We just built our own battery bank on our sailboat (we liveaboard) using 180 amp hour, 3.6-volt CALB cells, and a DALY BMS, wiring the cells in a 4s2p orientation. So stoked on the upgrade! We charge our lithiums in 2 different ways. We send the power from our 120 amp Balmar alternator on our engine to our 100 amp-hour sealed lead-acid starter battery. From there a Renogy 60 amp DC-DC charger takes the load from the alternator and puts it in a lithium profile and in turn charges the lithium batteries. It was a fun build!
I have 12 of those blue cells in my 98 Ford e250 van which I'm living in and they are 200 ah each been top balanced BMS is a old ampere Time BMS 200 amps and I use a Daly smart balancer I have the batteries in a 3P 4S configuration my aims inverter charger is a 3000 global LF series I use a renogy 20 amp mppt 300 watt 35 volt solar panel and a 40 amp renogy dc to dc charger too 30 gal water tank 6 gal water heater too diesel heater with 5 gal tank everything in this van is over sized pretty much cause I need the max capabilities for anything I do
I'm always amazed at not only the things you come up with but, the expertise you exhibit in making them work with tight tolerances. This is what sets you so far apart from most of your peers. Really looking sweet and totally unexpected today. Now I can't wait to see you turn on the damn key!
Sweet. Nice to see you now in an electric vehicle. My guess is that it is at least a Warp9 Motor and a Curtis 144 volt controller. Be sure your brakes are in top condition as you don't have regenerative braking if this is in fact a DC motor setup. Ever time you are off the throttle you will be coasting and. No motor braking at all. Not a bad thing but you do need good brakes. The stock brakes should be fine just be sure the shoes and calipers are all in top condition. For testing purposes you should be fine. For daily driving you freshen up the brakes.
David, Just saw this video and looked but didn't find any comments about glove liners. There should be a pair of cotton gloves that you put on first then the rubber gloves then the leather outer gloves. The white cotton gloves protect the rubber gloves from your hand oil and keep them dry on the inside. There is also a pre-use procedure for checking the rubber gloves, you might want to look it up, Daily inspection for high voltage gloves. Part of it is a visual inspection for holes or cracks, discoloring or any sign of deterioration, while another is blowing into the glove to fill it with air, closing the wrist off and gently rolling at the wrist to keep pressure inside the glove, don't put too much pressure on it. It should hold pressure and you should not be able to hear a leak or feel any leaks against your face.
I truly admire all the work you have done I just started getting into batteries and man you are my diy idol I want so badly to get going just building battery packs.
"if I were building this..." but wait....you are. I can see those battery cables rubbing the battery leads as you drive and causing a short. You were right to notice the potential issue.
Right now I'm in discovery phase. I'm trying to diagnose what is good and what is bad with the vehicle. When I got it the batteries were dead, and now I solved that. check. Now on to testing the other components. Only after I identify all the issues will I make a plan to fix it.
U will be tinkering around in there so often rubbing a hole will not sneak up on you I am a fan not just a viewer i could be wrong but I am betting if someone sends you something they are a fan not just a viewer Even though I am shore your choice of words dont matter to a viewer or a fan Your humbleness may just be blocking you from thinking you have or saying you have fans but you do You have something most don't now day good old common sense comon since is not so common anymore And please understand if someone wants to give you something take it!! I know it is harder to receive than give!! Don't take their happiness away by not excepting their gift !! One of the side effects of having so many videos people fill like they know you and they do!! (And unwanted advice like mine lol) You definitely are not fake but you have no clue who they(fans ME) are surely it is a little weird but it goes with the territory Now my wife and I have taken a liking to you and your biggest blessing your little family So spread a little happiness by letting us give you something some day Some people get lots of joy by giving to others or helping others in any way they can If those that say they get joy out of giving are not fake They dont want or expect nothing in return !! Have a blessed day
Use wood on the base to help prevent the sagging or 3-4 bars under the box welded on to prevent movement of the battery's when going over bumps (have you considered fitting a bms to monitor and balance the cells)
For situations where a wire is over a terminal there should be a non melting insulator sheet over the terminal under the wire. Double protection provides good safety margins in the event of a disastrous situation.
Please keep these types of videos coming its great to see another DIY person working on electronics projects. With my job in Entertainment I everyday DYI DC battery and AC systems of live productions and I love how informative your videos are David. Thank you. 😀💜
Thank you for making this video :) by measuring the voltage of the batteries in parallel you can check that they are at the same state of charge, but you should also test the capacity of all cells by discharging them a little in series (same Ah flow) and see if any has the lowest voltage.
