G
Guest
·TdS Report #18: Team Profile: rEVolutionaryride
Liz Lovell said, "North Haven is a 7-by-12 mile island 12 miles off the coast
of Maine. We live in the town of Rockland. We converted a VW Vanagon Microbus
into battery-electric vehicle. It will be used at the school for picking
people off the boat and bringing them to the school, or transporting kids for
projects. It matches our needs exactly."
Neil Thayer added, "We picked it for it's functionality, it holds a bunch of
people and has 4-wheel drive. It is great for island life. We get snow that
gets pretty packed down on the roads and gets icy." The 4-wheel drive will
help then.
I asked how they would charge on the island. Wind power? Liz said, "I think a
wind tower will be built as a project next year."
Neil has been working on the project for two years and has already graduated.
The rest of the team is juniors. "We only have one senior. She didn't come."
17 people did. (The high school class is 27 students.) The van has been
drivable for a couple of weeks.
The idea originated with Phil DesLaurius, an electrician on the island. "We
work on it and he comes in to check the wiring, give us new ideas, and make
sure that it is safe." They have had help from other people on the island.
Two students made the steel battery boxes with the help of the welder on the
island. I could see the metal box which would support the first bench seat.
While we were talking, a pair of students were working in the battery box.
Both were wearing rubber gloves and safety glasses.
A 100 Watt solar panel on the roof helps maintain the 12 Volt battery for
lights radio and such.
I was particularly impressed by the control wiring. It is laid out with super-
neat care. Every wire color coded and ever connection clearly visible. The
charger, DC-to-DC converter, traction controller, contactor and relays were all
easy to inspect. A clear plastic cover kept fingers away. It had originally
been intended just for display, but they are now going to add forced
ventilation so it can be left in place during operation.
Lifting the cover that held all the circuitry revealed the motor mounted on the
rear transaxle, with both a first gear and a low gear, and a locking rear end.
All wires to the motor and solar panel are in flexible conduit.
License plate: E-Van
Vehicle Name rEVolutionaryride.com
Vehicle Number 53
Category BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES (BEV)
vehicle type category PbA
Team Name North Haven Community School
Organization North Haven Community School
City North Haven
State ME
COUNTRY USA
www http://www.midcoast.com
new this year? new team and car
No People in Project 26
Time to Build 18 months
Who Built class
part of school curriculum? Yes
Vehicle Manufacturer Volkswagen
Vehicle Model Year 1986
Vehicle Reg Car/Truck
Vehicle Type Class Light Duty (car, truck, van)
Vehicle Type Division Prototype
Vehicle Type Model Vanagon Synchro
motor kW continuous 17 kW
motor manufacturer Advanced DC Motors
motor type Series Wound
Energy Storage Manufacturer Trojan T-105
Energy Storage System PbA
Batteries series
Battery Trojan T-105/PbA
Battery 18 blocks/ series/ $1300
Battery 24300 Whrs/ 108 V/ 1152 lbs
battery voltage 108 V
battery blocks 18 blocks
battery watt hrs 24300 Whrs
battery weight 1152 lbs
battery cost $1300
control system manufacturer Curtis
control system type 1231C
regenerative braking? Non-regen
charger capacity 2 kW
charger current 20 A
charger input voltage 120 V
charger manufacturer K & W
charger on board? On board
charger type Transformerless
Plug Type 10-30P
PV cell type Monocrystalline
PV manufacturer Siemens
PV watts 75 W
Conversion Conversion
body material Steel body
frame material Steel frame
Length both L: 14 ft/ 5 in
Width both W: 5 ft/ 8 in
Height both H: 6 ft/ 6 in
# seats 6
Weight pounds 4502 lbs
Mfg GVW 5511 lbs
lbs of persons 150
lbs of cargo 109
brake front type Front Disc
brake rear type Rear Drum
No of Passengers 3
number of tires 4
tire manufacturer Firestone
tire model P205/70 R14
tire type Radial
Range miles 80 miles
Program blurb A spunky group of junior and senior physics
students from the smallest public high school in
Maine (on an island, no less) have spent the last
18 months making a perfect island car: an
electric 4WD Volkswagen Syncro 7 passenger van.
This entry has been an all-island effort, joining
students, a boat electrician, the town's welder,
and island artists.
- - - -
The complete set of Tour de Sol Reports for 2002 can be found at:
http://www.AutoAuditorium.com/TdS_Reports_2002
The complete set of past Tour de Sol Reports can be found at:
http://www.FovealSystems.com/Tour_de_Sol_Reports.html
- - - -
The above is Copyright 2002 by Michael H. Bianchi.
Permission to copy is granted provided the entire article is presented
without modification and this notice remains attached.
For other arrangements, contact me at +1-973-822-2024 .
- - - -
For more on the NESEA Tour de Sol, see the web page at
http://www.nesea.org
- - - -
Official NESEA Tour de Sol information is available from the sponsor,
the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) at
413 774-6051 , and 50 Miles Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 , and
[email protected] . All media enquiries should be addressed to ...
