Thumper – 1992 Chevrolet 1500 Converted from Internal Combustion to EV

At the WKU Innovation Campus last week, Holley Performance Companies (NYSE:HLLY) showed off the company’s 1992 Chevrolet 1500 that has been converted from internal combustion to EV. This truck has been in the Holley family for nearly 20 years in Bowling Green and many at the Company affectionately call the truck the Thumper – recalling fond memories of driving the truck on the Power Tour and using the truck at trade shows to demonstrate the Company’s latest technology in action. more. two decades ago.

Currently, the R&D team at Holley converted the truck into an EV using an electrical ecosystem from Holley’s AEM brand, including the AEM VCU275 (Vehicle Control Unit) that was just launched to the public last week – making full control of the vehicle easy of battery management, engine/converter control, and overall enablement of many subsystems in a vehicle, communicating primarily via the CAN bus, which is a vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate. Alongside the AEM VCU275 is the AEM PDU-8 (Power Distribution Unit) which provides the ability to program and control high-voltage connectors, cooling fans, headlights, brake lights, turn signals, windshield wipers in the vehicle .

Between the frame rails of the car and the bottom of the cabin there is a 400 Volt battery block, keeping the weight down and in the center of the car improves the car’s dynamics and ride quality. In Bowling Green, Holley’s R&D team developed a battery bank that contains approximately 50 kWh of lithium ion battery modules monitored and managed by a combination of AEM’s BMS-18 Satellites, each capable of measuring up to 18 cells and temperature 3 (controllers) which are then connected to AEM’s BMS-18 Master via a high-speed serial interface (isoSPI) which allows additional satellite units to be daisy-chained.

The truck is charged using the J1772 port located inside the gas tank door which connects to the AEM CCU (Combined Charging Unit) which serves a dual purpose as an On Board Charger (OBC) and a DC-DC Converter (DCDC). The OBC charges the HV Battery Pack by taking 120v or 240v AC power from the grid, converting it to high voltage DC and charging the high voltage battery in the vehicle. A DC-DC converter takes the high voltage from the battery pack and converts it to a low voltage to maintain the charge in the 12V automotive battery. A DC-DC converter performs the functions that an alternator does in an ICE motor. The CCU is fully controlled by the AEM VCU via the CAN bus with OBC and DC-DC information, current and status information on the VCU.

Powering the rear wheels is the Tesla Micro Drive Unit, which is commonly found in the front and rear configurations of the Tesla Model S & X, which has been optimized and adjusted through the use of the AEM SDU Control Board which communicates directly with VCU275. With AEM’s SDU Control Board, the Tesla Mini Storage unit produces over 300 horsepower or 220+ kW.

In the interior, AEM’s CD-7 Digital Display and AEM’s 8-Button CAN streamline the instrumentation and improve the haptics of the driver controls. The team also used a full list of parts from Holley including Baer Brakes, Brother Trucks restoration parts, and Detroit Speed ​​suspension products to make the Thumper special.

The Holley R&D team will continue to use the truck for development purposes as it looks to simplify the internal combustion to EV conversion for aftermarket applications. To find out more about Holley Performance Brands’ AEM EV Conversions, please visit www.aemelectronics.com and www.holley.com.

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