April 25, 2011 by Rob.

After some minor painting, the battery replacement for the RAVolt went off with any issues.  The alternate cells Trojan T1275 were a good fit without needed to change the terminal connector layouts.

I especially like the new lifting ears.  We made some simple lifting straps so moving the cells was much easier than using the J150’s built in handles.  I wish they were in the original design because I could have aligned the cells to make it easier to have tie downs.

I have not yet tested the range on the new cells - I expect to be back to my 30 mile range.  Trust, but verify.

Posted in Batteries, Storyline, Conversion | 6 Comments »

April 8, 2011 by Rob.

Now that the brakes are fixed!!  I took Alex for his first RAVolt drive.  With the old batteries, it takes a very careful foot.  He’s excited to have the RAVolt has his daily, so we’re getting new batteries.The current range is just about 2-4 miles (of very timid driving).It’s been 4 years since we got the first set (about this same date in 2007) and prices are up about 50%.  Each cell will cost $150 for the T1275.  If I tried to order the old J150 cells, they would be a special item and $200.The T1275 is the same weight and amp-hours.  It’s slightly shorter (13″ vs 13.75″).  That difference may come from the lack of useless lifting edges on the sides.   My big concern is the terminal posts, but those _appear_ to be the same.We’ll find out on Tuesday - that’s when the J150s go to the big smelter in the sky.  It will take a few days before I find the time for the install.BTW: My supplier is Continental Battery in Belton.   Thanks to Bill Gooch on the AustinEV list for the recommendation.

Posted in Batteries, Parts, Improvements | 5 Comments »

June 4, 2009 by Rob.

This was posted from the AustinEV group and is significant since stealthy EEStor could be a major playah if their stuff actually works.

Posted in Batteries, EV News, AustinEV | 3 Comments »

January 3, 2009 by Rob.

My last two EV outings (16 miles & 12 miles) have been marked by atypical voltage sag.  It seems like the 18 month old batteries are not holding as much charge as they used to or the “cold” could be impacting them more than I expect.  Unfortunately, the I think the lack of daily commute based deep charge/discharge is limiting their recovery.

On a related note: having a high MPG car makes me less likely to drive the EV on longer trips.  Hmmm.

Posted in Honda Fit, Batteries, Daily Use, Storyline | 1 Comment »

August 9, 2008 by Rob.

I just saw an announcement that Austin based ActaCell (don’t bother w/ the site, it’s a 1 pager) raised $5.8M of VC money from DFJ Mercury Includes Google.org, Applied Ventures and Good Energie.  They plan to hire key technical talent and to further develop ActaCell’s innovative lithium-ion battery technology for commercial purposes.

ActaCell, Inc. on 2105 Donley Drive 78758 

Posted in Batteries | 1 Comment »

July 29, 2008 by Rob.

I was watering the RAVolt’s batteries this weekend (as usual, 1 basterfull per cell) when I noticed that one of the battery terminals is corroded.  The powered is bluish and there is no acid splash around the terminal.  I’m not sure what to do yet, just reporting the problem.  I’ll ask AustinEV for help.

Corroded:

Clean:

Posted in Safety, Batteries, Daily Use, Parts, Pictures, AustinEV | 2 Comments »

January 6, 2008 by Rob.

I finally got around to watering the RAVolts dry batteries. I gave them a nice long drink of electrons to see if I can get my range back into the 20s. They demonstrated their appreciation by making the RAVolt smell strongly of boiled eggs. Did I mention that I HATE boiled eggs? Do I think you care? Don’t answer, I know it’s a double “no.”

Anyway, I took the family out for egg flavored yogurt and a joy ride tonight. We were able to cruise 16 miles with two long climbs on 360 at highway speeds. The batteries were holding up nicely and I’m feeling optimistic that I did not completely crush them when I got stranded.

I’m planning to equalize the string (trickle charge 1 at a time) tomorrow after charging tonight.

PS: Are you interested in social media too? Check out apophrenia. I was just reading her post about an blogging income gap with teens.

Posted in Batteries, Daily Use | 1 Comment »

December 20, 2007 by Rob.

But my uncle did send me an interesting link to new Lithium battery technology from Stanford.  Even if this is not ready for market, the electron microscope picture of silicon nanowire’s absorbing lithium is amazing!  The article has a concise description of Li battery chemistry.

Posted in Batteries, EV Tech | 1 Comment »