Dynasty IT Micro-Pickup NEV and Test Drive

This past weekend, a friend dropped off a Dynasty IT in my driveway. This IT is an adorable tiny pickup truck that’s in the NEV class. That means that it’s perfectly street-legal, but federal regulations restrict it by law to a 25 mph top speed, and use on streets of 35 mph and less.

My friend had just replaced the batteries in the truck, but when he hooked everything back up, it just plain didn’t work! So, he brought it over to me for a second set of eyes to see if I could figure it out. After checking over all the fuses and other obvious likely problem points, I started working on troubleshooting the motor controller itself, only to finally stumble on the one disconnected wire he missed during the upgrade. Once hooked back up, I took the vehicle out for a spin to see how it performed.

It really is a fun little vehicle. Acceleration is pretty peppy. There’s plenty of head-room and the simple mesh seats are surprisingly comfortable. This particular one was upgraded to an AC motor and matching Curtis 1238 AC controller. AC is lower maintenance, more efficient, and offers regenerative braking.

The back of the vehicle is rather interesting. It’s sort of a deep pickup truck bed, but has more of a hatch-like tailgate. On the other hand, it also has a third door that lets you walk right into the cargo area. Not only that, but the cargo area is rated to carry 1000 pounds of weight! While not designed to tow, this little truck can HAUL!

The overall feel of the vehicle is pretty good. The frame is a hefty aluminum honeycomb and the body is all fiberglass. The front is a nice windshield and the doors have real handles, locks, and manual window cranks. There’s an electric defogger/defroster.

Here’s some of the key features of this particular model.

• 2007 Dynasty IT utility vehicle
• All electric drive-train – 72V system – New batteries
• Front-wheel drive
• AC Electric Motor (22 HP peak)
• AC motor controller (Curtis 1238) with regen
• 1000 watt 120V AC battery charger (Zivan NG1 – charges from regular wall outlet)
• Aluminum frame/fiberglass body (Nothing to rust)
• 1000 lb. cargo capacity.
• Seats 2
• 30-mile range
• Third door for easy access to cargo area (great for a dog, large tools, etc.)
• Electric defog/defrost
• Less than 1000 original miles on the odometer.

NEVs are interesting vehicles. They aren’t quite a “real car”, but they can be EXTREMELY useful and do it all without using a single drop of gasoline. Maintenance is almost nothing. Plug it in at night and add some windshield washer fluid every once in a while. They work GREAT for a particular niche of people – those who live in town or a neighborhood with 25 mph streets. Frankly, that’s most cities. On the other hand, I live about one mile AWAY from the 25 mph zone. The main road in front of my house is 45 mph, and I can’t get to anywhere without crossing it. For somebody living only a mile south of me, they could get to the library, bank, grocery store, and everything else a person needs to do in a day in this handy little truck.

If you haven’t already, take a peep at the YouTube videos at the top, and you can get a tour of the vehicle and come along on a little test-ride with me.

‘Til next time, stay charged up!

-Ben

 

PS: The owner of this vehicle would like to sell it. He’s only asking $3000. If you are interested and would like to see the vehicle or take it for a test ride, please let me know. Vehicle is in south-eastern Wisconsin and a reasonable distance from Madison, WI and Chicago IL.