I get lots of questions regularly about my site and the content on it - and sometimes ones about me! I thought it would make sense to answer some of them here in the FAQ (Frequenty Asked Questions) If you have any questions which aren’t there, please feel free to email me at Nikki At Aminorjourney Dot Com. This page will be updated with new questions as they arise!
I’ve split it up into several sections:
About the City El Electric Car
Why did you have a City El?
I decided in mid 2006 that I’d really rather be driving around an all-electric car than one which required petrol to run. I looked in as many different places for an EV to drive, but in the end found the flying banana on ebay. I purchased it in November 2006 for the sum of £2000!
What was the City El like to drive?
Simply put, it was as fun as driving a go cart. With the driver’s seat so low down the illusion of speed was invigorating - even when I was driving slowly. Because the driver sits with their feet either side of the central steering column and feet almost laying flat it really does fell like you’re driving a very quick sports car. (Most of the time!)
Cornering takes some getting used to. You learn to actually shift your weight inside the car to help it around corners at speed. If you take a corner too quickly you can tip it over. I know!
If you think like a motorbike you’ll be fine. Break early and go into corners slowly, entering low. Come out quickly and exit high!
Why did you convert to Lithium Ion?
I converted to Lithium Ion because I wanted to have a greater range than I thought was possible with standard lead-acid batteries. With the City El being so small, I anticipated the weight reduction would really aid top speed, acceleration and performance. With Lithium packs in place, the driver becomes the center of gravity - not the 90kgs of lead acid between the wheels!
Where can I get a City El?
Second hand City Els pop up on ebay quite often in germany. Check out http://www.cityel.de if you want to buy one new. Some European countries have their own importer/dealer, but for customers outside of the EU you may find dealing with the main company easier - although you’ll need a good grasp of German!
What price should I pay for a City El?
Second hand, a Citly El will cost anything from £500 to £4000, depending on it’s condition. Make sure when buying second hand that the ABS lower and upper tubs are in good condition as they hold most of the structural strength for the car. Don’t buy a City El with split or damaged lower tubs, espeically as these cracks can get worse. Cracks on the steering column and around the brake reservoir are especially hard to fix.
Check the El has been filled with the correct brake fluid over it’s life (look for weeping brakes). Split or cracked hoses can often indicate the incorrect non-synthetic brake fluid has been used, which can corrode the ABS plastic of the car’s body.
What’s the longest trip you’ve done in the El?
I once drove over 62 miles in one day, from London to Brighton.
How reliable is the City El?
The City El is certainly a hobbyist’s vehicle. It’s easy to maintain with the correct tools and manual, but shouldn’t be relied on as a sole form of transport. It does require a little more TLC than some vehicles! Looked after well, you can expect to cover as much as 10,000 miles or more in a year without problems! Tires are a main problem as each wheel is subtly different. Always carry an instant fix repair kit!
Do you still own your City El? Can I drive it?
Sadly not. I sold my City El in 2008 to help finance my Plug in Prius project.
Will you help me with my City El?
I’m willing to offer some advice and help with UK City El owners where possible, but I do have a day job too! I’m based in Bristol, in the south-west.
Where can I get parts?
You can get parts for a City El from the manufacturers directly, or in the UK from Andreas at www.Twike.co.uk . Andreas has shipped to the USA before, so may entertain sufficiently large orders from the USA.
What are the specs of the City El?
My standard series III City El had a top speed of about 35 mph on a flat road with fully-charged batteries. 0-30 mph took approximately 12 seconds. On a full charge with lead acid batteries I could get up to 30 miles if driven carefully.
Post lithium upgrade (from 36V lead to 43V lithium Ion) my City El topped out at 50mph. It had a 0-30 mph time of 6 seconds (with a larger controller and software tweaks). It could do up to 40 miles if driven hard, and up to 65 if driven extremely carefully.
Can you help me upgrade my City El?
I sadly don’t have time to help everyone improve their City El - but I can advise on battery upgrades based on my own experience. I had to custom-wire everything. Sadly the company I purchased the BMS from don’t normally deal with individual clients - but there are many different companies out there who sell batteries with included BMS.
About Velma, the Plug in Prius
When did you buy Velma? How much was she?
I purchased Velma second hand in 2008, from RCS900 Toyota in Slough, Berkshire. Sadly the company no-longer trade. I paid £8,500 for Velma. She was a four year old Prius at the time.
Who converted your Prius?
I did! I spent a few months sourcing all the nessesary parts and talking with all the relevant dealers and custom manufacturers. I then converted Velma in the course of a few weekends - driving her as my regular car in between weekend workshop stints.
Where can I get the parts to do my own conversion?
For my conversion the parts came from several different places.
The charger was made by Zivan. I purchased it from Electrofit Zapi, the UK agents for Zivan. They custom-programmed it with an SX curve.
The batteries were both sourced from ebay. It’s important to make sure you check the batteries thoroughly before using them.
The CanView interface and BMS+ devices both came from Norm at HybridInterfaces.
The cabling was made up by a local electrical retailer to me, AW Electrical. They specialise in retail to the domestic and industrial electrician, but were kind enough to deal with me directly.
Can I do my own conversion?
Yes! Anyone who has a basic knowledge of electronics and a healthy respect for the high voltages involved can have a go. It helps to be fairly handy and to have a good set of tools to hand. The conversion method I did required slightly more DIY skills, since everything was custom-built (battery boxes etc).
