Let the Hacking Begin

[martinwinlow]

Well, I had a go with the MUT-III over the w/e. After figuring out how to get the thing to register my i-Miev as being connected rather than the 'Grandis' (whatever that is) that it thought my car was when I first connected it, I was able to reset the airbag warning light. It was apparent that the MUT-III is not altogether happy in that I was getting various errors but I am wondering if the EU version of the car firmware is confusing it, or even the fact that my car is the Peugeot version rather than a proper i-Miev. To that end, does anyone know what the difference between a 2011 i-Miev 'LDDL6' and a 'LDDR6' is? I'll put up some screen shots of the MUT-III software working soon. MW

 

[JoeS]

According to partsouq.com, it's LHD vs. RHD. Google found it, first hit.

 

[martinwinlow]

According to partsouq.com, it's LHD vs. RHD. Google found it, first hit.

Doh! I didn't try searching very hard, obviously. I was hoping it was going to be a but more interesting than that and explain why I had some issues with the kit but perhaps that difference is enough. At least I know now! MW

 

[GdB]

I finally got my receiver hitch installed. After extensive drilling to lighten the assembly, the thing's still 36 lbs and stout enough to hang the car from,

I don't see the point in having such a heavy hitch for carrying bikes.

I looked under the bumper and it's 100% clear to me that I can make something for $60-100 parts and labor that should weigh less than 15 lbs. It should be strong enough to tow a light trailer (600 lbs?).

This and a 1/4" plate will be the basis of my lightweight hitch.
http://www.harborfreight.com/2-inch-to-1-1-4-quarter-inch-hitch-adapter-65024.html
A few braces will also be added to insure strength.

 

[jray3]

Agreed, the Torklift hitch is overkill, but I was working with the mfr (who refused to warrant something lighter). On the plus side, I can load the world on a cargo platform, and the rear end is collision-ready. I also swear that folks allow more following distance when they see a nasty ball mount pointing at their radiator!

Btw- I've used a "bikes only" Prius hitch receiver (friend's car) and the thing was terrible, with only two bolts per side just a couple of inches apart. It worked loose and wobbled no matter how tight the bolts thru that sacrificial sheet metal were. Bike racks can put a lot of torque on the hitch.

 

[GdB]

Agreed, the Torklift hitch is overkill, but I was working with the mfr (who refused to warrant something lighter). On the plus side, I can load the world on a cargo platform, and the rear end is collision-ready. I also swear that folks allow more following distance when they see a nasty ball mount pointing at their radiator!

Btw- I've used a "bikes only" Prius hitch receiver (friend's car) and the thing was terrible, with only two bolts per side just a couple of inches apart. It worked loose and wobbled no matter how tight the bolts thru that sacrificial sheet metal were. Bike racks can put a lot of torque on the hitch.

The problem here is make sure you don't overload the tongue, which will lift the front wheels. Take a front seat passenger to help balance.

I'm qualified to design this lighter version. What I had in mind will take the torque. The limiting thing on torque is a 1-1/4 or 2 inch receiver breaking.

 

[Don]

Agreed, the Torklift hitch is overkill, but I was working with the mfr (who refused to warrant something lighter). On the plus side, I can load the world on a cargo platform, and the rear end is collision-ready. I also swear that folks allow more following distance when they see a nasty ball mount pointing at their radiator!

Btw- I've used a "bikes only" Prius hitch receiver (friend's car) and the thing was terrible, with only two bolts per side just a couple of inches apart. It worked loose and wobbled no matter how tight the bolts thru that sacrificial sheet metal were. Bike racks can put a lot of torque on the hitch.

The problem here is make sure you don't overload the tongue, which will lift the front wheels. Take a front seat passenger to help balance.

Surely you jest! ;-)

The hitch ball is so close to the rear axle on the iMiEV, even the maximum rated hitch load (300 pounds) wouldn't have any noticeable effect 'lifting' the front wheels

Don

 

[jray3]

The problem here is make sure you don't overload the tongue, which will lift the front wheels. Take a front seat passenger to help balance.

