Lion Electric Vehicles
Truly Plug and Play Technology!
Balance test
A basic test to confirm that your adaptor plate design is sound. The motor should spin freely, and coast ,after current is cut, for a considerable amount of time.
Indications of a problem would be loud banging noises, pieces of metal flying, or the engineer shouting, "For the Love of Pete, Shut it off!" from under the hood.
The previous test confirmed that the design of the adaptor was just brilliant, so now you can test the current draw under high revs. Both of these tests are performed under no load.
Drive Train
As you recall from earlier pictures in this DIY series, the Ranger was put on the dyno while still in its original ICE version. This test was done in this manner to remove a variable from the equation. The drive train was confirmed sound prior to conversion. This eliminates questions later.
Highway Speeds
Vehicles received by LionEV typically have less than 100 miles on them. Since the motors are resold as new, this test is really done just to confirm that the motor is free of problems, and that the rear end of the vehicle is going to be able to support the torque of the electric system.
The Torque of the EV system is so high that all of the tests you will see of the EV drive train are done in third gear. You can actually leave it in third gear all day long, but if you want max range shift it up during highway driving. Shifting is different for an EV. To start out you push in the clutch, put it in third, let out the clutch, press the accelerator. When shifting on the fly, you can shift up with or without the clutch. The clutch is required for smooth down shifting. Always release pressure from the accelerator until the shift has been completed. The motor load is minimal so you will feel very little drag. Shifting while applying accelerator pressure can wear your clutch plate. First and second gear are used only for starting out up hill, or for towing. The Ranger EV can tow a trailer equal to its own weight.
Extended Test
The first test was just a few seconds at low speed. The second test is done at a higher rate of acceleration. This test confirms that automotive engineers don't count to ten like the rest of us.
The dyno is running in the freewheeling mode which still presents a drag greater than that experienced under general driving conditions. The technicians and engineers have apparently just realized that they are on camera, so now we have a director and a producer, probably an agent as well. I bet they have ordered canvas fold-up chairs and megaphones by now.
Aggressive start
The drive train has been verified as sound, so the techs get a little more aggressive off of the line. This usually results in some squawking tires. Remember, this is in third gear. Try this with an ICE vehicle.
Warning
Somewhat Graphic!
Pennsylvania is part of the great white North, as you can see in this film footage of one of the Ranger test drives. The roads were just a solid sheet of snow and ice, but when you want to test out some of the systems you have to give it a go.
The cold, they say, builds character. But sometimes, sadly, it can break even the toughest of men. It is obvious that the man providing the background music in this video has been standing out in the cold a bit too long.
Returning from a test run
This short clip is of the Ranger returning from a test run in the snow. I wanted to load this one up online to point something out. You will hear a high pitched sound in some of the videos. This sound is produced by the controller when the vehicle is operating below 5 miles per hour. Above 5 miles per hour all you hear is the rubber meeting the road.