White Zombie - 10 second street legal EV. We returned to the same location and positoned the car for a fun comparison to the 2014 'street sleeper' version shown below.
Both photos courtesy of Steve Schrab
Motor: 'Siamese 9' dual armature brushed series-wound. 538 hp, 1250 ft. lbs. from 0-3100 rpm. Forced air-cooling.
The Siamese 9 motor is carried over from 2015 with no changes and is in top condition.
Drive type: Direct drive into Ford nine inch differential - no flywheel, clutch or transmission. Electric reverse.
Driveshaft: Single piece all aluminum driveline from 'Inland Empire Drivelines'. NHRA required Driveline loop.
Rear axle: Dutchman heavy duty Street/Strip Ford nine inch rear axle setup with Strange aluminum differential housing, Detroit locker and 31 spline racing axles.
Tall 3:25 gears, CalTracs and sticky drag radials take advantage of the electric motor's max. torque at zero rpm for quick launches - 1.33 best 60 ft.
Wheels & tires: The Datsun 1200 economy car came standard with 12 x 4 inch steel wheels fitted with hubcaps. Major suspension and braking system upgrades in 2010 pushed the rim size to 15 inch to make room for substantially bigger brakes - 10.75 inch cross-drilled Brembo rotors pinched by Wilwood 4 piston calipers in front and 11.5 inch solid rotor Wilwood drag discs with 4 piston calipers in the rear (see 'Other Mods' 2010 section). (below left) In 2014 the front 15 x 4 wheels with 145 x 15 rubber 'skinny setup' was swapped-out with custom built 15 x 6 American Racing two piece 'Torq Thrust D' rims with a special 'Zombie' offset and mounted with low profile Federal 165/45/15 tires. (below right) American Racing 'Torq Thrust D' 15 x 8 two piece rims with 225/50/15 BF Goodrich 'G Force' Drag Radials' to put the stick to the pavement. See '2014 Wheels & tires' section for more details
Batteries:192 Dow Kokam lithium manganese nickel cobalt polymer cells configured at 2P96S make up the Zombie's 355V, 21.3 kWh high current battery pack. The UHP (ultra high power) cells are 3.7V, 30 ah nominal with a continuous discharge rate of 20C, have a 40C 10 second rating for a maximum of 1200 amps from each cell, and are configured in paralleled pairs so the battery pack can safely output 2400 amps. With a manufacture date code of 2007 they are now 9 years old and have been in service since 2010. All cells are still performing 'as new' and are well balanced. The Zombie sees regular duty as a street car, with one particular weekly mixed 65 mph freeway and 45-50 mph twisty country road round trip. Returning to the garage after 54 miles, the pack is still at 342V, or 3.56V per cell (Vpc). With a useable discharge range from 4.1 Vpc (396 pack Volts) down to 3.0 Vpc (288 pack Volts), this backs up the 100 mile range claim well.
Controller:Zilla Z2k 2000 amp controller. Quick-pull emergency disconnect.
12 volt system:
Meanwell high voltage model DC-DC feeding a trunk area mounted 13.2V Thunder Sky lithium battery. After years of DC-DC failures and or going without one, this quality DC-DC, though on the smallish side at 19 amps, is just enough to keep pace with the 12V loads of the Zombie.
Other Mods: None in 2016
Car weight: 2350 lbs.
March 22nd...NWHS Open House for UTI Techs, Portland, Oregon
May 21st...Jim Dandy Car Show, Portland, Oregon
May 28th...VIP Show & Shine / BBQ, Portland, Oregon
Above... The electric Zombie was welcomed like a rock star among the hot turboed imports. This bad-boy Integra drag car with a heavily boosted 4 banger, was pushing 700 hp! (note monster-sized turbo hanging in front)
"I don't get it - no turbos, and yet it's so damn fast!"
June 4th...Cars & Coffee, Oregon City, Oregon
June usually marks the beginning of this Saturday morning ritual of guys and gals gathering with their fun vehicles to wake up with coffee and show & tell ... this was the first of many such Saturdays that will go on through the summer in historic Oregon City. (above right) Marko Mongillo's 'working man's' 30 kWh electric Datsun minitruck with a load of gravel. (below) Just a few of the beautiful rides that show up on Main Street.
June 4th...Cars & Coffee at 'World of Speed', Wilsonville, Oregon
Above - After freeway flying 15 miles from Portland south to the Oregon City 'Cars & Coffee', we were told there was another 'Cars & Coffee' event being held that same morning in Wilsonville, another 15 miles away. With the Zombie's 100 mile range, it wasn't an issue to hit the freeway again to join the scene, where the Zombie was in some fast company! The Datsun 240Z had a V8 under the hood, and the V10 powered Audi R8 is in the super car class!
The Zombie on display with its 'electric street car meets vintage BRE track car' look. (photo by Maria Dixon)
The stand-up 'Zombie specifications' board is a great tool when showing the car. The above pictures illustrate this well, as you can see the car guys studying the stats!