To buy a complete DIY battery upgrade for your Prius, head to PlugInSupply or check out the options avialble to you as a DIY converter at the EAA PHEV project
Will you convert my Prius?
No, but I’m willing to help assist anyone in the UK who is wanting to do their own conversion. This is a hobby of mine - not a business!
How expensive was the conversion?
All told, the conversion cost me about £2,200.
Will it void my warranty?
If your Prius has one it may do. Ideal conversion candidates are high-mileage Prius with only a few years (or maybe months) left on the warranty. High mileage cars are good to convert as they can be anything up to £10,000 cheaper than a new one!
Do you have to change your driving style in any way with this mod? Do you have to drive in EV mode, or does the car take care of everything?
After the conversion to a plug in, Velma can be driven just like any other Prius. It’s possible to stay in EV mode for up do about 10 miles if driven carefully under 30mph. However, it’s also possible to drive in assisted mode or high speed stealth, where the added BMS+ and CAN-View boxes force the Prius to use the extra battery power wherever possible. For the latter to happen though the car’s engine must have turned on and reached 50 degrees C. Generally this warm up time takes a few minutes at the start of every trip, unless you’re driving an entire trip around town at under 30mph (in which case, you can enter EV mode immediately at startup to prevent the engine starting).
Does the extra battery capacity from the conversion mean you can use the Prius to regenerate more energy going downhill than a regular Prius can?
Absolutely! And because the prius battery packs are in parallel, the battery packs stay cooler during heavy regen. Given a suitably large hill you can theoretically regen up to a full 3 Kwh (although you’d need a pretty big hill!)
Your Prius control panel or MFD looks like it is different from a normal Prius. Is that something you’ve added?
The additional screens you can see in my many flickr photos and youtube videos come from the CAN-View interface which has been added to my car to help display information from and control the operation of the additional battery packs. It’s also a great way to see what is going on inside the Prius. My plan is to eventually use data logging to record each trip I make.
About Me
Are you really a musician, not an engineer?
Yes. I trained at the Guildhall School of Music in Drama, London. I studied Oboe under David Walter, Richard Simpson, Jane Marshall and Helena Gaunt. I graduated in 2002 with an upper 2:1 degree.
I work during the day as a professional oboist and music teacher. You can see my work-related site at www.multiphonikks.com
I’ve recorded a few performances over the years. You can even find me on the iTunes music store, Amazon.com and various other music sites.
Where does your interest in electric vehicles come from?
I remember first seeing a picture of an Enfield Electric car back in the early 1980s when I was four or five. I remember thinking how cool it was. I am attracted to the lack of noise and smell the electric cars have, not to mention the environmental benefits. I spent the first 18 years of my life living on farms, so I’m very keen to help preserve the wonderful things Mother Nature has to offer! Driving EVs helps me to do that!
Who taught you about electronics and electric cars?
It’s a mixture of things. I remember getting an electronics set for my 10th birthday. While most girls my age were playing with dolls, I was building circuits. My dad also taught me to look at things and figure out how they worked. Most of my car skills are self-taught as my dad sadly died in 2001 while I was at college, before he had a chance to teach me them!
You look familiar. Have you been on TV?
Yes, a few times. I’ve appeared on a BBC Prom back in 1999 - although you probably wouldn’t have seen me then as I was a small speck on the screen! I’ve appeared on various local news channels in the SouthWest of England and in 2007 the City El and I appeared on ITV’s Pulling Power. I never got to see the episode though!
Before that, my good friend PyoorKate and I made a series of films about classic cars. Some are better than others, although we had a great time making them all!
After making the 2005 GLBT Pride video, in which we took two Morris mInors to London to take pride in the GLBT pride and the slightly earlier 30 minute “docu-comedy” “What came first, the Chicken or the Minor?” we were offered the chance to film a test promo for a new TV show involving PyoorKate and myself by Granada TV. (Not my partner Kate - another Kate!). With budget cuts and a lack of time the series never got past the first promo. I still have a stack of video somewhere and would love someone to do something creative with it! We were so close to TV show goodness, but alas, it never quite happened.
Would you consider doing a TV show?
Erm. I think the last question made that one obvious! I would love to! Although it would have to be something fun and educational - think Discovery Channel!
What about Radio? Haven’t you done some of that?
If you remember me from my Radio days you are really going back. I used to work for Radio Norfolk when I was a teenager as a “Saturday Helper”. It was local radio. Enough said.
Of course, these days I podcast. It is 2010, after all! I’m the regular weekend host of EVcast, a co-founder of This Week in Energy, and I also provide car reviews at NikkiDrives
What other fun things have you done?
Let me think. I used to be the Disc Editor for MacFormat magazine for a brief while in 2005 while I was between music jobs. Working with Macs and on the magazine was stressful but a lot of fun. I’ve been tinkering with Macs since my college days!
I have also been a dairy maid! I helped my dad when I was a teenager one summer when we had to milk 150 head of cattle in a make-shift milking palour while the old one was upgraded. It was the hardest job I’ve ever done and I don’t know how my father worked so hard for every single day of his forty year working life.
I also used to work for the evil coffee empire as a student. As a consequence I’ve become somewhat of a coffee snob. And yes, the quality of Starbucks’ coffee has gone downhill in recent years!
Are you single?
Erm. No. I’m quite happily engaged to my wonderful partner, Kate. And no, I’m not interested in boys….