1995 Honda Del Sol

Convertible

4 Cylinder 1.5 Liter

Manual

jhmeg1147ss003265

Electric

Power Windows

The only thing that hurts more than paying $4 a gallon for gas is parting with a prized belonging like this. I'm moving - and will be living out of range to use this baby for commuting anymore. ***** I've gotten a question about the current condition of the car. It runs - and now that the weather is nice again, I started to use it for errands. Yesterday drove around with the top down for around 10 miles. I used it as a daily commuter last spring-fall - until it got really cold out. ****** The first set of questions usually focuses on the hardware. This is a DC conversion featuring clutchless design using 126 volts of flooded lead acid batteries. Key components include Advanced DC Motor (FB-4001), Curtis Controller (1231C), Elcon Charger PFC-3000 and Iota DC-DC Converter (DLS45-IQ4). More detailed specs can be viewed here:http://evalbum.com/2870. After Jim Weirick did the base conversion, I modified the battery layout, including the installation of a sliding tray for better access in the trunk. I upgraded the charging circuit for the 12 Volt system with the installation of the Iota converter and installed new battery caps to make watering them easier and more reliable. With a new pack, I've gone 45 miles before charging, including some highway driving and mostly stop and go city driving. I'd guess the range is about half that with the current battery pack. The two things that are more important than these specs, which are pretty standard for a DIY electric car, relate to the experience of ownership. First, if you have any interest or curiosity about how stuff works, this is an ideal way to learn. All you need is Ohm's law and a multimeter and you can monitor performance as easily as you can tinker. And after you do, you'll have an incredible sense of pride that you can make it work. It may not be a Tesla or Volt, but it is YOURS. Second, the drive is unique - and provides a sense of comfort and relaxation that a combustion engine car can't match. Ever been sailing? That's what you get without having to scrape any barnacles at the end of the trip. Really. The car makes no noise (except for occasional sound of the vacuum pump to add power to the brakes) and with the del Sol's removable top, it is sailing without getting wet. I'm posting this on eBay, EV Tradin Post and through the local EV Club, so I reserve the right to sell it without posting a notice here. And the car does not come with a warranty - it is old as is and the purchase is non-refundable. Here are a couple of items to consider. It is an 1995 with imperfections on the body. I've focused on the inner workings, not on the paint job, so you'll notice some scrapes and stuff. In the pictures (see the eBay posting) there are scrapes on the rear bumper and a ding above the driver's side rear wheel. It was built with a heater, but other than using it to defrost the windshield, it doesn't really heat things up. The power rear window works fine and the roof has not leaked. It fits in the trunk above the batteries, and the car comes with a mini-donut spare. In the pictures you'll see white wires on the batteries under the hood. These run to the cabin where I can monitor individual batter voltage using a multi-meter. I thought this would be useful to connect to an onboard computer, but with the overall pack performance monitored by the cycle analyst readout sitting on the dash, I learned I did not need to build such advanced technology. One lesson I learned the hard way was the importance of watering batteries with distilled water. Originally built with a system of tubes and valves to allow for watering, I learned that the batteries were not filled evenly and I caused some damage. I replaced 4 of them, and for best performance, I'd recommend a fresh pack. They go for about $45-50 each at Sam's club. But it is probably best for a driver to get used to the car before risking a new pack. I also had a friend upgrade the headlights, but that was a bad decision. Before I knew it, he had spent $250 of my money on these high tech lights, and told me that he needed to spend more to make them work as high beams. Unfortunately, he had already thrown away the originals. So now, good lights, but no high beams. I'd recommend buying a set of basic headlights on the internet for $100-150 and getting back to the standard configuration. The Elcon charger is a great device. It does both 110 and 220V input. I had it programmed for the 110V to draw a maximum of 10 Amps, which means that I can put the charger in the trunk and take it with me, giving me the ability to plug in at any friend's house or even at work to recharge without tripping a circuit breaker or blowing a fuse. The device can be reprogrammed by shipping it back to the manufacturer to remove this limitation. However, it is also a nice idea to have this in the colder months so that you can draw a bit of juice during the day to keep the charge up and the batteries warm. The car came with a "bad boy" rectifier charger. That's a brute force approach but it works fast. I have a dryer outlet in my garage set to a 50 Amp circuit and it can charge fast. I'm happy to answer any questions, and serious buyers can arrange to take the car for a drive. This car is listed locally and on other web sites. I reserve the right to end the auction early if the reserve price has not been yet here yet.