. Given that it's September, and it's New York State, I'm thinking I'm cutting this awfully close!

The Retrofit - driven by New York State

2009-08-08T09:17:00.005-04:00

My busy summer has slowed down enough so I finally had some time to work on the BugE! The retrofit to comply with NYS-DOT requirements is now done. I also did some other improvements as well.

Abandoned idea of 3-way braking. Locking the rear wheel is just too big a risk. If the rear wheel were to lock with uneven front wheel braking, it's almost a guaranteed spin & flip. Keeping the rear wheel freewheeling will mean the vehicle takes longer to stop but would tend to stay straight on a roadway surface rather than flipping if braking action locked up wheels. I may extend braking arms on the front wheels for more brake leverage.
Replaced Eurosport mirrors with Izuzu pickup truck mirrors. They are much better! (and since they are surplus OEM parts, by their nature they are also DOT compliant).
Made a new wiring harness to provide two additional switched DC circuits (one I'll be using to power Navigator lights which are now accessory lights rather than primary headlights the other is there for future use). Wire runs are shorter, color coded and MUCH easier to troubleshoot.
Made transparent dashboard in arch area with three accessory switches (fan, nav lights & extra switch) plus room for a car radio faceplate. One nice benefit is that a clear dashboard makes behind-the-dash wiring changes very easy to do.
Recording the wiring harness measurements in case I want to offer a harness kit.
For now, mounting the retro 48v meter behind transparent dash where the radio would go. Eventually, I may go digital with the power meter so I've mounted it so it can be easily swapped out for something nicer looking.

The next step is the worst. I apply for a homebuilt vehicle inspection appointment. Then THEY pick out a time for it to happen. Then I frantically trailer the BugE to the nearest inspection location (For me, it's a 45 minute drive to Syracuse) Then of course, even with my pre-inspection questioning, they may still find something wrong with it!

Before starting this paperwork process, I gotta save up to pay New York State sales tax on my own vehicle! Plus I need to save up for trailer rental, insurance, registration, inspection and weighing station fees. Then, I need to work on a nice looking purchase portfolio so I can show where all the components went on the vehicle so the cops don't think I made it out of stolen parts. The more I claim went into the vehicle, the greater the money New York State gets. This amount is also what the federal electric vehicle tax credit will be based on too. So, in a twist of events, the more New York State takes, the more I could get back from the Federal government!

With the help of an independent insurance agent, I did at least find an insurer for the vehicle (liability only). It was insured for a day. However, I've kept the expired insurance card in case there is any question from the DOT that the vehicle could be insured.

A revised dashboard and wiring harness.

2009-07-23T13:56:00.022-04:00

Since I'm changing the type and location of lighting, it's a perfect time to also make the wiring neater and add a dashboard. Here's the design criteria

I decided to use the same wire color coding scheme as before will make future wiring expansion or troubleshooting easier. Although tempting, I decided against using a fancy fuse block. The wiring just isn't that hard to troubleshoot. Instead, I'm going to simply have inline fuses.
DOT and NHTSA requires a motorcycle grade headlight (which must HAVE motorcycle markings on the lens) and turn signals in approved positions. So, the HI/LO headlight and turn signal wires need to be long enough to reach the front of the vehicle. Same with the ground wires. I'll be keeping the dual-navigator lights in the old positions on switched 12V just because I got-em.
I really like the idea of being able to take the cowl off for servicing. So I'll be keeping the molex connector used between the cowl and chassis.
I like having the speedometer (plus indicator lights) on the handlebars as well. (the handlebar area includes brakes, throttle, speedometer and lighting controls) I probably could simplified the wiring a bit by putting this bit of instrumentation on the dashboard, but I think having the speedometer on the handlebars looks better. For now, I'll have molex connectors mounted in the dashboard for quick-disconnect but I may make an extension to the wiring so I can run them up the steering stalk instead of having wires going directly out the dashboard.
I wanted to fit the dashboard in the area under the arch and have it be transparent so people can see roughly how the BugE is wired. However, when lifting the cowl, I usually grab this lip to lift it. That means the new dashboard will need to be mounted with screws so it can be detached on occasions when the cowl needs to be lifted off.
I put in three accessory switches. One for fan, one for the old navigator lights and an accessory switch for future use. I also wanted to leave enough room for a future car radio.
I also wanted to put in a "Signal Minder" type box rather than the plain turn signal relay that shipped with the kit. So, I added additional spade connector taps that the signal minder box would need.
For now, I put in the retro 48V charge indicator behind the dashboard (rather, behind it which is one of the benefits to having a transparent dash). Eventually, I would like to get rid of that 70's looking thing and buy or build a circuit to allow the digital E-F indicator in the speedometer to represent electric capacity.
A more secure key-switch to allow the lights to operate but not the main motor when the car is being shown at exhibits.

First, I drew out a dashboard and marked with a ruler and sharp nail where material should be cut and removed. Then, I took out the Dremil tool and started cutting out material. Even though the material is inert, it's a good idea to wear a respirator for this since quite a bit of plastic dust is generated.

Here, making sure the switches and Molex connectors are in the correct places before running the wires to them.

The shelf is held on by 4 screws. It holds the dashboard plus an extra shelf attached to it out of "L" brackets. The shelf has additional holes drilled into it so zip ties can hang off of it.

Next, I put on wire holders on the bottom of the fan so the new wire runs could neatly go along the top of the cowl if they were either going to the front, right or left on the car.

To make wiring neater, I decided to add some wire wrap around the bundles. Then, I attached the front headlight using a long bolt and plastic pipe for a spacer then ran it's wires through the cowl. On the plastic pipe spacer, I put three large rubber grommets on the outside of it. They don't add anything structural but the grommets look better than simply a short piece of plastic pipe. Finally, bullet connectors were crimped on & the pins pushed into the molex connectors.

What went well.

During construction, I've found a world of difference between using a cheap crimp tool and a better one. I bought one for $30. It's worth it. I've saved time and money by not needing to redo crimps.
The molex connector pin tool from Radio Shack at $7 is also kind of pricey but it allows fixing mistakes.
Using solder & heat-shrink rather than tap connectors makes wiring look MUCH better.

Not so well.

The K&S turn signal handle bar control has a special 9-pin connector on it. The connector is hard to find, hard to solder and it's expensive. If I was to do another vehicle, I would consider cutting it off and replacing it with a molex connector available at Radio Shack.
Dremil to cut the transparent dashboard from LEXANdoes work but doing so without scratching is tricky.
Kisan signal minder SR-1. is a luxury that's not really needed. After buying it, I thought of an idea to give 4-way flasher capability to the BugE without resorting to spending $99 for a special flasher box. I decided to mount an inexpensive slider switch in the dashboard to allow me to connect the right and left turn signal wires together. Once connected, instead of only the right pair or left pair working when the turn signals are activated, both pairs will flash in 4-way flasher mode. So, save your $99. Spend $3 for a slider switch instead

POST CONSTRUCTION OBSERVATION
I found a 12-pin connector between the cowl and the chassis is great for detaching the BugE when the cowl needed to be worked on. However, I found it would have been even better to use (3) 2-pin molex connectors instead of one big pin connector. That way, the connectors can pass through the small battery tray hole one at a time so the battery tray can be removed without cutting any wires. Also, the original side navigator lights needed to be taken off as well. Originally, my NYS-DOT caseworker said they were OK to leave on since non-dot lights are considered ornamental. Unfortunately, I didn't get that in writing. So, during my next correspondence, he insisted the sidelights also needed to be removed. To cover up the hole locations, I used amber reflectors.

Tax credit for the BugE

2009-07-18T14:30:00.016-04:00

If I could have registered the BugE in 2009, it would qualify.

Link to the 2009 rules are HERE.

So for my BugE, here's how it could work....

Is the BugE a qualified vehicle? Yes! It is a three wheel vehicle propelled exclusively by electricity. It has 4-12V optima blue top batteries rated at 55A each. So, total rated battery pack capacity is 2.64KWH. That is just over the ARRA requirement of 2.5KWH.

Would I qualify for the tax credit based on time of purchase? Perhaps. Several kit components were purchased in 2008. However, the pile of parts I bought is not officially a "vehicle" until it gets a VIN. So, I would "buy" the VIN when I pay the sales tax on all the parts. At this time, the parts then magically turn into an official vehicle. If I get the VIN in 2009, I would qualify.

Now, the question is, how much would I get back? The credit is 10% of the cost of the vehicle, up to $2500. The amount of course depends on the final total of the car components I claim. For NYS, I'm only obligated to value the car based on "major components". So, I'll only be counting components that actually went in the car rather than duplicated or upgraded components that were purchased, with intent to use, but were not not installed in the vehicle.

Now for the bad news. Thanks to the NY DMV delay, the BugE really existed as a vehicle only since it was registered (which unfortunately finally happened in 2010 rather than 2009). Meanwhile, the battery pack size requirement for 2010 increased to 5kwh. So, staying with the Lead-Acid pack put the BugE under the 2010 kwh limit. Had I registered it with a lithium pack, it might still have qualified for a tax break. However, I didn't. Ironically, I'll probably be upgrading to Lithium but I won't get a tax break for my doing so. Link to 2010 rules are HERE So, I've managed to avoid every single tax incentive for getting an electric vehicle.

What's allowed, what's not.

2009-05-16T10:31:00.019-04:00

I took the time to make a multiple guess Q&A survey, complete with a self-addressed stamped envelope to the caseworker from NY-DOT. I expected my envelope back in a few days. What I got instead was a phone call. So, I did the Q&A by phone and wrote down the answers. Since this was all done verbally, I really can't guarantee that these are the only modifications I need. However, I'm optimistic that my configuration is pretty close to what I need to pass.

VEHICLE WEIGHT CERTIFICATE
According to him, I can take the vehicle to be weighed at an official weighing station after getting a VIN rather than before I apply (So I can leave the weight blank on the form for now). The weight certificate is not needed when I apply for inspection, only when I register.

TIRES
The wheels and tires that come with the BugE are probably OK as long as the weight on each axle does not exceed the tire specifications. Also, there can be no markings that prohibit highway use (eg. some lawn tractors have markings on the tires that prohibit highway use). Tread pattern doesn't matter on motorcycles so the MC2 "slick" tires that come with the BugE kit should be OK.

LIGHTING

I DO need to install a primary sealed headlight with DOT motorcycle markings, Hi/Lo built in and it needs to be in the center (or two approved lights within 8 inches of each other). Currently, it cannot be LED and the reflector needs to be a certain minimum size. Both positions I proposed as per my understanding of NHTSA rules appear to be fine.
Targa blinkers will be changed to blinkers that have DOT documentation.
4-way flashers and auto-turnoff circuit are NOT required (just nice to have).
Tail light needs to have DOT/SAE markings
Although powered reverse is a feature, I do not need reverse lights or audible notification.
Mirror lights that are not DOT approved are OK as long as they work and DOT approved blinkers are also installed as per NHTSA recommended locations
One red reflector (which can be integrated into the tail light) needs to be mounted on the rear of the vehicle. Other reflectors are nice but not required.
Turns out that a thumb throttle can be used instead of a twist throttle (probably because I'm controlling electricity rather than fuel)
Proposed interlock behavior and instrument display behavior I proposed based on NHTSA regulations were acceptable.
Dual navigator lights on the side can be operated on a separate switch if I decide to keep them. No interlock is required.

BRAKES
Technical Services was OK with both proposed brake configurations (either Blue Sky recommended layout or having a dual-brake on one handle for front, then second handle for rear wheel brake) I seemed to recall that there was a requirement for a parking brake for trikes. Specifically, that it needed to be an integrated brake and it would need to prevent movement on a 30 degree slope for 5 minutes. However, he insisted that a parking brake was not required. (I'm keeping mine installed anyway)

MIRRORS
Not covered by his department. However, I'm pretty sure using OEM replacement parts that would be for another approved vehicle would by their nature be OK to use.

Changes so BugE can be registered in New York

2009-04-26T16:22:00.044-04:00

In my phone conversations with my NY-DMV caseworker, the main problem with my vehicle appears to be the lighting and controls. So, I used an image editor to investigate how some different lighting layouts might work. The FMVSS guide I'm using is HERE . First, about the lighting. Because this vehicle is classified as a motorcycle, it needs to have DOT/SAE motorcycle lights with motorcycle markings in the housing. Finding aftermarket lights has been surprisingly hard since the market is flooded with cheap replacement lighting.

Anyway, my first thought on revised headlight placement was to have a single light shine out through the windshield so the light would not affect the aerodynamics. However, using a spotlight, I found that others would only see a glowing blob coming down the road. Since I didn't want to cut into the bubble to mount a light, I eliminated this option.

The second option I considered was to take the existing navigator headlights off, then put DOT blinkers in the holes and mount a couple of sealed-beam DOT legal motorcycle headlights on the fenders. Reading the regulations, I found that primary motorcycle lights cannot be more than 8" apart. At first, I was convinced there was some regulation that would exempt a tadpole trike since it would show other drivers that a very wide thing was coming towards them rather than a very skinny thing! However, I found no such exemption. I have since observed that some motor trike vehicles such as the Xebra that clearly would benefit from a wider lighting layout still retain a headlight in the center. Another three wheeled vehicle, the Aptera, does only have two lights on the side more than 8" apart. However, that vehicle is only available in California. So I suspect a special exception was made at the state level rather than the national level.

Another configuration I considered was to have the motorcycle light shine out the front door. The headlight, mounted through the removable door panel, would be at the lowest height permitted. One cost of this option is that I would lose use of the front cargo door.
The final configuration is to simply place a single sealed-beam DOT approved motorcycle light in the front. I would also like to keep the dual navigator lights on the side since they look nice but they don't need to be DOT grade since the state would consider these ornamental rather than functional.

So, I submitted in writing the 2nd and 3rd proposed lighting configurations to my caseworker that shows some proposed configurations and measurements (eg headlight would be so many inches from the ground) and also states electric interlock requirements (eg. motor can't be on without the headlight). Hopefully, my DMV caseworker can point out additional obvious problems. At minimum, I know I need to redo the whole 12V wiring harness for a center light but that was something I was going to do anyway.

For now, it's back to the garage for the BugE. As soon as I get my survey back, the work can start on changing out the lighting.

In a supreme bit of irony, I learned that Auburn High School completed a roadway legal BugE. Unfortunately, these roadway legal experts were in Auburn Alabama not Auburn NY!

Studying for the New York State DMV inspection...

2009-04-20T23:07:00.013-04:00

New York State goes by the Title49 guidelines by the NHTSA. The good thing is that it's a federal standard. So, if I move to another state, I'll be OK. There is quite a bit to the code so I have delayed my inspection request until I can make sure the BugE complies with the code. I guess everyone needs a hobby. This for the moment is mine.

So far, the problems that may be an issue are:
-Still don't know for sure if NY will have a problem with the frame, body and wheels. I suspect they will find the BugE acceptable, but I don't know for sure. The case I'll be making is that 23 other states approved vehicles based on kit parts and so far, there have been no accidents due to structural failure. If NY rejects the vehicle on the basis of this, one has to ask, how many successful vehicles would it take? If I were rejected on this basis, I think I have a strong basis to appeal the decision although I have no idea how I would do so.

As for the NEV limitation, New York doesn't restrict electric trikes to 25MPH. Instead, it insists all motorcycles (electric or not) must be able to EXCEED 40MPH! Yay! got that one!

As for the other areas I CAN address according to Code49...

The kit provided tires I have are acceptable provided I can demonstrate that the weight does not exceed the capacity of the tires.
thumb throttle is fine. (twist grip throttle shipped with newer BugE kit works too)
"self canceling turn signal" mechanism providing 4-way flasher capability is nice, but not required.
Blue Sky kit turn lamps need to be replaced with slightly larger DOT legal versions
Blue Sky kit tail lamp needs to be replaced with DOT/SAE legal version (I'm using one from a salvaged bike I bought on Ebay)
Replacing side headlights is tricky with two headlights, one for high beam, one for low beam. In NY the headlights can't be more than 8" across or there needs to be a center light. The center lamp should have DOT/SAE markings and also say "motorcycle" on them with hi/lo in the same body.
Mirrors - the Eurosport mirrors look good but they were mounted a little too low. I'll be replacing them with Izuzu truck mirrors which will give a larger mirror area.
Glad I wired in the turn signal indicator lights to the speedometer! At the time, I thought this would just be a nice, but not necessary feature for me. Turns out having turn signal pilot lights and an illuminated speedometer are both needed!
right-left brake layout is acceptable as is and is also safer than stopping using rear wheel. If rear wheel locks, the vehicle could go into a spin!

That's it for now.

Oh, and there is also a quiz. Which lamps are DOT approved? Yes, in both cases, bigger is better. However, it's not the size that makes the grade. What really makes the lights legal is the DOT / SAE code on the lens of each lamp. FINDING authentic DOT/SAE stamped parts at any price is a challenge. In my case, I gave up searching for a new tail light and just went with a 2nd hand part. This approach works, but the tail light I settled on is nearly 20 years old!

Trial of the BugE by NY DMV

2009-04-10T21:37:00.012-04:00

So, I make a big sigh and embark on the obstacle filled path of the home built vehicle maker rather than the easier path available to those vehicle owners that have vehicles that already have a VIN. So, I write my letter to the DMV stating that I've built a vehicle based on the BugE kit and would like an information packet to start the process of getting a "home built" vehicle approved on New York State roadways.

I'm expecting a long wait for the packet, long wait for an inspection date and a laundry list of wants when it comes to blessing the BugE for New York roadways. I'm sure people at the DMV do not like approving home built vehicles. There are probably lots of engineering questions since this catch-all category includes everything from motorized furniture to parade floats. So, I'm expecting a form with all sorts of hurdles and mods I will need to make to claim the BugE is safe. Of course, in my favor, the BugE is considered a motorcycle in trike configuration so the national requirements should not be so strict as for a car but I have no idea what kooky New York State laws may lurk about. Perhaps it will need strobe lights or need to be painted florescent orange or carry several fire extinguishers. It may get plates, but then get lumped into the category of regular NEVs which are governed to not exceed 25MPH! Not that it's that big of a deal. The surrounding roadways are 35mph so even with a NEV restriction, the BugE should still be a useful vehicle for me.