June 11th...'Cruisin' Sherwood', Sherwood, Oregon
(above left) The town of Sherwood goes all out for this car show when hundreds of hotrods invade its old town section. We had to be in line for positioning for the show at 5:00 AM, with a 30 mile drive to get there from Portland - talk about an early morning get-up time! (above right) The small town / residential feel of this show is evident in this photo.
Cruisin' Sherwood draws so many cool cars - here are three fitted with the same classic American Racing 'Torq Thrust D' rims that are on the Zombie.
What a fun show! This Mazda 3 was just a few cars away from the real Zombie.
June 12th... 'Northwest Datsuns' Canby Datsun Meet, Canby, Oregon
White Zombie has never been shown at this all-Datsun meet before, so it was fun to finally be part of it.
(left to right) A trio of real nice Datsuns... Datsun 240Z with Panasport rims, a lowered Kelly Green Datsun 510 with 13 x 5.5 American Racing 4 spokes, and a lowered red 510 with BRE style flares to make room for the wider 13 x 7 American Racing 4 spokes. The Datsun 1200 is the baby brother to the 510.
June 25th...Greenwood Classic car show, Seattle, Washington
We returned to make this the 12th year White Zombie has teamed up with the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association (SEVA) and been on display at this huge event that draws thousands! SEVA calls its participation in this hotrod show their 'Gasless on Greenwood' EVent (think the movie Sleepless in Seattle).
July 23rd...OEVA's 'EV Fest', Portland, Oregon
With postcard-perfect weather for the downtown EV show, White Zombie, Marko Mongillo's electric Datsun minitruck and Robert Thorton's 'Wedgie' CommutaCar were on display together again.
August 3-6...Monte Shelton Northwest Rally, Silverton, Oregon
The only electric car entered, White Zombie left its drag track race personna behind and flaunted its daily driver street credentials in this premere event usually reserved for exotic collector sports cars. Pushing the maximum range of its 21.3 kWh pack, an additional 16 kWh was added courtesy of 8 Chevy Volt 44.4 V - 45 ahr modules temporarily installed in the back seat area.
August 14th ...The NW 510 Owner's Association's 'Blue Lake Park Show & Shine picnic', Troutdale, Oregon
We somehow missed the 2015 show, so it was good to be back at this picnic atmosphere all-Datsun car show again. Below center: Plasma Boy doesn't normally carry a purse, but we didn't know dogs weren't allowed on the park grounds - so off the ground and into Maria's purse she went!
August 20th ...St. Johns car show, Portland, Oregon
White Zombie and Robert Thorton's fun 'Wedgie' CommutaCar on display together again, this time in his neighborhood in North Portland.
Below: In 2007 Oregon Public Broadcasting TV (OPB) did a story about White Zombie and electric drag racing (youtube.com/watch?v=UAYrsEQxqYc) There is a young man with a red shirt and black baseball hat featured at the 2:50 mark on that video. While he is astonished to see the electric Zombie, he says,"I live out in the sticks... we do everything with 4 x 4s and four wheel drives, man... it's gotta be powerful, it's gotta be loud!" - fast forward 9 years, and here he is by chance at this car show! He was quick to tell us how that day changed his opinion of electric cars forever. What a fun reunion it was!
September 11th...Clarkes Community Picnic & Car Show, Beavercreek, Oregon
White Zombie is unique in its ability to be both a potent 1/4 mile drag car and a fully street legal road car. With its adequate range to go beyond its urban roots, we enjoy having an excuse to drive the car to scenic areas. We welcomed the opportunity to cruise out to Beavercreek's Ringo Pond and participate in this warm and friendly country picnic that included a small car show.
The good folks from the community know how to put on a picnic!
(below) White Zombie's bold racing stripes and pocket rocket attitude contrast against the beautiful countryside of the Beavercreek area.
September 17th ...'Cars & Coffee' at the World of Speed museum, Wilsonville, Oregon
This Saturday date was scheduled weeks in advance for the National Drive Electric Week (NDEW) event in Wilsonville, Oregon but we heard there was also another 'Cars & Coffee' gathering of hot street at the World of Speed museum (WOS) in the early morning, so we decided to do two car shows in one day. This was our second time meeting and greeting car enthusiasts at the WOS, as we had been there earlier in the year back in warm and sunny June. With Oregon's Fall weather at hand, this time it was cold and wet, but we had made the commiment for the NDEW show, so we drove the 60 mile round trip to Wilsonville. To say it was wet, was an understatement, but it was warm and dry inside this wonderful place where fast cars are celebrated!
September 17th ...'National Drive Electric Week', Wilsonville, Oregon
Following a 2 hour stint at the World of Speed museum, we drove about 2 miles down the road to the parking lot where OEVA was hosting the National Drive Electric Week event. It was a soaker with near constant rain, so the public turnout was low. We got creative with pop-up tents and made the best of it.
Carnage:
None.