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Problems Unfortunately I have run into several problems in installing the system. The major problem is the system does not work well enough for me to recommend installing it. I am getting about a 16% boost in MPG, from 15 to 17.3 in city driving. But the extra weight and mass decrease highway mileage about 5%. So overall I think I will see a 6-7% boost. Not much for a $9500 investment. The batteries last about 45 miles of city driving. I have the EMIS shut off at 45 MPH. The assist will work at 60 MPH but at the higher speeds range drops further. The system puts out 500 amps when needed. But with the base engine putting out 300 ft-lbs of torque at about 1500 RPM and the transmission with a 3.2 reduction this gives about 950 ft-lbs at the differential. The TransWarp7 yields a respectable 75 ft-lbs at 450 amps but when trying to help propel a 6000lb truck up a hill in high gear it does not yield enough benefit. If someone can find a way to add the electric assist in front of the transmission then I think the system will work. I am just not smart enough to figure out a way to do that. I have learned the hard way why gasoline is so prevalent. It packs a lot of energy into a small weight and area. I think adding the electric motor after the transmission just does not give the mechanical assist one needs.
October 2007 - I found out I have lost 4 of the 6 Soneil chargers. It seems that the temperatures under the hood are too high for the units and they began to fail. Econogics sent a refund for the blown chargers and for that I am very thankful. I will say they were an honor to do business with. I have installed two Dual Pro chargers and I am certain I will need two more. November 2007 - Foolish mistake as I was installing a contactor for extra safety the wrench touched terminals and I blew out the controller ,the EMIS, and the programming unit. This should NOT have caused the controller to fail but it did. NetGain said they would send replacements shortly. January 2008 - A second controller blew. I have also detected a slight vibration and plan to remove the motor and driveshafts so we can perform a close inspection. February 2008 - The vibration is likely due to a twisted the motor shaft. If you look at the picture closely below you will see the twist at the end of the key and a stress fracture that is developing. Is anyone interested in buying a single shaft motor for a standard EV? July 2008 – We are back on the road but we still have some vibration issues. They are not terrible but with the Avalanche being such a smooth running vehicle it is noticeable at speeds above 60. I am having the drive shafts rebalanced. Unfortunately the shop that did the drive shafts has a bad machine. The rebalancing showed they were perfectly balanced but some tests with an extra weight and then a second shop showed there was a problem. It can be so frustrating! August 2008 - I hope we can eek another .5 MPG out of the system as with my model of car we can not read the throttle position directly. We read the position of the throttle body which changes with engine temp and if the air is on. Cold with the AC on the base throttle position is 19% but 11% when the engine is warm and the AC off. For safety I need to set the throttle bias, the minimum level the electric motor will turn on at 19%. But once warm that means the first 8% of my pedal will not give any electric assist. Hopefully they can make that change to the software. December 2008 - The battery pack is showing dead after only 6 miles. I may have killed my batteries using them too hard. I am testing a Li-PO4 battery and it seems impressive. Now to find $3500 to replace all batteries with the new technology. February - 2009 - One of my Dual Pro chargers failed. The company was very nice and has replaced it under warranty. they have my future business. March -2009-the Werker AGM batteries (Lead acid) were dead. Range of assist has dropped to 3 miles. Fortunately lithium has become much more affordable. I found that that extra 600 lbs of lead dropped my MPG 1/2 MPG wiping out much of the gain. June 2009 - Good News, I pulled the electric motor after 11,000 miles of use and found no signs of stress, brush wear or bearing/bushing problems. It was satisfying to know this set up appears solid October 2009 - One of my Li-FePO4 batteries failed and had some minor melting. Fortunately it was covered under warranty and promply replaced. It is the second picture below..
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