However, instead of getting a thick compliance packet with a mile-long check list, I get a phone call from a representative stating that he doesn't think the BugE is fit for roadway use, ironically BECAUSE it's a kit! The reasoning probably is, if the kit maker didn't issue a VIN, it must have been denied by NHTSA or DOT at some point so it's crap. Denied unseen - even without an inspection!

But that is only the first skirmish in what looks to be a long war. Not to be a person who accepts a denial of a BugE even without some sort of inspection or at least a set of hurdles to overcome, I respond in writing and point out that the BugE has been accepted in 4 different states & I give references (since then, I have learned that BugE vehicles are being driven legally in 23 states so his case for a blanket denial of the BugE design is totally without merit) and of course I offer to make mods on whatever may be lacking for compliance with New York State laws.

So, I've enlisted the help of the kit designer Mark Murphy. I see by email correspondence that Mark and my caseworker have had a back and fourth Q&A. Things are looking good. Looks like the main problem technical services has is with the lighting, specifically with the headlight location and making sure all lighting meets DOT/SAE standards.

Meanwhile, I've accepted that I'll be carting the BugE around to several locations so I've installed a trailer hitch on my regular car so carting the BugE around can be done inexpensively.

Yes, you can weld with a ratchet

2009-03-31T23:59:00.010-04:00

Since my BugE was stranded at a motor-sports shop for a regular inspection rather than the more detailed inspection that a home built vehicle must go through, I decided to fetch it back and store the BugE until the paperwork can be completed and I can then transport it to the various stops it needs to go to.

There is a legal way to get the BugE home without using a truck. I decided to tow it. It seems unsafe - and it is. However, the law is the law. So, I got a nice big rope and had another car tow the BugE. It was an adventure to say the least. Unlike driving in regular traffic, I didn't have the means to avoid potholes. So, I hit them straight-on. However, the canopy structure experienced very little shaking - even going over some rough railroad tracks! One scary part was when the tow car went around a corner too sharply and threatened to pull the bug over with the rope! Fortunately, I accelerated and that reduced the tension on the rope enough for me to match the turn. I eventually got it home. Obviously, I lived through the experience. It was so sad to have such a great vehicle only on the road with a rope. Don't be cruel! Let the BugE go! Oh well, someday.

Once home, I decided to re-install the Powercheq modules. Unfortunately, when I was putting on a bolt from one of the rear batteries, I saw a spark that caused me to drop the ratchet handle which then touched another battery terminal with a noisy flash. I could hear the hum of electricity going through the ratchet handle! My batteries were destroying themselves! First, I tried hitting the ratchet off with a larger ratchet I had within arms reach. More flashes, more humming & I then noticed one terminal had welded itself to the socket and the other terminal was welded to the handle! Finally, I took a big wood stick nearby and hit the handle. Another poof of noisy sparks, but at least the handle came off! Whew!

The result was one ugly looking melted post. Fortunately, I could still use it. I decided to deal with the large battery imbalance by installing the rest of the Powercheq modules. So far, the modules seem to be re-balancing the pack. Each battery still works and reads nearly full voltage. However, I'm sure there will be a performance hit. "How much" is an interesting question.

Finally, I put the BugE away and tied down the cycle shelter. Over the next few weeks, I'll need to save my pennies again and think of the best way to make the BugE road-legal for the least cost. So far, to get a coveted VIN from New York State involves this little procedure HERE .

POST CONSTRUCTION OBSERVATION
When working on the BugE, safety first! Have layers of protection not only in devices but procedures as well. Remember, with live circuits, use only ONE hand not two! Also, cover up exposed live wires with SOMETHING if they are likely to flop around.

You want to drive a WHAT in New York State?

2009-03-30T20:52:00.010-04:00

At first, I was rather surprised when people say they have never dealt with a three wheel electric car. Three wheels, yes. Three wheels and electric? Nope. Now, I know why. Apparently, New York State's elected officials have collective amnesia about the gasoline prices last summer. Otherwise, they would change some laws so inexpensive electric vehicles and bicycles could more easily replace petrol cars.

The first sign of trouble was when I went to State Farm to have them provide liability insurance for the vehicle. Nope. They didn't want anything to do with it. I can see that. The actuarial work would be a bit much to ask for someone just walking in the door. No problem. The State Farm agent recommended an independent agent. After several calls, my new agent finally found an underwriter who would be willing to insure the BugE for $282 a year (or $141 for the 6 month riding season) . Needless to say, that was rather high. However, I figured that the BugE is a new vehicle with a small risk pool so the insurance company rightfully is a bit cautious. So, I thought, at least I found an insurer.

Next stop was the DMV. Now, I'm sure you will all be surprised at this - but this is where my day got really bad. Originally, I thought I would just fill out two forms, pay some taxes, then go through a rather easy inspection. Ah, but this is New York State!

The guy at the DMV window didn't know how to deal with a kit car. So he asked his supervisor. After some discussion, the supervisor then handed me a guide to registering a "home made" or "unique" vehicle. Grrr. I thought by having a production kit, I had avoided this. Apparently not. The kit didn't have a VIN number and that was the problem. The certificate of origin has only a chassis number and fairing number - but no VIN number. However, this is understandable. The VIN is issued by each state and not all states still do this. At least New York still does. However, New York does not make it easy. The extended inspection process is featured HERE.

Getting the BugE on the road

2009-03-21T14:33:00.011-04:00

A few days ago, I stopped by the motor vehicle office to check out what would be involved with getting the BugE on the road. I thought it would be a real problem getting the vehicle on the road. It doesn't appear to be. I was told that getting the BugE is surprisingly similar to the process of getting a regular car on the road.

However, I decided to check at my local inspection station to make sure they were OK with handling such a strange vehicle. During the trip there, I was somewhat concerned with range since I figured I would need to drive on several stretches of road at 45 or 50 mph. However, this appears to not be a problem. Most of the route has a speed limit of 30 and vehicles tend to go only a little above that speed. The short 45mph stretch tends to be slower than the speed limit due to so many cars being on the road. So, I should have no range problem getting home.

So, I dropped off the BugE at the inspection station.

After a few days, I decided to see if there were any problems with the inspection. The good news is, it passed. The bad news is, they can't attach a sticker since the engraved number on the chassis is a chassis number, not a VIN number. So, the sticker is ready. I just need a VIN number so they can tie the sticker to the car. Given that I'll be dealing with a state agency, this could take a while. I'll need to think of the best way to bring my BugE home!

Final prep before the show....

2009-03-16T16:09:00.006-04:00

Finishing touches before loading on the lift gate truck.

1) oil the chain & gear (believe it or not, it already had a tiny hint of rust!)
2) tighten the brakes
3) put in nicer looking canopy safety bolts, one on hood, one on top.
4) remove a few inches of Velcro from rear of lens so it fits on the cowl tighter.
5) put a dab of grease on tie rod ball joints
6) redo the front door seal using neoprene and a hot glue gun setup
7) remove powercheq modules so battery setup can be seen more easily

I had use of a stake rack truck with a lift gate. Equipped with a HEMI engine, it was a remarkably smooth running engine and had great climate controls, but boy does it like it's gas! I couldn't help think about the contrast of the truck to the BugE from an energy standpoint. After driving for 45 minutes, I arrived at the BugE assembly location. Loading the BugE on the truck to drive it to the symposium required two people. Since the lift gate was just a little narrower than the front tires, we needed to be a bit creative in how we loaded it into the truck.

First, the BugE was driven onto the lift gate so the left tire was on the gate. Then, setting the rear brake & propping up the fender, I could safely grab the rear wheel and put it on the lift gate as well. Then, we put a board under the front wheels, lifted the vehicle using the lift gate, then used a wooden dowel underneath to roll the board into the flatbed. Once loaded, it was then tied down. Then, the lens was covered with a soft cover & secured with tie down straps. Getting the BugE off the truck was the reverse of the process. The vehicle arrived in one piece and was then driven to the storage area to await being displayed during the symposium.

The lens had some fingerprints & smudges on it. To clean the lens, I found a 80/20 mixture of sprayed on water and white vinegar is gentle enough. Since scrubbing would likely leave scratches, I wanted to use a different approach. I found dragging a soaked microfiber cloth across the lens can remove smudges without leaving scratches or water spots. Just before the symposium, the body will be cleaned for a final time to get rid of any roadway grime. Gotta remember the Armor all for the tires!

POST SYMPOSIUM NOTES
The BugE was not promoted too well for this event, but it was very well recieved by those who did see it in it's pre-road legal form. It was a fully functional vehicle at that time, but it didn't have tags. Since then, it has undergone a retrofit to meet NYS-DOT requirements to use public roadways.

Building a better latch system.

2009-03-09T01:13:00.014-04:00

When servicing the BugE, I find I usually put up the cowl. So, I have put on a large "L" bracket attached through the hole drilled in the outer frame. The bracket has a rubber washer on one side of the bolt so the bracket will stay where placed. Just lift the cowl, then flip this bracket underneath it. Having a built-in service bracket is a small but important feature.

The new BugE now comes with cowl brackets that address the cowl issue below. However, this exploration may help someone who may be servicing an earlier model BugE.

Previously, I was using springy latches on the bottom of the cowl attached to bolts that stuck out the side. They didn't work very well since, in my opinion, they were attached to the wrong point! So, after studying how the suspension really worked, I tried a new approach.

Knowing that the front of the cowl rests on the inner frame instead of the outer frame, I decided to rest the rear of the cowl on the inner frame so the movement of the front and back of the cowl would be less.

So, I cut down a heavy 6" steel bracket so it could hold a rubber bumper and hit the inner frame rather than beat against the outer frame latch. The bracket is secured to the fiberglass lip with a 1/4-20" flat head screw & nylock hex nut. It is also is secured a second place by a 1/4-20 x 3/4" bolt & nylock about 4" up the mud well. As for the bumper, instead of using a screw, I decided to install a hex head bolt in through the bumper so the it could be secured to the bracket in a more substantial way. Since doing this, the rear of the cowl seems to take bumps better but there is still quite a bit of shake.

Next, I attached two sections of angle iron to the battery tray lip, one on each side, via 8-32 screws. The angle iron is the silver thing attached to the battery tray lip in left photo. The "L" shaped angle iron should prevent excessive side to side movement since the bumpers will "bump" into the angle iron if the cowl tries to go right or left.

I then attached the original cowl latches that came with the kit to the new bumper hex bolt via a small "L" bracket. To make sure the catch always faces the rear, I used a small rubber washer & tightened the bolt enough so it doesn't turn easily. Since the base of the latch is a bit shorter than the height of the catch, I added some washers as spacers. (middle photo) Adding or taking away washers from the machine screws that hold down the latch allows the latch height to be adjusted.

In the last photo, it can be seen how the latch catch is attached to the bumper bolt via an "L" bracket. To prevent the "L" bracket from rotating, a rubber washer is between the large "L" bracket and small "L" bracket.

TEST DRIVE RESULTS
This modification is definitely worth it! MUCH less shake and side to side movement than when the bumpers were hitting the outer rail. This is probably because the cowl is now riding with the battery pack and passenger mass too! Time will tell if this solution holds up. For now, it seems to work rather well!

Materials used:
2 - 6" brackets, cut down to size.
2 - 1/4-20 x 3/4" hex bolts, nylocks & washers
2 - 1/4-20 x 2" , washers & nylocks
2 - 1/4" hex bolts
2 bumpers (came with kit)
(2) 1/2" angle iron pieces cut to size
(2) 1" "L" brackets to attach latch catch to bumper bolt.
(2) rubber washers
cowl latches & (6) 8-32 x 2" screw/nut sets
drill oil

Tools used:
Drillpress (1/4" for thread, 5/16 bit for hex head) to prepare bumper
Vise, Grinder, drill (1/4" bit), hexkey & wrench

Time:
30 minutes, preparing bumper & drilling 1/4" hole for bumper at the proper location.
30 minutes cutting down large "L" bracket & installing in fender.
1 hour constructing battery tray "L" bracket shelf, then attaching rubber hold downs to it.
30 minutes - Installing small "L"brackets so hinge catches can be mounted to the bumper hex bolt.
3 hours (or so) blogging about it.

POST CONSTRUCTION OBSERVATION
Great minds think alike. Mark Murphy, the BugE designer has since incorporated a similar bracket in his 2009 BugE models. I would like to think he used my idea. In reality, I think the idea was probably developed in parallel.

Attaching the lens to the canopy.

2009-03-03T22:13:00.010-05:00

Here is a photo of how the long strips of velcro are applied to the cowl. I decided to use the hook side on the cowl and loop side on the lens.

The kit comes with enough adhesive backed velcro to do the job. The hook side of the Velcro goes along the lip of the cowl. The loop side of the velcro goes along the edge of the lens. The Velcro has no problem holding on the lens by itself. However, as a precaution, I am putting 1/4" bolts with rubber grommets on the front and back pieces just in case the Velcro isn't strong enough to hold the lens on by itself.

I did run into one problem. The lens shipped with my kit is not quite big enough for the cowl once the Velcro takes up the space between the lens and cowl. So, along the middle, the lens and cowl velcro sections don't meet very much. I did find that taking about 4" from each side in the rear made the canopy fit to the cowl better.

To do:
Use more "JB-WELD" to magnets closer to the speedometer pickup. They are just a little too far away from the pickup sensor so the speedometer is giving a false low reading.

Maximizing battery performance

2009-02-22T11:41:00.020-05:00

To get the absolute most performance out of an Optima lead-acid battery pack, the batteries should be balanced. In the original plan, batteries were arranged in series. They were charged with a single 4A 48V charger. The charger has a regulator that shuts off the charger when the overall pack has sufficient voltage across it. However, as batteries age is possible that some batteries may be lacking charge, while other batteries may be overcharged. If the imbalance becomes too great, it will lead to a shorter pack life or less than optimum performance.

Fortunately, someone else has thought of this problem and has made some electronic modules which dump (or take) excess charge from a neighboring battery. Ordering the parts from EVSource took a while since they apparently had a backlog of orders. I've since learned that Harvey Coachworks also carries these modules. I can't recommend these modules enough. I have operated my pack without these modules and it doesn't take too long before each battery voltage starts to vary by quite a bit. I then need to manually charge some batteries more than others and it's basically a big headache. With these modules installed, charge averaging is all taken care of. I'm convinced my pack would not have lasted as long as it has if I hadn't had these.

Anyway, the battery terminals were bought from Autozone, a local car parts chain in my area. Spades and terminals were mixed since I didn't have enough terminals for all the wires. The color of the wire is important. Each module MUST be connected with Yellow wire (+), then purple (-) on other battery, then white (com) on the common terminal between the batteries. Failing to do this will make the module think there is a massive imbalance in the battery arrangement and it may burn out. So, for wiring reliability, the connectors should be soldered, not just crimped on so there is less possibility of having a wire detach and cause a problem. Also, when connecting the (-) there will usually be a visible spark. Also, it's VERY important to connect and disconnect wires in order according to the instructions since it's possible to damage the modules.

The battery terminals also need some preparation. The nuts holding the bolts can fall out when there was no bolt present. Since nut dropping is not something that should be happening when attaching touchy expensive electronic modules, something needs to be done. One solution is to melt some solder to the underside of each terminal so the nuts stay on even when bolts are out. As you can see, attaching solder to the terminals doesn't look pretty, but it works. It also is something that cannot be seen by the casual observer since this side of the terminal connector faces down.

After connecting all the powercheq modules, they need to be mounted somewhere so they can't rattle around in the battery compartment. So, I made a small mounting tray made out of wood covered in duct tape so the modules can be zip tied to it. The wood could be painted instead. However, covering with duct tape is faster than waiting for paint to dry. To hold the tray, two flat head screws pass through and screw into a battery terminal. The clamp is then attached to an unused battery terminal. The little red terminal cap on the bottom of the tray is there so you can see the battery terminal better.

My first mounting attempt going across looked OK. The powercheq modules blinking on and off when equalizing gave a high-tech look to the battery pack. However, I could no longer stow the stick I use to prop up the fender during maintenance! So, I rotated the tray 90 degrees. To do this, I needed to extend the length of some powercheq wires so they would reach the battery terminals.

Materials:
3 powercheq modules
6 battery terminals
2 flat head screws
3 zip ties
9 terminals that fit 1/4" battery terminal end screws (avoid using spade connectors since they pull out)
Wood for shelf
Duct tape (or paint) for shelf.
12Ga wire (to extend powercheq wires when tray is mounted sideways).

Tools:
Jigsaw (to cut wood)
Drill with 1/4" for ziptie holes and countersink bit (for flathead screw holes)
Mini ratchet w/ 2 sockets for securing bolts on battery terminals.
Soldering station (solder pen, helping hands, solder, wire stripper, heat shrink tubing, ect...)

Time:
Around 3 hours, to think of and construct solution, not including blog time.

POST CONSTRUCTION NOTES:
I have run my Optima batteries with and without battery management modules. I definitely think the BMS system was a good purchase. It saved me the trouble of manually rebalancing the cells in the pack. Plus, I later found it also had the benefit of allowing me to use a single inexpensive 12V charger rather than a more expensive 48V charger. To do this, I just attached a cigarette lighter port to one battery. Then, I charge the battery through that port! The BMS then balances out the charge equally with each battery. Charging this way isn't as fast as doing it in series. However, 12V chargers are rather inexpensive, widely available and light enough to just throw in the cargo area just in case field charging is needed.

