The Unofficial Sinclair C5 Service Manual. The Sinclair C5 Electric Vehicle. P.J. Milner. P. Newman. Sinclair Vehicles. Sinclair Research. Coventry England …

The Sinclair C5 represents the first commercial attempt to produce an electrically powered vehicle in high volumes. In the electrical and electronic aspects of the vehicle, as in most other areas, minimization of component and assembly costs was a vital part of the design exercise. In many instances, a traditional EV approach had to be abandoned and design /construction techniques more closely allied to the light electronics industry were adopted.

The paper covers the development of the essential protection systems for battery and motor, the user instrument display and its associated semi-custom integrated circuit, the selection and testing of the cost critical motor power control system, the packaging of the electrical/electronic components into a form suitable for mass-production, and the battery charger design.

Vehicle technical data, including performance and operating characteristics are presented and discussed. Road load is quantified in terms of three constituent parts (mechanical, aerodynamic and gradient resistances) and is compared with the available tractive effort over the full vehicle operation range.

Illustration of the effects of various parameter changes are given with particular regard to the efficiency of utilisation of available battery energy and to operating range.

Introduction

The Sinclair C5 is a semi-enclosed three wheel power assisted cycle. It features a polypropylene body and weighs 45 Kg including a 15 Kg lead-acid battery. It represents the first attempt to produce, in high volume, a vehicle aimed specifically to comply with the electrically assisted cycle legislation introduced in the UK in August 1983.

Legislation

The UK does not currently enjoy the same liberal attitude to low-powered motor vehicles enjoyed by many of its European neighbours. Thus, even the lowest power mopeds require registration, road tax, insurance and a driving licence.

Download The Unofficial Sinclair C5 Service Manual.pdf