I have 12 of those 200 ah cells bought for 480.00 total its in a 3P 4S set-up 600 ah with a 200 Amp bms from a amper time battery and I use a Daly smart balancer too and a 3000 watt aims inverter charger too
Very nice, David. My own experiment at reviving Lifepo4 cells ended in failure. There is a point when the voltage goes too low and they become unrecoverable. Also, the swelling is a pretty good indicator of whether they're damaged or not. Looks like yours all fit together nice and tight. Looking forward to the testing on the car!
I agree with you. the car came with 48 cells. 3 cells were 0 volts, swollen, and self-discharging. What you see in this video is 45 cells that all had 0.1 volts or more. They seem to have recovered fine.
I'm jealous, the best I've ever found near me was an ancient lead acid s10, but it's batteries had been stripped and everything was unknown condition, so I couldn't justify it when it very possibly needed an entire rebuild in a tired old truck. Maybe one day I'll be able to build my own but I wish I could get my feet wet before trying a conversion.
Wood in a battery box is a good thing. I used to live on a nuclear submarine (4 years under water). All of our batteries which were as big as your car rested on Mahogany 4x4s. They replaced them every so often when they replaced a cell. So wood is not a bad thing. Jim
In the battery and EV industry, it is common practice to wear the gloves you have featured, and in addition, wear a face shield in case so metal splatter from arcing. Also, measure voltage across the conductor and the battery terminal you are about to connect. If the breaker is off etc... there should be 0V across the connection. Not criticizing, just offering some additional food for thought. Thanks for the great content! One other thing... you can check the inner liner of your glove for pinholes by blowing full of air and then crimping the arm hole and rolling it up to compress the air internally, that's how we check them quickly in the field.
i dont know if u watch will p. but i respect both of you.i just watched where he was putting batteries together, and, he was talking about " bateries being damaged internally when bussed together, and not being clamped together" you already have sag in trunk, and it appears only boxes and wood holding them together. he stated damage occured to connection under buss, where bolts into battery from vibration-hope helpful
Bottom balance (2.5v), limit max charge to a safe level for the weakest cell(limit to whatever the pack voltage is when the first cell hits 3.55v). Make sure you have a battery disconnect device that limits the discharge. Re-check the bottom balance every year. Easy. Don't just let the vehicle sit fully discharged for years...
We just built our own battery bank on our sailboat (we liveaboard) using 180 amp hour, 3.6-volt CALB cells, and a DALY BMS, wiring the cells in a 4s2p orientation. So stoked on the upgrade! We charge our lithiums in 2 different ways. We send the power from our 120 amp Balmar alternator on our engine to our 100 amp-hour sealed lead-acid starter battery. From there a Renogy 60 amp DC-DC charger takes the load from the alternator and puts it in a lithium profile and in turn charges the lithium batteries. It was a fun build!
LIFePo4 batteries are so rugged and stable that a BMS some times only make it so it is just more things that can go wrong. Thermal runaway is not rely an issue. I think he should have bottom balance them instead of top balance them. You'll lose a small bit of total capacity but it is one more layer of security from stressing the batteries.
This car is the same one that was in Jehu's video probably belongs to BatteryHookup person i think it had blown motor. Any way keep up the good work learn a lot from your videos.
I'd suggest you swap that pvc pipe out with something like steel, and then run a firestop material inside it. In the event of a catastrophic event, having that not turn into a melted plastic air vent would be at least somewhat better. Cool conversion. What sort of range to you get?
sick! you got an EV! hope it works well for you! also am wondering how long those lithium batteries will last after being at 0 volts, again a very good video.
Well, kinda. I got a parts car. I have a long way to go before it's road worthy. But you made your Leaf expansion look so good, that's the way I'm leaning.
Yeah congrats on snagging a neat EV, you've got the solar to charge it too. It'll feel so good to have free miles, even if it's just neighborhood trips.
I converted a motorcycle using similar cells. There is a multipin connector with all the cell connected so i can hook up an external balancer (regen type with supercaps). I did an initial balance and now after 1 year and 8000km done the cells are still within 20mV. I did not top or bottom balance but mid balance as I keep the battery between 20 and 80% SOC.
Right now I'm still diagnosing the car. There might be other issues involved. I'm systematically working my way through one component at a time. Once I'm confident everything is working, then I'll begin improving on it with things like BMS's.
