EV conversion musing...
Discussion
On the new episode of Grand Tour, they are reviewing the Rimac Concept 1 (that Hammond crashed)
Wheeler Dealers did an episode where they put an EV into an old Maserati.
And this prompted me to wonder - how easy is it, really, to convert a car to EV? Specifically, my old Rascal van. I kind of think it is the perfect vehicle for an EV conversion, as it doesn't need to be a super-high powered motor to get much better than the 44bhp the van came with from new, but it is also lightweight and has quite a bit of space for batteries, or so I would like to think.
But of course, price wise, electric motors and the batteries and assorted gubbins to go with it, all seems rather expensive at the moment, unless I am looking in the wrong places?
Otherwise, I suppose I could try and approach an EV conversion company and try to partner with them to spread the good word of their business, but that also seems unlikely.
Wheeler Dealers did an episode where they put an EV into an old Maserati.
And this prompted me to wonder - how easy is it, really, to convert a car to EV? Specifically, my old Rascal van. I kind of think it is the perfect vehicle for an EV conversion, as it doesn't need to be a super-high powered motor to get much better than the 44bhp the van came with from new, but it is also lightweight and has quite a bit of space for batteries, or so I would like to think.
But of course, price wise, electric motors and the batteries and assorted gubbins to go with it, all seems rather expensive at the moment, unless I am looking in the wrong places?
Otherwise, I suppose I could try and approach an EV conversion company and try to partner with them to spread the good word of their business, but that also seems unlikely.
The issue is an currently EV conversions are simply not financially viable. The component parts (battery/inverter/motor) are hugely expensive and putting them into a small, obsolete Van, whilst being a bit of giggle, would be an exercise in expensive futility!
That doesn't mean you can't / shouldn't do it, but i could think of better things to spend my cash on!
That doesn't mean you can't / shouldn't do it, but i could think of better things to spend my cash on!
There are a few companies doing them to classics, I've seen an old 911 done and plenty of Beetles and VW Campers. I guess the simple mechanical layout of those helps a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_-tPS7H41w
The 911 is in this one, along with a PH friendly MX5 drag car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSiaqrhkyl4
At the moment it seems to be all for fun but Jaguar did demonstrate an E-Type that they built themselves running electric, they made it so that it's fully swappable back to petrol if needed. I think classics are the main market at the moment but a Rascal van would be a pretty good candidate I'd have thought.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_-tPS7H41w
The 911 is in this one, along with a PH friendly MX5 drag car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSiaqrhkyl4
At the moment it seems to be all for fun but Jaguar did demonstrate an E-Type that they built themselves running electric, they made it so that it's fully swappable back to petrol if needed. I think classics are the main market at the moment but a Rascal van would be a pretty good candidate I'd have thought.
A lot of the current conversions use an old brushed motor and DC drive, rather than a synchronous motor and inverter, which can still deliver reasonable performance,is nowhere near the performance of a current OEM EV.
I'd say the best option would be to just buy say a crashed leaf or zoe and transplant everything over into the classis. You'll probably have to take the entire wiring and controls across to make it work, and the battery might need re-packaging to fit, but it you'd end up with a good drive, decent performance etc
I'd say the best option would be to just buy say a crashed leaf or zoe and transplant everything over into the classis. You'll probably have to take the entire wiring and controls across to make it work, and the battery might need re-packaging to fit, but it you'd end up with a good drive, decent performance etc
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff