On 12 Jan 2026 at 8:38, (-Phil-) via EV wrote: > I cringe seeing all the mistakes made around HV and ternary lithium > packs with improper envelope design, etc.
For decades, there were essentially no production EVs, so hobbyists built conversions. Quite a few were discussed and troubleshot (is that a word?) right here on the EV list, 20 to 30 years ago. Some were highly sophisticated, but the majority were pretty simple - slap an adapter plate on the transaxle, couple a forklift motor to the flywheel, mount a Curtis controller above the motor, stuff golf car batteries in every available nook and cranny. (There was more to it, but that was the gist.) They sure weren't as polished or as peppy as today's production EVs. They sure weren't as safe either. Yeah, lead batteries are way more forgiving of careless charging than lithium, but some hobbyists made hair-raising decisions about locating and restraining (or not) those batteries. In a crash, a half-ton of barely-secured lead a meter from your back can have a profound and lasting effect on your health. Still, thousands of people used these conversions, with more or less success, as daily transportation. All that said ..... > The best bet is to just buy a low cost OEM EV like an older Nissan > Leaf, you'll spend less, not get stuck on the side of the road all the > time, and it's a pretty good "transportation appliance" if you can live > with the reduced range. I agree 100%. I don't know about the US, but where I live (rural France), it doesn't even have to be old. One of the regional dealer chains is advertising 2021 to 2023 low-km small to medium size used EVs at asking prices between 9k euro (US$~10k) and 20k euro ((US$~22k). We're talking usable range from ~200km to maybe 360km. I don't see how you can touch those prices in an equivalent conversion, even just for glider and parts, assigning zero value to your designing and building time. The conversion also won't be as polished, reliable, or comfortable - although you WILL be able to work on the conversion yourself, which is something of an open question with today's factory EVs. David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = It will always be one of the best jokes of democracy that it gives its deadly enemies the means to destroy it. -- Joseph Goebbels = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ Address messages to [email protected] No other addresses in TO and CC fields HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/
