EV car conversion hardware

[arber333]

I decided to write up a guide on using some hardware from different gas cars in an EV.

First will be about connecting and using hydraulic assist pump from Opel cars.
Corsa usually has electric motor to assist driver, but all other Opel cars normally have electric hydro pump to provide pressure for servo steering. Usually those are good because they dont use any CAN bus control. Instead they use pressure drop from steering movement and they are programmed to stabilize pressure continuously on demand. This makes them miss for first 1/2s in case of some violent tugging, but i belive it is better that way at speeds.

I got this pump on ebay for some 80€, working with some tubing and mount. It was taken from Opel Astra G car.
You want to connect it to 12V to try if it works, but you want to avoid running it dry.

So here is how the pump works.
- Connect thick red wire on live 12V via 80A fuse.
- Connect thick brown wire to car chassis as negaitve lead.
- Driver provides ignition 12V and pump should get this signal via thin Black wire.
- starts engine and pump gets the signal from live alternator voltage via thin blue/white wire.

In former case pump will spool up at once and provide steady pressure. It will draw some 6A of current with no delta pressure at the steering end.
You can connect both thin wires to 12V at the same time too however. In that case pump will start, but will spool up really slowly.

Normally i use one 12V relay in a car to signal 12V ignition live to other support elements inside car. I connect there coolant water pump, DCDC enable signal, power to inverter , precharge relay, vacuum pump and of course EHPAS pump black wire.
When i turn to start the car i have one latching (or two) relay to provide "engine on" signal for car computer. I connect blue/white wire here nd as soon as i start inverter power steering is on!

[arber333]

I have sucessfuly used Prius throttle pedal for like 5 years now. Lately i have bought Auris pedal and also one Yaris pedal, but this one was from british RHD car. All of them use the same hall sensors and they even share the same connector. Prius P/N is 78110-12050, but rest are the same sensor.
They are 5V powered and signal is simple linear voltage function from 0.8V/1.2V to 3.8V/4.2V.
They are simple to connect to Johannes DIY inverter as well as other.
This has smaller connector than early Prius pedals. I have found it is sold as Toyota 90980-12303 Plug Connector Kit. It seems to also fit to later model Prius.

Pin 6 - Wiper 1
Pin 5 - Ground
Pin 4 - 5v +
Pin 3 - Wiper 2
Pin 2 - Ground
Pin 1 - 5v +

Pins 4,5,6 work from 0.8V - 3.8V

On my 406 Coupe i used Auris pedal P/N 78110-02030 which has a thick wire for lever.
I cut the pedal off it and used an extension to clear pedal past steering column which was in the way. https://leafdriveblog.wordpress.com/tag/throttle/

[arber333]

For 5 years now i use Bosch 12V aux coolant pump that you can find on Ebay or different sites for cheap. Usually those pumps are expensive. But i got one cheap from HK. P/N is 1K0965561J.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/For-VW-Jetta ... Sw35Zc-NJn

It comes with connector and rubber mount and is fitted for single M6 bolt.

[arber333]

To perform precharge sometimes one thinks it is enough you take one strong relay and you are done. Normally it is correct. 150R resistor slowly charges main caps inside inverter and when main contactor is turned on and precharge relay shut off there is not enough voltage difference to stick normal relay contacts. Persumably! But what if.. . something goes wrong and precharge is not yet complete and you try to reset inverter. Of course precharge relay will create arc on shutdown and burn through contacts. Next time precharge wont work and you have to take inverter apart....

Of course it happened to me . Then i decided to search for good small DC HV relay.
I found one from Nissan Leaf P/N AEV52012. It is plentifull as Leaf and can be bought online too.
It can withstand swithching 400Vdc up to 20A. I consider it good also to trigger 5kW heater off.
Connection is by automotive fast-on crimped contacts. It is triggered by 12V.
When i took it apart i saw that under main contacts it has 2 magnets that absorb plasma discharge and arc doesnt form. Also contacts are silver coated.

[arber333]

I consider this each DIY preference.
Mine is Tyco Kilovac contactor EV200HAANA.
It is capable of braking 900Vdc at 500A! Inside it is nitrogen (inert gas) filled so arc doesnt form and contacts are silver coated.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kilovac-Szon ... SwTghbyFH0

It can be powered from 9Vdc to 30Vdc and its econoimiser only takes 0.5A when holding coil on. However to turn on it needs at least 3A in pulse and i found out inverter transistors are sorely inadequate. After some time it will burn transistor in UL2003 chip.
Also economiser usually doesnt work well with NPN transistor outputs. A lot of chatter happens. So now i use EV200 with arduino relay pair. One triggers precharge and second turns on contactor.

[Jack Bauer]

Excellent info Arber. I have made this thread sticky.

[arber333]

Nice!
Anyone feels like they have found good hardware they may contribute where to get it and how to use it in Diy.

[arber333]

I found another DC precharge relay. P/N AEV31012 rated for 400Vdc 10A. It is from Ampera/Volt car. There are 3 such relays inside battery head unit.
I expect you can get one from salvaged Volt battery packs. It draws only 0.2A when active.

