ELECTRIC VEHICLE

PATRICK COLLINS
&
JARRED LORUSSO

August 28, 2009- January 22, 2010

Electric Vehicle – Mission Statement:

• In an effort to save the environment and reduce our dependence on

foreign oil, we wanted to convert a gasoline powered car into an
electric vehicle.

• With the support of Mr. Mongillio, the Macari fund and Jim Lynch
(mechanic for Lorusso Construction) as well as Bob and Bryan from
Electric Vehicle of America (EVA), we converted a 1998 Saturn gas
powered vehicle into an electric vehicle.
Overview On The Importance of Electric Vehicles:
The Importance of Electric Vehicles:

• Gas is a scarce, natural resource.

• Electricity is cheaper than gas. Electricity can come from renewable
resources such as solar and wind power.

• Electric cars pollute less than gas-powered cars.

• Electric cars are much more reliable and require less maintenance
than gas-powered cars. You don't even need to get your oil changed
every 3,000 miles!

• By using domestically-generated electricity rather than relying on

foreign oil, the USA can become more independent.
US Gasoline Consumption & Reliance On Imports
Has Dramatically Increased:

US consumption
Increasing Reliance
on imports
dramatically
Increasing.

US production
dramatically
Decreasing
 The Problems With Gasoline Powered Vehicles:

1. Gasoline Is A Scarce Resource: 2. Heavy Reliance On Imports:

– Production Shortages – US only manufactures 34% of
• Alaskan oil has reduced. gasoline needed in US.
• US Coastal oil impacted – Heavy reliance on foreign countries.
by hurricanes.
– Pricing is uncontrollable
– Oil Spills can occur
– Future availability may be limited
– Gasoline Is Expensive especially with 3rd world country
expansion.

3. Creates Smog & Ozone in Big Cities: 4. Creates Greenhouse

– Nitrogen oxides, the main source of urban smog Gases:
– Unburned hydrocarbons, the main source of urban
- Carbon monoxide, a poisonous
ozone gas is one of the major
“Greenhouse Gases”.
- Greenhouse effects the planet, rising
sea levels, flooding, etc.
– The main source (95%) of carbon
monoxide in our air is from vehicle
emissions. (Per EPA studies)
Accidents Happen: Oil Spills:
Port Arthur Oil Spill- 01/23/10
• On January 23, 2010, an oil-spill
occurred in Texas impacting wildlife areas.

The U.S. Coast Guard said about 462,000

gallons - or 11,000 barrels - of oil spilled into
the water Saturday when an 800-foot tanker
collided with a towing vessel pushing two barges
near Port Arthur, about 90 miles east of Houston.

It was the largest oil spill in Texas since 1994,

when 4.3 million gallons of crude oil spilled
about 60 miles off Galveston .

Exxon Valdez 1989 Accident

resulted in oil pooling at shore.

• One of the largest oil spills happened in Alaska in

1989 when the Exxon Valdez ship spilled 10.8
million gallons of crude oil. It is considered
one of the most devastating human-caused
environmental disasters ever to occur at sea
Electric Vehicles Save Gas & Money;
-Over $18,000 potential savings:
Electric Vehicles Have A Few Downsides:

• Batteries need to be charged.

• Car can not be used when batteries are being charged.

• Car can only go 40 Miles between charges.

• Battery disposal needs to be carefully managed.

Our Project :
• The objective of our project is to convert a gas-powered vehicle into
an electric vehicle.
Our Project: The Electric Vehicle Process:

• Research internet for electric vehicle information. March- June 2009-

3 hours

• Contacted [EVA] to discuss parameters of project and cost estimate.

July 2009 – 1 hour

• Proposed project to [Mr. Mongillo] Got approval from Macari fund.

August 2009- 2 hours

• Researched automobiles which fit [EVA] specifications. August 2009-

2 hours

• Put in offer for 1995 Ford Escort, We were out bid. August 25, 2009
• Purchased 1998 Saturn from Ebelings Auto. August 28, 2009 for
$1,750.00- 2 hours
Electric Vehicle-Decision Making:

• The car ran great!

• The body of the car was in
good condition.

• It was under 3,000 lbs gross

body weight.

• It had a standard transmission.

• It fit the criteria for an eligible

car to convert to an Electric
Vehicle.
Electric Vehicle Conversion Budget:

• Cost of Car- $1,750

• Cost of Electric Motor- $1,550
• Cost of Controller- $1,495
• Clutch less Transmission- $725
• Clutch plates and all brackets $400
• 10 Batteries $2,250
• Battery Charger $1,030
• Battery Cables, Terminals, Heat Shrink $400
• Inside Instruments $225
• Fuse Systems- $225
• Total Cost of Parts- $10,050

Mr. Lorusso donated his garage & time of mechanics PRICELESS-

Thank You!!
 Electric Vehicle Conversion: Company Used

• ELECTRIC VEHICLE OF AMERICA is a company in NH which has

helped people convert over 1,000 gas-powered vehicles to electric
vehicles . We called them many times for help.

