Actually, let me throw this idea around, and feel free to shoot holes in it. Can one still do a relatively cheap 1990s conversion ? Perhaps the real question is whether you really want to: no regen, not great power, poor range. If you do, ...

I presume you can still get cheap DC motors and controllers. Of course, you can get lead-acid, but there might be another possibility. What about moderate sized backup power systems ? Since they are already designed to be stand alone, one doesn't have to trick them into working with a phantom car.

Here are a few examples:

https://www.amazon.com/Cloudenergy-Rechargeable-Lifetime-Overland-Off-Grid/dp/B0B9JWWXSY/ref=asc_df_B0B9JWWXSY
7.2kWh, 5kW output, 130 pounds, $1600
(you could put in 3 of these, perhaps, for about 60 mile range)

https://batteryevo.com/product/48v-husky-105ah-5-3-kwh/
5kWh, 5kW output, 100 pounds, $2000

https://www.ebay.com/itm/145169131657?chn=ps&norover=1&mkrid=711-166974-028196-7&mkscid=101&itemid=145169131657&targetid=2275367127251&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9033257&poi=&campaignid=21021646205&mkgroupid=168215069228&rlsatarget=pla-2275367127251&abcId=9381015&merchantid=5332630602&geoid=9033257&gad_source=1
5.1kWh, 2.1kW output, 100 pounds, $1000

Peri



<< Annoyed by leaf blowers ? https://quietcleanseattle.org/ >>


------ Original Message ------
From: "lektwik via EV" <ev@lists.evdl.org>
To: "Electric Vehicle Discussion List" <ev@lists.evdl.org>
Cc: "lektwik" <lekt...@gmail.com>
Sent: 27-Apr-24 23:58:21
Subject: Re: [EVDL] '91 BMW 318i conversion to electric

Howdy Folks

It's been years since I posted here (ever since discussions of drag racing
were banned), but I do still read the EVDL on occasion and credit the folks
here with providing an initial crash course for me on EV technology.

The conversion issue made me want to chime in. The days of inexpensive
lead-acid and DC motor conversions are long gone. I've been around this
industry for 25 years. It's a completely different animal now. There were
no factory EVs available then and folks were forced to accept extremely
limited range (good luck telling someone they can only go 50 miles max on a
charge now and that 50% of vehicle weight in lead batteries is required to
do it).

IMHO, If you want to convert a modern car, your best bet by far is just to
get a factory made EV. You could buy a handful of Nissan Leafs by the time
you pay someone to do a modern vehicle conversion with decent power and
range. Just getting the onboard computerized systems of a modern vehicle to
play nice with a completely foreign drivetrain is a herculean task all by
itself. Plus you are pretty much tied to the person or shop doing the
conversion for maintenance or repair issues into the foreseeable future.

In fact, there is little that's inexpensive or easy about it now compared
to then. The target market for conversions now is classic vehicles from
back in the days of ignition points and carburetors. Like a collector car
that a person would keep for decades.

You need substantial bank to even consider having a nice conversion done
for you. A $100K+ price tag is not unusual, especially using brand new
components and including the cost of the donor vehicle. For that you could
likely find a Rivian, Lucid, or Tesla Plaid. Especially on the used market.
One positive aspect is that used EV components are now available from
wrecked EVs. We didn't have any of that back in the day. It's hard to beat
a Tesla rear drive setup.

It's nice to see folks still involved here that were posting on the EVDL 25
years ago when I first got into EVs. I must say that some of those same
folks are recommending books on EV conversion that are like 25 years out of
date. I personally don't see this as being helpful to those new to EVs that
want to learn how modern ones operate or how to convert one, especially
with an abundance of free and modern info available on YouTube and other
online sources. Wanna learn how to set up an Orion BMS? There are videos on
that.

Please remember that the days of 96 volt VW Rabbit lead slugs are long
gone. Though I've been predicting for years that unmolested examples of
those early clik-clak DC and lead-acid conversions are the future EV
collector's items. They are disappearing quickly.


Roy LeMeur

On Fri, Apr 26, 2024 at 2:42 PM Harsha Godavari via EV <ev@lists.evdl.org>
wrote:



https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/how-volvo-landed-cheap-chinese-ev-us-shores-trade-war-2024-04-24/


 ----- Original Message -----
 From: EV List Lackey via EV &lt;ev@lists.evdl.org&gt;
 To: Electric Vehicle Discussion List &lt;ev@lists.evdl.org&gt;
 Cc: EV List Lackey &lt;evp...@drmm.net&gt;
 Sent: Thu, 25 Apr 2024 21:18:34 -0600 (MDT)
 Subject: Re: [EVDL] &#039;91 BMW 318i conversion to electric

 On 25 Apr 2024 at 10:48, (-Phil-) via EV wrote:

 &gt; In our case, no OEM has stepped up to make a decent van with good
 range
 &gt; that&#039;s supremely reliable with a low cost-of-ownership.

 So what E-vans DO y&#039;all have there?

 I don&#039;t know about Asia, but there are several choices in Europe,
 most of
 them EPTOs of Diesel vans.

 Some listed here:

https://www.drivingelectric.com/best-cars/586/best-electric-vans

 Also small, medium, and large vans from Renault.  They&#039;ve just
 updated their
 Kangoo and Master E-Tech vans.  The Master has a 3600 lb payload, and a
 WLTP
 range of 285 miles with the 87 kWh battery.

 Most of the EU brands, such as Citroen and Renault, don&#039;t have a US
 presence
 that I know of.  However, the Ford E-Transit and the VW ID Buzz Cargo are
 available there, right?

 Or is it mostly pickups rather than vans in the US?  (Tradespeople here
 usually drive vans, seldom pickups.)

 David Roden, EVDL moderator &amp; general lackey

 To reach me, don&#039;t reply to this message; I won&#039;t get it.  Use
 my
 offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt

 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

      In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.

                                 -- Paul Graham

 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

 _______________________________________________
 Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org
 No other addresses in TO and CC fields
 HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/


 _______________________________________________
 Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org
 No other addresses in TO and CC fields
 HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: 
<http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20240427/f1614e3d/attachment.htm>
_______________________________________________
Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org
No other addresses in TO and CC fields
HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: 
<http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20240428/b562814b/attachment.htm>
_______________________________________________
Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org
No other addresses in TO and CC fields
HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/

Reply via email to