Anyone done an EV conversion?

With the way gas prices are going, I'm considering doing one myself in the garage. Looking for some insight on the process. I'd be converting the '87 honda rt4wd wagovan, keeping the awd as well.

Andrew

I have. Other people have, as well. Is that your only question?

Bryce

A friend of mine is in the process of converting a 99 miata. I removed all the ICE stuff for him. He's Planning for it to be fast.

How expensive is the over all conversion? not including selling off parts to recoup money?

Lithium vs lead acid vs gel batteries? AC vs DC?

digdug18 wrote: How expensive is the over all conversion? not including selling off parts to recoup money? Lithium vs lead acid vs gel batteries? AC vs DC?

Going to need a LOT of information to answer that question. How fast do you want to go? How quickly do you want to get there? How far do you want to go at that speed? What kind of vehicle is it? How much time do you have? Are you able to do the work yourself? Etc.

Building an electric car is no different than any other car...need to know what you want to build in order to figure out what it will take to build it.

Bryce

Garret aka swarfalot (RIP) on the boards was building a crazy Chellenge electric RX-7 when he passed.

Wish I could've seen the finished result. That guy sure had a hell of a lot of ideas.

Since Bryce is asking for more detail, I am curious, and it may add to the OPs cause. Let's suppose I have a lighter car, ~2500 lbs with ICE, and I want a commuter which can get 50 mile range at highway (60-70) speeds. What are we talking to get there?

I always thought the Fiero would make a good electric commuter. I figure I would need 50miles max with a speed at least approaching 60mph would be good for most of work commute

tuna55 wrote: Since Bryce is asking for more detail, I am curious, and it may add to the OPs cause. Let's suppose I have a lighter car, ~2500 lbs with ICE, and I want a commuter which can get 50 mile range at highway (60-70) speeds. What are we talking to get there?

To clarify, when it comes to doing a conversion, it's much cheaper to meet your targets with a lightweight, aerodynamic vehicle than to use the vehicle you have that may not be those things and convert it. For example, 2500 pounds is pretty heavy for just a commuter...an EF Civic hatch is super cheap, much lighter, and does "commuter" just fine. You CAN convert a bigger, heavier car, but recognize that build costs rise exponentially as speed, acceleration, weight, aero, etc. work against it.

Bryce

Nashco wrote:

tuna55 wrote: Since Bryce is asking for more detail, I am curious, and it may add to the OPs cause. Let's suppose I have a lighter car, ~2500 lbs with ICE, and I want a commuter which can get 50 mile range at highway (60-70) speeds. What are we talking to get there?

To clarify, when it comes to doing a conversion, it's much cheaper to meet your targets with a lightweight, aerodynamic vehicle than to use the vehicle you have that may not be those things and convert it. For example, 2500 pounds is pretty heavy for just a commuter...an EF Civic hatch is super cheap, much lighter, and does "commuter" just fine. You CAN convert a bigger, heavier car, but recognize that build costs rise exponentially as speed, acceleration, weight, aero, etc. work against it. Bryce

I have three kids. 2500 lbs is pretty darn light for that job...

Actually, e30s can get pretty light, and they are remarkably aerodynamic.

I'd do a Hyundai excel probably. Some small hatchback. 50mi @ 50 mph would be pro. Getting to there in 10 seconds would be fine. 110v charging overnight would be super. That's wht my criteria would be anyway, but this isn't my thread.

tuna55 wrote: I have three kids. 2500 lbs is pretty darn light for that job...

I hadn't considered it, but that brings up another critical point. How reliable does it need to be? Also, as Devil's Advocate #1, I'd bring up that you can fit a dude and his 3 kids in an EF Civic hatch...which is significantly lighter than 2500 pounds, even with the kids factored in.

Bryce

Nashco wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I have three kids. 2500 lbs is pretty darn light for that job...

I hadn't considered it, but that brings up another critical point. How reliable does it need to be? Also, as Devil's Advocate #1, I'd bring up that you can fit a dude and his 3 kids in an EF Civic hatch...which is significantly lighter than 2500 pounds, even with the kids factored in. Bryce

Four doors would be mandatory. It would need to be safe and reliable. Newer than 2000 or so to be safe enough.

tuna55 wrote:

Nashco wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I have three kids. 2500 lbs is pretty darn light for that job...

I hadn't considered it, but that brings up another critical point. How reliable does it need to be? Also, as Devil's Advocate #1, I'd bring up that you can fit a dude and his 3 kids in an EF Civic hatch...which is significantly lighter than 2500 pounds, even with the kids factored in. Bryce

Four doors would be mandatory. It would need to be safe and reliable. Newer than 2000 or so to be safe enough.