[arber333]

Also from Volt pack you can salvage 2 powerfull contactors. P/N AEV14012 it is rated for 120A continuously and 400A for a short burst. This means they had to use one of theese on + line and another on - side. Together you get 240A rating for system with 800A for a burst of power.
Contactor pulls 0.5A when active.

[arber333]

This is not something to be permanently used. it is a stopgap measure if you find yourself with broken DCDC converter. You can get branded versions from Meanwell or Chineese spinoffs.
I ordered one 12V 400W LED PSU. I connected it to 230Vdc and it worked fine and can supply 13.8Vdc.
I use it for experiments here in my lab, but it also doubles as my emergency DCDC converter for Mazda EV.
I connect it o permanenet 380Vdc power and it converts it to your normal 13.8Vdc for lights and pumps in a car.
I did hear strange whine when i was driving. I think it makes all sorts of EMI, but for emergency it is stable isolated PSU.
You do have to put it inside car as it is not waterproof.
It is great for experimenting with your car and systems if your dedicated DCDC needs CAN signal to operate. To test everything you just need to supply 230Vac ot upwards of 160Vdc and it makes some 30A of isolated 13Vdc.

[arber333]

I will not discuss here the legal points of electric heater and its EMI. I start this post on grounds you already have Webasto diesel heater instialled and it has CE mark to perform TUV inspection.
Now for those days when webasto is not needed or just to demist windshield in heavy rain i propose solution that may become permanent for people that live in warmer climates.

I got one 2.3kW Wihrpool dishwasher inline heater. I bought it for 35€ online. it is a 38mm tube with heater around it.
When i connect heater to 230Vac it draws 10A to make 2.3kW of heat. Now if i connect the same to 380Vdc it draws 13A to make 5kW! Nice!
Of course i need to make some modifications to use it. First i need to disconnect thermostat switch that opens at 90deg. If i had used it with DC it will open just once... Instead i connected power across it and i use outside thermo switch on alu tube. This switches 12V relay on and it in turn closes DC relay for 400Vdc. You want to be carefull though 5kW is a lot of power. I use 85deg thermo switch so coolant wouldnt boil off.
I enclose everything in a plastic tube (yes the toilet waste tube) and fill this with glass wool for isolation. I dont want to have DC power open under hood.

[johu]

Very nice thread!
An absolute classic for brake booster vacuum is the Audi vacuum pump 8E0927317:

It pulls about 10A.

It is unregulated so you need a sensor 036906051G. It needs 5V supply, outputs about 2V when vacuum is sufficient and a rising voltage with less vacuum. You obviously need some support circuitry for it, maybe there are easier options.

The pump is mostly equipped with the 2-pole VW plug that fits into this: 1J0973722

[doobedoobedo]

Some really good tips and ideas here. Thanks

[arber333]

Ok! Yes I noticed some possibilities for vacuum switches. None is rather cheap, but i consider 12V to operate them a must.
Another 30A relay is also a must.
Usually there are check valves inside brake booster, but we need one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10mm-3-8-Inl ... abf3ad9ba1 after vacuum pump so that we measure vacuum before the switch.

1. Chineese Dracarys Electric Brake Vacuum Pump Switch. It is a simple membrane and spring switch that is calibrated by a screw that compresses a spring which in turn causes a membrane to close contact at a larger suction. Very simple to mount. It only needs one contact from a relay, the other contact is GND on the casing. Case forms a tube 10mm that one connects to hoses.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dracarys-Car ... SwJIhdJ54q

2. Volvo XC90 vacuum switch P/N 30645383
Havent tried this yet, but it seems it was made for EV brake system. Connector is some form of Bosch.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VOLVO-XC90-T ... Sw2wZdoI-m

3. PSF109S-81-330 switch. I actually tried this switch. It worked for like 3 years before elements got to it. Measuring hose is rather small, but contacts are good fastons. Vacuum can be set very fine and hysteresis is better than with Dracarys. I think it is capable to power UP28 pump on its own. Still I recommend to use good relay in between.
https://www.worldmagnetics.com/our-swit ... witch.html
https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/psf109 ... PSF%20109S

[arber333]

And for heating in very mild cold. In fact it works comfortably in any cold... I use those in Mazda for 5 years now.
Seat heaters. I bought some more permanent design. I like to hide them under the seat fabric. They come with 3 position switches and they heat up enough in about 5minutes. They draw 30W per panel. There are two panels per seat. Heating pad is made from carbon mesh that can be cut or formed without loosing connection.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-1-Seats- ... SwD6VduPLl

[arber333]

Someone may be offended and i may be acused to burn dinosaurs , but my argument is winter is cold and 2nd law of thermodynamics is not something we can avoid even in EV. Our own entropy works against us. So i figured to heat myself with 5kW electric heater and to my horror it resulted in 25% range decrease. That is quite substantial and i need my car to go to work and drive some errands every day.

Well there was not really any other option because whatever you put in a car has to have some form of certificate of recognition. Webasto is such a general product it has this CE stamped on its face.

My choice was Webasto Thermotop EVO 5kW liquid heating model. It burns diesel of any kind. I used D2 fuel, heating oil and Jet A-1 kerosene. All of them burn good . So i got together some info that can help you if you decide to get one for your EV car.

