In Paraná, an automation technician transformed his regular 2001 Chevrolet Celta into an electric car, using only recycled notebook batteries and a 12,5 horsepower industrial engine.
With the great success of eletric cars, which are gaining more and more space in the country, curiosity about them also increases. Unfortunately, for now the prices are still not that affordable, and it is likely to take some time for the sustainable vehicles become popular here. One of the solutions is the electrical conversion, which even drew attention last Friday (22) on social networks. Tiago Slaga, an automation technician from Paraná, transformed a 2001 Chevrolet Celta into an electric car. Until then, everything was normal, but the big difference is that the vehicle is powered by notebook batteries.
Understand how the idea of using notebook batteries to convert the 2001 Chevrolet Celta came about
According to Tiago Slaga, the idea came after watching some similar conversion projects on the internet. Working with industrial maintenance, Tiago wondered if it would be possible to adapt an industrial engine to a vehicle, since he had never seen anything like it before.
It was then that he decided to start some bench tests and checked the possibility of powering the industrial motor through notebook batteries, using a frequency inverter.
That was the incentive that the coach from Paraná needed to put the whole plan into practice. However, before turning the 2001 Chevrolet Celta into an electric car, he had to make some adaptations. According to Slaga, the first step was to remove the combustion engine original to take all the measurements and make the flange, which couples the engine to the gearbox. This was a tricky part as everything had to line up nicely.
2001 Chevrolet Celta uses nearly 500 batteries to power its electric car engine
Chevrolet Celta 1.0 2001 converted into electric by automation technician Tiago Slaga, who lives in São José dos Pinhais (PR) – Image: Mobiauto Chevrolet Celta 1.0 2001 converted into electric by automation technician Tiago Slaga, who lives in São José dos Pinhais (PR) – Image: Mobiauto Chevrolet Celta 1.0 2001 converted into electric by automation technician Tiago Slaga, who lives in São José dos Pinhais (PR) – Image: Mobiauto 
Chevrolet Celta 1.0 2001 converted into electric by automation technician Tiago Slaga, who lives in São José dos Pinhais (PR) – Image: Mobiauto
In the first attempt to make the Chevrolet Celta 2001 run, the technician used lead batteries in the trunk. It worked, but the autonomy was very low, about 15 km, in addition to taking a while to load.
That's how Thiago increased the number of batteries, solving the autonomy problem, but the vehicle ended up getting too heavy. The car managed to run 1.000 km with the batteries, but they lost autonomy over time and became inappropriate for use. The only solution would be lithium-ion batteries, but these are very expensive, making the project unfeasible. It was then that he began to consider using recycled cells from notebook batteries in electric cars. It was basically a year looking for batteries, disassembling and testing each cell.
Currently, the owner uses 455 notebook batteries and plans to expand to 500 units, which is equivalent to 3 cells for recharging. These batteries ensure that the 2001 Chevrolet Celta can run up to 100 km on a charge. The industrial engine can deliver up to 12,5 horsepower, and the batteries take 10 hours to charge from a 20A residential outlet.
Dangers of using laptop batteries
According to the engineer and specialist in electric vehicles at Brazilian Association of Automotive Engineering (AEA), Ricardo Takahira, using recycled or used notebook batteries is dangerous.
Despite being the same on the outside, their compositions are different on the inside and, if it exceeds 60º C, there is a great risk of fire. Ricardo claims that the conversions are worrying, but the enthusiasts cannot be discouraged.
Therefore, it is ideal for the project owner to use the correct procedures and materials when converting his vehicle into an electric car, in addition to raising the vehicle's regularization and documentation.
Source: mobiauto