In that case, look up how much a Nissan Leaf costs. For you, that would be the cheapest option. Yes, seriously. The "reliable" part is where you're done for, of course "safe" is very relative...I think safe like OEM safe when it comes to a car with kids climbing into it. That means a lot nicer parts...AC motor, battery management, charge monitoring, high quality power electronics, isolation detection, etc. The cost of the parts alone will add up to about the same amount than a Leaf costs after tax credits and such. Not to mention that you can also finance a Leaf, which for most families is more reasonable than dropping $15k+ on a project car.

You can make a pretty reliable and pretty safe EV for cheap, but if you expect something like a 2000s used car safe/reliable for a family, it's just not going to happen for less than what an OEM can build it for. Economies of scale and engineering resources are no joke!

Now, if you were willing to sacrifice stuff like distance/day, reliability, or speed...then, that makes a huge difference.

Bryce

I'm just weighing the options right now. With gas going up, and each year further up and up, and it being a resource that is limited, I figure it might be time to try an electric vehicle.

I already have the wagovan, its 4 doors, isn't running, and would need to have $600 atleast put into it to get it up and going. I'm wondering that instead of gas, a DC motor would be a better option.

I've been reading up on it at http://www.evamerica.com/ they have a couple interesting kits available, and aren't too far away, only 6 hours or so of a drive to see an install in person.

Have you considered a bicycle or a rickshaw?

I would seriously consider a 2000-2005 Civic Hybrid. They can be had for enough less than normal Civics of the era that you could replace the batteries with upgraded batteries from somewhere like Better Battery and still be ahead. OEM, 50+ mpg, etc....

Or a similar age Prius.

Nashco wrote: In that case, look up how much a Nissan Leaf costs. For you, that would be the cheapest option. Yes, seriously. The "reliable" part is where you're done for, of course "safe" is very relative...I think safe like OEM safe when it comes to a car with kids climbing into it. That means a lot nicer parts...AC motor, battery management, charge monitoring, high quality power electronics, isolation detection, etc. The cost of the parts alone will add up to about the same amount than a Leaf costs after tax credits and such. Not to mention that you can also finance a Leaf, which for most families is more reasonable than dropping $15k+ on a project car. You can make a pretty reliable and pretty safe EV for cheap, but if you expect something like a 2000s used car safe/reliable for a family, it's just not going to happen for less than what an OEM can build it for. Economies of scale and engineering resources are no joke! Now, if you were willing to sacrifice stuff like distance/day, reliability, or speed...then, that makes a huge difference. Bryce

THen for the sake of it............let's take your old Civic example.

I need to be able to do 75mph, drive 50 miles a day (to and from work, mostly highway, nearly all of it above 50mph) on one charge, but I could charge it using the 240V from the dryer outlet in the garage overnight.

I was thinking of doing a conversion, but instead of an EV conversion, I was thinking more along the lines of a system like a Diesel-electric locomotive. If you could do it with say a 25 hp twin cylinder Briggs/Kohler/Honda engine running a generator to drive the electric motor(s) and maybe some batteries for a little extra. Hard part would be finding a generator that could put out the power without requiring a too large of an engine to turn it. Otherwise the efficiency wouldn't be high enough. Could use one of the small Diesels like a Kubota and maybe get better range. I drive too far daily for an all-electric car and this could possibly be a good alternative.

There is a guy that did an electric Spitfire. Google should find it.

Series hybrid is a good idea.

Back to scenarios, let's suppose I wanted to enter a Lemons event and have easily removeable/replaceable battery packs, what then?

Bryce said: Building an electric car is no different than any other car...need to know what you want to build in order to figure out what it will take to build it.

The build process may be similar, but the design stage is much more critical, because your cost/HP and cost/range ratios are so unfavorable relative to typical GRM fare. i.e. Numbers of people build fire-breathing ICE cars each year for under $2k. Many of those cars are capable of years of reliable use if they aren't flogged too hard. There's NO WAY you could get within a country mile of those capabilities with an EV for the same amount of dough. If you are willing to lower your expecations substantially, you can get something kind of useful as a neighborhood car on the cheap by using old forklift components and stuff, but you'll be driving a car that's a serious dog. So seriously do your homework. If you want good performance think Locost light. If you want good performance, range and reliability be prepared to spend major bucks. There's no easy SBF swap equivalent in the EV world.

+1 for Nissan Leaf, any custom thing you hack up is going to cost about the same when it's finished and you'd be lucky to get the same reliability, convenience (the Leaf can quick-charge), and performance.

If safety wasn't such a big issue you could go with some (relatively flimsy) old Japanese sedan as a base, but most 2000-and-later cars are heavy as hell, giving you a big disadvantage right off the bat. Cars designed for an electric powertrain from the factory are already made to be as light and safe as possible with an electric powertrain installed.

Here are a few links to a pretty stout S-10 EV Conversion from another forum I frequent...

EV Controller build
EV Build Thread