7-25-2011 Revised Motor Mounts

Even with vacations and sneaking off to the beach, we were able to get the next phase of our revised kit completed. The new motor mounts were designed, fabricated and installed for testing. These new motor mounts are intended to work with a number of different motors - AC or DC. There are two mounts - one on each side of the motor - and they securely bolt to the adapter plate on one side and the stock rubber motor mount pads on the other. The motor is then securely suspended above the subframe with the weight of the motor/transmission assembly placed squarely in the stock location.

          

As we mentioned, this is the next phase of our EV Miata Kit redesign - the first was to lower the front battery rack to make room for a new mounting bracket that will accommodate your choice of controllers and chargers. The new motor mount will allow for a choice of motors to be used as well. This opens up our kit to allow for choices in all the major components:

• Batteries
• Controllers
• Chargers
• and now, Motors

Testing of the new mounts is currently progressing. We expect to announce availability of the revised motor mount in the August/September time frame.

05-22-2011 Maker Faire update

The 2011 Maker Faire was a great event for us. I was a little concerned with our placement - well in the back of the fairgrounds, but people came out and found us and we had a lot of great conversations.
One suggestion was to do a build at the Faire next year. It's certainly possible, but I'm not sure if the casual observer would get as much out of it as seeing a completed conversion. Definitely worth considering, though. Maybe we could turn it into a conversion workshop and get some help with the assembly?  Now this is getting interesting...

05-17-2011 - Nice write-up on us at All Cars Electric

http://www.allcarselectric.com/blog/1059992_tesla-fun-for-think-prices-the-ev-mazda-miata-conversion#comments-area

05-16-2011 Meet us at the Maker Faire

We're excited to say we'll be at the Maker Faire in San Mateo again this year.  This is always a great event full of fascinating creations, inventions and things that shoot flames. We had a great time last time we exhibited there and look forward to another great event. If you are in the Bay Area this weekend, try to make it out - you won't be disappointed.

04-21-2011 Re-designed Web Site is LIVE!

We've redesigned the EVMiata.com web site to make it better looking and more functional. We made the home page flashier and with a digital newspaper feel. We added more details and images to the components pages and numerous improvements throughout.
We also added the ability to buy the Install Guide in advance of buying a kit. Now you can have a thorough understanding of what it takes to build an EV Miata kit before you even buy one! Plus the cost of the Install Guide is fully discountable from the purchase price of the EV Miata kit - what have you got to lose?
And that's not all, we also added the ability to download Chapter 2 of our Install Guide - Choosing a Donor Vehicle and Selling the Engine - for FREE! We don't even make you fill out one of those annoying forms - you click the button, it downloads.
So check out our new site and let us know what you think - > www.evmiata.com

04-05-2011 Luscious Garage offers conversion services for the EV Miata kit.

If you’ve been thinking about an electric Miata, but don’t want to tackle the conversion project yourself, Luscious Garage in San Francisco will do the work for you. Carolyn Coquillette, the owner of Luscious Garage, is a great proponent of electric vehicles and Luscious Garage has made a name for itself by specializing in hybrid repairs and plug in conversions, and hosting the Golden Gate Electric Vehicle Association. You provide the car, EV Miata kit and conversion components, and LG will do all the work. You simply pick up the keys and drive off in your clean, efficient electric sports car. And the introductory price for this service? A very reasonable $5,000. For more information, email contact@lusciousgarage.com

04-05-2011 New kit is ready to go!

Testing is complete and we are taking orders for the redesigned EV Miata kit. The redesign allows for a choice of controllers and chargers providing you more freedom to select the components that match your needs. The new Controller/Charger bracket will accommodate components up to 10.75” wide. 28.75” long and 6” tall. This bracket allows you to use your choice of DC controllers such as a Curtis 1231C, Zilla1K, WarP Drive and many others. Larger controllers, such as Evnetics Soliton1 or the mighty Zilla 2K, can also be accommodated by relocating the charger to the trunk.

This redesign is a big step forward for us, but not the final step. Our next redesign focuses on the  motor mount. The planned redesign of the motor mount will allow for a choice of motors to be used - DC or AC.

Stay tuned for updates on our progress.