First test drive! Feb 22, 2009!

2009-02-21T14:36:00.004-05:00

The test can be seen on YouTube.

One of the concerns I had was if the BugE could climb out of my driveway! It's quite steep. As you can see from the video, it's no problem on relatively dry pavement. It has plenty of torque! However, passing over the snow made the tire wet so the tire had some trouble gripping the driveway. However, I found going up slow would solve that problem. Also, there is always the option of adding some roadway grit too. Overall, a very good result!

I have not put on the transparent canopy yet since I have some tweaking I still need to do. However, the major goal of building a working car has been reached! After the canopy has been installed and the BugE registered & insured, I plan to make more performance video tests.

48V motor test

2009-02-15T12:26:00.017-05:00

A frantic rush to the finish continues.

To complete the 48V motor circuit, I had to make a few more cuts. I have found that grouping tasks such as cutting with the Dremil saves time.

I found I had to trim the battery tray lip in the rear to allow the #4 wires to be passed under the vehicle. On the left, wires go from the reversing switch to the controller. Also, the brake line goes through that lip too. Smaller circle shows the brake cable. Larger circle passes 48V lines. On the right, one cable will be passing from under the speed controller, up , to go to the negative battery terminal in the battery tray.

I also did some cuts on the rear fender. One is for the reversing switch handle so it doesn't need to be taken off every time I need to lift the fender. At this point, I've put on and taken off the fender several times. Since the switch has dragged on the inside of the fender several times, it has managed to mark a path of it's travel inside the fender. So, now I know where and how wide the notch should be. Notch is cut, then switch handle is attached.

Note, switch handle didn't come with a screw. I happened to have one. Size and TPI will be noted later.

Two other Dremil operations are for the battery cutoff switch and the charging port. I put the holes towards the front on either side, but behind the glove box indentation so wires would be in no danger of hitting battery terminals. To trace a circle, I used a coin on the inside to serve as a guide for my Dremil cut. Then, I smoothed the cut while widening it with a Dremil drum sander tool. Nice fit!

Now, I have screwed on the fender for the final time (yea, right). Then, the batteries go in, one by one. Once the switch and port are mounted, their wires are pushed out of the way. They will be attached later.

At first, I wondered about why there was a space left between the battery packs. Once I took off the temporary handles from the batteries, I found out why the extra space around the batteries is important. If not loaded correctly, the batteries are in the perfect position to pinch fingers! After loading the batteries, the space between is a perfect fit for a 2x4 piece of wood. After slipping in the wood, the batteries seem to be rather secure. Nice design!

After the batteries are installed, the remaining 48V cables are constructed. The process is the same as it was when I put the reversing switch on. Sit next to the car, measure a run, cut cable, strip end, crimp end, wrap end in tape, put split tube on outside, wrap split tube. Sounds like a bit of work but it goes quickly. I found wearing nitrol gloves, with cloth gloves on only keeps my hands warm but also keeps my fingers free of little copper metal bits! I am putting wire wrap on all the wires I can in the battery tray. I may be a bit paranoid but I really don't want something shorting against something else.

The wire sections are connected to the battery posts VERY tightly with 5/16" nylock nuts rather than the wing nuts that came with the Optima batteries. I'm not sure if split tubing is really needed around all the cables for protection but I'm putting it on just in case.

The only really difficult wires to attach were the final wires to connect to the battery pack. I needed to drop the controller shelf so I could attach the large #4 wire to be connected to the battery. Fortunately, this is held on by two bolts which are rather easy to get at. Then, attach all wires tightly and lift the shelf back up.

I'm not attaching the positive and negative cables to the 48V motor circuit yet. First, it's time for a final 12V circuit test.
- 48V charge meter works
- battery charge port works
- tail light, signal lights, low beam all work.

- horn didn't - (traced to a lose spade connector).

- brake light spring is just a little bit too tight. This was fixed by stretching spring. I also decided to solder the brake indicator connectors rather than rely on crimps. Since I have attached & detached the brake indicator connector several times, I am really glad I spent an extra $2 to put on a quick-disconnect for that little piece of the wiring!

- lo-hi beam indicator lights on speedometer are reversed (purple colors are very close to each other, so this is understandable and can be fixed later).

- hi-beam is dim. Monitoring the Yahoo group shows more than one person has had this problem. However, since this is not critical for the 48V test, I'm going to press ahead with the 48V test.

ELECTRIC TEST PLAN for 48V

Block front wheels so they cannot move.
lift rear wheel
TURN OFF REAR WHEEL PARKING BRAKE
Attach all cables & final 48V battery cable with nylock nuts
Test 12V
do low speed 48V forward & backward test.

Results:

Now, this is a big test, with big wires that can unleash the full power of the battery pack. Safety glasses, no wrist watch or rings and the one-hand rule are used when connecting wires.

First, the contactor and DC-DC converter wires are attached to the battery cutoff switch. The charging wires are attached to the positive and negative posts on the battery. The 48V meter reads that the pack is full.

The negative DC traction motor wire is attached to the pack's terminal along with the DC-DC converter feed wire using a nylock.

The positive DC traction wire (via fuse) is then attached along with the other DC-DC converter feed wire. No spark. This seems good.

Finally, the big moment. Things will either work, not work or smoke. I turned the switch & the contactor clicked. 12V lighting works. Good. Now, gently push on the throttle..... nothing. Tracing out the wires, I found the key switch spade connector was detached when the controller was dropped to attach the large power wire. This was re-connected.

Try the key again. Just touch the thumb throttle ... success! Due to the chain drive, it's not as quiet as I expected, but it's much quieter than a regular motorcycle! Then reverse was tried. Success again!

It's been a big night.

I think a small test drive is really close to happening!

Other tasks done:
- Put in a spacing washer for the parking brake so the handle can lock.

- screwed on the front door. Still need to hot glue a better seal around the door.
- put in a wood stick for propping up rear fender when servicing the BugE. Also need a way to prop up the cowl too.

Still to do:
Tighten steering tube bolt.
Install more padding for cowl on frame to absorb bumps better
Build little shelf in battery area for powercheq modules

Troubleshoot 12V wiring issues. (look at hi-beam light issue - why is it so dim? - found that re-seating the bulb in the headlight solved the problem)
Make cowl wiring neater - give some thought to a dashboard.

Arrange to transport to/from an inspection station.

Arrange transport to/from symposium location
-design and install a dashboard console to include a car radio & rocker switches for accessories.
-UTUBE VIDEO!

Unanswered questions
-If storing outside in cycle shelter, would a small heater (such as a light bulb) to eliminate condensation from electronics and bubble be needed?

POST CONSTRUCTION NOTES

Installing seat isn't mentioned in the tasks. However, for servicing, then driving, then servicing again, having a seat that easily slides on and off is REALLY NICE.

Also, I put in a better keyswitch in series with the battery cutoff switch. This allows lights to operate when the BugE is exhibited but the motor contactor will not be ON without the secondary switch being ON too.

Installing the speedometer pickup

2009-01-26T20:02:00.013-05:00

POST CONSTRUCTION NOTES
These notes only apply to pre-2009 BugE kits that have drum brakes. The new BugE kits now come with disk brakes.

The speedometer kit came with a speed sensor, mounting bracket and several magnets. The instructions covered programming the unit rather well, but it did not cover the more mundane task of mounting the sensor!

In the image to the right, the sensor is shown mounted in the bracket. A hex wrench is used to secure a set screw for the sensor. The kit also came with some tiny rare earth magnets (circled). To mount the sensor, I used a 1/4-20x3/4" hex bolt and two washers left over from a Radio Shack grommet kit (Part# 64-3025). Earlier in the BugE steps, I used the smaller grommets from the package to protect the holes when I was filling the frame with anti-corrosion paint. Since I did not use all the larger sizes, I had quite a few left over. Inside the yellow square, a 1/4-20-3/4" hex bolt is shown cut to 3/8" long plus a washer can be seen. The other nut/bolt is shown so the original bolt length can be seen.

The left most photo shows the speedometer arm balancing on the steering spindle pin. The bolt & nut are held in the mounting arm tight due to grommet#1 filling the space. The sides of the hex nut have been filed down slightly so it will fit tightly in the brake channel. Once the brake assembly is pushed back onto the steering spindle, all the parts are held together by pressure. Grommet #2 was added for a tighter fit. Once the bracket is in place, the sensor is mounted to the arm using a set screw.

The next step was a bit messy for me. There is no place for the magnets on the BugE tires. I didn't want to weaken the wheel by drilling little mounting holes so I figured that the little magnets should be glued on. The product I used was J-B Weld. There are three reasons for this. First, the mounting material should be strong. Second, it should be resistant to water. Third, and most important for me at the moment was that it was cheap. Fortunately, I had a box full of glues, epoxies and calk collected over the years. So, I punctured the tubes, mixed the product and it worked. I was impressed. I'm pretty sure the "new" pack I used was at least 10 years old!

Once the epoxy dries, I put the wheel back on. Then I used a Dremil tool to drill a square hole through the wall of the BugE large enough, and square enough for the sensor wire end to go through. Then, I took a small grommet & split using a razor blade so it can go around the cable. Then, I took a larger grommet & work it over the connector, then put the larger grommet over the smaller split grommet. Then, I stuffed both grommets into the square hole which will took up the space around the cable. Hopefully it will hold. I'll be watching that cord. If it wanders around too much in the wheel well, I may use some split tubing to force it to take the same path up as the brake cable.

At a later time, the speedometer needs to be calibrated. Since the instructions that came with it cover this step, I won't go into detail on how the unit is programmed. Just as well since instructions such as that usually differ from unit to unit.

Kit Materials used:
(From speedometer kit) mounting bracket, sensor, magnets, hex wrench

Additional materials

(1) 1/4-20 x 3/4" hex bolt & nut, cut to size
(2) grommets left over from the earlier anti-rust step for arm
(1) large grommet, (1) small split grommet for speedometer pass through.
(1) J-B Weld epoxy package
(1) set nitrol gloves (for the epoxy)
(1) stirring stick & disposable mixing container
zipties

Tools used:

3/4" wrench to take off wheel nut
Hammer to hammer out cotter pin
needle nose pliers to convince pin to come out of the axle.
Vise to hold hex bolt for cutting & hex nut for filing down
Dremel tool (with cutting wheel) to cut down hex bolt to desired size
File to remove material from the sides of the hex nut so it will fit in the channel
ruler & pencil (to measure where magnets go so sensor can pick them up)
Drill & drillbit (for passing through sensor wire)

Time used:

Jacking up the wheel, taking off cotter pin, castle nut & wheel washers - 15 minutes.
Imagining a solution & test fitting parts together - 20minutes
Cutting down the bolt & grinding the nut to size - 15 minutes
Mouting arm to wheel - 15 minutes
Drilling hole through body for sensor cable - 15 minutes.
Securing wheel with castle nut & cotter pin, then removing from the jack stand - 15 minutes.

BugE bumper probem - and solution

2009-01-25T00:32:00.022-05:00

REDO OF THE REAR SHOCK
Monitoring the Yahoo group informed me that there was an issue with the rear shock absorber (also known as BugE bumpers). The issue was that the bumpers would bulge out beyond the ends of the bumper assembly, cutting into the BugE shock fitting. This may lead to an early failure of the BugE bumpers with all sorts of ugly consequences. When I was building the BugE, I noticed my BugE was experiencing similar symptoms. (Lots of bulging, even with no batteries installed). Since I was VERY close to putting the batteries, giving the bumper a full load, I needed to get this repaired!

For those of you with the rear suspension BugE's that don't have improved bumpers, here are two methods to upgrade. One takes money, the other takes time.

For around $35, you can make an inexpensive improvement over the rubber BugE bumpers by replacing them with a EnergySuspension Universal Bushing kit #9.4102R. The kits are available through AutoZone.... You typically get two, so you'll have an extra!.

To change out the bumpers, remove the shock from the vehicle. (don't forget to support the rear since the rear of the BugE will fall without a jack to hold it up) Once removed, the rear shock comes apart with an allen bolt. .

If you don't have $35 at the moment, some humble $0.99 hockey pucks can also be used. To make center holes, I just use progressively larger wood drill bits to drill out a hole. To make the 1/2 puck in the middle, I used a recipricating saw and vise. Messy but effective. The ride is somewhat stiffer than original but the material seems to be holding up well.

Front Brakes

2009-01-18T18:59:00.037-05:00

The new BugE now comes with different wheel and brake system so someone doing a new BugE build will find some differences. However, these pages may help someone who may be servicing a 2007 to 2009 model BugE.

Finally, it's time to run the front brake cables! Since I don't like working in confined spaces more than I need to, I decided to mount the controls on a vise to see how my control stick would go together. Fitting my over sized handlebar clamp, turn signal control, thumb throttle, brakes, brake switches and speedometer was challenging. However, I think it's all turned out OK.

The first task was to deal with wiring the rear brake light switches. So, I created a wiring section that would allow each handlebar switch (or both) to complete the normally open tail light circuit. I probably didn't need to use a quick disconnect since there are only four screws on both switches. However, not needing to fuss with small screws when installing or removing the control bar will be nice.

Before installing the wiring, I wanted to see how the brake handle switches work. To do this, I had a vise hold up the control bar so I could experiment with routing the various wires (including the brake wires), I've removed the speedometer and tilted the brake handles up so the switches on the handles can be seen more easily. To the left is a before photo and to the right is an after photo. The switches are normally open circuit devices. That means when a handle is squeezed, the switch is pulled out and the switch completes a circuit. A spring is used on each switch so the switch isn't pulled out too far.

It's a nice idea, however I found a problem with making the switch grip the cable. The problem is that the outside of the cable is too smooth so the little cable clamps cannot maintain their grip. After a few squeezes, I found that each clamp worked it's way up the cable and the switch no longer could be pulled out enough to work. I probably could have added some rubber inserts or perhaps put a small section of stiff tubing on the brake cable prevent the clamp from moving closer. However, I figured there must be a better way.

As I was contemplating what material I could use to prevent the clamp from moving, I accidentally found a solution! As one clamp from one cable worked it's way up it's cable, the other one did the same. Then, they then happened to catch each other as they passed. I noticed that the distance between the handles was about one spring wide. So, I decided to try to use just one spring! Now, when both brakes are fully squeezed, the spring creates enough tension to make the switches work without breaking them. After making the wiring tail a bit neater, I was ready to angle the handles forward again, put the speedometer back on and mount the controls to the stick. There is one slight side effect to this. The brakes are a bit harder to operate with the spring that way. So, I may need to find a weaker spring!

I decided it was finally time to put on the steering column. However, doing this was not so simple. When I put on the steering column, I discovered the holes that pass through the column were a pinch too high. So, I had to grind off about two millimeters from the end so the holes in the steering column would line up with the existing hole in the chassis steering mechanism. After grinding a bit off the end, I used a rat-tail file to smooth the inside of the tube so it would fit again. Even after lining the holes up, I still had to drill out the bolt hole slightly so the bolt & nylock nut could be installed. None of these operations took very much time. However, all the little delays did add up.

The next task was to drill a pair of holes through the fender to reach each brake mechanism (used 1/4" drill bit). Unlike the rear brake, the full length of the brake cable was used on each front brake. When installed, the cables were installed so they cross over each other and are held in place with a zip tie on the control stick. The result is that the right handle controls the right brake and the left handle controls the left brake.

The final (for now) control layout is on the right. The speedometer is back on and the controls have been adjusted to what I think I would like. After the first few test drives, I plan to redo the 12V wiring with what I've learned. I'll be upgrading some components such as changing from thumb throttle to twist grip and upgrading the brake handles to ones that have tail light switches inside them. Since I'll be doing a new wiring harness from the start, according to a component layout that is now known, the wiring should turn out neater. For now, the 12V wiring I have should do for testing performance. After the first few runs, I'll see if any other issues are discovered. (eg. I still haven't decided if I would really use a car radio in the vehicle). Once I have established the final list of must-have features, I'll be developing a new 12V wiring harness that should be quite a bit nicer than what I have now. So, now it's time to move on to other systems.

TIGHTENING THE FRONT BRAKE CABLES
If you have had a bicycle before and needed to tighten the brakes, the process is almost the same on the BugE. All that is required is a proper sized wrench, vise grip pliers and a bit of patience. The cable needs to stretch a bit so expect some back and fourth between the pinch bolt and testing the handle grip. Although adjusting bike brakes is never fun, it is MUCH easier than adjusting automotive brakes! Less expensive too!

One thing that concerned me is that front cable sections might eventually work their way into the wheel well to rub against the front wheels. To prevent that happening, I added a low cost electrical-tape / zip tie solution that should prevent any additional cable from moving into the front fender. Once the length of the cable permitted in the wheel well is established, put a few wraps of electric tape around the excess cable in the cowl to mark the length. Then add a ziptie to prevent more cable length from working it's way through the hole.

Materials used (from kit)
Control bar assembly (assembled earlier)
Brake cables (from BugE control kit)
Brake handle switches (from BugE control kit)
Steering column (from main BugE kit)

Extra Materials
(4) 7" pieces of wire
two wire disconnect
4 crimp-on connectors (plus two that didn't crimp too well)
Solder / Heat Shrink tubing
Electric tape
Bunch of zip ties

Tools used:
Metric hex key set (all handlebar parts use metric hex keys)
Screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets
Needle nose vise grip pliers (for tightening brake cable)
Regular Vise
Drill ( 1/4" bit)
Grinder & rat tail file (for shortening steering column)
Soldering station (solder iron, helping hands, c-clamp, heatsink, ect....)

Time used:

Experimenting with the best way to mount switches to handlebar - 45 mins.
Shortening steering tube, re-drilling hole for bolt & installing handlebar assembly - 15 mins.
Making handlebar harness wiring - 30 minutes.
Trimming FRONT brake cables - o minutes (don't need to do)
Installing handlebar wiring & tweaking control angles so everything fits - 30 minutes.
Drilling holes for brake cables & attaching to handles & zip tying in place 15 mins
Blogging - several hours creating this page and revising previous ones.