• Worked with Bob & Bryan (EVA) sending specifications of the

automobile to determine total budget for the project- 2 hours

• Some of the cars converted can be seen on the following pages.

Electric Vehicle Conversion:

Electric Car(s) Converted by EVA

Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• Other Electric Vehicle(s) Converted by EVA

Electric Vehicle – Motor Removal:

• This is the look of the engine

before we removed it.

• We had to remove the muffler,

radiator, alternator, air
conditioner. – About 3 hours
Electric Vehicle: Engine Removal

• Jarred, Patrick & Jim removed

engine from car- November 14th-
5 hours

• What made removing the engine

much easier was a car lift. We
were able to loosen bolts from
underneath the car instead of
laying on our backs.
Electric Vehicle: Engine Removal

• In order to remove the engine

the front wheels and the
transmission had to be
removed first to allow us to
get at the motor mounts.
Electric Vehicle: Engine Removal

• We used an engine hoist to

pull the engine out of the car.

• The total process of Jarred,

Pat, Jim, Matt & Gerry took 5
hours.
Electric Vehicle-Next Steps

• The motor is out of the car.

• The wheels and transmission

are on the ground.

• NOW WHAT???

• We need help from EVA-

Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• We had to take the motor and

transmission measurements
and send them to EVA.

• EVA fabricated a clutch plate

for us. Mr. Collins drove to NH
to pick up all of the parts. 4
Hours
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• Once the engine and

transmission were out, we had
to install the clutch plate which
got connected to the new
engine.

• The clutch plate works with

the transmission to shift the
gears.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• We needed to use a drill press

to make very precise holes
where the clutch plate
connected to the motor.
Electric Vehicle: Engine Removal:

• Our car has a clutchless

transmission.

• This means that instead of

using a clutch to switch the
gears you wait for a certain
speed to switch gears.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• The clutch plate was a 12” x

12” x 1” piece of metal.

• It needed to be cut with a

laser saw.

• The laser saw cut metal with a

1200 degree laser. The laser
was very precise.

• Then we used a ban saw to

smooth out the rough edges.
Electric Vehicle- Next Steps??

• The steps to measure the

clutch plate drill the holes and
get the motor installed was
done over 3 Saturdays in
November and December-
Approximately 15 hours.

• Jarred & Pat are pondering the

next steps.
Electric Vehicle: Engine Conversion

• The motor then gets installed

and the wheels and
transmission get reinstalled.

• The clutch plate which we cut

is the big piece of metal on the
right side of the motor.

• The clutch plate and motor

mounts hold the motor
straight. 5 hours
Electric Vehicle: Battery Conversion

• The car is powered by 10

batteries.

• There will be 6 batteries in the

trunk, and 4 in the front of the
car for proper weight
distribution.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• Creative battery holders were

made. This one is in a wheel
well and on a hinge. 3 hours
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• This is where the radiator was

removed.

• A metal table was made to

hold 2 batteries in the front of
the car. 4 hours to fabricate
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• The trunk was measured and a

metal reinforced plate was
created to hold 6 batteries.

• Each battery weighs 70 lbs. or

420 lbs in the trunk and 280
lbs in the front of the car plus
the weight of the motor,
transmission and front end of
the car.

• 3 hours to fabricate.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• This is Curtis who did the

fabricating.

• Patrick & Jarred helped

measure and cut the metal
pieces.

• Curtis welded the pieces

together.

• The total fabrication process

took 10 hours.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• It is critical to get two coats of

paint on all of the welded
metal to avoid rusting.

• Jarred painted the two wheel

wells.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• Patrick painted the battery

holder for the trunk. This was
done to protect from
corrosion-not weather.

• Patrick painted the holder

under the hood as well.

• All painting- 2 hours

Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• Once the paint dried, the

fabricated metal had to be
secured into the trunk with lag
bolts to hold the tray in place.

• This process took 1 hour.

Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• We had to make cables to run

from battery to battery.

• We needed to crimp the

battery terminal onto the wire.

• 24 wires 2 terminals for each

wire. 1 hour
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• We had to use small crimpers

to crimp the small battery
terminals and large crimpers to
crimp the large terminals.

• 10 batteries-2 terminals each

battery; 2 ends to each cable
40 terminals.

• Took about 2 hours to make.

Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• Mr. Lorusso is teaching Pat &

Jarred how to shrink rubber
around the battery terminals.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• Once we crimped the battery

terminal, we had to shrink
rubber around each terminal to
protect it from moisture
getting into the battery
terminal.

• Took about 1 hour to shrink all

cables.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• Mr. Lorusso, Jimmy and Mr.

Stewart from the battery
company use a volt meter to
connect the batteries together
to get maximum power.

• Took about 1 hour.

Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• Once the tray was in place, the

batteries were installed with
foam insulation to protect the
batteries in the event of an
accident.

• Mr. Lorusso is measuring for

stabilizer bars.

• This took 2 hours

Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• These are the two batteries

which are in the front of the
vehicle.

• There are two batteries which

are also on each wheel well.

• Each battery is connected by

the cables and terminals which
we made. One cable goes from
the positive terminal to the
negative terminal.

• Then the next cable takes the

power to the next battery.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• This is the battery tray with all

of the cables connected and
the vertical stabilizer bars in
place.

• The red cable on the side

connects the batteries from
the back of the car to the
front.

• It connects under the car using

a plastic sleeve.

• Running and connecting cables

took 4 hours.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• This is the side view of the car

with the two front batteries
connected.

• The heavy cable is the front to

back cable connecting the
batteries from the trunk to the
hood.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• There is a fire proof board

which is on a hinge. These are
all of the components which
run the car.

• The large black box is the

controller which talks to the
batteries and the motor.

• Fabricating board and installing

components 4 hours.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• The throttle is on the left side.

This controls the speed of the
car.

• The battery on the right side

of the car. This is the regular
car battery which controls the
horn, radio and wipers.
Electric Vehicle Conversion:

• The alternator of the car was

removed with the motor.
There is a DC-DC converter
which runs off of the other
batteries which charges the car
battery.
Electric Car Conversion:

• This is the board with the

hinge up.

• The red cables connect the

controller to the motor.
Electric Vehicle Conversion-What’s Next??

• The battery charger needs to

be connected.

• We are going to install it by

the gas tank. You will have to
open the gas tank to plug in
the batteries. 2 hours
Electric Vehicle Conversion-What’s Next??

• To register the car, there needs

to be a stencil that shows this
is an electric vehicle- 290 Auto
Body to complete along with
fixing the scratch on drivers
door- 6 hours

• We are going to replace the

drivers seat because there is a
rip in it- 2 hours

• We need to install the gauges

to show the power in the
batteries – 4 hours
Electric Vehicle Conversion-What’s Next??

• Wash & polish the car inside

and out- 3 hours.

• Charge the batteries for 8

hours- Drive Car for 10 miles
and recharge batteries 3 times.

• Bring Car to Auction!

Electric Vehicle-TIME LINE RECAP:

• Decision Preparation- 3 hours

• Project Proposal- 3 hours
• Research/buy car 4 hours
• Budget proposal 2 hours
• Pre Engine Removal 3 hours
• Engine Removal 5 hours
• Pick up Parts/clutch plate 4 hours
• Clutch Plate Preparation/install 15 hours
• Stabilize Motor 5 hours
• Battery holder fabrication/welding 10 hours
• Painting & Installing Battery holders 3 hours
Electric Vehicle-TIME LINE RECAP:

• Cutting & Crimping Cables 4 hours

• Battery Installation 3 hours
• Cable Connection (All) 4 hours
• Board Fabrication 2 hours
• Assemble Components on board 2 hours
• Install Battery Charger 2 hours
• Stencil & Body Work 6 hours
• Replace Drivers Seat 2 hours
• Install gauges 4 hours
• Clean & Polish car 3 hours

• TOTAL TIME ALLOCATED TO CONVERSION 86 HOURS

Electric Vehicle- What Did We Learn?

• We learned to use a step by step process.

• We learned how to use ratchets, lifts, engine hoists, blow torches, laser
saws, band saws, and all other types of cool tools.

• We learned that no mechanical project is too big as long as you have great
mechanics.

• Electric Vehicles will really help save our environment.

• Electric Vehicles can save thousands of dollars in fuel costs.

• The United States should continue to invest in alternative fuel sources.

• Small environment changes will make a difference. We can make a

difference! We did make a difference.
Electric Vehicle- Thank You

• To Mr. Mongillo for inspiring us with the idea.

• The Macari Fund & Sister Martha for helping us out financially (Our
parents too for making up the difference with money and time.)

• EVA for providing us technical support.

• Lorusso Corporation for providing us garage space and great
mechanics like Jimmy & Curtis.

• 290 Auto Body for stenciling and repairing the door and searching
salvage yards for the drivers door.
Electric Vehicle Conversion

THANK YOU

The future really is in our hands!