Jack Groh
Groh Associates
[email protected] email
401 732-1551 telephone
401 732-0547 fax
401 952-0886 cell/pager
Liz Lovell said, "North Haven is a 7-by-12 mile island 12 miles off the coast
of Maine. We live in the town of Rockland. We converted a VW Vanagon Microbus
into battery-electric vehicle. It will be used at the school for picking
people off the boat and bringing them to the school, or transporting kids for
projects. It matches our needs exactly."
Neil Thayer added, "We picked it for it's functionality, it holds a bunch of
people and has 4-wheel drive. It is great for island life. We get snow that
gets pretty packed down on the roads and gets icy." The 4-wheel drive will
help then.
I asked how they would charge on the island. Wind power? Liz said, "I think a
wind tower will be built as a project next year."
Neil has been working on the project for two years and has already graduated.
The rest of the team is juniors. "We only have one senior. She didn't come."
17 people did. (The high school class is 27 students.) The van has been
drivable for a couple of weeks.
The idea originated with Phil DesLaurius, an electrician on the island. "We
work on it and he comes in to check the wiring, give us new ideas, and make
sure that it is safe." They have had help from other people on the island.
Two students made the steel battery boxes with the help of the welder on the
island. I could see the metal box which would support the first bench seat.
While we were talking, a pair of students were working in the battery box.
Both were wearing rubber gloves and safety glasses.
A 100 Watt solar panel on the roof helps maintain the 12 Volt battery for
lights radio and such.
I was particularly impressed by the control wiring. It is laid out with super-
neat care. Every wire color coded and ever connection clearly visible. The
charger, DC-to-DC converter, traction controller, contactor and relays were all
easy to inspect. A clear plastic cover kept fingers away. It had originally
been intended just for display, but they are now going to add forced
ventilation so it can be left in place during operation.
Lifting the cover that held all the circuitry revealed the motor mounted on the
rear transaxle, with both a first gear and a low gear, and a locking rear end.
All wires to the motor and solar panel are in flexible conduit.
License plate: E-Van
Vehicle Name rEVolutionaryride.com
Vehicle Number 53
Category BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES (BEV)
vehicle type category PbA
Team Name North Haven Community School
Organization North Haven Community School
City North Haven
State ME
COUNTRY USA
www http://www.midcoast.com
new this year? new team and car
No People in Project 26
Time to Build 18 months
Who Built class
part of school curriculum? Yes
Vehicle Manufacturer Volkswagen
Vehicle Model Year 1986
Vehicle Reg Car/Truck
Vehicle Type Class Light Duty (car, truck, van)
Vehicle Type Division Prototype
Vehicle Type Model Vanagon Synchro
motor kW continuous 17 kW
motor manufacturer Advanced DC Motors
motor type Series Wound
Energy Storage Manufacturer Trojan T-105
Energy Storage System PbA
Batteries series
Battery Trojan T-105/PbA
Battery 18 blocks/ series/ $1300
Battery 24300 Whrs/ 108 V/ 1152 lbs
battery voltage 108 V
battery blocks 18 blocks
battery watt hrs 24300 Whrs
battery weight 1152 lbs
battery cost $1300
control system manufacturer Curtis
control system type 1231C
regenerative braking? Non-regen
charger capacity 2 kW
charger current 20 A
charger input voltage 120 V
charger manufacturer K & W
charger on board? On board
charger type Transformerless
Plug Type 10-30P
PV cell type Monocrystalline
PV manufacturer Siemens
PV watts 75 W
Conversion Conversion
body material Steel body
frame material Steel frame
Length both L: 14 ft/ 5 in
Width both W: 5 ft/ 8 in
Height both H: 6 ft/ 6 in
# seats 6
Weight pounds 4502 lbs
Mfg GVW 5511 lbs
lbs of persons 150
lbs of cargo 109
brake front type Front Disc
brake rear type Rear Drum
No of Passengers 3
number of tires 4
tire manufacturer Firestone
tire model P205/70 R14
tire type Radial
Range miles 80 miles
Program blurb A spunky group of junior and senior physics
students from the smallest public high school in
Maine (on an island, no less) have spent the last
18 months making a perfect island car: an
electric 4WD Volkswagen Syncro 7 passenger van.
This entry has been an all-island effort, joining
students, a boat electrician, the town's welder,
and island artists.
- - - -
The complete set of Tour de Sol Reports for 2002 can be found at:
http://www.AutoAuditorium.com/TdS_Reports_2002
The complete set of past Tour de Sol Reports can be found at:
http://www.FovealSystems.com/Tour_de_Sol_Reports.html
- - - -
The above is Copyright 2002 by Michael H. Bianchi.
Permission to copy is granted provided the entire article is presented
without modification and this notice remains attached.
For other arrangements, contact me at +1-973-822-2024 .
- - - -
For more on the NESEA Tour de Sol, see the web page at
http://www.nesea.org
- - - -
Official NESEA Tour de Sol information is available from the sponsor,
the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) at
413 774-6051 , and 50 Miles Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 , and
[email protected] . All media enquiries should be addressed to ...
Jack Groh
Groh Associates
[email protected] email
401 732-1551 telephone
401 732-0547 fax
401 952-0886 cell/pager