Rear brake installation

2008-12-26T12:57:00.017-05:00

INSTALL EMERGENCY BRAKE HANDLE
In the instructions, this seemed like a big deal. However, it's quite simple and quick if done correctly. (note: If it's NOT done correctly, it's a real hassle to do). So here's what I would recommend. First, drill a diagonal hole in a regular 1/4-20x3/4" hex bolt, then thread the cable through it. The photo shows the pieces involved in this step. The modified hex bolt will screw into the bottom of the handle assembly. For the lower bracket, a cable stop is needed. A cable adjuster could be used. However, I found a washer can be used instead. You will need to take apart the cable and shorten the cable to 4ft. The outer outer covering should be shortened to 3ft. I found using a dremil with a cutting wheel and a vise enabled me to produce nice clean cuts.

INSTALL HANDLE TO THE FRAME.
To install, thread the bare cable through the large nut, modified bolt, lower bracket on the frame & lower washer. I found that the large nut is too large to turn easily within the confines of the frame. So, instead, I tried another idea. Don't turn the nut - turn the handle! Start the small hex bolt and tighten both at once! If your small hex bolt turns are off by a few, the brake cable still can spin around. Then jam the large hex nut with a screwdriver and turn the handle into place. To make turning the handle easier, I found enlarging the notch on the battery tray was helpful. Then, put the cable cover back on & run the covered brake cable over the motor to the back wheel area. Thread through the brake notch on the wheel & secure the cable to the pinch bolt. Zip tie to the shock hump if the cable flops around too much. The cable will stretch a bit so you'll need to re-tighten the cable more than once.

Kit provided materials:

Brake handle & nut
Brake cables (cut down to fit)
Faring latches (may use the kit provided ones or buy nicer ones featured in supplemental instructions)
Handle bar assembly (consisting of handle bar, handle clamp, hand grips, lighting controls, thumb throttle, speedometer and two handbrake handles).
Reversing switch handle

Non-kit provided Materials needed:

1/4-20x3/4" hex bolt to drill hole through for brake handle
Washer with small hole to pass brake cable through
Cowl clamps & hardware as seen in supplemental photo.
Assorted drill bits
One set respirator cartridges
nitrol gloves (when cutting fiberglass)
Cutting wheels for dremil (My being a spaz made me go through 5 of them)

Tools used:

Safety glasses
Screwdriver, pliers & socket set
hand held drill with holesaw
Dremil cutting wheel & coarse mini sanding drum (to modify battery notch)
Sabre saw (used for cutting cable. However, Dremil did a better but slower job)
Trouble light
Extension cord & power strip dangling from the ceiling
Drill press & drill vise (for drilling out bolt). Not needed, but really nice if available
Pliers & 10MM socket for pinch bolt.
Shopvac and broom to clean up little fiberglass bits.

Time used (to nearest 15 minutes)

Trying to install the handle the wrong way - about an hour.
Using drill press to drill hole in hexbolt for emergency brake cable holding bolt - 15 minutes.
Trimming additional material from Emergency brake handle location - 30 minutes (mostly cause I kept breaking my cutting wheels)
Making brake cable and cable housing shorter by using Dremil tool - 15 minutes.
Twisting on handle, running cable to rear wheel & securing the cable with a pinch bolt - 15 minutes.
Cleanup - 15 minutes.

Mating the cowl to the frame.

2008-12-26T10:06:00.029-05:00

Once the lighting was mostly done on the cowl section, it was time to mate the cowl to the frame.

TEST FIT THE COWL TO FRAME.
As long as the clear canopy lens is off, I found it was still possible to lift the cowl myself from my workbench down to the frame to see how the pieces would mate together. Doing so required me to stand on the side of the cowl. To move the part, one hand grips the cargo port and the other grips the dashboard lip. Once the cowl was placed on the pivot tube, I could then see if anything needed trimming. One problem I found was that each pivot tube cover (the red thing) was too wide. Using a sabre saw, I quickly solved that problem. When it came to picking a spot for deciding where bolts & washers go, put them as close as possible to the pivot tube. I found out later that I needed to trim the excess lip off with a sabre saw otherwise it would hit against the battery tray assembly when the cowl was tipped up. When the cowl is bolted on, it is possible to cut off this lip. However, it would be much easier if this excess lip is cut off when the bolt-holes are initially drilled out (see below)

INSTALL PIVOT TUBE PADDING
Next, I tilted up the cowl to install the pivot tube padding. For padding, the kit came with two squares of black neoprene material. I trimmed them with a razor knife, then wrapped them with duct tape. Packing tape was recommended, but I figured that duct tape would hold up better in my climate. Holding the pieces under the cowl to cover the pivot channel showed that there were no major issues with how things would fit together. However, I decided NOT to work under the car to drill holes for the covers.

Instead, with the help of an assistant, I removed the cowl and flipped it upside down on a cushioned table. Drilling holes and testing bolt fit was much easier to do from this angle. Then, the canopy was flipped back & returned to the frame. The parts were held up and Eight 1/4x20 x1" bolts plus 16 fender washers were then used to secure the parts together. Having the holes pre-drilled made installation MUCH easier! If I was to do this again, I think it would be easier trimming off the excess lip to be only one washer wide while the cowl is upside down rather than trim & fit once the cowl is installed on the car.

COWL BUMPERS
These were put on when the cowl was upside down.

REINSTALL BATTERY TRAY
Don't forget to put in the spacing washers between the frame and tray!
Also, this is a good time to apply anti-slip tape to the foot rest of the battery tray.

PREPARE THE EXTERNAL BATTERY CHARGER
Put XLR connector on the external 48V charger. Put wires on the female XLR connector & incorporate into the wiring harness.

PUT TOGETHER THE CHASSIS WIRE HARNESS
I started the chassis harness where the male chassis connector mates to the female cowl connector. Then I worked down the side of the battery tray, then passed the wire bundle through a hole in front of the battery tray. Along the way, the harness attaches to the horn with spade connectors (horn is mounted to the front of the battery tray). The battery cutoff switch & DC charging port will be in front of the battery compartment so when the fender is flipped up, the wires won't need to move far. Finally, the wires travel back to the plug-in connector that came with the DC-DC converter. The converter gets it's power by feeding a pair of wires back through the harness to tap the 48V battery pack. After it was done, I covered with split tubing to keep the wires looking nice and tidy. (White masking tape will be replaced with black electric tape to make it look better)

Taking the extra steps to create a two piece harness design was definitely worth the extra effort! Contrast the before & after wiring image after the cowl is finally mated to the frame. Plugging in the cowl to the chassis connector is such a satisfying feeling! The wire bundle is held in place with zip ties along the temporary tray then down and along the side of the battery tray on the way to the battery compartment pass-through hole. After the first shakedown cruise, the wiring on the temporary shelf will be trimmed & covered too. In the foreground, the steering tube can be seen, ready to accept the steering control. About two inches have been trimmed off with a saber saw so the steering control wire bundles can reach the connectors in the center of the temporary shelf.

MOUNTING ON/OFF SWITCH AND DC CHARGE PORT
Drill the required holes to mount a battery cutoff switch to the side of the fender towards the front left. The DC charge port fitting can be soldered together, then installed on the other side. Keeping the charge port & switch locations near the front so the fender can lift up without needing too much excess wire. Also, consider trimming the fender in the rear so there is no need to remove the reversing switch handle every time the rear fender assembly is lifted up for servicing.

Also, the throttle control on the handle bar was going to go through the canopy molex connector as well. However, this throttle will eventually be replaced so I'm keeping the wiring separate. The throttle will be connected to the DC controller in a later step.

Kit materials installed:
1- Cowl assembly
1 - battery cutoff switch (from ev-parts kit)
2 - Neoprene foam swatches for pivot tube (from BlueSky basic kit)
2- Fiberglass pivot tube channel covers (from BlueSky basic kit)
4- swatches of packing cloth from kit to cover frame & jack stands (from BlueSky basic kit)

Other materials used:

Duct tape (for pivot tube covers)
Male/Female 12pin molex style connectors & XLR connectors
zip ties
wire wrap
Wire & screws cited above
Wood & Spray paint for spacers (if used)
spade connectors (horn)
Pair of battery terminals for accessory loads
Black, red & white wires for harness & 2 inline fuses.
solder & shrink tubing

Tools used:

Dremil & cutting wheel (for trimming fiberglass channel covers)
Razor knife (for trimming pivot tool neoprene)
Drill & 1/4" bit
Sabre saw & two wood blades (they wear out quickly)
soldering pen (for molex connectors)
helping-hands & c-clamp.
Screwdrivers, spanners & ratchets

Time used (to nearest quarter hour)

If battery tray installed, unbolt it & remove from frame - 15 minutes.
Pad jack stands. Lift frame & test fit cowl to pivot tube (can also use automotive ramps which give same amount of height) - 15 minutes.
Trim neoprene pivot tube covers with razor knife & secure with duct tape - 30 minutes.
Measure, mark, trim pivot tube covers with sabre saw - 15 minutes.
Remove cowl & put on padded table & drill out bolt holes. Install bumpers. - 30 minutes.
(ideally, trim lip off with sabre saw in this step too - should take another 15 minutes)
Put cowl back on chassis & Bolt-on - 15 minutes.
Cut & trim traction strips and apply to battery tray foot rest area - 15 minutes
Reinstall battery tray & secure tray with bolts - 15 minutes
Install switch & bracket for 48V meter & wire to molex connector-3o minutes
Run 12V wires from DC-DC converter and battery meter to chassis MOLEX connector. Add on ends to allow connection to batteries, then cover all wires with wire wrap - 30 minutes.
Mount horn to outside of battery tray and connect to harness - 15 minutes.
Solder XLR connector to end of battery charger & put leads on female XLR - 15 minutes.
Solder wires to Chassis Molex connector & attach to cowl molex - 30 minutes.
Trim control stick with sabre saw then tighten controls to control stick - 15 minutes

More cowl wiring.

2008-12-07T17:37:00.020-05:00

Understanding how the wiring harness works is key. What worked best for me was to re-draw the wiring diagram to include changes such as noting pin-outs for my connectors, recording where my speedometer taps should go and where wires change color. Making such a diagram now will make troubleshooting future problems much easier. Once I had my diagram re-drawn, I then started from the back of the vehicle and worked forward.

Mounting the tail light was done by attaching 6" angle brackets using four 1 1/2 - 1/4-20 hex bolts. 8 washers were used as spacers. Note: When picking up angle brackets, make SURE holes line up with each other as these brackets appear to be made in batches with holes in slightly different places! The tail light needed a 3rd wire added to the body of it for a ground wire. Then the three wires were connected with electric tape wrapped crimp-on spade connectors to the harness. The rear turn signals were easier to connect since they happened to have crimp-on bullet style connectors that matched the harness wires.

TRIMLOCK
The Trimlock starts from a point on the left and wraps around to an identical stopping place on the right. However, it cannot go across the dashboard area since the faring bulkhead and faring lip now are riveted together. Once pushed on the cowl lip, it will be modified as below.

The stock wiring harness was fed from the tail light area under the cowl lip to the front of the dashboard. To hold the wiring up, I used 6-32 machine screws with nuts and some home made sheet metal straps. The screws were installed along the cowl lip so the screw heads would be under the Trimlock. To put the trimlock back on, the non-visible part of the trimlock needed to be notched with a Dremil cutting wheel so the head of the screw was still covered but the rear of the screw could pass through.

Midway down the lip, there are two brake indicator wires for controlling the rear brake light. These wires were extended so they can reach the two hand brake switches on the handlebar. This pair will end at a 2-pin connector, meeting another on the control stick, that will go on to the handlebar hand brake switches.

I wish I could say I was a neat organized wiring guy but the reality is that modifying the harness to the BugE was a truly messy business. Each component was soldered onto the harness as per my wiring diagram. Originally, I was going to solder all connections. However, in the interest of time, I finally resorted to using wire taps for the speedometer indicator wires. Although it looks messy, the wiring is not really that complicated. Once I decide on the final dashboard layout, I'll shorten some of the wires to make this look better.

In the middle of the shelf, you can see the rear of the 48V meter. Next to it is a black switch for the fan. In the middle there are now some connectors. A 9-pin (lights), 12pin (speedometer) are installed. The red and yellow wires are for a 2-pin (brake light) connector ready to plug into the control stick. Along the right (driver's side left) are wires that are on their way to the chassis.
Also in this bundle will be a 48V pair of wires for the battery meter. Also, a wire pair will be run for the horn too since the horn will be mounted to the battery tray. The throttle cable will also run along this path, to be connected once the cowl is mated with the rest of the car.

Finally, it was time for testing. Turn signals worked as did the brake light. Headlights worked and the speedometer lit up a nice luminescent blue. The BugE seemed to come to life! I only had two problems. First, on the speedometer,I wanted the hazard indicator to turn on when the brakes were applied. Instead, I got the high-temperature indicator. This was understandable since the speedometer wire bundle had light purple & a grayish purple that are easily confused. Then, I discovered my vent fan was wired backwards (it has polarity). After fixing both issues, the wiring was then tucked above the shelf & zip tied to it.

The end result? Some nice lighting of course! Not only do the lights work, but the speedometer also displays the status of the lights too!

Tools used:

Table & cushions to put BugE cowl on
Good quality wire stripper (Sears Craftsman)
Helping-hands tool (Radio Shack)
Soldering iron & base
Trouble light (to see in cowl better)
Pliers (to crimp tap connectors)
Crimper tool (to crimp spade connectors)
Small screwdrivers & adjustable wrench
12V battery for testing circuits
Drill & 1/4" bit (for making more Ziptie holes in the wiring shelf)

Materials used:

Assorted spade connectors (didn't count, had a spade connector kit)
Solder, heat shrink tubing & matches
Electric tape
Assorted medium size Zipties (I find I use this size the most).
Copper wire in colors red, black, yellow & blue.

Approximate time:

Redraw cowl wire diagram (noting wire color changes & tap locations) - 1:30 minutes.
Mount tail light - mark & drill mounting holes, then mount tail light - 30 minutes.
Extend brake light wires & solder/heat shrink headlight, mirror lights/fan (solder pen warm-up time included) - 1 hour.
Add speedometer wire harness taps as per new wire diagram - 30 minutes.
Trim lock notches, drill mount holes, run wire through strap - 1 hour.
Troubleshoot & Redo polarity problem on fan - 15 minutes.

POST CONSTRUCTION NOTES
The lighting performed OK. However, NY insisted that I change my lighting configuration to have a headlight in front. They also wanted separate DOT blinkers rather than using blinkers in the mirrors. So, I discarded my original wire harness and just made my own from automotive wire and MOLEX connectors. The new wiring harness is MUCH easier to troubleshoot and looks much nicer than my first attempt. Read about it HERE

Harnessing the BugE

2008-11-30T19:45:00.030-05:00

WIRING HARNESS REQUIREMENTS
It's much easier getting to the inside of the cowl when the BugE canopy is on a table. So, I wanted to pre-wire the cowl in a detached state.

On my first wiring attempt, here were the features I wanted:

The ability to wire the cowl of the BugE separate from the chassis to minimize the time I would be bending down while assembling the vehicle.
An isolated and reliable DC-DC converter with extra capacity for expansion.
A back lit speedometer with status lights for turn signals, HiBeam & brake.
An external charge strategy to allow quick change from grid to solar power.
Keeping the convenience of a one-plug charger while managing battery imbalance. (using PowerCheq modules)

POST CONSTRUCTION NOTE: This is NOT a guide on doing 12v wiring quickly or inexpensively! Rather, it was exploring the issues I ran into when I finally decided what wiring features I wanted. Several states appear to be fine with the default lighting layout and no changes. However, New York State is a bit more fussy so I re-wired the 12V system (here and here) to comply with the more rigorous NHTSA requirements. Still, it might be worth a read since it discusses why I decided to put the components where I did. Also, some components in the Blue Sky kit such as turn signals and tail lamp did not have the proper DOT markings on them. Most places don't apparently care but New York State did. This may have been fixed but it's probably a good idea to verify the kit lights now have the proper markings.

During this time, there was a great deal of debate in the BugE discussion group of either going for a DC-DC converter from the main battery pack, tapping one battery from the battery pack for 12V lights, having a separate 12V battery entirely for the 12V system with it's own charger or charging a smaller accessory battery from a 12V-DC-DC converter. I decided to go for a simple but nice DC-DC converter for the following reasons

1) No "stranded power" If I went with a separate battery, the 12V battery would either be too small and underpowered or too large and I would be hauling around extra weight.
2) Tapping off a 12V battery would lead to battery imbalance. Range would always be limited by the weakest battery.
3) Mounting a 12V DC-DC converter was much easier than trying to find a place to mount a larger 12V accessory battery.

That decision plus the decision to mount the speedometer on the handle bars (rather than in the dash) , the desire for accessories and finally, headlight placement, drove my first 12V wiring attempt.

I decided to connect the cowl wiring to the controls with molex type connectors so the handlebar controls can be easily moved out of the way for service. I decided to use connectors between the cowl & chassis. This would allow the cowl to simply be plugged in when mated to the chassis.

THE CONTROL SYSTEM.
Pictured here is the first version of the handle bar control system that I considered. This is pretty close to the layout finally settled on for my first tests. The "handlebar" is simply a 1/2"x18" black pipe available at any hardware store.

Of course, just to make things confusing, at my hardware store, "black pipe" is measured by the inner diameter. I found that this type of pipe has an outer diameter of about .84 inches. This is really close to the outer diameter of a 7/8" bicycle handle bars (.875 inches). So, I saved quite a bit of money using plain black pipe rather than using an expensive polished chromed bar that my bicycle shop was offering.