1. Where to buy one?
You can drive to one of Webasto dealers and order installation for about 800€ to 1000€.
Or you can search online for a good deal. There are used models, but i rather issue some more €€€ and get a new one. It is not that expensive.
1. Heater with fuel pump, intake muffler and water hoses. A good deal i belive.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Standheizung-We ... 3151968796

2. We need a fuel pump to dose fuel from fuel tank. The best results are with DP42 pump.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heater-Fuel- ... 3347665383

3. We need a remote to switch on the heater whenever we like
https://www.ebay.de/itm/DIGITALE-VORWAH ... SwDNZcar5w

4. I recommend you install a stainless hose for exhaust at least. Or you can buy one exhaust silencer online
https://www.ebay.de/itm/24mm-Exhaust-Mu ... SwStVdg1WK

5. We need propper connectors to activate webasto EVO. We can get them at the dealers or online. Price is not really that different.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Standheizung-We ... Q&LH_BIN=1
We have to verify which kind of connector our model uses. There are many different connectors available for different Webasto models.

EDIT:
I found some more diesel/gasoline heaters complete with everything for installation here... Seems to work OK on desk. I have to install it.
I will post feedback when i know more...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004 ... 1802qOQMEM

[arber333]

When we get the equipment we first want to try it if it works, of course.

We need to make some cables first.
1. We assemble and crimp the 2 pin power cable first. Here we need at least 1.5mm2 wire if not 2.5mm2 of two colours. Best is one red and one blue or black. Inside webasto connector socket there are pin markings. We wire red (12V) wire to pin 2 and black (GND) wire to pin 1.

2. We assemble 6P connector. We really need only need 4 wires
- Pin 1 to GND, this pin is used to connect to factory tester
- Pin 2 to W-bus remote 1533 inside cabin
- Pin 5 to interior relay that turns on ventilation inside car.
- Pin 6 to + side of fuel metering pump.
Rest of the Pins are not needed
- Pin 3 Summer/winter operation select
- Pin 4 turn on coolant solenoid if more complex system is used.

3. Make a connector for remote 1533. I just used 4P Dupont 2.54mm connectoir and crimped some 0.5mm2 cables. Pins are marked on the side
- Pin W is W-Bus and i normally use green color
- Pin + is +12V inside cabin, this has to be permanent 12V so remote does not loose memory
- Pin - is GND connection for timer
- Pin S is start pin that outputs 12V signal for older model heaters or Airtops. We do not use that. Or you could use it findication.

Then we connect heater on desk and make a dry run. Caution, if you do not connect any of the elements webasto will not start because it measures resistance on its pins.
So connect like i state in points before and press button with flame on remote. If everything is OK then heater should start internal fan and water pump and after some seconds fuel pump should start to pulsate.

[johnspark]

Very interesting Arber. I have bought this plug and socket to use to isolate the inverter when working on it. A friend has 3D printed a plastic cover for the socket, which will have live pins on it from the battery. The plastic cover is an additional safety factor.

[damian.lo]

Johnspark, maybe you also know where to buy the rest from picture above? Still I'm wondering how to connect main excluding normal connectors availabe for industry.

[johnspark]

damien.lo, i got these from: https://evparts.com.au/connector.html.

i would like to find these from a cheaper supplier for my second conversion though. Or use something completely different.

[Kevin Sharpe]

i would like to find these from a cheaper supplier for my second conversion though. Or use something completely different.

Tesla Model 3 HV connector assemblies can be purchased at low cost if you hunt around (look for damaged charge port listings). They're TE HC-STACK series and information is sparse. The Model 3 rapid charge connector is the HC-STAK 35 rated for 400A continuous at 85°C and the motor connector is the HC-STAK 25 rated for 275A continuous at 85°C.

[tom91]

*Admins please let me know if a post like this is out of bounds due to my relation to the business*

Zero-EV has some connectors and cable for reasonable pricing on their site; https://zero-ev.co.uk/product-category/hv-connectors/

The Opel/Vauxhall pump is a good one, currently looking at creating a remote reservoir adaptor to enable the 'hiding' of the pump.

Anyone have a good source for a Ceramic heater to be used in an EV at 300-400V? I am seriously eyeballing a simple blower heater that runs off 240Vac to strip down for its parts.

[sfk]

I bought something like this PTC heater core - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32815414254.html

I found one that closely matched the size of the heat exchange matrix in my car's existing heat/ventilation system.

There are different sizes, voltages, heat outputs etc.

Specifications:
Rated voltage: 110V
Rated power: 1000W
Size(approx.): 140*102*26mm ( ripple length: about 96mm)

[tom91]

I seen those too, however I am not a fan of having those shitty wires. I want to have something like that with spade connectors atleast.

Wonder how they hold up to vibration.

[damian.lo]

Thanks for contact with connectors at Zero-EV tom91.
What I saw found locally, are available used PTC heaters from Ford/Opel etc. Problem is only, that usually they require 12V and more amps, but if someaone have dc-dc capable to take it - heater cost almost nothing - about 15 Euro.