Setup and Equipment:
Chassis: A Lotus 7 Replica made by Brunton Automotive called Stalker V6 that I built about 6 years ago with an ICE and converted to EV in the summer of 2009.
Motor: NetGain WarP 9
Controller: Cafe Electric Zilla 1K Low Voltage version with a liquid cooling system
Transmission: None - Direct drive to rear differential
Final Drive: Chevy S10 axle with 3.4:1 Gears
Tires: KUMHO 205/50R15 on all 4 corners
Batteries: 12 Optima Bluetops (D34M) for 144 VDC Nominal Voltage (158-126 VDC Operating Range)
Battery Ballancers: "Zener diode light bulb" type ballancers. More about these to come later.
Charger: Quickcharge brand 144VDC series-string purpose-built smart charger.
Total Weight: Approximately 1700 lbs. with a 250 lbs driver

Performance: Tested using a G-meter performance computer called The MATRIX
0-60 MPH: 7.12 Seconds
Maximum Computed HP during 0-60 Test: 66 HP at the wheels or 49.5 kW
Top Speed to Date: 77 MPH (Need more room and someplace where it is legal to go faster)
Maximum Lateral G's recorded during "normal" driving: 0.98 G's
Maximum Lateral G's recorded during a proper G Test: Not tested yet

High Speed Range: Tested by driving normaly on roads with speed limits around 50-55 MPH until the car's performance started to degrade
Longest trip to date without performance degradation: 24 Miles (To Sarasota Hooter's and back)
Longest trip to date with degradation to unsafe levels: 29 Miles (To the SeaStar Cafe and just barely back)

Low Speed Range: Tested by driving normaly on roads with speed limits around 25-30 MPH until a volt meter in the car started to read values at or below 126 VDC at the battery pack with the car at rest. The volt meter was checked about every 4 miles.
Battery sag to 126 VDC and just a hint of degradation of acceleration: 28 Miles
Battery sag beyond 126 VDC and way more than a hint of degradation of acceleration: 30 Miles

Notes, Observations, Plans and Comparisons:
The car needs a transmission. A small 2-Speed with a 2:1 and 1:1 would be fine. The first gear can be deeper if the engineering demands it. Maybe 3:1 But it only really needs a 2-Speed. More than that is just extra weight and complication. The reasons for wanting a transmission in this case are two fold. First: In the low end exceleration department. Higher gearing at first will launch the car better off the line. Right now it is like taking off in 4th. I bet it would shave a second or maybe even two off the 0-60 time. Second: It takes 600-700 Amps just to overcome the cars inertia at a standstill and to accelerate quickly enough not to be annoying to the drivers behind. Once it gets up to about 20 MPH the Amps drop off to 300-400. Not having to juice the motor to get going will save a lot of electricity and increase the range. Cruising around 50 MPH takes about 200 Amps.

The 0-60 Time and HP Rating are a little confusing. For comparison, a 2004 MINI Cooper S with a 6-speed Manual transmission does the 0-60 MPH test in 7.2 Seconds. It has a 168 HP (125.3 kW) engine and a curb weight of 2513 lbs. Let's calculate some comparison figures.
HP per 100 lbs. Mini=6.68 LBC=3.8 - Only 56 percent of the power to weight but just as fast in the 0-60 MPH test. It must have something to do with the torque of the electric motor. I wish I had an easy way to test the torque.

Range Expectations: According to rule of thumb calculations from the internet, about 500 lbs of lead-acid batteries have the energy of a gallon of gasoline. So, if you have 500 lbs of batteries in your electirc car and it doesn't weigh anymore than it did with it's conventional drivetrain, you should expect it to have a range of about whatever it's MPG rating was. The LBC has 522 lbs of batteries and it is about 100 lbs heaver than it was with the 3.4l V6 that was in it. So a 25-30 mile range is not unreasonable or greatly disapointing. But the point of this whole project is to stretch the envelope and make it drive longer, farther, faster, MORE !!!! Grunt!

Future: The Optima Blue Tops are the best lead-acids I've seen and have been able to afford so far. Having the money for a better battery chemisty like NiMh or LiPo (MMMmmmm... LiPo) is a bit of a stretch for me right now. But none the less, the key to practical electric cars is in the batteries. All the rest of the car's drivetrain is fine. It is all about battery energy density, the economy of scale in production and the ability to charge them quickly and safely with electricity from a non-fossil fuel source.

Click T-nails for a closer view: