Thought we would share our progress converting a 2003 Mini-Cooper S to a plug-in electric vehicle. My sons and I started this effort in April 2009 with purchase of the donor car followed by the VFD, Batteries, and AC motor. We are still in the prototyping phase. We recently drove the car and have learned the limitations of our current Industrial Variable Frequency Drive (VFD).
Donor Car: 2003 Mini Cooper S w/o Engine and Drive Tran
Motor: Ford F8Y8-14B280-AC (Siemens PV5133-4WS20 W11)
Motor Control: BENSHAW 100 HP VFD
Battery: Two custom packs made of 42 Prius Battery Modules
Motor and Transmission Mounted
Manual Charging of Battery Stack
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