Bloomberg reports that Nissan research shows Japan has more charging points than petrol stations…

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-13/japan-has-more-car-chargers-than-gas-stations-carbon-climate

Also, an updated interior shot:

First draft of the panel with additional EV controls…

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Looking good so far…

Couple of additions… Steering wheel buttons for Regen control, and USB plug for phones, etc

The vendor send a new Momo boss overnight and I fitted the SAAS steering wheel today. Needed to drill out  the screw holes on the horn ring cover to a consistent diameter, but it came together in the end. Minor fiddling needed to get the horn working. I’ll post some pics once the Sparco steering wheel buttons arrive.

I thought it might be sensible to pick up an inexpensive steering wheel and boss locally (at least, from an NZ supplier). Nope. I’m thinking next time I’ll pay the extra 50% and wait another extra week for quality product… actually wondering if these were 2nds or returns or something…

One of these things doesn’t belong…

Always check parts carefully before use…

Allen screw after removal

OMP Cromo (Leather and alloy with chrome accents) ~ 150-NZD if imported

SAAS Moderna as advertised (“Leather look” with chrome accents) ~ 100 NZD

SAAS Moderna as delivered (where did the chrome accents go?)

Another box of parts arrived yesterday.

• DC converter (replaces alternator to power the 12V systems and charge the battery, more or less)
• EV West motor controller cooling plate.
• Cables from controller to motor.
• J1772 inlet.

Picked up a Momo steering wheel adapter (spline to 6-bolt) as well, to allow fitting of an after-market steering wheel and/or thumb-buttons. A cheap but ADR approved SAAS Moderna wheel is coming (looks very similar to OMP Cromo), and some Sparco thumb buttons are on their way too. They’ll be used for increasing/decreasing the regen on-the-fly, and is pretty similar to the way it’s done on the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV with paddles. Should make it more drivable around Wellington.

The old 3 cylinder engine is with Pack & Send to go to Auckland for scanning at FormScan 3D. We’ll get a 3D model and some DXF out of it, and combined with the HPEVs motor models we can ensure that the motor mates up to the gearbox, and that the front and passenger-side motor mounts are in the right place. Rhino 3D is the likely tool of choice here, before CNC machining the parts.

Simple Green did an awesome job of cleaning / degreasing the old engine too. Much better than the canned “degreasers” you can buy for a few dollars each.

Well, the lights etc still work after dissecting the rear loom. Win. 🙂

Fitted a new AGM auxiliary 12V battery. It’s a Prius-spec battery and slightly larger than the original. Fits OK with a new battery clamp. Probably overkill but overkill is usually about right.