Electric Chevrolet S10 Pickup

Electric Chevrolet S10 Pickup

The Chevrolet S-10 Electric was introduced in 1997 by General Motors, updated in 1998, and then discontinued. It was an OEM BEV variant of Chevrolet's S-10 pickup truck which ran solely upon electricity, and was marketed primarily to utility fleet customers.

Design

General Motors started with a regular cab, short-box (6' bed) S-10 pickup, with a base level trim package, added a half tonneau cover. In place of a typical inline four cylinder or V-6 engine, the Electric S-10 EV was equipped with an 85 kW (114 horsepower) three-phase, liquid cooled AC induction motor, based on GM's EV1 electric coupe. The EV1 had a 100 kW motor, GM reduced the S-10EV's motor because of the additional weight and drag of the truck so as not to over stress the batteries.

Other than the reduced motor size, the majority of power electronics were carried over directly from the EV1, which mandated that the Electric S-10 use a front-wheel-drive configuration, unlike the rear-wheel-drive setup found in stock S-10's and in the competing Ford Ranger EV.

Batteries

Similar to the Gen 1 EV1's setup, the 1997 Electric S10 stored and sourced its power from a lead acid battery pack. Manufactured by Delco Electronics, the 1400 lb (635 kg) pack consisted of 27 batteries, with one being designated as an "auxiliary" cell. These reportedly offered 16.2 kilowatt-hours for propulsion, and offered a varying driving range. In 1998, Ovonic NiMH batteries were also available. These batteries were lighter at 1043 lb (473 kg) and had 29 kilowatt-hours of storage for a longer range. NiMH also has longer life but cost more than the lead acid option. The battery pack was located between the frame rails, beneath the pickup bed.

Charging

The S-10 EV charges using the Magne Charger, produced by the General Motors subsidiary Delco Electronics. The inductive charging paddle is the model J1773 or the 'large' paddle. The small paddle can also be used with an adapter to properly seat it. The standard charger is a 220 V 30 A (6.6 kW), there is also a 110 V 15 A 'convenience' charger, and a high power fast charge version.

The vehicle's charging port is accessed by flipping the front license plate frame downwards. The system is designed to be safe even when used in the rain.

See also:

* http://www.magnecharge.com

*

Efficiency

Depending on the load and driving conditions the range can vary greatly.

For the 1997 PbA, a city range of 45.5 miles (73.2 km), a mixed (city/highway) range of 47 miles (76 km), and a highway range of 60 miles (97 km) if operating constantly at 45 mph (72 km/h) or less.

GM estimated 0-50 mph times of 13.5 seconds at 50% charge; "even less" when the truck had a full charge. Like the EV1, the top speed of the truck was governed, albeit to 70 mph (113 km/h), 10 mph (16 km/h) less than its coupe sibling.

The performance is much better for the 1998 NiMH, at ~90 miles range and a 0-50 mph of 10.9 seconds at 50% charge.

* 1998 GM S10 EV lead: 45 kW·h/100 mi city, 41 kW·h/100 mi highway

* 1998 GM S10 EV NiMh: 94 kW·h/100 mi city, 86 kW·h/100 mi highway

(Source: Model Year 1999 EPA Fuel Economy Guide)