The handlebar clamp is a short-neck type that sticks down a 7/8" (inside diameter) pipe that came with the kit. The clamp was a surplus item on sale at my local bicycle shop. I've been told that straight style handlebar clamps in that style are falling out of fashion so getting another one may be a bit of a search. The controls are arranged such that there should be just enough room for the wiring harness, brake lines and handle bar grips while still hopefully being ergonomic. Since the pipe was a pinch too small in diameter, a few wraps of electric tape on the pipe were used to increase the diameter slightly for the turn signal controls and thumb throttle. The other items had various types of screws that allowed them to be tightly secured to the bar.

In the image of the controls, the lower loop is just three wires that go from the thumb throttle to the DC speed controller. Although there is a male connector on the end, a female end was not provided so the wires will be connected to the speed controller differently. The middle wire bundle is for the turn signal / lights /horn control on the right. It comes with a female 9-pin connector which plugs into the male end of a wiring harness (provided in the BlueSky kit). The upper wire bundle is for the speedometer/odometer unit. The wires with black connectors are for the sensors (provided with the speedometer kit). Other wires are for turn signal indicators, fuel level, neutral status switch, brake, hi-beam and other optional status signals the meter can display.

This is a photo of the motorcycle harness for the controls that came with the kit. For my first attempt at wiring, I tried modifying the harness in the kit rather than building one from scratch. Some wires need to be lengthened to reach where they need to go. Others will be attached to a second chassis molex connector that will allow me to easily attach/detach the controls from the main chassis. Being able to attach/detach is more for ease of assembly than for maintenance. However, if I should need to take off the whole canopy for a maintenance operation or for transporting, it will be nice to have less steps to deal with.

ADDING CHASSIS CONNECTOR TO MAIN WIRE HARNESS
This wiring harness will connect the canopy to the rest of the BugE. It provides 12V from the rear mounted DC-DC converter and 48V for the battery meter. It also passes back a pair of wires for the horn which will be mounted on the chassis on the side of the battery pan.

The instructions do not cover how to connect the speedometer. Since there is such a variety of units, this lack of guidance is understandable. For example, my speedometer has several status lights on it that probably would not be on a simple unit. Normally, such a unit would go on the dashboard since it's much easier to tap into the wire harness there. Since I was undecided on final ergonomics & features, I decided to put the meter on the handlebar assembly. However, there is a significant cost to this decision that I did no realize at the time. Since the canopy lifted up, I figured that a wiring harness would be nice to extend the length of the speedometer wires and allow the handlebars to be detached should the BugE need servicing. These steps could have been avoided if I mounted the meter on the cowl and tapped into the wire harness from there.

PREPARE THE SPEEDOMETER WIRE BUNDLE
Parts required:
-male,female connectors
-40ft coil of 18 gauge wire
-2ft wire wrap
-European style bus bar

To the right is an image of my temporary stand-up soldering station. The handlebar is held on the shelf with "C" clamps so it doesn't fall. A bright light is on the left so parts and colors of wires can be seen easier. The wire diagram for both male and female connectors is on the wall. A "helping hands" device is also held to the shelf with a "C" clamp. Shown just under the wires is the plastic housing and pins that will form the female connector. Perhaps the most important item in my opinion is the wall mount fan that sucks out rosin core fumes to the outside. Originally, it was put there to suck out sawdust from a saw that used to be there. It didn't work very well for the saw, but such a fan works beautifully for a soldering station!

Here is the wiring diagram of the 12 pin connector used with the speedometer wire bundle. Deciding what pins go where was arbitrary. Each wire was 30". The excess wire is coiled up on the wiring shelf in case it's needed later. I wired all wires including ones I'm not using such as oil pressure or water temperature just in case. They might be handy for something else later. for example, I wired up the tail light to the "hazard" indicator so I can tell the stop lamp is energized when I'm braking.

After the female end is assembled, it is time for the male end.
For the male end, I decided to go to a European style bus-bar simply to keep track of what wires go to which pin. Wires are being kept long (30" ea) so mounting options remain flexible. Pin1 is marked on the European connector with marker. The speedometer kit came with some crimp on connectors so tapping into the main harness will be done that way for now.

WIRING & INSTRUMENT SHELF
-8-32 screws & nuts
-drill (for mounting holes in shelf)
-"L" brackets to mount 48V charge meter & fan switch*
*fan switch was recycled from switch that came with the headlights. 48V meter is provided in EVparts BugE electric kit.

Since I'm reluctant to poke holes in the dashboard at this point, I've made a small shelf using some bent "L" brackets and a short section of aluminum to hold the fan switch, charge meter & wiring bundle. The forward "L" bracket is from the bolt that holds on the headlight. The rear "L" bracket is from the mirror. The mirror "L" brackets will now be used to hold up a strip of aluminum I'll be using for a temporary shelf. Eventually, when I decide on accessories, I may finally drill holes in the dashboard to give a finished look. Originally, I was going to use all four "L" brackets to hold up a shelf for wiring & chargers. However, this is no longer needed since the charger and DC-DC converter will now be mounted in the tail.

After the first shakedown cruise, I'll be adjusting placement of these components. For example, the speedometer may move to the dashboard. The analog 48V charge meter will eventually be replaced with something digital and the rocker switch for the fan will be mounted to the dashboard rather than remain on the shelf. Finally, the wiring assembly will be removed from being zip tied to the temporary bar and hidden under the dashboard using screws & zip ties (perhaps such zip ties could hang on the rear of future panel mounted instrument bolts) .

DC-DC CONVERTER
For 12V power, I decided not to use the smaller DC-DC converter from EVparts, Item #DC2415. This component came as an item from the "Deluxe BugE kit" offered by EvParts. Normally, it is sold separately for $35. Since it's non-isolated, there is a potential to fail closed & send 48V through the 12V section. This problem could probably be solved by adding a small 12V battery and a fuse so a 48V surge could be absorbed by the battery in time for a fuse to blow should a failure occur. However, I didn't want to deal with having another 12V battery to manage.

Fortunately, Dan Bushee who is another BugE builder, suggested a 25 amp Sevcon DC to DC Converter from EVparts for $225 Item #DC2430. My hope is that this electronic box will provide reliable 12V power and at the same time negating the need for having a separate small 12V battery. However, there is a problem with this unit. It's large. So, the only place I found for it that made sense was in the rear shock-hump shelf. Mounting it was done by making an "L" bracket mount with some then drilling 4 holes and attaching to the shelf with (6) 1/4-20 x 3/4" screws & nuts

Originally, I was also going to install two 48V-4A chargers in parallel, mounted in the tail to charge the battery pack (since that's what ca

me with the EVparts kit). However, a friend of mine, Jeff Ekross, pointed out a problem with this idea. Unless the chargers have some communication between them (which mine don't), one charger would tend to work really hard and the other w

ill not since it will not overcome the electrical pressure provided by the first charger. So, while using two chargers might be desirable from a reliability in case one fails, it would not decrease charging time much. So, I really only need one charger.

So, the problem seemed to be: Where do I mount one of these? The original locations for the chargers are being used by the reversing switch and the DC-DC converter. So, the solution I came up with is to not mount a charger in the bugE at all! Rather, I will be using a

DC CHARGING PORT off the side of the BugE. If I decide I want to carry a grid charger with me, I can just stow one in the cargo area.

This not only solves the space problem but has other benefits as well. One benefit is that I can now see the charge indicator light on the charger to show at a glance that my BugE is ready to go. Another benefit is that I can quickly switch between grid power and solar power just by plugging into the connector. The connectors I've ordered are available at: http://www.electricscooterparts.com/wireconnectors.html.

REAR BLINKERS
Mounting the rear blinkers was rather easy. Draw pencil lines parallel to the rear headrest area & intersect with 2" vertical line from lip. Then, drill with smaller drill bit & work up to width of blinker bolt. If the blinker isn't facing the rear enough, a Dremil could be used to modify the plastic seating to angle the blinker. Once the hole is there, push the wires and mounting bolt through, then secure with the provided nut.

REAR TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY
At first, it looked like this would be an easy job. I had the tail light, brackets & all the nuts. However, since all the holes in the little stack of brackets I'm using are just a hair short of accepting a 1/4" bolt, I needed to whip out a drill, bit, vise and oil to expand the holes slightly. Then I felt that one end of each 6" bracket was too long so I trimmed with a grinder. Cut off parts are shown in the photo. However, I later found trimming the tail light bracket was not a necessary step. Also, two wires go out from the lamp socket. A crimp-on spade connector needs to be added to the wiring harness to attach to the body of the lamp for a ground.

Time tasks (to nearest quarter hour)

Prepare the speedometer connector (molex on end of speedometer box) - 1 hour

Prepare speedometer tap wires (molex on end of blue wire bundle) - 1 hour
Install wiring shelf - size strap stock, attach to "L" brackets, drill some mounting holes for 48V meter, fan switch & places for securing wiring via zip ties - 1 hours.
Bend "L" bracket, drill holes for DC-DC charger & mount - 30 min.
Drill rear blinker mount holes & install blinker units - 15 minutes.
Rear tail light - Make lamp assembly (but not install), should take 15 minutes if properly sized "L" brackets are available. For me, this task took much longer since I needed to drill out screw holes & shortened bracket.
Research, pondering & blogging about it - around 17 hours, non continuous.

KIT PARTS INVOLVED
(1) DC-DC 48 to 12V converter (EVparts kit - not used)
(1) turn signal control EVparts kit
(1) thumb throttle control - EVparts kit
(2) brake handles BlueSky electric & control kit
(1) tail light from BlueSky electric & control kit
(1) 48V external charger from EVParts kit. Second charger not used.
(1) Speedometer & handlebar clamp included in the speedometer kit

Parts used not included in either BugE kit, EVparts kit or speedometer kit:

Bicycle handlebar clamp
Black pipe for handlebar
(2) mountain bike handlebar grips
Aluminum stock for wiring shelf / "L" brackets / 8-32 screws & nuts.
Fan switch (recycled from the headlight kit) & 8-32 screws & nuts.
Sevcon DC-DC charger
Scrap metal for "L" bracket for DC-DC converter & (6) 1/4-20x3/4 bolts & nylock nuts
(4) 12pin molex style connectors from Radio Shack (2male & 2female)
European bus bar (not essential, but it was handy for keeping track of wires)
3-pin DC charging port & connectors
solder / heat-shrink tube / matches / electric tape / medium zipties
(8) Small "L" brackets for headlights/mirror/tail light assembly
(2) Large 6" - "L" brackets for tail light
(8) 1/4-20x3/4 hexbolt & nuts to secure 6" bracket to back of BugE.

The speedometer.

2008-10-22T20:41:00.012-04:00

Now, it's time to discuss the instrument console. Due to automotive regulations, every motorcycle needs a back lit speedometer. I wanted a complete speedometer meter kit which included a pickup mechanism. Although there were several analog meter kits I could have used, I thought a digital look would be best for the BugE.

So, browsing the web, I found a complete meter kit at dynotunenitrus.com. It included the meter and also the pickup mechanism. Originally, I ordered the simple XR-SA meter on the left that had a speedometer, odometer & some bonus indicator lights. It was simple and probably would have done the job just fine. For a battery volt meter, I figured I would use the analog meter for now and then switch to a nicer looking bar graph unit at a later time.

When my meter arrived, for whatever reason, I got the nicer rx-srn meter shipped to me instead of the lower cost meter! It's a really nice looking meter. However, it has an extra feature I didn't need - a fuel gauge on the left side of the display!

It seemed too bad to install a retro looking charge meter from EV parts when I now had such a fine looking bar graph included in the digital unit. Surely, I thought, there must be a way of calibrating that slick looking gasoline bar graph so it would show battery charge instead. Unfortunately, such meters work in totally different ways so I would need a conversion circuit.

So, basically, I need to build or find a circuit that can convert a voltage range from a low charge state of say 45v* to a high charge state of 49V* to be a current flow which would mimic a sender unit current flow for the E-F gauge. This is a tricky circuit for me so I've decided to stick with a temporarily mounted analog gauge for now. Later, when the BugE is on the road, I'll be returning to this feature.
(*Voltage levels may be different)

Other than the unused fuel gauge, it is overall a fine looking speedometer kit. It has wires to allow connection to indicator lights such as brake, hi-beam & turn signals too. It comes complete with a magnetic pickup and even little button magnets to put in the wheels! The meter is programmable and the instructions show show how to set the meter for non-standard wheel sizes if needed. It also comes with a mounting arrangement that allows handlebar or dashboard mounting. (I'll be trying the handlebar mount first)

The speedometer also has some indicator lights can monitor what the real lights should be doing. I'll be using a multi-pin Molex connector on the wire bundle so the speedometer wiring can be quickly detached from the cowl wiring should the cowl need to be removed from the chassis for servicing.

Mirrors, headlights & front storage area door.

2008-10-13T20:47:00.017-04:00

Since the cowl is not mounted to the bug yet, this is a good time to do some little things that will be harder to do once it is mounted to the pivot tube.

The biggest cosmetic change to the 12v system of the BugE is the addition of lighted mirrors. I found some really nice looking EuroSport side mirrors from AutoAnyting.com for arund $18 ea. This model is adjustable so it can be used on either the right or left side. In the photos I've seen on other BugE cars, the mirrors appear to be placed parallel to the lip of the cowl and line up about where the console begins. Since these mirrors are lighted, they have been placed forward about an inch so power wires can pass from them.

As you can see, the mirrors came with spare bulbs and some sheet metal screws. However, I've decided to use some small machine screws instead so the fiber glass is not stressed out as much. When I need to replace the bulbs, this photo reminder will hopefully remind me to press in the two catches on the right side rather than trying to pry off the front. Since the mirrors look so much like they are integrated into the bug, I'm going to try to use the lighted mirrors as primary turn signals. If the lights don't seem bright enough or they don't pass inspection, then I'll be using the small Targa lights that came with the BlueSky kit in the front too.

POST CONSTRUCTION OBSERVATION: February 14, 2009 - Found the Eurosport mirror turn indicators LOOK nice from the front. However, the mirrors need to be angled up since the body mount point is too low. Even when this is done, visibility is rather restrictive. I have replaced the Eurosport mirrors with Izuzu pickup truck mirrors. I also installed a separate DOT approved turn signal pair since the new mirrors do not have turn signal lamps built into them.

Now, it's time to attach the storage door to the body. Originally, I bought some cabinet hinges to do that. However, I could not make them work for me. So, rather than making a special trip to the hardware store just for a pair of hinges, I decided to make my own offset hinge assembly.

Upper-Left shows the materials. Some washers that fit #8 screws, (4) 8-32 - 1/2" screws (note: 8-32 1/2" screws should be flat head white 8-32 screws but I used zinc round head because that's what I had on hand at the moment), (8) 8-32 nuts, (2) two inch gate hinges, some counter edging (used about 8" of it) and some stubby flat-head self-tapping screws with big threads.

Top-Middle The next step was making some notches in the BugE door lip. For marking, I used a hinge as a guide, a pencil to mark and a dremil for cutting.

Top-Left Using a Dremil, I removed about an 1/8" of material from one end of the door so it could go over the hinges when opened.

Middle-Left Where to put the holes? Door holes were based on holes in the hinges. Image shows screws drilled through cover and attached with nuts inside. The inside nuts not only secure the screws, but also serve as spacers.

Middle-Middle Image shows hinges being put on. Note, spacer nuts are left on.

Middle-right Image shows securing nuts attached to top of hinge.

Lower-left Fiberglass material is removed using a dremil in the approximate size and the thickness of each hinge.

Lower-middle An 8" piece of counter edging is attached to the hinges with some stubby flat head self-tapping screws. The screw heads mount to the edging such that no screw head is visible.

Lower-right The door is temporally taped shut to the body with masking tape. Then, from inside, the hinge assembly is attached to the door frame. Note, on the Dremil bit, there is a small home made brass collar on it. This is to prevent the drill from going too far and boring out through the walls of the BugE! After holes are drilled, more stubby screws come to the rescue to secure the assembly to the frame of the door. However, the stubby screws are slightly longer than the BugE wall is thick. So, some washers are used as spacers so they don't need to be fully screwed in. (see circled yellow areas)

While inside the storage area drilling holes, I also marked the location of where the door catch mechanism should go. Once I finished mounting the hinge, I opened the door, drilled a small starter hole from inside to out. Then drilled a hole using a 1" hole saw from outside to in. Then added the included tang and the door is done!

The end result?

Nice. (Well, at least I think so)

Parts used (see materials list above)
Tools - Drill (with drill bit kit), 1" hole saw, Dremil (with cutting bit & drill bit) , Shop light, respirator (for fine fiberglass particles), safety glasses, screw driver, adjustable wrench, pencil, marker, metal ruler, wood vice.
Time used - about 8 hours working casually, 4 hours blogging about it.

Lots of assembly time (maybe too much) is spent thinking about how best to record what I'm doing in digital format. Straight assembly should go much faster - especially if the correct parts are used. I'm sure next time I go to the hardware store, I'll see some cabinet hinges that would have been PERFECT to use instead of doing it the roundabout way I just did! Hey, but that's what this project is about. LEARNING!

To do (related tasks):

Hot-glue some new weatherstrip around the door since I wrecked the stripping that was originally on the door.
Replace the shiny roundhead screws visible on the outside of the door with white flathead countersunk screws.

Wiring the 48V motor.

2008-10-01T20:27:00.029-04:00

Since adding a reversing switch is a common option, BlueSky provided some supplemental instructions to do this. To mount the reversing switch properly, the instructions recommended jumping ahead to mount the rear fender, seat and battery tray so the switch could pass through the rear fender properly. Now that those steps are done, it's time to go back to the 48V wiring step. The way I would have liked to assemble would have been to purchase pre-made wires and just install them as per the user manual. However, since no wire kits specific to the BugE were available at that time, it's time to do it the hard expensive way.