I came over from Bobbys Channel. I wish that I could get some of those batteries here in Chile! They are not available here at all with out paying a body part for them. Jim in Chile South America.
I hope you have not given up on this project. It's been 4 months since I saw an update. If you had problems with the project you should share them because no one is immune to buying things that don't work right. Especially true for used automobiles...
It turns out that the batteries weren't the only thing bad. The speed controller is internally shorted. A replacement is $1700, which is more than the car is worth. Right now I'm thinking I'll pull the motor and maybe try to use it in something else. I'd love to find a mini-excavator to put it into.
@@DavidPozEnergy - - “speed controller… more than it’s worth” All the components & batteries in the car are more than what the car is worth! LOL! Can you get a speed controller from the junk yard from another hybrid or ev car, and retrofit it?
I'm curious why there is no active cell balancing? It looks like a lot of thought went into this conversion to have such a oversight. Is active cell balancing not practical (or necessary) in this setup? Great information!
@@DavidPozEnergy LIFePo4 batteries are so rugged and stable that a BMS some times only make it so it is just more things that can go wrong. Thermal runaway is not rely an issue. I think you should have bottom balance them instead of top balance them. You'll lose a small bit of total capacity but it is one more layer of security from stressing the batteries.
I do not understand why you do not install a special BMS voltage unit to check all voltages (in series) of groups of cells. In a blink of an eye you can tell if a group or a single cell is failing and pulls down the entire group and therefore battery voltage with it. These have Bluetooth and communicate with an app on your phone.
This vehicle was converted by someone else 8 years before I got my hands on it. I'm going through trouble-shooting steps. I didn't want to purchase a $2,000 BMS until I knew things were working. Turns out, the speed controller was shorted, and some of the cells were self-discharging. So, it was a good thing I didn't throw money at this prematurely. However, if everything else had checked out, I would 100% add a BMS.
9:22... I would have put some heat shrink on the Ratchet extension as well David. I'm curious as to what the VW cost you before working on it ?? 11:31.. You could place an extra insulator under the wire loop foe added vibration protection.
Good points. I'm not getting into too many details on the purchase of the vehicle because there is still some paperwork problems that I'm working on. I'll share more once it's straightened out.
So, how do you get away without using a bms? This way some cells will get overcharged while other overdischarged. Please excuse me if I don't understand.
You don't. I didn't build this EV conversion. The person who built it didn't use a BMS and some of the cells drifted over the last 8 years. I took all the cells out and tested and top-balanced them. Then, I put them back in the car simply to test the other components in the car. My intention was to add a new BMS if everything else tested good. But, it turned out the speed controller was internally shorted and with supply chain issues it's a challenge to find replacement parts.
After I got the battery cells all working, tested, and installed, I tested the car. It didn't work. I traced the problem to the speed controller, which is internally shorted. A replacement is $1900 and I don't have the money right now.
Nope. It turns out the speed controller is fried. It's $1900 for a replacement and I don't have that right now. If you come across a good deal on a series DC speed controller 144v, let me know please.
Don't overdo fuses, especially on lifepo4, which are not capable of runaway, There is a penalty to fusing everything and that is wasted Wh. Professional installed batterypacks don't use any fuses in the high current circuit, but monitor individual cell voltage and temperature. Only case where you might want to fuse individual cells are with taped together battery packs made of 18650 cells, where production quality varies and you can't have thousands of monitor leads and the "don't care" approach to shorted cells just means you'll be driving around with an increasing number of failed cells without knowing, and remember it is not the bad cell that blows it's fuse, it is the good cells in parallel with it, that have to carry more current and gets taken out, the under preforming cell just stays connected!. The other caveat is that as you don't monitor individual cells, you won't know in advance if 5 cells contemplate to fail together and start a fire anyway. With cell monitoring you are warned well in advance of deviant behavior. No serious EV manufacturer uses a setup like that either, except Tesla, but nobody have ever considered Elon serious, and even he has finally recognized that monitored and data-logged prismatic cells is the way to go. Back in the old days, it was not even that common to have a contactor to disengage the battery pack from the motor-controller, and it was simply always powered, while charging or parked, not to have to re-precharge the capacitors every time, which wears them. Motor-controllers were only disabled through different fail-safe systems like "key off" and "charger connected" signals, which was 100% reliable with analog controllers, that don't get software hiccups and decides to takeoff!
