A few packages arrived over the weekend for modernizing the CitiCar. The majority of items that arrived support the 12 volt accessory power supply using the batteries that drive the motor, instead of a separate battery.

Fuse Block

The majority of fuse blocks look the same to me. It all comes down to choosing between having a standard number of six fuses or twelve. The car has seven fuses, so I went with the larger size.

Some of the features I like are that the LED’s will turn on to indicate that a fuse has blown. Another thing I like is that the negative terminals are all at the top. It came with a variety of 24 blade fuses, stickers, and a cover.

12-Way Fuse Block With ground, 12 Circuit ATC/ATO Fuse Box Holder with negative bus, Protection Cover & LED Light Indication, Bolt Terminals, 70 pcs Stick Label, For Auto Marine, Boat,With 24 pcs Fuse

Voltage Reducer

I previously purchased a Buck Transformer that could supply up to 5 amps at 12 volts. It worked, but the amps were lacking in what I needed.

I found a DC-to-DC power converter that could step voltage down anywhere from 48 to 120 volts, and bring it down to 12 volts. The output current is rated at 30 amps.

Besides the amps, I like the ability to disconnect the power easily with the connectors that the provided, and the added feature of having a key switch turning it on so that it doesn’t drain the battery while the car is not being used.

Pro Chaser DC-DC 120V 108V 96V 84V 72V 60V 48V Volt Voltage to 12V Step Down Voltage Reducer Regulator 180W 15A for Scooters & Bicycles Golf cart (30A 360W)

Power Switch

I wasn’t too happy when I saw sparks in my previous experiment with converting a high voltage to 12v using the buck converter. In turn, I found this power switch that I can press to toggle it on and off.

I’m going to see if I can run two different voltages through it if the LED terminals are separate from the switch terminals. I’ll wire up the LED directly to the Buck 12v output, and let the switch terminals control the 48v feeding it.

I picked out this switch because it came with a wired harness that could be disconnected easily, and the LED lights up. From what I saw, the LED and the switch could be wired up in multiple ways.

Quentacy 19mm 3/4″ Metal Latching Pushbutton Switch 12V Power Symbol LED 1NO1NC SPDT ON/OFF Black Waterproof Toggle Switch with Wire Socket Plug (Blue)

Portable EVSE

I’m setting up the vehicle so that it can recharge and public charging stations that support J1772. This EVSE (Electric Vehicle Service Equipment) takes power from a 120 and 240 volt wall outlet and provides a Level 1/2 power supply to my vehicles onboard charger.

At 240v and 16 amps, I could charge up to 3.84 kW. Using just 120v over 16 amps would be 1.92 kW. My current battery setup takes 12 hours to supply 3 kW. However – they are lead acid. With the new Chevy Volt batteries, I’ll be able to charge much faster, and have a demand for more watts to be supplied.

Being portable, I can put this in the back of the car and charge up at a friends house or a friendly business willing to let me have a few kilowatts.

I got this specific kit because it came with a case, supported 120 & 240 volts, had an adapter to work with both NEMA 5-15 and 6-20, hook to hold the cables, and a holster to hold the end of the plug when not in use.

Megear Level 1-2 EV Charger(100-240V,16A) Portable EVSE Home Electric Vehicle Charging Station Compatible with Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, Fiat, Ford Fusion (NEMA6-20 with Adapter for NEMA5-15)

Dash Cam

This one is a bit of an experiment. I’ve been interested in dash cams for a few years with all of the odd things I see on the road, but never jumped into actually getting one.

This camera was fairly cheap and I figured I’d try it out as a learning exercise. I don’t expect much from it, but for using it with the CitiCar, I think it might be perfect. If anything, I’ll have a few videos to post on YouTube.

Besides the cheap price, it seems to have gotten good reviews on YouTube and the quality appears to be reasonable.

AUKEY Mini Dash Cam 1080p Full HD Dash Camera with 1.5” LCD Screen Car Camera with 170° Wide-Angle Lens, G-Sensor, WDR, Motion Detection, and Clear Night Recording