Surely you jest! ;-)

The hitch ball is so close to the rear axle on the iMiEV, even the maximum rated hitch load (300 pounds) wouldn't have any noticeable effect 'lifting' the front wheels

Don

I'd bet it's just the definition of "lift". The understeer gets noticeably worse due to weight transfer when carrying 500 lbs of lead batteries behind the seats, and if it was a heavy trailer tongue wagging the dog, I wouldn't be surprised to hear of an i-jacknife.

 

[GdB]

In case anyone is interested, I posted a new thread "Custom 11 lb hitch receiver adapter". Seemed better to start a new thread for this.

http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2344&p=18912#p18912

 

[torklift central]

For anyone interested all EcoHitch’s are $45 off with free shipping Nov. 28 – Dec. 1st for Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

 

[carnut1100]

Looks like I will be getting to "hack" an imiev shortly...
Seems like we will be cutting a deal with insurance that means we retain the wreck, and the plan is to view it as a gift wrapped EV conversion kit.

 

[DonDakin]

Lucky you...

I mean to play with a wrecked imiev not that you got in a wreck that sucks...

Please do keep us on the forum up to date with what you do. If you crack the pack open i would love to find out more about the temp sensors. Where they are located and if they are really accurate. Any testing you can do in this area would be much appreciated if the car is in good enough shape to do this kind of thing.

Good luck with your project.

Don.....

 

[GdB]

What are your plans?

The worst thing about the i-MiEV is the high drag body, so it's a great starting point to make a roadster. If you could find an old beater Saab, MG, Triumph, Karman Ghia, and transplant the body...

The beautiful Porsche 550 Spyder would be my 1st choice

Keep it light and the acceleration will be nice also.

 

[jray3]

I have been perplexed by the relatively high apparent values of salvage i-mievs given the general un-love for our cars, and have come to the sobering conclusion that with used cars now getting into sub-$10,000 range, an entire working i-MiEV would be a better buy than new CALB cells or even a salvaged LEAF pack in order to lithiumize my other EV, the Karmann Eclectric!
I'd certainly prefer not to gut a good car and find a salvage i, but the prospect of removing cells from a low mileage car and putting it in 'cold storage' is also appealing to some degree.....
I'm also perplexed that after watching the CoPart auctions for two years, I've not seen a single salvage i-MiEV from California. What's up with that?
If Anyone would like to collaborate on such plz let me know. Otherwise, Don- you're closest to the cheapest used i on Cars.com, so be forewarned. Better get it before I do!

 

[GdB]

Or you can make it a range extender trailer somehow?

 

[jray3]

Or you can make it a range extender trailer somehow?

Hmmm, what are you proposing here- taking the i-MiEV battery tray out of the car and setting it on a trailer? Yup, that should be easy enough, or a front-end collision-salvage car could be made into a trailer by just cutting away all the extra body work and leave the drivetrain intact for pushing and regen... The tongue weight would likely be excessive for an i-MiEV if we don't add a counterweight behind the rear axle of the trailer. That also brings up the possibility of an "Electric Pusher Trailer".. That's right, tow an intact i-MiEV behind a gasser and push with it, as well as employing regen. That would be an awesome feature for RV dinghy use. I'm convinced that the ban by Mitsu on flat towing was simply a legal CYA move, and there's no technical reason to not flat tow the car if it is turned on and in Neutral. (Or perform a regen recharge of varying intensity by picking your drive mode before a long downhill grade.)
Here's the only electric pusher that I'm aware of.
http://www.evalbum.com/1713

I'd rather not need a trailer for my daily commute, but reserve trailers for 'special trips'. A small range trailer does open the possibility of designing a conversion (or buying and OEM EV) with the smallest pack that will handle your normal routine, and use the trailer for special trips.
Some range trailer concepts like the AC Propulsion Long Ranger, the EP Tender, and Rinnspeed's Dock+Go, are designed to be unobtrusive enough for frequent use.
http://www.evnut.com/rav_longranger.htm
http://www.eptender.com/
http://evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=27012
There was also a cute little animation of a Rinnspeed-type concept for the i-MiEV by some Danish or German college students, IIRC, but I'm not finding it now.