For the 48V wires, I decided to construct my own battery cables out of a coil of #4 wire. The cables are stranded so they bend very easily. For cutting the wire, bolt cutters work nice. For stripping, I use a razor knife. For putting on ends, I use a hammer crimper that crimps by being hot with a sledge hammer or in my case an axe. Then I wrapped the ends of the wire in electric tape, put some plastic split tubing on it to protect it, then bolted them. Just to make things difficult, two lug sizes need to be used depending on where the cables attach.

The reversing handle, speed controller and DC-DC converter are shown mounted to a cutting board using "L" brackets, ready to mount to the frame with the two bolts on either side of the speed controller. Using a cutting board not only saves time painting but it's corrosion proof too! You will notice that this DC-DC controller is an upgrade from the recommended one. This converter has a higher capacity than the basic one and is also isolated. This means it will be no problem to install a radio or some other high-power 12V accessory. Being isolated, it's much less likely to send a 48V surge through the 12V system should it fail.

Here is an image of the 48V wiring so far with the speed controller assembly lifted into place. Due to tight space, I found the lugs from the speed controller should be attached at right angles, then run under the reversing switch to come up where the battery tray is. To do this required using a Dremil tool to cut out a bit of battery tray although I also could have done so from the switch support instead. (see small square cut out on battery tray - to the left of the switch). To attach the lugs to the copper terminals on the controller and contactor, I use stainless steel nuts which I hope will resist corrosion better than the typical nut.

The wiring is also modified slightly from the plans. Two 48V wires needed to meet at a terminal in the contactor hump. However space was very tight there. So I moved the connection point for the two wires from the contactor lug bolt up the wire to the switch lug bolt. Electrically, nothing significant has changed. However, it's much easier to wire! Clicking on the image will show a larger version of the wiring diagram to show where I modified the wiring.

According to plans, the only thing holding on the motor cover is a strip of Velcro running down the trailing arm. I have found that's not sufficient since it's possible to go over a bump and lose the motor cover. So, I would recommend supplementing the velcro with a bolt as well. Just be VERY careful when drilling bolt holes for the cover. The motor has magnets in it so it's possible metal filings could be attracted to the inside of the motor causing BIG problems.

So, if the motor is already installed, before drilling, wrap the motor in plastic to prevent any metal drill filings from being drawn into the motor vents!

Tools used:
Razor knife
Dremil with cutting wheel
Adjustable wrench(s)
vice/hammer for making bolts

Bolt cutter

crimp tool

axe or large hammer (for crimp tool)

Parts used:
Wire Lugs 3/8 and 5/16 size for #4 wire $50 + shipping - ebay.
Electrical tape (3M brand)
Several lengths of #4 wire from wire spool (spool was $89+shipping)
(12) 5/16-18 Stainless steel nuts for contactor, reverse switch & custom controller bolts.
Around 6 inches of brass all thread to make bolts (since I forgot to pick up some at the hardware store)

Labor:

Around 3 hours.

Installing an inexpensive seat slider.

2008-09-29T18:57:00.019-04:00

Since I've never driven a BugE, I don't really know what seat position would be the best. So, I decided to put in some inexpensive seat sliders in case my guess was off a few inches. By doing so, I also have made the BugE easier to service since the seat can be completely removed from the sliders. The locking sliders I used were from Northern Tool for a bargain price of $14 plus $8 in shipping. The seat sliders do not come with hardware. However, I found it was easy to create the hardware. If the sliders are mounted directly to the fender, there are some barriers to seat sliding happiness. In the rear, the knob that secures the fender to the fender hump prevents the seat from going back very far. In the front, there is a "glove box" hump that prevents the seat from sliding forward for taking the seat off during maintenance. So, the sliders and seat are raised slightly to clear these barriers.

Main part used:
Northern Tool seat sliders, A & I Slide Track for Model# ST100 - part# 11995
Note: Although these instructions are rather detailed, you may want to use another model of seat slider. I've noticed that Northern Tool has stopped offering the seats these sliders attached to. So these sliders may not be available for too much longer.

Pieces needed for mounting bottom rails to fender.
4- 1/4-20 x 1" hex bolts
4- flat head caps (included in kit) that were on the bolts which now hold the battery tray on.
4- 1/4-20 nylock nuts
8-aluminum washers 1/4"i.d. , 1"o.d. (o.d. can be more - aluminum is used since it doesn't rust)
a short length of aluminum pipe, at least 6" long with a diameter of 1/2" and a wall thickness of 1/16.

Pieces needed for mounting upper rails to seat.
4- 1/4-20 x 3/4" hex bolts
8-32 screw, nut & washer (if not included on handle in rail kit)
4- 1/4-20 nylock nuts
8- 5/16" washers (used for spacers between rail and seat)

Tools needed.
Socket or adjustable wrench (for driving hex bolts)
Flat head screw driver, medium size
Drill with 1/4" bit
pipe cutter for copper pipe
Vise
Reaming tool (or rat tail file & pliers)
Hex key (for flat head caps)

First, put sliders on the BugE fender & drill 1/4" mounting holes as if you were to mount them directly to the fiberglass. I put the rear holes lined up with the rear knob and front holes 9" further front. This was my best guess to where my seat would normally be. Of course, where you decide to drill holes is up to you. Just make sure rails remain parallel with each other.

To make the mounting hardware, I recycled some unused parts that were included in the kit. The black hex cap in the middle should look familiar. It's one of the four flat-head caps left over when the battery tray was installed. So these flat caps have found a new use. These caps can accept a 1/4-20 thread. Each of the 4 mounts consists of a flat cap, a (1/4-20) 1" hex bolt, two washers and some aluminum spacers that are cut from some stock aluminum. This arrangement will lift the sliders up and also give the clearance needed for the sliders to move properly by each other (inside the sliders, the tolerances are really tight). In the lower right yellow box, the new mount is shown assembled. The key to the slider mount idea is using an aluminum pipe to construct spacer parts. Aluminum needs to be used since the metal needs to be soft enough to cut yet strong enough to support the sliders & chair. On the upper right of the photo, one of these is shown installed on the rail.

To construct the aluminum spacers, use a pipe cutter for copper pipe. Cut from the pipe, 4 spacers 5/8" long and 4 spacer rings 3/16" long. Since the pipe may decrease slightly in size, the larger spacers may need to be reamed or filed so the flat head caps can slide through (see photo on right). The smaller spacers can be made by putting a flathead cap in the pipe as the ring is cut so the rings don't collapse. This saves a step since there is no need to file the rings to fit!

After the spacers are made, for each hole, take the bolt, put a washer or two on it to take up some length, then push bolt up through the hole. Then put on another washer, then put the large aluminum spacer on, put the rail on spacer, then cap off with the flathead nut (with smaller ring installed on it). Then tighten with an Allen wrench. You now should have some pretty nice looking lower sliders!

Then, mount the upper sliders to the seat based on measurements from the installed lower sliders. Careful not to get the sliders backwards! Note the position of the teeth in the lower sliders and handle on the upper ones. Loosely install the top rails to the seat with bolts, washers & nylock nuts. Then wiggle on seat to the mounted rails. If movement is stickey, add a small amount of oil. Once everything fits, jam each nylock nut with a screwdriver & tighten each bolt from the top of the seat. Then install supplemental padding in the seat if you want some & put on the seat cover which is included in the kit. The seat should now freely move back and forth & can be easily removed when servicing is needed.

Done!

The rear fender and battery pan

2008-09-02T21:23:00.011-04:00

Here, the BugE frame sits right side up on saw horses. The BugE was shipped with some cushion material that was just right for stapling to the wooden sawhorses so the paint doesn't get ruined when the BugE is on them. Here, you see the grey material stapled to the sawhorses. The BugE has the rear sawhorse supporting the back and the front saw horse supporting the front. Moving the front sawhorse to this angle allows clearance so the battery tray can be dropped in to have a fender pan fitted to it. The rear wheel has been installed and the chain fitted to the motor. The car is getting a bit heavy but I can still lift he frame onto the sawhorses one side at a time. It will soon be time to move the BugE to lower jack stands to work on it further. For now, it's nice and high so it can be easily worked on.

Here are some images that show how the battery tray and rear fender were attached to each other.

First, some aluminum piano hinge was fitted to the front of the fender of the BugE using 8-32 screws. I decided to use those screws rather than rivets in case the top needs to be removed at a future time. The holes were drilled, then screws & nuts installed to make sure the hinge fit well & was centered. Then the orientation of the hinge was marked with a magic marker & taken off. Then, the other side of the hinge was mounted to the battery tray, centered, then screws were installed.

Then, an assistant held up the rear of the fender so the hinge could be re-attached to the rear fender using the screws and nuts that were fitted earlier. To the right, the image shows the attached rear fender held up by a garage rafter as it's being worked on. Next to the rear bumper-shock hump, a single 48V charger has been mounted with zip ties. However, this charger may move to the front with another parallel 48V unit if charging time is found to be too long.

Back to the rear bumper-shock hump. A reversing switch has been placed on the left. To get the switch to stand on it's side, some inexpensive "L" brackets were added. The brackets will eventually attach to the white support board using 4 - (1/4-20) - 3/4" bolts. The rectangular metal shaft on the left is for the reversing knob that will stick through a side hole in the fender. Since we now have a fender attached via hinge, we can lower it to take some measurements, then drill the hole.

There are several ways to measure where the hole for the switch control should pass through. At this point, the switch is not attached to the board. That way, if the horizontal measurement is slightly off, I can move the switch to meet it. However, the vertical measurement is critical. It was found by measuring the distance from the shaft to the bottom of the board plus the distance from the bottom of the board to the lip of the fender when it's lowered. The side hole can then be marked, then drilled using a hole saw. The photo on the right shows that the the fender was still rather close to the motor cover when it was put down so additional body material was removed using the Dremel. Note, you may want to secure the battery tray first and fit the rear fender knob to the rear shock hump BEFORE drilling this hole for the reversing switch.

In the image to the left, the fender is lifted off of the battery tray so a small square can be cut out where the emergency brake assembly can be attached. The large white thing is the fender in the UP position. On the right is a closeup of the cut out area which shows where the emergency brake will attach to the side of the car's frame. Here, we see the fender lowered over the battery tray. The parts all fit together nicely so the battery tray can now be attached to the frame using the flathead bolts provided in the kit.

The rear fender is off in this photo and the battery tray is clamped down to the frame. Drill material was left in the photo so the flat head bolt locations can be seen more clearly. Holes have been drilled down from the top of the tray to the frame. Then the exit holes were marked, then drilled up from the bottom. The flathead bolts go through the frame and are secured on the other side with 1/4-20 nylock nuts.

The front of the fender is normally secured by the hinge. The rear of the fender will be secured by a knob in the rear that screws into the threaded hole in the shock-hump. Then, some neoprene (provided with the kit) will be placed onto the shock hump so the fender can rest on it. The neoprene is attached with hot glue.

Pieces needed for fender knob.
1-Ace Lawn mower replacement knob
1- 1/4-20 x 1 1/2" hex bolt
1- 1/4-20 nylock nut

If you can find a low profile knob with a 1/4-20 thread, you can avoid this last step. Otherwise, here's how you can make a knob. The ACE lawnmower knob is female. We're going to make it male. Use a Dremil or hacksaw to to cut the nut that came with the knob out from bottom. Doing this should make a 3/8" nut fall out. Then, install a (1/4-20) 1 1/2" hex bolt and tighten to knob with a nylock nut.

Time used
Attach and install the battery tray & fender- 1 hour.
Add brackets to rear switch, then fit switch to fender - 1 hour.
Cut out fiberglass to allow for battery mount points - 1/2 hour.
Blogging about it 4 hours.

Parts substituted.
8-32 screws, nuts & lock washers instead of rivets.

Mounting the electronics & rear wheel

2008-08-17T11:06:00.003-04:00

Each kit is a bit different so expect some cutting and fitting. Also, I found that the order of assembly for my kit was somewhat different than what was specified in the kit. So I've found that it's wise to always be able to undo what has been done in case it needs to be taken apart again. Such was the case with installing some of the electronics. What I've written down so far is the way I would have put the kit together had I known then what I know now!

But first, it's time for more painting. I've taped newspapers all over the BugE so I can now paint the inside of the upper body (don't forget to block the fan so paint doesn't spray up) I'm painting the inside of the cargo area white (so my future cargo is easier to see) and a neutral gray for the rest of the inside. In the photo, it's about half way primed. Originally, I was going to paint the inside with stone paint I had left from another project. However, the paint didn't look too good on a test piece of plastic and I also noticed that it was not good for outside use anyway. So I decided to just stay with the gray. I figure if I don't like it later, I can always go the spray-glue & fabric route. I used spray paint for this step but I would not recommend it. It's very messy, expensive (especially since I went through an expensive disposable respirator) and somewhat dangerous since I was painting in the confined area in front. If I was to do it again, I would just use paint from a can and dab it on with a sponge brush. I decided to leave the front door on since I think the white paint in the middle, leaving red fiberglass trim on the outside may look nice for the inside of the door.

I also painted the bottom of the battery tray black. It's quick and boring so it didn't rate a photo.

Enough painting! Now go back to the frame on the sawhorses and turn it over so it's right side up. The tail for the rear wheel now droops down and the front tires are still off the ground. I recommend mounting the electronics first, then installing the motor and rear wheel after that is done. As you see by this photo, the contactor mounted under the rear bumper-shock hump is a really tight fit. If the motor and tire were installed, I could not even position my arm there or drill the mounting holes! Also, once the contactor is installed, it is very hard to tighten the nuts on top to secure the smaller wires because of the confining space.

So, it's much easier to pre-wire the contactor, put ends on them, then label the wires to show where they will eventually be connected. For reliability, all wire connectors have been soldered rather than crimped on. I don't want to take all this apart again due to a lose connection! Also, in the center, is a diode which has been wrapped in electric tape so it doesn't short against anything else. The lengths of wire are specified in the instruction manual and the circuit diagrams are excellent! Note, the big rectangular brown thing is a resister. I used one which has the same resistance but has a larger power capacity since that was what was available from my supplier. On the lower right of the left photo is the battery cut off switch with a removable red handle that serves as a primitive "key" for the BugE. On the right photo is the contactor once it has been installed, ready to accept two thick cables on the two large terminals.

Seen in the front of the right photo are the two bolts that would have been impossible to drill had a tire been installed. Also, if the motor was installed, it would have been impossible to wedge the contactor into it's mounting space. The contactor was mounted using 2 - 1/4-20 x 1 1/2" bolts & nylock nuts and the left mounting hole was drilled using an angle drill adapter (since the drill I had was too fat). If you're wondering about the Velcro, that's for the motor cover and mud flap (other parts I would install later since they need to be taken off to do these next steps)

Here, you can see the speed controller which is mounted to a piece of white plastic under the front hump of the bumper-shock assembly. Use a jig saw or table saw to cut a board 7"x12" piece of 1/4" plastic or finished plywood. (I used an old plastic cutting board cut to size so I wouldn't need to paint it). Mount the controller to the board using 4 - 1/4-20 x 3/4" bolts with the controller's row of spade connectors facing the rear of the vehicle. On my kit, the space was really tight for the controller so I used a grinder to grind off one side of the hex head bolts so the whole unit would fit inside the frame area.

The board forms two shelves. On the BugE models with the reversing motor, the near side would hold the reversing switch and the far side was supposed to hold two 48V chargers (more on this below). The frame is resting on some seats of some old chair cushions. I used these since I noticed using saw horses with no cushioning was destroying the paint every time the frame was set down on them.

There is another issue that I think is specific only to my kit. I had no tab for attaching the hose clamp for a rear motor mount. I expect this was due to the welder forgetting to weld on the tab. I wasn't sure how critical this was to the design so I decided to construct a bracket and hose clamp arrangement to mimic the function of the missing tab. The hose clamp I used is a 5" to 6 1/2" size attached to a bracket of scrap metal and two bolts. A consequence of this is that the motor cover will now need to pass a bolt (probably using a hole and rubber grommet). However, there is a good side to this. The motor cover, secured in this way, is much less likely to fall off!

Now, it's time to put on the wheel, motor and rear mud flap. The manual covers this rather well so I won't bore you with the details. However, I did take this pretty picture of some parts. The MT-2109 motor from EV parts includes the sprocket, key & motor mount bolts. It fit the motor mount perfectly. The motor isn't too heavy but watch your back anyway. The red box is the drive chain that is included in the Bluesky light & control kit. The other flat bolts were also from the main kit and will be used to securely mount the battery tray to the frame.

POST CONSTRUCTION NOTE:
In the instructions, the motor cover is supposed to be held on to the swing-arm only by Velcro strips. While Velcro alone may work for a few weeks, eventually, the motor cover will vibrate off. In my case, when I hit a pothole. So, my motor cover now has an additional bolt & nylock nut that passes through the top of the motor cover and the rear wheel swing-arm. Since doing this modification, I've had no problems with the motor cover being lost.

My kit came with the large gear already on the rear wheel. Pictured is the rear wheel assembly. Just like the front wheels, the rear wheels have drum brakes too. The axle is also included. When putting on the wheel, just be careful that the brake slot fits with the tab on the frame. When putting on the wheel, it sometimes wants to slip out until the bolts are tightened down.

Now that the rear wheel is on, you need to connect it to the motor gear. To make the chain the proper size for doing this, it's just like how you would do it on a bicycle. Just use a block of wood and a hammer to force the rear wheel in on the frame. Then put on the chain & mark the link which would give the desired loop length. Grind off one side of that link so the chain is shorter. Then put in the provided master link so you have a loop. Then, use a block of wood and a hammer to force the rear tire out so the chain has some tension on it. I'm not sure how much chain tension is good nor the torque values on any bolts so I've been going on "feel". Providing torque values on critical parts such as the rear bolt would be a nice addition to the kit instructions.

