Troubleshooting an EV

So you're probably wandering, as am I, why the wheels aren't turning yet?  Great question, I wish I knew the answer.  I look at the whole system as nothing more than a series of parts that can wrong and therefore will need to be bypassed or replaced to test it operation.  Electrical engineers see it as an electrical system and will start by testing all the connections. 
My first test was to put in some of my old silicone batteries and do a quick check to get the wheels moving.  Things didn't go according to plan.  When you press on the accelerator, the voltage drops to zero and only 30 amps were being sucked.
That's when I started to replace things.  The curtis controller went first, then the batteries, then the contactor, then the potbox, then the fuses, etc... I can not figure this one out.  Ron Anderson, of Blacksheep Tech is helping me in problem-solving.  Great guy, very patient, and runs a good business.  He told me to start testing at either the most positive or most negative battery and look for where the voltage drops, keeping one wire of the voltmeter on either the most positive or negative then have my beautiful assistant (wife) press down on the accelerator.  The problem is they all drop to zero when the accelerator is pressed. So does the controller, the shunt, the fuses, etc.... This doesn't make sense.

This is when, rather than get mad and frustrated, I do something else to make progress.  I thought I'd touch up my hood and clean up the Bradley Logo on the front.

The logo didn't stand out, all gray metal with very little definition, so I spray painted it all black, then went over the high parts with some light sandpaper so the metal would stand out against a black background.

Much better.  See....progress. : )

Hey, you have to take it victory by little victory or this huge project can really eat you up inside.