Chassis

Twelve Trojan T-1275 lead-acid batteries provide 150 Ah at a 20-hour rate. Series connections bring it up to a 144 volt nominal voltage. Since I load the batteries at a minimum of 50 amps or C/3 and up to sometimes 2C I have seen about 80 amp hours out of each battery for an approximate 80% DOD. Peukerts law describes this relationship between load and amp hours. So the lighter I go on the batteries the farther they take me. Finally a good reason to slow down! I have a 12 meter display on the dash...one for each battery. I feel more comfortable seeing the performance of each battery. The batteries sit under the kids' seat so monitoring the state of each battery is an important safety feature. Reading the total series pack voltage will not show one battery dropping dangerously below the others. Also stopping the discharge is related to the DOD of that lowest battery. These batteries were selected for affordability. For three times the price, I could have installed some lithium iron phosphate batteries, but I'm trying to make a point about the affordability of such a vehicle at this stage. I’ve spent a lot of time working with lead-acid batteries, and know how to maximize their life and performance. Check out the solid copper wires. I smashed some round stock in a 50 ton press to give me a perfect non-soldered non-crimped connection.