Figured I should start a thread here.
CorVolt is my project car, a 1963 Chevrolet Corvair 700 Coupe, being converted to a battery electric vehicle.
The main parts I'm using:
- NetGain Hyper9 HV AC motor
- NetGain / SME X144 Isolated Logic Controller / Inverter
- 7x used Tesla Model S 5.3 kWh battery modules
- Vero Electric Vero BMS v1
- ElCon 6.6 kW onboard charger
- ElCon 1kW DC/DC converter
- Home made battery boxes
- Home made adapter plate and shaft coupler to interface with the stock 4 speed manual transmission, retaining the clutch.
I started this project in 2008, when I was gifted this Corvair with no engine, with the original intention of going straight to electric. I was still in college, didn't have a solid income, and my only real option would have been DC and Lead Acid. After doing some rest, realizing how much it would have cost for a pretty lame range, I dropped the EV portion of the project and we dropped a stock Corvair ICE in. I drove it like that for a decade and enjoyed it a lot.
Around 2019, it started to run like crap, and despite quite a bit of troubleshooting, I couldn't solve it. It sat unused for a few years until around 2021-2022 when I saw a couple early model Corvairs on Instagram that were being converted to electric, and I was re-inspired. I started heavy research into parts, methods, videos, etc. I bought the Hyper9 system from our fellow club member William on Halloween 2022, and pulled the ICE out in November. I've been working on it piece by piece since then as time permitted, with loads of assistance from my Dad, a mechanic, machinist and life long Corvair tinkerer.
