Remote Living > Transportation
Thinking about an EV conversion
Harold in CR:
Sparweb, Read this thread, completely. I believe it is exactly what you need. https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=83410
You might even contact the guy. He is easy to talk with.
PS. I even have the batteries you would need, in the Classified section. ::) :-[
dnix71:
You don't want to risk being stuck in the winter in Canada if the batteries fail. A hybrid with the ability to run directly from batteries would be safer and guarantee the range. Something like the original Volt design, once the batteries are low the car will run from gasoline, but you make best use of the electric part first.
Warpspeed:
A home made hybrid might be worth thinking about.
A small light modern front wheel drive car should be fairly fuel efficient anyway. Then add a battery and an electric motor to the rear wheels.
It would all need to be very carefully thought through, but there are times when a lot of power is not required, and times when it is.
It would also give you two completely independent systems to get home on.
SparWeb:
Hello everyone,
All of your comments are really appreciated, thank you.
It's reassuring to hear that some of my thinking is roughly on the right track. The project would be a reach; a long one. Maybe there are better choices, such as a hybrid.
Joe's analysis is different from mine, but says the same thing: to reach the goal it would take a lot of work, ingenuity, and a bit of luck. 2 out of 3 won't do this time.
I made the mistake of reading the Elon Musk biography. Now I can't stop thinking about EV's.
I wouldn't actually try to justify the project on the basis of cost alone. Nobody 'round here would believe me if I tried! But to show that it won't be a 100% money pit would be a plus, especially in the matter of getting expenses approved by the family finance committee.
The winter is a problem. I should not expect a homebrew EV to be a good drive, December to February. Roads are still snowy in March, but I would not worry too much about a temperature penalty on a day that went from -10C in the morning to +10C in the afternoon. Getting stranded wouldn't be fun but that sounds more like something that would happen during the shakedown driving. Once the car's motor, battery and charger are selected, the system will work fairly predictably until a fault occurs. Preventing such faults will be my responsibility to monitor battery condition and recharging.
I have learned some things about battery temperature monitoring and management that are being done on production EV's and I don't think they are all that difficult, but they do have a weight penalty. Since recharging efficiency is affected by temperature (hot and cold) and discharging is limited by battery heat sometimes too, I can see why the big players circulate coolants in their battery packs. Making that part of my plan from the beginning would add complexity but it seems to give an edge. It would also mitigate my weather limitations. We can't all live in California.
I am tall. I have yet to sit in a Prius, but I have been in every other Toyota that has ever been sold in Canada. I do not fit in Toyotas, except the Tacoma and the RAV4 that got bigger a few years ago. I don't fit in much of anything with a Nissan, Mitsu, Lexus, or other asian badge. So I haven't taken any of the import car EV's very seriously as long as they look like shopping carts. The Chevy Volt has caught my eye and I am going to test drive one - but I can't afford a new one. Better be careful what I say down at the dealership. I think I could afford a Prius (if I fit comfortably) but it would have to be an old one. They have been keeping their resale value (something I didn't think they would do when they first came out; I can be cynical about these things).
For some reason I don't see many examples of Subaru conversions. Don't know if it's just because scoobydoo's aren't very common, or if there's some kind of nightmare hiding in their funky drivetrain that doesn't mate with electric motors.
Simen:
I drive a '13 Nissan Leaf (80kW motor) here i Norway, which have much the same winter as you (1-4 feet of snow from nov-feb), and get around 100km/charge in the winter (130-140km in the summer). This is with the 24kWh battery; newer models have 30kWh battery.
I am 1.85m tall, and have plenty of space in the Leaf. :)
Converting to EV would set you back much more than a used Leaf would cost, but might be more fun... ;)
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