Bringing EV1 to a close...

Our morning began with the usual rundown of our agenda. Right after discussing our plans, Mike and I dove into running wire and making connections. We managed to hook up wiring to activate a back up alarm and lights for when we put the car in reverse. Instead of putting them on a switch, we used the stock switch that is built into the transmission. This means that when you place the car in reverse, the lights and alarm automatically come on. Moving on to the next objective, we wired in our horn. Having complications with the switch in the middle of the steering wheel, we decided to wire the horn up to the cruise control switch. It worked out nicely and actually made it easier to reach in case of an emergency. After finishing up the horn, Mike and I finished the quick disconnect cable reaching inside the car. Using a butt-connector, we crimped the cable in a loop through a hole in the handle. By pulling a handle inside of the car, we are now able to disconnect the high voltage circuit from inside of the car.
This afternoon Mr. Butler was able to run to Madison DMV and pick up our new license tag. Tomorrow we hope to take our first legal drive up the road and test the car’s range.

Power Windows

Today Mike and I tore trough the wiring harness and pulled out the harness for the power windows. After using a voltmeter and wiring diagram to find the wires needed, Mike and I proceeded in connecting the window switches to the fuse panel and hiding the wires. Since the harness already had connectors, it was only a matter of minutes before we had working windows. I am glad that the windows now work properly. This saves us from having to take the power supply everywhere we go.

Thanks Joe...

At the car show last Saturday, we met a guy named Joe who turned out to be a helpful person. We were advertising our burgundy fender for trade or sale, when he came by to check out our ride. He informed us that he knew a guy who might take us up on our offer. Highly interested, we received the guy’s phone number and gave him a call yesterday. He told us to drop by his home and bring the fender with us.
This afternoon, we loaded up the truck and went to meet Paul Gover. Upon arriving at his house, we automatically knew that he was a mustang fanatic. Having his own private junk yard, he had every part that we have ever needed. Too bad we only discovered him this late in the project.
He quickly led us to a car that matched ours and gave us permission to remove the right front fender. He gladly took the burgundy fender on trade along with a little bit of money.
Thanks to two great guys, we now have a properly fitting white fender. This will complete the car and give it a more stock appearance.

Thanks TSCC!

The moment of truth! Our arrival at the Dixie Classic Fair Grounds in Winston Salem, NC opened a new door into our EV world. Today would be the first ever autocross event that the EV would participate in. On top of that, Mike and I have never pushed the car to its limits or driven in an autocross event ourselves.
Thanks to the Triad Sports Car Club, Mike and I were allowed free admission in today’s race. Excited as we were we knew that we had to buckle down and concentrate on today’s event. After completing registration, taking a walk around the course, and unloading the car, Mike and I gave the EV a brisk search. Nothing was going to stop us from driving, especially not some small detail that we had previously missed.
A few brief showers passed overhead, but as the day progressed the track dried out and gave way to a great day of racing. Since we were placed in our own class (FSAE class), my only competition was Michael. He was the first to take the EV for a spin and did a great job maneuvering around the track. The mustang really looked smooth and natural at what we were putting it through. After Mike’s run I took position behind the wheel. I pushed the car just a little bit harder than Mike did and it held up nicely. Our times decreased after every run and gave us a boost of confidence for the next run. Overall, I had the best time of the day in our class, yet Mike was only about a second behind me. Our standings were not extravagant, but we did not place last overall. I am proud of the way Mike and myself handled the EV today. We were extremely ecstatic to push the mustang to its limits around the course. This event allowed us to get some behind the wheel time before the final event in Raleigh. Not only did the car perform well, but attention was out the roof. Since the event we have received many e-mails congratulating us and giving us tips.

Tri-City Cruise In...

The morning began with our arrival at the Tri-City Ford Dealership in Eden, NC. Looks of interest and disgust were constantly being made as we pulled our car up to the registration table. However, the real fun began after we unloaded the car and set up our display table. People flocked to our area just to see what we were packing under the hood of the beat up mustang. To their surprise, instead of a blue, gas sucking 5.0 engine, in its place was a very compact electric motor and row of batteries. Confusion began to spread and the questions started flying. There was a constant flow of people passing by our car for the rest of the day and we even had some pretty technical questions brought to our attention. One fellow was even testing our knowledge of the components to its limits. It just so happens that he was a professional when it came to batteries and electric motors and his constant bombardment of questions was to quiz our knowledge. Later in the day, the show turned into a cruise-in. Around 2:00, all of the mustangs on display lined up in the parking lot waiting for the signal to begin our cruise around town. This was the first time that the car has ever touched the real road and taken a trip. It was an awesome experience just knowing that our creation was capable of running the speed limit and keeping up in traffic.

Preparation for presentation...

Tomorrow is a huge day for the McMichael EV Team. We are unveiling our car for the first time in public at the Tri-City Ford Dealership’s first annual mustang show. In preparation of tomorrow’s event, Mike and I set to work on installing the rear battery rack while Mr. Butler worked on troubleshooting the wiring problem that we were having with our four way flashers. Using grade 8 bolts, oversized square washers, and lock washers, we were able to successfully bolt down the rack to the sub-frame. Running the bolts through the frame adds stability and strength in case of an accident. We also installed a mounting plate that Mike fabricated that holds the Littel Fuse in place. The plate added a professional look to the rear of the car and gave a smoother surface on which to mount the fuse. After completing the bolt down, Mike and I installed the rear batteries and tied them down with a steel mount that we had fabricated earlier today. Mike was then summoned to the cab of the car to give Mr. Butler a hand while I proceeded in giving the car a light washing. The paint automatically brightened up and the car became a little more presentable. Tomorrow is going to be a blast now that the car looks cleaner and the wiring is complete. We now have all of our signal lights and battery racks complete. The car has really transformed since the first time I laid eyes on it.

Running wire

Today after school, Mike, Mr. Butler, and I began another chapter in the story of our EV. Chassis wiring was on the agenda, but not after placing a new hinge on the driver side door. We’ve been having trouble lately with our door sagging and not closing all of the way. But, with a spare hinge that he retrieved from his house, we were back in bussisness. After fixing the door, Mike and I took our new rear battery rack outside and gave it a coat of paint. From there we caught up with Mr. Butler who had already dived into wiring in our new fuse panel. While he was hard at work under the dash, Mike and I proceeded in placing the loom for our headlights into the front of the car. This wasn’t a real complicated process, however getting the four ways to work properly was. By disassembling the original wiring harness and following a wiring diagram just for the car we were able to eliminate a massive amount of useless wires, thus helping our troubleshooting process and keeping the actual wiring in a neat, orderly loom. At the end of the session, we were able to accomplish action from the headlights, turn signals, brake lights, high beams, flash to pass, windshield wipers and dash lights. I am extremely excited about having all of the basic lights and windshield wiper functions. This is another milestone, yet we are still not finished. Tomorrow we will have working four ways and a newly installed rear battery rack.