Man imagine the difference in price and range of what it cost initially vs like the 280Ah that you can get for just under $100 each I think I saw like 180Ah written on them from your testing so I assume they were 200Ah so 280 would be almost 50% more range and lighter so you would probably get close to 50% more range and have saved thousands but they were not available then
Hey David - are you going to buy three more Thundersky’s to replace the bad ones? Otherwise your total nominal voltage won’t be right for the controller. And you’ll fall below minimum voltage too early especially with LiFePO4 which have such a flat discharge curve.
Actually I'm going to replace the whole battery with something more energy dense. Probably some EV modules using Li-NMC chemistry. I was told by the previous owner this car had about a 60 mile range. I'd like to get it up to 100 miles. The purpose for putting them back in here is to test all the other components. Find out what is good/bad.
DavidPoz I think in a car as small as a Beetle a more energy dense battery makes a lot of sense. Not too energy dense like LiPos, but something NMC, used Tesla packs or even the used BMW i3 packs which are rated to about 4000 cycles.
Hi David. Jonus here in Texas. I have a question. First I love all your videos. Am subbed. My question is. Would you buy a used 2012 Chevrolet Volt battery from a salvage yard. If so how much would you pay for it. Not sure how long its been there. Just purchased a new 12KW 48volt Aims Inverter. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
We just built our own battery bank on our sailboat (we liveaboard) using 180 amp hour, 3.6-volt CALB cells, and a DALY BMS, wiring the cells in a 4s2p orientation. So stoked on the upgrade! We charge our lithiums in 2 different ways. We send the power from our 120 amp Balmar alternator on our engine to our 100 amp-hour sealed lead-acid starter battery. From there a Renogy 60 amp DC-DC charger takes the load from the alternator and puts it in a lithium profile and in turn charges the lithium batteries. It was a fun build!
I have 12 of those blue cells in my 98 Ford e250 van which I'm living in and they are 200 ah each been top balanced BMS is a old ampere Time BMS 200 amps and I use a Daly smart balancer I have the batteries in a 3P 4S configuration my aims inverter charger is a 3000 global LF series I use a renogy 20 amp mppt 300 watt 35 volt solar panel and a 40 amp renogy dc to dc charger too 30 gal water tank 6 gal water heater too diesel heater with 5 gal tank everything in this van is over sized pretty much cause I need the max capabilities for anything I do
I'm always amazed at not only the things you come up with but, the expertise you exhibit in making them work with tight tolerances. This is what sets you so far apart from most of your peers. Really looking sweet and totally unexpected today. Now I can't wait to see you turn on the damn key!
Might be a good idea to put some heat shrink on the socket and extension as well since it looks long enough to bridge 2 terminals if dropped.
Good idea 💡 never thought about that 😎
The first thing I did was check battery voltage... Of course you did... A man after my own heart. Love your videos.
Sweet. Nice to see you now in an electric vehicle. My guess is that it is at least a Warp9 Motor and a Curtis 144 volt controller. Be sure your brakes are in top condition as you don't have regenerative braking if this is in fact a DC motor setup. Ever time you are off the throttle you will be coasting and. No motor braking at all. Not a bad thing but you do need good brakes. The stock brakes should be fine just be sure the shoes and calipers are all in top condition. For testing purposes you should be fine. For daily driving you freshen up the brakes.
Yes
Good idea to wrap or tape the socket and extension also, it would reach across cells too.
David, Just saw this video and looked but didn't find any comments about glove liners. There should be a pair of cotton gloves that you put on first then the rubber gloves then the leather outer gloves. The white cotton gloves protect the rubber gloves from your hand oil and keep them dry on the inside. There is also a pre-use procedure for checking the rubber gloves, you might want to look it up, Daily inspection for high voltage gloves. Part of it is a visual inspection for holes or cracks, discoloring or any sign of deterioration, while another is blowing into the glove to fill it with air, closing the wrist off and gently rolling at the wrist to keep pressure inside the glove, don't put too much pressure on it. It should hold pressure and you should not be able to hear a leak or feel any leaks against your face.
Oh thank you. I didn't know that there were a cotton glove liner I'm going to have to look for that
I truly admire all the work you have done I just started getting into batteries and man you are my diy idol I want so badly to get going just building battery packs.
"if I were building this..." but wait....you are. I can see those battery cables rubbing the battery leads as you drive and causing a short. You were right to notice the potential issue.
Right now I'm in discovery phase. I'm trying to diagnose what is good and what is bad with the vehicle. When I got it the batteries were dead, and now I solved that. check. Now on to testing the other components. Only after I identify all the issues will I make a plan to fix it.
