I restored a 1980 Lectric Leopard for use as a second car. The Lectric Leopard is an early production electric car, converted by U.S. ElectriCar in Massachussetts from Renault LeCars shipped as "gliders" from Canada in the early 80's. It's never had a "stink-box" (infernal combustion engine) in it!

NOTABLE BENEFITS OF
THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE
+ Equipped with a conductive charging port, a standard for new EVs, but an uncommon feature on a used electric vehicle. The port allows the car to be plugged into the many electric vehicle charging stations available in convenient locations all over the city (free power). It can also be charged by extension cord, connecting to a 220V dryer outlet.

+ Seats four people!! How many EVs can make that claim?

Specifications:

Chassis: 1980 Renault LeCar
Top Speed: 65 mph
Range: 40 - 60 miles (80% DOD) depending on weather
Motor: Prestolite; 6" series-wound, 25hp peak
Transmission: original 4-speed manual coupled to the motor with a custom-machined aluminum adapter plate
Charger: Zivan; 110VAC input, 72VDC/20 amps output
Charge time: 8 hours (80% DOD)
Controller: Curtis; 48-72VDC, 400 amps peak
Battery Bank: Trojan Batteries 72VDC = 9 - T-875 batteries @ 8-volt ea., 150 Amp-hrs ea.; battery back = 10.8 kWhrs.
Accessory battery: Advanced Power Products, Sun-Extender 12V, 85 Amp-hrs.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: How much did it cost?
A: It was in very poor condition when I first discovered it. I bought it for $400 as a "basket case" and now have about $5,500 invested, not counting my time. It had only 3,000 miles on it but it had been sitting in a field for about 4 or 5 years, during which time the windows and hood were left open a bit. The interior fabric was mostly black mold growing on "80's orange" carpet, and mice had built cozy little homes through-out the heating ducts behind the dash. When I removed the electric motor, it was so rusted that little bits of springs and brushes just fell out into my hands. Most of the time and money I've invested has been spent cleaning, removing rust, painting, replacing the interior fabric and a complete re-wiring.

Q: What does it cost to charge it up and how long does it take?
A: About $1.00 to charge up from a state of 60% discharge (at about $0.11/kwhr). It's best not to let the batteries get much lower than that as they will last longer if they don't always go through a complete discharge. It takes about 6 hours (@ 60% DOD) with the 72V Zivan charger. It begins with 20 amps, tapers down to 2.5 amps, then stays at 2.5 amps to "finish the charge." This type of charging also helps lead acid batteries last longer and achieve a better state of charge. This charger plugs into any 110V, 20 amp standard outlet, making charging opportunities as flexible as the closest electrical outlet. Note: a higher voltage, 240V charger, would plug into a special outlet, such as those used for electric clothes dryers, and would charge the batteries in about four hours at 30 amps input.

Q: How far will it go?
A: It will go 50 to 60 miles on relatively flat ground or about 30 miles with extensive hill climbing in winter (with a 50-60% discharge of battery banks total capacity). Temperature is a factor as, at 40 degrees (F), it will have about 60% of total capacity. I've installed battery heaters to heat the two battery boxes up to 78°F (100% capacity).

Given most people's daily travel is 40 miles or less, which includes me, I don't have too many problems with range. But it has taught me not to be a "petal to the metal" driver as, if I don't conserve, I might run out of juice before I get home!

For longer distances, and until charging stations become more widespread, I use our primary car - a 1991 Toyota Corolla All-Trac wagon that gets 25 mpg (town) to 30 mpg (hiway). Because it snows where we live, I also use the All-Trac when the snow gets deep, although I've had no problem with the Lectric Leopard in up to 6" of snow, and with no chains......even had a big pickup with wide tires pull over to let me go by once.

Q: What's it like on hills?
A: Since I live in the mountains, I have more than a 1200 foot climb every time I return home, with grades as steep as 25 to 33%! It's hill climbing power is far from impressive and might dissappoint most people. It feels something like what a Volkswagon must feel like running on half it's cylinders. But if it were uphill power I was after, I'd have bought a car with a big V8! I accept the lack of climbing acceleration because it's no problem at all, in my way of thinking, relative to the climate change caused by burning fossil fuels.

My car's climbing ability is not typical of most EV's. It's basically 1980's technology! Most EV conversions today use at least a 96VDC to 120VDC system. My car came with a 48 VDC Prestolite series wound motor with a 48-72VDC Curtis controller. It came this way, so rather than purchase a new motor ($1800), controller ($900) and more batteries ($130). I'm running the system at 72VDC with 9, 8V Trojan batteries - a nimble combination of power, range and weight. I tested several different battery configurations, arriving at 9-8V batteries after finding 12-6V batteries made the car handle like a tank. How the original vehicle handled with 16-6V batteries must have been an interesting experience!

Still, over protracted uphill climbs, most EV's power will eventually "fade out" after a while because (most lead-acid) batteries are limited in how much energy they can deliver over a given period of time (not a problem with NiMH). This has happened several times, usually because it's below freezing outside; I simply pull over to the side of the road and wait a few minutes for the batteries to "recover voltage" before moving on, a small price to pay considering the alternatives.

Credit where credit is due -
I'd like to make a point of thanking Craig McCann of Pro-Electric Vehicles (his site is under construction), Penn Valley, CA and Greg McCrea of Electric Conversions, Sacramento, CA for their assistance during the restoration process of this car. Both Greg and Craig have been extremely helpful and of invaluable service throughout the process! Working with EV professionals such as these guys is recommended, as it can save a lot of time and money.

What else have I learned from my experiences?

1) To conserve energy. A meter is key to keeping power (amperage draw) low in order to prevent damage to the motor and to keep power consumption to a minimum. The fuse to my motor is rated at 400 amps, which also happens to be the limit of the controller. This generally calls for a 250-300 amp fuse, however due to the brief and very steep nature of the hills in my location, I heed the amp meter readings in order to balance the need for power while preventing damage to the motor brushes. The amp meter is similar to the "red line" in a gas car, only the potential damage is far more onerous with a gas car!

2) It feels good to conserve energy and know that I'm not polluting the air, contributing to global warming, spending our children's inheritance (oil), and contributing to our dependence on (increasingly) foreign oil!

3) The internal fan in a Prestolite 48VDC motor is insufficient for even such a small car as this to pull a +30% (sixty degree) grade on a daily basis with a 72VDC system. Other than that limitation, it will climb hills, albeit slowly. I use a 150 cfm "squirrel cage" blower to cool the motor and have installed brushes with larger conductors (to better handle high amperage and run cooler).

4) The original twelve 6VDC batteries (Trojan T-125s) were far too much weight for a car pulling so many hills on a daily basis, although I'm sure they would be great for a "flatland car." I switched to 9 - 8VDC batteries (Trojan T-875's) which has shaved the overall weight by 225 pounds. The cars handling has improved considerably and the range is about the same.

Other Cool Stuff

Brians Lectric Leopard Page

Includes the original Lectric Leopard brochure -

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