Considering a Classic Vehicle with Electric Conversion
Discussion
Hi all
first off, want to say I know nothing about this subject, so happy to hear from those with experience :-)
I'm considering for a bit of a project / weekend toy.... an older car that's already been converted to electric.. found a few in dry states in the US..
idea would be a bit of a toy for dry weekends etc.. maybe a commute car ( about 100 miles) on occasional summer days.. maybe even some arsing about on a track! who knows..
the years I have been looking at seem to be able to qualify for classic status in terms of tax etc so could be bit of a laugh, not sure how much these are to insure?? and how does servicing work, is it an annual check, presume MOT works in same way..
the ones I have seen , are using quite a few car batteries ( about 18!!!) and probably older technology engines etc.. but work is done .. so was thinking of bringing with a view to maybe upgrading some bits? presume maybe things have moved on? be good to get some real power out, maybe smaller batteries, less weight etc
can you upgrade? more power / range? what sort of cost?
thanks
first off, want to say I know nothing about this subject, so happy to hear from those with experience :-)
I'm considering for a bit of a project / weekend toy.... an older car that's already been converted to electric.. found a few in dry states in the US..
idea would be a bit of a toy for dry weekends etc.. maybe a commute car ( about 100 miles) on occasional summer days.. maybe even some arsing about on a track! who knows..
the years I have been looking at seem to be able to qualify for classic status in terms of tax etc so could be bit of a laugh, not sure how much these are to insure?? and how does servicing work, is it an annual check, presume MOT works in same way..
the ones I have seen , are using quite a few car batteries ( about 18!!!) and probably older technology engines etc.. but work is done .. so was thinking of bringing with a view to maybe upgrading some bits? presume maybe things have moved on? be good to get some real power out, maybe smaller batteries, less weight etc
can you upgrade? more power / range? what sort of cost?
thanks
If you want "modern" EV performance, and you can't do it yourself, it's going to be expensive! The best option would be to transplant the entire running gear as un-modified as possible into the classic from say an Gen1 leaf or something similar.
even DIY, with Lithium Batteries, BMS, Inverter, PM motor and trans, you're still looking at a large bill.
even DIY, with Lithium Batteries, BMS, Inverter, PM motor and trans, you're still looking at a large bill.
Mike Schooling at Indra can do this for you: http://indra.co.uk/
He's pretty active on EV forums and knows his stuff.
Also fully charged featured an episode on classic conversions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJLdzRJdKrs
Plus a couple of others, see their channel.
He's pretty active on EV forums and knows his stuff.
Also fully charged featured an episode on classic conversions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJLdzRJdKrs
Plus a couple of others, see their channel.
There is a lot of info on home conversions here http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/
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