U will be tinkering around in there so often rubbing a hole will not sneak up on you
I am a fan not just a viewer i could be wrong but I am betting if someone sends you something they are a fan not just a viewer
Even though I am shore your choice of words dont matter to a viewer or a fan
Your humbleness may just be blocking you from thinking you have or saying you have fans but you do
You have something most don't now day good old common sense
comon since is not so common anymore
And please understand if someone wants to give you something take it!!
I know it is harder to receive than give!!
Don't take their happiness away by not excepting their gift !!
One of the side effects of having so many videos people fill like they know you and they do!!
(And unwanted advice like mine lol)
You definitely are not fake but you have no clue who they(fans ME) are surely it is a little weird but it goes with the territory
Now my wife and I have taken a liking to you and your biggest blessing your little family
So spread a little happiness by letting us give you something some day
Some people get lots of joy by giving to others or helping others in any way they can
If those that say they get joy out of giving are not fake
They dont want or expect nothing in return !!
Have a blessed day
Thank you Amber Smith for your kind words.
Use wood on the base to help prevent the sagging or 3-4 bars under the box welded on to prevent movement of the battery's when going over bumps (have you considered fitting a bms to monitor and balance the cells)
Cool! For added glove safety throw some powder inside to keep moisture down.
For situations where a wire is over a terminal there should be a non melting insulator sheet over the terminal under the wire. Double protection provides good safety margins in the event of a disastrous situation.
I agree. Anything in particular you like to use? A link would be great.
Please keep these types of videos coming its great to see another DIY person working on electronics projects. With my job in Entertainment I everyday DYI DC battery and AC systems of live productions and I love how informative your videos are David. Thank you. 😀💜
A pair of safety goggles may be a good idea too as well as gloves. Great tip Will always highlights on his channel
I used OSB wood end plates in my build, still there after 10 years.
Thank you for making this video :) by measuring the voltage of the batteries in parallel you can check that they are at the same state of charge, but you should also test the capacity of all cells by discharging them a little in series (same Ah flow) and see if any has the lowest voltage.
Makes sense
Looking forward to seeing it run!
I have 12 of those 200 ah cells bought for 480.00 total its in a 3P 4S set-up 600 ah with a 200 Amp bms from a amper time battery and I use a Daly smart balancer too and a 3000 watt aims inverter charger too
I'm glad to hear there wasn't any trouble with self-discharging. Also, love the detailed attention to the safety aspects!
Very nice, David. My own experiment at reviving Lifepo4 cells ended in failure. There is a point when the voltage goes too low and they become unrecoverable. Also, the swelling is a pretty good indicator of whether they're damaged or not. Looks like yours all fit together nice and tight. Looking forward to the testing on the car!
I agree with you. the car came with 48 cells. 3 cells were 0 volts, swollen, and self-discharging. What you see in this video is 45 cells that all had 0.1 volts or more. They seem to have recovered fine.
Must be little bloat, indication is went back in, in Prius, 28 tightly bolted in compression
I'm jealous, the best I've ever found near me was an ancient lead acid s10, but it's batteries had been stripped and everything was unknown condition, so I couldn't justify it when it very possibly needed an entire rebuild in a tired old truck. Maybe one day I'll be able to build my own but I wish I could get my feet wet before trying a conversion.
Wood in a battery box is a good thing. I used to live on a nuclear submarine (4 years under water). All of our batteries which were as big as your car rested on Mahogany 4x4s. They replaced them every so often when they replaced a cell. So wood is not a bad thing. Jim
Can’t wait to watch the update video David!
In the battery and EV industry, it is common practice to wear the gloves you have featured, and in addition, wear a face shield in case so metal splatter from arcing. Also, measure voltage across the conductor and the battery terminal you are about to connect. If the breaker is off etc... there should be 0V across the connection. Not criticizing, just offering some additional food for thought. Thanks for the great content!
One other thing... you can check the inner liner of your glove for pinholes by blowing full of air and then crimping the arm hole and rolling it up to compress the air internally, that's how we check them quickly in the field.
smart
That is pretty cool, but it would scare the crap out of me in a heavy rainstorm.
Glad they are LiFePo4 though!
8 or 9 Years of battery Usage. very good endurance. maybe if using LTO cells, it could stand for 20 years or more..
I feel like I'm there with ya. Thanks David!
You killing those batteries like that! You need all for lithium and lipo battery a BMS .
Check out plasti dip. It's a rubber coating that is great for tool handles. You simply dip the handle into the can and pull it out and let it dry.
