Start the Trip Meter

Well, the ute is finally an EV.

This weekend (17 & 18 May), the test driving of the ute as an electric ute began. I did a run of 6 km down to Broad Bay with Adrianne following in the Corolla (in case the trip was eventful). It ran really well with good acceleration. The motor seems quite powerful when you get used to the quietness of it. It am still a bit tentative about accelerating because the current spikes up. The system is capable of 500A. However, I decided to set the traction system up with a 250A circuit breaker. Even though the breaker is a slow blow, I get worried whenever the ammeter current sweeps towards the 300A.

The ride is surprisingly good. The weight balance must be reasonably good because the ute corners well and comfortably. Because there is virtually no engine noise, the sound of the transmission is accentuated. Gavin Shoebridge found the same when he started driving his EV sedan. There is no apparent vibration from the coupling, which is a huge relief because it was very difficult to test this before installation and is potentially very difficult to fix it if it developed.

I ended up putting 22 km on the trip meter, including an equivalent trip on the Sunday. The charger did its work admirably both times and the Curtis State of Charge meter seems to give really good indication. The batteries will take a few more tens of kilometres to break in to the point that they begin to deliver the full range potential.

The only problem encountered was the electric brake vacuum boost system. The boost simply isn't there. The brakes are there, but the pedal pressure needs to be quite harsh to do the same job. I visited the local mechanic, Russel, in Macandrew Bay. He was excited as a schoolboy to see under the bonnet. When I first pulled up there were a couple of guys admiring a vintage car outside the garage. They looked puzzled at the ute, perhaps because it was making no noise. I told them it was battery electric, and immediately thought that might be a mistake because one of the guys looked as though he was going to give me a clip for being cheeky. I had to quickly jump out of the ute and show them under the bonnet, and it was all smiles after they saw the truth. Russel came out and looked the vacuum pump plumbing that I had done. His verdict was that the hose diameter had to be also double the 6 mm to allow the diaphragm chamber to take a decent gulp of vacuum assist. So, that's the next job. I'm currently looking for 10 mm diameter vacuum hose.

Once that's sorted out, it's time for the certification inspection.