Electric beach buggy torture continues

[Paul G <neong@gte.net>]

My EVDB has hit the 200 electric mile mark. Most miles of late have not
been terribly kind, except the batteries have not been seeing many deap
cycles. I changed speedos durring conversion (the old one, a 55-59 VW Bus
unit, read 70mph when I was going 55mph). I reset the used '66 bug speedo
back to 0 miles when I had it apart (more chrome inside than stock). I need
to get it past a local "how fast are you going" radar sign (they keep
moving them) to see how accurate it is now, but seems close based on
traffic.

My better half (saner half?), Beverely, has now driven the car and I see
I'm gonna have to fight for the keys forever more. She really liked driving
it, where before as an ICE buggy she did not. Used to be things like "to
loud", "the clutch is to hard", and "the motor is to cranky".

She has also ridden with me on an amp sucking ride (trying to suck, just a
Curtis 1221b) and didn't think much of my convert understeer to oversteer
driving style. I must say, I did get the handling right with this
conversion. It used to hopelessly plow through a corner, but with most of
my batteries central and low, and with the weight shifted to a respectable
43% front, it does much better. You would not guess, with my skinny 3 3/4
inches of tread front tyres, that I could hang around a corner like I can
(if a warning speed is posted, I can do double it). I'm just conserving
forward momentum, right? <g>

Anyway for my latest test I tackled the wall, a local hill that leads to
the Boeing freeway. Around 16% for around 3/10ths mile. Perhaps another
local could give more accurate numbers. Its a posted 35mph zone, but few
cars reach it climbing the hill from a stop.

As I sat, in pole position, at the light at the bottom of the hill someone
comes up behind me and at the last minute changes into the lane next to me.
We are side by side at the light.
He shouts over, "is that an electric car?".
Me, "Yes"  (thinking duh, but trying not to look it).
He asks, "Can it do the speed limit?"
Me, "of course!"
Then the light turns green and I hammer it. This car has never seen a hill
this steep to date, I really don't know if I can pull the speed limit up it
or not. I know the 120v pack of Optima blems are at about 50% DOD, but once
at the top I'm about 4 miles from home and I can take it easy. He gets a
slight jump on my buggy, I have to wait for power as the Curtis 1221b revs
up the amps. We cross the intersection and hit the grade. I'm watching him
and the volts, volts are looking good (well, OK). As the poor ICE in his
car struggles, I'm pulling smoothly. He's at the top end of first, and
shifts. In that moment I slip past him. He just doesn't seem to have the
umph in 2nd, he never gets close again. I keep on pulling past current
limit and to about 40mph. Volts dropped to 101v briefly, but are around 102
at the top. He is quite a few car lenths back.

Point made, EV doesn't mean road slug!

Neon