Thanks. Yes, it's good stuff. I used it in this video: ua-cam.com/video/TmqkE6KuHJc/v-deo.html
Love the Norm Abrams filler music
Norm Abrams is awesome.
i dont know if u watch will p. but i respect both of you.i just watched where he was putting batteries together, and, he was talking about " bateries being damaged internally when bussed together, and not being clamped together" you already have sag in trunk, and it appears only boxes and wood holding them together. he stated damage occured to connection under buss, where bolts into battery from vibration-hope helpful
Yup will P good also but here you have five thin laminate strips to provide that flex, so all good
Pretty cool. My next vehicle will be electric.
NICE brother love it. Thanks for sharing. Love tho's gloves I recall when he sent them to you. God Bless brother.
Thanks for watching Bobby
Wow what a find you are one lucky guy. I found an Ebike and built a battery for it lol.
I found this old Lamborghini Diablo in a barn find, let's see if we can make it run!
I found a battery and build an ebike. Wait, no I didn't.
Why is that a lol
I had to parallel mine and use a bench power supply to top balance them at 3.7 v
if You covering some metal with heatshrink, You should warm metal up and then put sleeve on - much better result.
You should think about long sleeves and a polycarbonate face shield for better home gamer level safety with batteries.
Yup face shields available at all stores for coVid19
Incredible ingenuity
So many cells in series and no BMS to keep them balanced concerns me.
Bottom balance (2.5v), limit max charge to a safe level for the weakest cell(limit to whatever the pack voltage is when the first cell hits 3.55v). Make sure you have a battery disconnect device that limits the discharge.
Re-check the bottom balance every year. Easy.
Don't just let the vehicle sit fully discharged for years...
We just built our own battery bank on our sailboat (we liveaboard) using 180 amp hour, 3.6-volt CALB cells, and a DALY BMS, wiring the cells in a 4s2p orientation. So stoked on the upgrade! We charge our lithiums in 2 different ways. We send the power from our 120 amp Balmar alternator on our engine to our 100 amp-hour sealed lead-acid starter battery. From there a Renogy 60 amp DC-DC charger takes the load from the alternator and puts it in a lithium profile and in turn charges the lithium batteries. It was a fun build!
LIFePo4 batteries are so rugged and stable that a BMS some times only make it so it is just more things that can go wrong. Thermal runaway is not rely an issue. I think he should have bottom balance them instead of top balance them. You'll lose a small bit of total capacity but it is one more layer of security from stressing the batteries.
Sadly, people like this never show the result after couple years. You can only sometimes hear about it from local news or insurance reports.
@@Nizze82 LiFePO4 burns very well too. I was collecting a list of incidents for a couple of years and about half of fires was with LiFePO4.
This car is the same one that was in Jehu's video probably belongs to BatteryHookup person i think it had blown motor. Any way keep up the good work learn a lot from your videos.
Use a torque wrench. Very easy to over torque these like I did yesterday with one of my cells. Torque to spec.
I'd suggest you swap that pvc pipe out with something like steel, and then run a firestop material inside it. In the event of a catastrophic event, having that not turn into a melted plastic air vent would be at least somewhat better. Cool conversion. What sort of range to you get?
The car was given to me, but not working. I don't have data on range.
Man, this looks like an awesome project. I need to find something like this!
Great video. That said, so much for maintaining (or gaining) trunk space when converting from ICE to Electric :’(
Yeah, this VW doesn't leave much room for everything.
Always check your gloves for cracks in the rubber before working on high voltage
It's not that high, it's DC which is a nasty arc burn but it's only a hundred or two
Maybe down the volume level a little ( normalise the volume level) or set the youtube audio "content loudness" to -13 dB
Always blow into your gloves to check for pin hole leaks, shouldn't matter at this low voltage but best practice
sick! you got an EV! hope it works well for you! also am wondering how long those lithium batteries will last after being at 0 volts, again a very good video.
Well, kinda. I got a parts car. I have a long way to go before it's road worthy. But you made your Leaf expansion look so good, that's the way I'm leaning.
@@DavidPozEnergy yes I recommend the leaf upgrade!
@@DavidPozEnergy also that DIY ev is sick
Yeah congrats on snagging a neat EV, you've got the solar to charge it too. It'll feel so good to have free miles, even if it's just neighborhood trips.
Nice! But I'm surprised there is no BMS!
So was I.