The motor cover and mud flap should be mounted last since they need to be removed to provide access to other parts if mounted earlier. When installing the mud flap and motor cover, I found I had to trim both to fit properly. However, they were both very easy to modify using a Dremil cutting wheel. Then I put on Self adhesive Velcro in various spots to hold these parts to the frame. Later, I resorted to an 8-32 bolt and a bent coat-hanger to hold the plastic piece against the motor wall. This solution is not too elegant, but it is effective.

Since I'm doing the reversing motor option, the supplemental instructions show an image of two chargers stacked on top of each other instead of on either side as would be the case for the forward only motor plan. However, there is a problem with the instructions. I found the units included in the deluxe EVparts BugE kit were much larger than the ones pictured in the manual! So, I'm resorting to using a 48V external charging port instead and the shelf will now be used for mounting a DC-DC converter.

That's all for now.

Frame, suspension and steering.

2008-08-13T08:58:00.005-04:00

While the cowl paint is drying, other things can be done.

First, the shock is installed on the frame. The default shock strength is set to a reasonable setting straight out of the box. No need to buy the bolts and nuts as they are included. The bolt holes were just a pinch too small so I had to use a rat-tail file to make the holes just a bit bigger. Note, the photo was taken with the old paint job. It was at this stage when I found the first hint that the old paint job might need to be stripped off. When I started adding on other parts, the paint started chipping and it was clear I had to redo the paint job. However, when the new paint was applied, the parts went on the same way.

The rear swing arm assembly was reassembled as it was when it was shipped. Since some bolt threads were slightly damaged when I pounded it out for painting, I had to repair it. A jewelers file was good for doing this. Otherwise, the swing arm assembly went together just as it came apart. I added a pair of 12mm washers to the outside swing arm bolt assembly so the paint job is protected a bit more than it is in this photo. The swing arm and bumper bolts stick out but are harmless to leave in that state.

The frame was then turned upside down. The brass bushings for the steering spindle were gently tapped in with a hammer and then attached to the front of the frame. The tie rods and the stabilizer rod (below the tie rod) were then installed. On steering arm, some 5/16 washers were added as spacers to allow free movement of the tie rods.

Put the front wheels on the steering spindles
The kit wheels and brakes parts are made by Tomas, one of the largest moped manufacturers in the world. The wheels come as a unit which includes a drum brake setup for each wheel and an integrated wheel bearing. The rear wheel also has a custom sprocket attached for the chain drive. Replacement wheels used to be available at http://www.tomasusa.com/. However, TOMAS A35 5-spoke mag wheels are still available HERE (both front, back and used ones). Replacement brake pads take an EBC-525 shoe. Another part number that would work would be a H302 which fits a Honda sports bike. The tires are moped tires that measure 2.50" - 16". The first measurement is the height off the rim. The second measurement is the rim diameter. Another acceptable tire is NR21 300-16 UNIV REAR STD from http://motorcycleproshop.com/ .

When putting on the front wheels, a tire adjustment will be needed. This is because a three wheeled car, using two wheeler parts, will have one wheel tread “backward”. (the “arrow” on the side of the tire will be going the wrong way & tread will be backwards). Although it is possible for a person to change this with hand tools, having it done at a motorcycle shop is much easier since they have a special machine made just for that. However it is done, the tread needs to be reversed, then the tire re-inflated to 35 PSI.

Another issue is that the wheels are secured to a bare axle with a castle nut (and cotter pin). I noticed that the hole for the cotter pin on my kit was rather far down the bolt on the steering spindle. So, the eventual solution is to drill another hole closer for a cotter pin. However, the spacer method using washers is used for now so a wider wheel can be easily tried later. The last photo shows this temporary modification of the wheel hub using washers as spacers. As for play, the tightness of the bolt is 1/6 rotation less than snug. (so wheels freely rotate w/o much wobble)

Once the tires are in place, it's time to adjust the tie rods. The recommendation is to have toe-in of about 1/2" so the tie rods don't bend. (that is, the front of the tires are 1/2" closer than the rear of the tires. After this is done, it will be time to mount the rear wheel and motor.

If you are wondering how long this is all taking, I've itemized it below. However, time estimates for this project will vary dramatically from one individual to another. Three things extend time more for me. First, I'm blogging as I go so everything takes longer since I'm deciding on photos & verbage. Second, I'm keeping track of every part purchased and used plus adding notes as I go. So journaling all that takes time. Third, there are some pauses for decisions. For example, do I install a fan, two fans, 5 fans? How many coats of paint should I use for the frame? What shock mount position should I use? Should I drill out another cotter pin hole (and cut off the excess bolt) or do I use spacers? Do I use the DC-DC converter or an extra 12V battery or both? (and if I use an extra battery, what kind do I use and how do I mount it? All these little decisions and debates take time. If I was to do this again, I'm sure this vehicle would take much less time to assemble.

Time used

Re-assemble frame - 2 hours to assemble and cut off any excess bolt lengths & fix threads.

Installing steering spindles, tie rods & stablizer arm. Then align. - 2 hours.

Taking wheel to motorcycle dealer for retread, research & order extra brake parts - 2 hours

Keeping track of parts & ordering additional items needed later - 1 hour.

Installing fan & painting (previous posting) - 1 1/2 hour

Blogging - 4 hours.

Additional materials not specified in the kit

(8) washers of 1/2" ID for wheel mount modification

(2) 12MM washers for rear swingarm

(4) 5/16 i.d. washers for freer swing arm movement.

(2) pairs of EBC-525 pads for front wheels - $14.95/pair

More painting & installing a vent fan.

2008-08-13T08:03:00.001-04:00

In the plans, there is a step that mounts one or more fans in the cowl. The default placement is a single fan placed in the middle of the cowl. On hot days, the fan might be able to provide some small relief from heat in traffic. On cooler days, this fan, combined with anti-fog and RainX should keep the winshield clear.

To install, note the arrow on the fan that shows direction of air flow. Then, take off the exhaust grate. Then, use the metal grate as a template to mark out holes in the cowl. Use a PENCIL, flexible measuring tape and some geometry to get it 12” from the front & placed in the middle. Then paint the grate black so it doesn't reflect in the winshield and while it's drying, do the other steps below.

Use a DREMEL tool Drill BIT on HIGH to carve out the basic shape & drill holes for the screws. Since this is one of those one-shot moments, go slow. Just follow your pencil marks from the previous step. Try the tool in the middle first to see how the tool works. Then, work your way out. I found the drill bit was good for rough cutting in addition to drilling the fan mounting holes. The DREMEL drum sander worked well to smooth the edges.

Mask with tape and newspapers. Then gently sand, then paint. In addition to the cowling, the area that could be an instrument console has been painted too. Initially, surface mounted insturments will be used. This will allow for easy adjustment as various ergonomic placements are tried.

Since the fan is on the bottom of a curved surface, ¾” long, 9/64 diam. screws (and nuts) are used to secure the fan instead of the recommended sheet metal screws. Pictured here, the image shows the longer screws & nuts on the left that were added so the fan could be installed easier.

Next, the outside of the battery box was painted gloss black. Since it's not very visible, gloss or matte black can be used. As for more finishing, the inside of the body needs to have a finish rather than just the reddish fiberglass color. The finish should look nice, be water resistant and not be too expensive. I'm thinking stone although rubber undercoat has been suggested as well.

Enough hype - how much money would I save?

2008-08-01T18:30:00.011-04:00

There has been a lot of hype when it comes to how much an electric vehicle costs. Such false claims make it so people have much higher expectations of an EV than they should. Some cite figures as low as a penny a mile, which may be true if just counting JUST the electricity but that does not cover all the costs.

So, here are the true costs I anticipate having for my EV

ENERGY COSTS
The cost of electricity is really quite inexpensive. The often cited figures of $0.01 a mile that electric car owners often cite are probably not that far off. For a full charge, the BugE is rated for around 1.5KWH. My electric cost is around $0.08/KWH, so that's $0.12. To put things into layman's terms, to charge the BugE, the charging unit takes around the same energy it takes to leave a porch light on at night.

OPERATING COSTS
What some people forget when citing EV operationg costs is that lead acid batteries are "used up" with every discharge cycle.For example, for the BugE, a full set of Optima D34M-950 batteries should be around $760. They are rated for 300 full cycles (or more partial cycles if I don't discharge them as much). I'm expecting a full discharge could give as much as 20 miles at 30mph under ideal conditions. If I go half the distance before charging, I may not do as much damage, so I may be able to go more miles. If I go faster, wind resistance becomes significant so I can't go as far. So, analysis is rather difficult unless some standard of performance is assumed. So, let's assume a full cycle, 20mi at 30PH. So, assuming 300 cycles, that would be 6000 miles before I would replace my battery pack. If we assume a new battery pack (with shipping and/or taxes) costs $800 and divide that by 300 trips, we get$2.66 per trip. Adding in the cost of electricity for the trip, we get $2.78. So, it would be like I had a car that got 20mpg paying at least $2.78 for petrol. I qualify that figure since hills and irregular speeds would decrease the range per charge by quite a bit.

What this shows is that a BugE might save money if gasoline starts going above $3/gal but it's hardly a revolution in doing so. Plus, I'm giving up quite a bit of performance to get the cost savings. However, if I did a full size conversion, I get more performance but per-mile costs go up too since I'm hauling around more vehicle as I go each mile. So, if I was to do a full size ev-conversion using 4x the batteries, that would mean roughly 4x the cost to go the same number of miles. No wonder we don't see many EV's on the road!

Of course, different packs have different costs. Lithium is more expensive but also has a longer service life with better performance. My personal favorite is the Edison nickle-iron design. Those cells are pricey but they have better performance per lb than lead and boy are they are tough! Some nickle iron batteries used in the railroad industry have been in service for over 30 years! Using those batteries would make the BugE significantly more favorable as a transportation solution. Unfortunately, I am aware of no nickle-iron pack in a size suitable for the BugE.

REPAIR COSTS
So, if I'm not saving money by using lead acid batteries, why bother? The repair costs are where I anticipate big cost savings will be. This is because several systems such as exhaust, cooling, climate control, transmission, ignition, airbags and other expensive accessories do not exist (if they don't exist, they are totally reliable). I'm accepting that more little tune ups for the BugE may be needed, especially in the first few weeks of operation. However, the fixes will be rather simple and inexpensive compared to maintaining a petrol car. I am also expecting that the maintenance cycle will be different than on a regular car. For example, I would expect tire lifetime to be similar to motorcycle tires which tend to be replaced every season. Since the BugE extends the season, the tires may need to be replaced twice a year. Although this is more often than automotive tires, the BugE tires are only $20/ea. and of course, I only have three of them. I may also have more wear on the rear tire since that is what propels the vehicle. I'm assuming the wear on the brake pads would be similar to a motorbike, which should probably last around 10,000 miles.

INITIAL COST
I have been tracking my expenditures rather closely. So far, I've spend $8100 in materials and anticipate spending close to $9500 when I'm done. This includes all materials, batteries, & additional tools I had to purchase for the project (such as the tool chest). I am also including materials that I lost to mistakes (such as the expensive galvanizing paint, stripping & repaint materials). As for trips to the stores, I'm satisfied claiming $5/retail trip. So with 20 trips, that comes to $100. If an online purchase was done, the shipping cost was included. If purchased via retail, sales tax is included. I am NOT counting tools I already had such as screw drivers, pliers, socket set, a 4" grinder & small Dremel set. (I think all tools I've used so far would be safely less than $300 - especially if shopping at places such as Harbor Freight.) If building more than one BugE, I'm sure there are significant savings that could be had by buying materials in bulk and splitting the cost across many units.

LIFE EXPECTENCY
There are lots of unknowns in this area. Hopefully, the BugE will be driven in the rain more than a regular motorbike. It also can be driven in the winter on days where there may be no snow, but where salt may be on the roads. So this may lead to more corrosion problems than I would see with a regular motorcycle. The canopy, could become scratched over time with multiple applications of RainX. The controller electronics, although simple, will be in a cold moist environment so they may not hold up too well. The motor in theory should last a long time.

Seemed like a good idea at the time....it's not.

2008-07-24T18:50:00.000-04:00

George Washington said, "Experience enables you to have good judgment. Experience comes from making bad judgment." Such is the case with my paint job. Lots of effort and expense, only to strip it off. I started noticing a problem when I mounted the shock. By the time I got to the steering, it was really getting bad. It turns out that the base coat of galvanizing compound is very weak. Little specs are flaking off, taking the top coat with it. So, I have the opinion that it was better to deal with it when I can get to the entire frame rather than taking it apart later.

So I made another trip to the hardware store to say goodbye to around $100. This is for two cans of stripper compound, scraper, metal brushes (large and small) and disposable respirator. In addition, I bought more primer and paint for a second try. All this, with drying time, took two days to strip and another two days for drying time (although paining itself only took 15min per coat).

Hopefully, you won't need to take paint off metal. However, if you do, using paint stripper gives good results. Paint stripping compound is amazing stuff - but very dangerous! Within a few minutes of spraying it on, I found the paint and undercoat turned into a goo that could be scraped off after a few passes. Just don't scrimp on the safety gear! Wear safety glasses, mask and spend a few bucks to get the special stripping gloves (rubber dish washing gloves are NOT good enough). I would also recommend wearing nitrol gloves underneath these too. Why? Just one tiny splash of that stuff burns! I found when I splashed just a tiny particle of the stuff on my arm, I had to wash it off quickly due to the pain. Fortunately, I had a working garden hose handy to flush off the occasional drop that would land on me - and I used it several times!

So far, doing the paint job again has cost around $100 in chemicals and disposable tools plus
1 hour shopping
3 hours stripping rear assembly. 7 hours stripping main frame. Prime and paint take 15 minutes per coat - but drying time is over 6 hours. So, that's a minimum of two evenings and mornings.
After repainting the bug, I found that the paint looks about the same but it's much more durable. I do wonder if undercoat material would do even better. Ah well, perfection is the enemy of progress.

Time out for better inventory control.

2008-07-21T23:00:00.000-04:00

I know I'm obsessing about parts, but I want to track them better. So, I now I am using parts drawers and a labeler to go along with the database. Now every time I check a small part, it goes into it's own clear plastic drawer with a label. Large parts still go in the big toolbox. I've found that checking in parts slows things down, especially since I need to make the database agree with the receipt from the store (which isn't always clear) and finally the label on the drawer. However, it hopefully will save quite a bit of time later when I can just grab a part rather than make a special trip to the store just for being one part short.

This system also provides a method of keeping track of substitutions where used and difficulties getting parts (eg, Perhaps a store carries it, but they are out of stock and a substitute may be available from an alternate supplier). Many of the substitutions are for more robust versions of a part (eg using #12 instead of #16 wire). Others may have bigger consequences (eg. The somewhat experimental galvanizing treatment I'm using). For each part, the database notes where it was used, how many ordered, unit cost, unit packaging (eg. 6pack, box of 20), sales tax, shipping paid, steps the material or tool is used in and if it's a substitute from the original specification. Later, I'll be editing the database as I find a trade off between the expense of collecting info for each field and the cost or time saved by having it.

Entering the remaining small parts plus labeling took about 16 hours (over two full days) to represent them correctly in the database as well as being categorized so I can pull them quickly. Blogging took about 2 hours. Naturally, when I get faster at knowing what parts look like, this time will go down. I'm sure at the end of the project, I'll find some efficiencies. Time will tell if these efficiencies are worth the effort to get them. (it may not be - in the case of small nuts, it's less expensive to just buy a quantity that is known to be more than enough) I might be short a bolt or two but it looks like most pieces and tools except for the Optima Blue Top batteries are now on site!

Further parts should come to about $500. I think a blanket $500 statement should be more than enough to account for materials I may have forgotten and parts I may already have in my shop - which I'm also tracking.

Tracking resources used.

2008-07-15T21:24:00.001-04:00

One of the most important items in my shop is a new roll away tool chest that acts as a mini office. It is used to store all the parts, paperwork and revised instructions having to do with the bug. Every screw, nut, material and accessory is checked in as if it was being stored in the cart. Should I decide to build another BugE after this one, the second one assembled would go quite a bit quicker since I'll have records to allow me to easily combine orders and compare supplier pricing!

I'm also revising the manual to be more complete and that takes quite a bit of time and effort to do right.

If you are going for a tool chest, don't bother with the cheap ones at Lowes. Get at least a Craftsman tool chest. If you get one, spend a bit more for ball bearing or "quiet glide" drawers. The price may be only be slightly more if you catch a sale (and there's always some sort of sale at Sears). In my opinion, not hearing the cheap drawer slider noise and the convenience of the rear lock bar is worth the extra bucks. Plus, they seem to be made better and have large casters that can go over most anything.

Currently, my system is to take a guess on the materials needed for each step. (parts are listed, but there is always SOMETHING missing, even if it's something like a paintbrush). Then, I keep all receipts and using a custom MS-Access database, I check items into the figurative tool box. Then, when I have enough materials for a step, I'll try to do it. Any additional items I put in, I record and check in just as if I bought the items beforehand.

At this point, entry is not too efficient since I'm not sure what's important to track and what's not. I'm recording everything I can, even alternate suppliers and possible substitutions if I see the item available elsewhere. The database is relational so it's very easy to add/drop features to it. I'll have more news on that later.

Establishing the database was made easier by modifying a template from MS-Access. Time to modify the database, I would estimate would be about 8 hours to get it right for my use. Fortunately, I'm not in too much of a hurry so I don't mind spending some time thinking about my needs, then modifying a database to record them.

