In 1970 after the MIT and Cal Tech coast to coast electric car race I just had to make my own ev. So with a WWll surplus GE CM77 aircraft starter/generator, 10 6v truck batteries, a copper slide switct to tap battery voltages from 12 to 60 volts, and a toaster heating element with taps to regulate the motor field I was off in a 1960 fiat with top speed of 55mph and full regeneration. In 1976 I wanted something lighter and less prone to rust in this salty CT. The local Buick dealer who sold 17 citycars stopped selling them but knew someone who used one for patrolling a trailer park. (You just can't run all night on the starting resistor without burning it out). So I bought it one year old in 1977 and have been using it since, registered and insured.T he first trouble was with motor brushes. If one wears so low that the spring bottoms out, the brush looses contact with the commutator and the opposite takes all the load and the pigtail (or shunt) burns out. Next problem was brakes. The regular DOT4 brake fluid causes pitting of tha cylinder or caliper bore. At about 10k miles I changed to silicone DOT5 brake fluid and haven't leaked any fluid since at 30k miles. I only blew 2 fuses, one while starting up rolling forward with selector on reverse, and once starting up with the brake on with the interlock jumped out. I changed some contactors once. While commuting to work before retiring I added a 2volt cell to each 24 volt bank to keep up with the rush hour traffic. All for now if I can fit it in, Don