I converted a motorcycle using similar cells. There is a multipin connector with all the cell connected so i can hook up an external balancer (regen type with supercaps). I did an initial balance and now after 1 year and 8000km done the cells are still within 20mV. I did not top or bottom balance but mid balance as I keep the battery between 20 and 80% SOC.
Need to build a battery pack for a 36 Volt EZGO 36 Volt Golf cart. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Great video !
I am amazed the you didn't put individual cell monitoring to all 45 cells to check and aid in balancing.
Right now I'm still diagnosing the car. There might be other issues involved. I'm systematically working my way through one component at a time. Once I'm confident everything is working, then I'll begin improving on it with things like BMS's.
👍👍David is always doing some kinda project as it seems... LoL....Keep it up sir!!
I came over from Bobbys Channel. I wish that I could get some of those batteries here in Chile! They are not available here at all with out paying a body part for them. Jim in Chile South America.
I hope you have not given up on this project.
It's been 4 months since I saw an update.
If you had problems with the project you should share them because no one is immune to buying things that don't work right.
Especially true for used automobiles...
It turns out that the batteries weren't the only thing bad. The speed controller is internally shorted. A replacement is $1700, which is more than the car is worth. Right now I'm thinking I'll pull the motor and maybe try to use it in something else. I'd love to find a mini-excavator to put it into.
@@DavidPozEnergy - - “speed controller… more than it’s worth”
All the components & batteries in the car are more than what the car is worth! LOL!
Can you get a speed controller from the junk yard from another hybrid or ev car, and retrofit it?
Would like to know how the circuit breakers were wired in?
Hi dear thank you for this good video I love this so much
Thank you good job ❤
Looks like a neat job
I'm curious why there is no active cell balancing? It looks like a lot of thought went into this conversion to have such a oversight. Is active cell balancing not practical (or necessary) in this setup? Great information!
I'm not sure why the original person omitted balancing or a BMS. I'm very surprised there was no BMS on board.
Ten years ago, and as you found they stay balanced it's in the chemistry
@@DavidPozEnergy LIFePo4 batteries are so rugged and stable that a BMS some times only make it so it is just more things that can go wrong. Thermal runaway is not rely an issue. I think you should have bottom balance them instead of top balance them. You'll lose a small bit of total capacity but it is one more layer of security from stressing the batteries.
I love project like this.👍⚡💪
The industry is bullshitting us by lying to us how expensive it is to make electric cars.
I use 5 on the clutch
Great video, hope to see more EV stuff
I also use rubber gloves to isolate ^^
8:46 I nearly had a heart attack when you produced that ratchet.
I can't find a follow up to this video
why no follow up on this? did it work? what kind of range?
Turns out the controller is shot.
Very cool thanks
hows the beetle running? I've converted one of these. I love it.
I do not understand why you do not install a special BMS voltage unit to check all voltages (in series) of groups of cells. In a blink of an eye you can tell if a group or a single cell is failing and pulls down the entire group and therefore battery voltage with it. These have Bluetooth and communicate with an app on your phone.
This vehicle was converted by someone else 8 years before I got my hands on it. I'm going through trouble-shooting steps. I didn't want to purchase a $2,000 BMS until I knew things were working. Turns out, the speed controller was shorted, and some of the cells were self-discharging. So, it was a good thing I didn't throw money at this prematurely. However, if everything else had checked out, I would 100% add a BMS.
Have you made a follow up to this ? How is the battery balanced ?? monitored ??
There were more problems hiding. No follow up yet.
9:22... I would have put some heat shrink on the Ratchet extension as well David. I'm curious as to what the VW cost you before working on it ??
11:31.. You could place an extra insulator under the wire loop foe added vibration protection.
Good points. I'm not getting into too many details on the purchase of the vehicle because there is still some paperwork problems that I'm working on. I'll share more once it's straightened out.
@@DavidPozEnergy Sounds like a plan...;-)
Major cliffhanger
Oh yeah, at some point would it make sense to upgrade to those Leaf batts off of BatteryHookup? Greater range/power?
Yes, it would be great to upgrade the batteries.
Are you going to be doing a follow up video?
Lifepo4 : Does that mean that this car became much safer regarding fire risks? No more thermal runaway.
I would like to have seen a fuse in the box's, Gloves & goggles good idea
So, how do you get away without using a bms? This way some cells will get overcharged while other overdischarged. Please excuse me if I don't understand.
You don't. I didn't build this EV conversion. The person who built it didn't use a BMS and some of the cells drifted over the last 8 years. I took all the cells out and tested and top-balanced them. Then, I put them back in the car simply to test the other components in the car. My intention was to add a new BMS if everything else tested good. But, it turned out the speed controller was internally shorted and with supply chain issues it's a challenge to find replacement parts.
