More Battery Box Work

It's been a while since the car rolled under it's own power with only a single battery module, since then I've started finalising the battery box. I've given up on the fibreglass tub and now decided to use PVC sheets on a metal frame and sealing the modules in. This will mean the only way in to the battery box is to destroy it. With this in mind, I'll be externally mounting the contactors, HV fuse etc.

Along with this, it's become apparent the original BMS master board design has a few errors that need correcting. One being the power supply having a couple of components the wrong way round and the Pilot Proximity detection circuit has errors. So with the V2 design done, once I've double checked it and hopefully Rob (converting an MX5) will also cast an eye over it, the designs can be set to JLCPCB for manufacture.

There's still a few more jobs to be doing before the pack can be installed permanently and the bumper put back on. I need to mount the small cooling radiator and finish the battery box.

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DVLA Inspection

I decided to try get the DVLA to update the V5 to electric for the 4th or 5th time, but this time I was told I'd need an inspection before the change could be made. The inspection was by a 3rd party company. The guy turned up and took a load of photos, looking for the changes I'd made, and tallying up the points against the points system they use to decide if it's radically altered or not. Your vehicle must have 8 or more points from the table below if you want to keep the original registration number. 5 of these points must come from having the original or new and unmodified chassis, monocoque bodyshell or frame. Part Points Chassis, monocoque bodyshell (body and chassis as one unit) or frame - original or new and unmodified (direct from manufacturer) 5 Suspension (front and back) - original 2 Axles (both) - original 2 Transmission - original 2 Steering assembly - original 2 Engine - original 1 Given that I had the original gearbox, suspension, steering assembly and only

DVLA Refusal to Update V5

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Golf GTE Battery Disassembly

Having deliberated over battery pack options, I was convinced I would go for a pack from a BMW plug in hybrid or the Outlander PHEV, but a pack from a Golf GTE popped up on eBay for £500 delivered, which was too good to let pass by, at 8.8kwh it works out at £57 per kilowatt hour, a bargain. Tearing it down wasn't the easiest task, and with 350v - 400v under there, a little nerve wracking. The lid was glued down with some serious adhesive. The pack consists of 4 modules, each module is 2 strings of 12 cells, with a cooling plate between them for liquid cooling. Each of the 12 cells has a BMS slave board, which reports the voltage of cell cell to the BMS master, along with the temperature of the string. Each module can store just over 2 kwhs. The modules communicate with the master via a CAN Bus network that's internal to the battery. I've put up a GitHub repo with a DBC file for interpreting the reported frames https://github.com/jamiejones85/DBC-files if you are looking at

EV Beetle Conversion Project

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