Unpack and paint some parts

2008-07-05T17:57:00.000-04:00

Finally! Time to start! The first task is to paint the chassis and rust proof it so the vehicle doesn't rust away during the winter time when salt is applied to the roads. Unfortunately, the garage flooding was rather hard on the EV to be. A mild coat of rust was forming outside (and probably inside too) so I felt that simply coating the frame with paint as per the assembly manual was not an option. Doing so would just seal the rust in. So, I decided that a zinc based compound should be applied in the hopes that the zinc would rust before the steel does. The compound of choice was a product made by LPS (1-800-241-8334). It's an aerosol can product called "cold galvanize corrosion inhibitor" that claims a zinc purity of 99%. Using this coating is an experiment. However, I'm willing to try most anything to prevent roadway salt from eating my bug!

So, to paint, the first step was to unpack the bug components. The upper supports on the shipping crate were quickly sawed off with a portable reciprocating saw and lifted off. Then, the fiberglass body was lifted off. The shell isn't too heavy but I feel it's beyond one person to lift it off safely. Fortunately, with two people, it's easy and only takes about 5 minutes. After that, the other parts were unpacked and rear fiberglass housing and battery tray were then taken off. The last component to be taken off the pallet was a two-piece steel frame which was attached to the pallet with two giant wood bolts. Once all the parts are separate, they can all be moved by one person.

The two piece steel frame was detached from the pallet, then taken apart. This was not easy. I found that the large bolt holding the two main frame pieces together needed to be hammered out with a railroad spike. Then, a 1/4" drill bit was used to drill holes in various places under each frame piece so zinc spray could be applied via a straw. To do so, the aerosol nozzle of the zinc compound was replaced with a different spray nozzle that can accept a small plastic straw. Note, a WD-40 nozzle spray top has the wrong spray can "gender". Fortunately, I had a key lock lubricant which had the correct gender and straw. Painting was done in a low cost kiddie pool to catch drips from the zinc compound. After the paint straw was removed, 1/4" rubber grommets were applied at each access hole. Hopefully, each access hole will allow water to drain so rust doesn't form as quickly from the inside as it would without treatment.

Since there is quite a bit of visible but mild rust on the outside of the frame, a chemical approach was used to remove it. The chemical of choice was naval jelly, available in most auto stores. It dissolves rust but not the rust-free steel. As the rust is dissolved, it can be scrubbed with a wire brush and then the compound is washed away with tap water leaving bare metal. The parts look great after doing this but they are very vulnerable to corrosion so they must be coated immediately after washing off. The parts also had oil left on them from drilling holes for anti-corrosion steps so the parts needed to be washed further. The parts were set in the kiddie pool located in the driveway and lacquer was applied by brush. Some internal galvanizing compound broke down when exposed to the lacquer so the parts didn't look too clean. However, the parts were clean enough to accept the galvanizing compound. Disposal of the lacquer was not a problem. It was a hot sunny day so the used lacquer just evaporated on it's own.

Next, I put the frame parts back on the pallet, put on the respirator and started spray painting. Since I ran out of galvanizing compound, I finished the job with Rustolium's corrosion inhibitor product. I found the Rustolium product didn't cover as well and tended to run more. Also, I've decided to use a different color primer rather than gray so I can tell I've entirely covered the gray anti-corrosion layer. I've also decided to go with a shiny finish on the frame instead of the matte black color since I suspect it will repel roadway grime better. The matte black spray paint I already bought will now be used for the console area instead.

For painting, I was originally going to use spray primer then coat with spray paint after. However, after reading the labels on the cans I had a problem with that approach. Turns out, many primers don't bind to galvanized metal! I didn't want to take the chance the galvanized paint would act like galvanized metal (in terms of paint retention) so I looked for other alternatives. Fortunately, Rustolium made a black enamel paint for appliances that didn't have the galvanized metal warning. As a bonus, it even recommended that the paint be applied direct with NO primer! The finish looks OK. Hope it is as durable as it seems!

There is something more I should mention about painting for any would be bugE builders. Since my neighborhood has a homeowner association, they have rules on keeping the neighborhood tidy. So, with the assistance of a home made dolly, I just wheel the whole pallet out of the garage to paint, then wheel it back in to dry!

Step Summary:
1) Take off cardboard. Check in parts against packing list. 1/2 hour
2) Detach bug parts from crate & set asside parts that don't need to be painted. Then take apart frame for painting. Document (or take photo of) tie rod ends & rear shock - 1 hour
3) Drill 1/4" holes, apply anti-rust compound squirting compound inside holes, swishing around compound inside frame, then apply grommets - 3 hours (and overnight to dry)
4)Apply naval jelly to remove rust from exterior. Then rinse to remove 1 hour.
5) reapply naval jelly again, grind & scrub if rust is severe 1 hour.
6) Set in kiddie pool and apply lacquer thinner to all exterior surfaces to prep metal for treatment 1 hour
7) Apply zinc corrosion inhibitor to top side 45 mins (then wait > 3 hours to flip)
8) Apply zinc corrosion inhibitor to bottom side 45 mins (then wait 8 hours)
9) Apply black enamel spray paint to exterior on top. 45 mins (then wait 8 hours to flip)
10) Apply black enamel spray paint to exterior on bottom. 45 mins (then 8 hours dry time)
13) Reassemble bug frame & parts according to images taken before disassembly & put on sawhorses. (haven't done yet)
14) Blog about it - Est. about 8 hours at various points during the week.

Tools used so far...
Reciprocating saw
Socket set (for detaching frame from pallet)
Screw gun (for detaching bug from pallet)
Drill (and 1/4" bit)
Respirator, safety glasses, earplugs
Screwdriver, hammer, railroad spike
sawhorses, kiddie pool
paint brush and a throwaway container for jelly and thinner, coat hangers & rags.
Shipping pallet & home made dolly

Purchases - HOME DEPOT - Tax not included:
1 - box Nitrinol Gloves 2.99
2- Rustolium 12oz primer spray paint 3.97 ea. - 7.94
2- Rustolium 12oz matte black spray paint 3.97ea - 7.94
1- pt. Lacquer thinner 6.69
2-sets respirator filters 15.49ea - 30.98

Purchase - Toys-R-Us - tax not included
1 - kiddie pool - 7.99

Purchase - Radio Shack - tax not included
2- Vinyl Grommt Kit assortment (Part 64-3025) - 1.99ea - 3.98

Purchase - Home Depot - tax not included
1 -Rustolium Corrosion inhibitor
3- Rustolium 12oz black gloss enamel spray paint 3.97 ea. - 11.91

ACE Hardware (Suburban Hardware) - tax not included
2-LPS galvanize spray 12.49ea - 24.98
1-Naval Jelly 3.99

AutoAnything.com (free shipping)
2- CIPA Lighted Euro Sport Side View Mirrors - 49.95

Scavenger hunt...

2008-06-27T13:20:00.003-04:00

It rained last night. However, my secondary dike behind the garage door retained the water! Yay me! I really wish I had some "before" photos to show how much my work area has changed. At this point, I'm taking a look at the instructions and getting the most obvious hard-to-get items on their way to my house. For me, since I live in a sort of rural area, the cost of the item is mostly the transport. Basically, if I need to get something, even the smallest screw, I have a $10 premium of petrol and my time that I mentally add onto the cost. When taken in that context, shipping to my door doesn't seem that expensive given what gasoline prices are. Thank goodness for online ordering!

Here are today's items (including shipping):
JigSaw, Blades, 1/2" wire wrap, 1/4" wire wrap - from Harbor Freight - $44.16
Headlights (going with the standard choice) - NV-503W from TruckAndVans.com, $48.03
(Just one set for now, but I may eventually a second set for high beams)
Seat rails (optional, but I want to do it) - from NorthernTool.com, $22.98
Metra Tsunami Premier Gn604-75 Ground Cable #4 AWG, BeachAudio.com, $82.99
Power cable lugs (25) for #4 wire, 3/8 connector, Ebay, $14.50
Speedometer (illuminated/wheel pickup/odometer) Koso XR-SA from dynotunenitrous.com, $136.90
Items from Salina Electronics (a local retail electronics store)
1- 470Ohm 10Watt resister (10W_470Ohm 5% 10W147-nte) $1.19
1- Suppression Diode (1n4004-NTE) $0.05
1- 6 Amp Diode (R-100PRV_6A 5812-NTE) $1.84
1- 5 Amp Fuse (AGC-5A-BUS 3AG-5A 312005-LIT) $4.80 (5pack)
1- Inline fuse holder (150145-LIT - or whatever matches the 5A fuse) $2.95
3ft (or package) of Wire wrap 3/4" diameter $3.78
1 roll 3M electric tape $1.89
Shipping (car trip) about $3 in gasoline.

Whew! Other items such as the handlebar and mirrors I'll wait on for now. I'm still searching for a decent mirror and turn signal combo. However, with the exception of the batteries, I'm now down to items I can get from the hardware stores in my area. Although fasteners such as bolts and rivets tend to be inexpensive, the trip to the store isn't. So, I'm spending some extra time to come up with an accurate pick list so I can combine trips whenever I can.

Total time ordering (and blogging to tell about it - around 10 hours)

POST CONSTRUCTION NOTE:
This is not a recommended shopping list, just what I happened to buy. Some of these items such as mirrors and lights have since been upgraded to meet DMV requirements. Buying too much expensive #4 cable also drove the overall cost of the vehicle up since I bought a whole spool rather than the lengths needed. If anyone is building a BugE, let me know. I have enough cable and ends to make up several several cable sets for the standard BugE motor & controller with reversing option.

Finally...let's get this party started!

2008-05-17T23:41:00.002-04:00

When I ran across the Bluesky website, my biggest concern was that my expectations of the kit would differ from the reality. Fortunately, the website had some links with contacts on them. After researching all I could online, I finally called Adam Clarke, another BugE owner who built a kit. The conversation I had with him was overwhelmingly positive.

Finally, the day came to tally how much I had and order what I could. To give myself the best chance of success, I decided to buy all my materials in "kit" form whenever possible. So one check went to BlueSky for the vehicle body & control kit. Another purchase was for a BugE propulsion "kit" from EVParts. (I decided to go for the deluxe kit rather than the basic one since I wanted my vehicle to have reverse too) I figured even if the parts had slightly inflated prices, I would still save money since I could consolidate shipping charges and I would be spending less time and petrol scrounging the local area for parts. I figure by the time I assemble the vehicle, I'll have saved up enough to buy the batteries for it (around $800 for lead-acid batteries) An unexpected bonus was when the manual arrived before the rest of the kit. This enabled me to review the assembly steps while I prepared my workspace.

It's my opinion that the assembly area should be clean to reflect the cleaner nature of the electric car. Unfortunately, my garage suffered from chronic concrete and sawdust. So I decided that I had to clear out the work area and resurface the floor. It took around 160lb of materials to refinish the floor! It also was also cluttered with 6 van loads of junk. Cleaning it out became a major project!

Meanwhile, the main kit was going to arrive earlier than I expected. I originally paid for it, then wanted to delay shipping until my work area was cleaned up. However, I decided to take an early delivery since the price of fuel (and therefore shipping) was going to go up if I waited! Once the kit was shipped, it took about a week to make it across the country. Turns out, when FedEx specifies arrival date, the estimate is for when the package arrives at the Depot, but NOT when the item arrives at my door! The delay at the depot was due to needing a lift gate truck to be used to deliver to my residence. When the BugE box finally arrived, the driver just pulled out a pallet jack, put the package on the lift gate, then wheeled the whole pallet into the garage. Took about 5 minutes! After he left, I did an inventory of my package. No damage was detected on the major body parts or the canopy (which was a relief) and the parts were grouped together so taking inventory was easy.

I then went through the manual and did a listing of materials that I needed. A few parts like headlights and mirrors need to be ordered online and should arrive about the time I need them. Most other parts such as nuts, bolts, connectors, paint and that sort of stuff should be available locally. Some materials I already have from previous projects. So, the next few days will give me time to revise the manual to include some optional steps I want to do such as putting in an adjustable seat, undercoating the frame, adding a reversing circuit and laying out the control panel better.

After a last re-read of the manual, it will soon be time to layout the first parts and do the first procedure. However, it's close to Memorial Day weekend so I'm going on one last petrol fueled holiday binge before I dive into to this project.

Components purchased so far...
$3400 - BlueSky body kit
$325 - BlueSky lighting kit
$610.61 - BlueSky FedEx shipping
$1450.24 - EVParts - BugE electric kit (motor, controller & other parts itemized on website)
$48.67 - EVParts shipping

Est. $150 for floor refinishing supplies (some materials I already had)

Materials used so far (mostly just finishing up my garage floor)
High quality face mask, safety glasses, Floor refinishing supplies, push broom, cardboard cutter, water hose, bucket, trowel, drill & paint mixer bit for concrete, concrete leveling tool, screwdriver, lineman's pliers.

Time used so far
Web research & interviews with BugE owners - several days.
Blogging (this site) - 4 hours+
Reading manual & generating list of additional parts needed - 3 hours.
Floor refinishing & garage cleanup - 3 days
Web shopping & vendor correspondence involved in purchase - 2 hours.
Checking in parts & inspecting contents (EVparts & Bluesky) - 45 minutes

Post construction comment: Repairing the garage floor before I got started was definitely worth it. The garage used to generate concrete dust that would get on (and into) EVERYTHING. By using concrete sealer and painting the floor, I practically eliminated that dust.

EV shopping

2008-05-17T12:19:00.000-04:00

Well, I felt I wanted an alternative energy vehicle. I had around $7000 cash but felt I could go as high as $15K if I could finance it (meaning it had to be turnkey). So I looked at my choices. Here's what I found:

Getting a new EV was one route I investigated. During my search for a NEW vehicle, I found quite a few artist conceptions, lots of promises and some waiting lists (most requiring deposits). However, I did not find any new car models that were ready to go in my price range. I'm sure this will change soon. However, I didn't feel I could wait for the market.

So, I considered the lower cost (and lower performance) cars. Vehicles in this category include golf carts (that aren't street legal) and vehicles from EZGo and Cushman. These "Near Electric Vehicles" are, in my opinion, an almost useless category of cars. They may look like normal cars, complete with standard lights, standard looking body, license, insurance and even seat belts. However, the speed is limited by legislation to be 25MPH. Since all but a few streets are 30MPH or higher, the NEV's of today have severe limitations on where they can be driven. For this reason, it was easy to eliminate this category of car from serious consideration.

Converting an existing car to be an EV was another option to consider. There are lots of motivational sites on this topic that show what kind of activities are involved. One good site on this is Jerry's EV conversion that show what conversion involves. There is also a good series of videos on YouTube called Gav's EV conversion. If I was to do a full size conversion, the simplest kit would probably be for a chevy S-10. However, the cost of the conversion kit and a full size donor car and batteries makes the conversion option rather pricey.

At the same time, there were some interesting 3-wheel alternative vehicles available. These include the Aptera, the Sparrow, the T-rex and the Carver one (or venture one) and several offerings from ZAP. However, all were expensive, had waiting lists, or were otherwise unavailable. However, there was one low cost electric vehicle that looked hopeful. It's a kit called the BugE. It was available either in kit form from Blue Sky Design or assembled from a company called Harvey Coachworks. Although it was VERY tempting to buy a ready-to-roll model, I opted to assemble my own instead. It wasn't so much to save money as it was to say I build my own car!

Decided to just do it.

2008-05-17T09:27:00.002-04:00

So, here's how it all started. My car was getting expensive to operate and I need a reliable transportation solution to replace it. At the time I was deciding on my next car, I was taking an automotive course on how to fix them (which I highly recommend since fixing automobiles costs quite a bit if you can't do the work yourself). During the course, I was struck by how many systems there are to correct for the failings of an internal combustion engine. In my opinion, the internal combustion engine is at the point where the whole idea should be abandoned. It's just too complex!

If you don't believe it, take an inventory of the systems needed for any present day gasoline engine powered car. First, the engines get too hot, so they need liquid coolant, oil & transmission fluid systems that all have their own reservoirs, hoses, filters and pumps. These systems, being mechanical, are all prone to failure and need periodic replacement of their toxic fluids. Four cycle engines are noisy and vibrate so they need a muffler, pipes & anti-vibration measures. They spew toxic gas so they need a computer, fuel injectors, spark plugs, numerous sensors and electric cables to deliver fuel in just the right amount to regulate proper combustion. They don't operate well at all speeds, so they also need a transmission gearing system and it wastes energy when the vehicle is at a stop. The combustion cycle doesn't even work on it's own! It needs a separate electric "starter" system with motor, wires & battery. All this extra weight makes cars very HEAVY so they need a large chassis & lots of energy just to cart the system around! If a HYBRID vehicle is considered, there is all the above, PLUS an electric system and a large battery system too! In my opinion, the approach has just become TOO COMPLICATED AND EXPENSIVE!

Even if engines weren't so complicated, there is always the fuel issue (which has turned into a blood-for-oil issue or food-vs-fuel issue). If my workplace was closer to me, pedal power would be something I would consider. I also have other energy alternatives too. I've signed up for power from a renewable power company. In addition, I could easily generate electricity (via solar panels) or possibly grow my fuel. This, in my opinion, could potentially enhance the reliability of my transport system a great deal.

I drive a regular motorcycle (Harley 883) and I've noticed that over the past few years, the savings over my summer driving season has been significant. In addition to using less gasoline (the Harley gets 50-60mpg) I've noticed the maintenance and insurance were less expensive too. What I don't like about the motorcycle is the convenience. Riding the bike is weather dependent. Because of the wind chill, I won't ride in cold weather (below 40 degrees F) nor do I like riding in the rain. I also need to wear a helmet and earplugs due to the noise and need to suit up in a rainsuit or extra leathers depending on the weather. Then, there is the issue of being covered with tiny bugs at the end of the trip. Plus, on every trip, I need to wait a few minutes for my bike to "warm up" before use and "cool down" before I cover it for the night. Of course, with a small fuel tank, I also need to find a gasoline station quite often. I don't live too far from a gasoline station but those miles out of my way do add up. All these issues should be non-issues with my EV.