DIY Electric Car Now Available in Japan

August 01, 2012 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - Green Cars

With the increasing popularity of electric cars and the resurgence in DIY automotive projects, it shouldn’t be surprising that these two trends would converge. Modi-Corp, Japanese company, has released a DIY (assemble) electric car kit. This is a small project car kit of a Japanese street legal car called a Pius. This is not to be confused with the Toyota Prius, which is a more expensive full-sized hybrid car.
For all intents and purposes, this is not your ordinary refurbished electric golf cart. Based on the specifications, the Pius is capable of a 35kph top speed. At top speed, the car would not run for longer than 45 minutes as it has a range of 25km, credits to a 1HP electric motor and a battery pack 36 V. The car itself weighs 440 lbs.. Admittedly, this is a very modest number, and it wouldn’t go a long way at being a serious car. In Japan, this single-seater is being sold as a motorized bicycle.
It may not look like it, but the Pius is a serious do-it-yourself project for school or universities as an instructional project to teach electric car concepts. This is a basic car design, with the motor in the rear. Battery packs are located above the frontage axle and beside the driver’s seat. The motor controller is placed top of the back motor/transaxle assembly.

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