Nice work mate, tks
Where is the updated video on how it worked out
After I got the battery cells all working, tested, and installed, I tested the car. It didn't work. I traced the problem to the speed controller, which is internally shorted. A replacement is $1900 and I don't have the money right now.
Is there any next video on how to install motor and transmission etc.
No, this is the first video showing the car. It was converted by someone else 8-9 years ago before I got it. I'm learning as I go.
Have your made a follow up video on this? I am curious to see how it turns out. I checked your video feed, but did not see anything. Thank you🙏🏾
Subscribed
Thanks
What about the BMS, is it not required in this application?
this type of battery does't need bms?
It should have one. I'm running a test in this video to see if the rest of the EV works. (It didn't)
Imagine to have the time to do this... Cool project, but I can't understand the scope of it :P
Bravo David nice video.,.
I worked on that car about a year ago. Lmk if you want to learn the history on it.
In Europe that VW is called the beetle not the behind me 😂
I just tried to find the follow up video but can't find one. Was there one?
Nope. It turns out the speed controller is fried. It's $1900 for a replacement and I don't have that right now. If you come across a good deal on a series DC speed controller 144v, let me know please.
Y no fuses at cell level....? You might of use Cell level fusing.
Don't overdo fuses, especially on lifepo4, which are not capable of runaway, There is a penalty to fusing everything and that is wasted Wh. Professional installed batterypacks don't use any fuses in the high current circuit, but monitor individual cell voltage and temperature. Only case where you might want to fuse individual cells are with taped together battery packs made of 18650 cells, where production quality varies and you can't have thousands of monitor leads and the "don't care" approach to shorted cells just means you'll be driving around with an increasing number of failed cells without knowing, and remember it is not the bad cell that blows it's fuse, it is the good cells in parallel with it, that have to carry more current and gets taken out, the under preforming cell just stays connected!. The other caveat is that as you don't monitor individual cells, you won't know in advance if 5 cells contemplate to fail together and start a fire anyway. With cell monitoring you are warned well in advance of deviant behavior. No serious EV manufacturer uses a setup like that either, except Tesla, but nobody have ever considered Elon serious, and even he has finally recognized that monitored and data-logged prismatic cells is the way to go. Back in the old days, it was not even that common to have a contactor to disengage the battery pack from the motor-controller, and it was simply always powered, while charging or parked, not to have to re-precharge the capacitors every time, which wears them. Motor-controllers were only disabled through different fail-safe systems like "key off" and "charger connected" signals, which was 100% reliable with analog controllers, that don't get software hiccups and decides to takeoff!
heya that is a nice idee making from a benzine car an electric car love it
AWESOME
Hey David,
How many miles do you get out of a full charge?
Wicked cool!!
Man imagine the difference in price and range of what it cost initially vs like the 280Ah that you can get for just under $100 each I think I saw like 180Ah written on them from your testing so I assume they were 200Ah so 280 would be almost 50% more range and lighter so you would probably get close to 50% more range and have saved thousands but they were not available then
For sure. Battery technology is moving fast.
Hey David - are you going to buy three more Thundersky’s to replace the bad ones? Otherwise your total nominal voltage won’t be right for the controller. And you’ll fall below minimum voltage too early especially with LiFePO4 which have such a flat discharge curve.
Actually I'm going to replace the whole battery with something more energy dense. Probably some EV modules using Li-NMC chemistry. I was told by the previous owner this car had about a 60 mile range. I'd like to get it up to 100 miles. The purpose for putting them back in here is to test all the other components. Find out what is good/bad.
DavidPoz I think in a car as small as a Beetle a more energy dense battery makes a lot of sense. Not too energy dense like LiPos, but something NMC, used Tesla packs or even the used BMW i3 packs which are rated to about 4000 cycles.
how did this project workout
Punch buggy blue!
Hahahahahahahaha!
Hi David. Jonus here in Texas. I have a question. First I love all your videos. Am subbed.
My question is. Would you buy a used 2012 Chevrolet Volt battery from a salvage yard. If so how much would you pay for it. Not sure how long its been there.
Just purchased a new 12KW 48volt Aims Inverter.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
90% of capacity. Are those the cells that where put in the car 8 years ago? CalB 200AH cells?
180ah cells according to the serial#
@@DavidPozEnergy so they have been previously replaced? If not, impressive performance