 

[GdB]

I looked at the E-Trailer “Electric (I.C.E) Pusher”. I don't see the point of it.
Electric power assisting an ICE will just push it more into the horribly inefficient zone of operation.
Unless the gearing is massively modified to have an extreme overdrive so the almost no excess power is available for hills and acceleration. A gasoline engine would not like that (lugging), but a Diesel would be happier in that mode.

The http://www.evnut.com/rav_longranger.htm was very interesting. A small automotive Diesel would have been a lot more efficient. Motorcycle engines are not very efficient.

Good point about the unsuitability of the i for a trailer.

I am thinking of converting my pickup truck into a trailer when the ICE expires.

HERE IS ONE LAST IDEA FOR HACKING THE SALVAGE i-MiEV !

Make it a parallel hybrid by adding a sprocket to the drive shaft - transmission joint. Connect that sprocket to a nice high revving 600cc or 1000cc motorcycle engine and transmission (more power and more efficient by virtue of larger combustion chamber). Now you have some crazy performance and a lot more efficient than the donor bike. Bikes have terrible aerodynamics so a nice clean roadster with narrow tires could have equal or lower drag. I suggest a gearing to lower RPM's a lot, since 6 gears gives you plenty of options.

This would go well with the roadster conversion idea.

 

[GdB]

A Lotus 78 would be a nice body design guide. :lol:

 

[siai47]

If you think you are going to "hack" a I-MiEV and make something drivable out of it, I wish you luck. Everything is so intergrated in the electronics that the whole will not operate unless the sum of the original parts are in place and working. Believe me, I have spent many hours pondering this question. Getting a "ready" light on the dash is the holy grail. Before I tore apart my wrecked I-MiEV I tried to get it to run. After being unable to make any progress I dragged it down to the Mitsubishi dealer and cleared around 40 various codes with the MUT III but still had a couple that prevented the "ready" light. One was the airbag controller which (although no bags or tensioners were deployed) had experienced excessive "G" loads. This cannot be reset and need to be replaced $$$. It can also be repaired by 3rd party shops but it's still around a hundred bucks. Then there were all the sensors. Tire pressure, anti lock, brake vacuum, vacuum pump, etc.---you get the picture. The battery charger and DC-DC converter are intergrated so there is no charging (12 volt or High voltage). It was reassuring that most of the instrument panel warning lights worked as most were on. At least the navigation system worked as it did show where the car was when it crashed until it got a GPS signal. The biggest problem of making anything useful out of the I-MiEV is the lack of any information on how the systems are controlled through the can buss system. There is a computer under the dash that works like a body control module in domestic cars. This in turn controls the main EV computer and the battery management unit located under the rear seat. These computers control the battery charger and inverter for the electric motor. Best case would be to find a damaged car that still drove and transplant 100% of the systems into whatever kind of car you wanted to install it in. The next best thing is to try to find a compatible inverter for the main drive motor as I don't believe there is any way to operate it without the rest of the components. We know the motor is out of a forklift---so somewhere out there is a inverter that should operate it. The final problem is the battery balancing circuit in the battery modules. There is zero information on how that works. I do know that it has balancers that operate via a can buss (and a backup K-Line) signal from the BMU that is independent from the main vehicle can buss. What can buss signal initiates the balancing operation and how to prevent from starting during charging at levels above .5 amps is unknown to me. Without balancers, the batteries themselves are useless. So if someone figures this out, post it here as I have a load of parts that could be put to good use. If I can find a suitable inverter for the motor there is going to be a really dangerous golf cart out there :lol: !

 

[Palm35]

Hello,
I don't remember if I told you about this electric range extender.
http://eauto.si/en/electric-range-extender/
and too here
http://eauto.si/en/new-projects/ (project 2 below)