Electric engine swap! 500 ft-lb torque!

[blackisback]

There is a guy here in Victoria BC putting electric engines in cars trucks and suvs. He was a head mechanic at a forklift company and he just started his own business doing engine swaps for electric motors. He quoted my buddies jeep grand cherokee at $6000 to put the electric motor in as well as battery banks and the 220 volt charger. His company is called "Funky Moto" and although I haven't met or spoken to the guy, my friend says that he seems pretty legit.

Has anyone ever put an electric motor in their land cruiser??

He said that the engine puts out 500 ft-lbs of torque, can be mated to almost any transmission using custom adapters and that you will get over 400 km per overnight charge.

Urban legend or the future of suv's?

I'm finding out as much as I can as quickly as I can.

[alia176]

I recall some time ago a fella installed the same thing in an older Land Rover Series vehicle. There maybe some info on the 'net about this dude so it can be done. I suppose the LCs being what they are, total driving range would be a concern but for a DD, why not?

[Toyoland66]

I think one big downside to an electric conversion would be the cost vs. lifespan of the batteries and how to dispose of them once they have reached the end of their useful life.

However, if you can get the kind of range out of it that you want then it is a pretty cool idea. I think that electric cars coupled with solar and wind power would be a huge step toward eliminating our dependency on oil.

[hawkeye]

Originally Posted by Toyoland66

I think one big downside to an electric conversion would be the cost vs. lifespan of the batteries and how to dispose of them once they have reached the end of their useful life.

However, if you can get the kind of range out of it that you want then it is a pretty cool idea. I think that electric cars coupled with solar and wind power would be a huge step toward eliminating our dependency on oil.

I thought that you were going to say the down side would be your electric bill.

[Tennessee80]

Interesting.....sounds inexpensive, must be some kind of catch... does that include parts and labor?

Joel

[Highspeed]

I plan on going electric or hybrid once the Li batteries come down in price. Lead acid just doesn't cut it with the fat 80.

[ThePookieBear]

Honestly, there is no way you can get that kind of range in a Jeep or Landcruiser. In a light, 2wd S-10 or Tacoma they struggle to get a forty mile range on an overnight charge. Using lithium batteries will increase it slightly, but they are ridiculously priced. Conversion costs using old lead acid battery technology runs easily 10,000-15,0000 grand or more. I think maybe 40km is more doable, but thats still a ton of drag and weight. I don't think its feasible as of now.

[blackisback]

the lifespan of the batteries was a good point that I diddnt consider, or how to dispose of them afterwards...

I have no idea what kind of batteries they are

The cost was 6000 installed. All labor included. (estimated of course)

The electicity bill is supposed to be far less than your gas bill.
The way my friend explained it was that the truck will get the equivilent of 40+ "miles to the gallon."

that gallon being relative- this is the way my friend explained it to me.
If your truck travels 10 miles on one gallon of gas at $4
for that exact same $4 you would get 40 miles worth of electricity

40 miles per 4 dollars equals 40 mpg. (assuming a gallon is $4)

I used easy numbers to try to make it straight forward. yes miles per gallon would go up as gas prices rise and it would go down as electricity prices rise. it is very relative to costs, it was just designed to give the customer a comparable figure.

[FredTJ]

Originally Posted by ThePookieBear

Honestly, there is no way you can get that kind of range in a Jeep or Landcruiser. In a light, 2wd S-10 or Tacoma they struggle to get a forty mile range on an overnight charge. Using lithium batteries will increase it slightly, but they are ridiculously priced. Conversion costs using old lead acid battery technology runs easily 10,000-15,0000 grand or more. I think maybe 40km is more doable, but thats still a ton of drag and weight. I don't think its feasible as of now.

You certainly can with some vehicles.
How about:
- 256 mpg equivalent
- 220 miles per change
- 3.5 hours to fully charge



Fred

[knorrena]

I have read that Chevron has the patent on using NiMH batteries in cars for powering a motor that moves the vehicle and that for this reason growth in this area his been stunted:

Who Killed the Electric Car: GM and Chevron and Nickel-metal hydride battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (near the bottom)

Karl

[ed97fzj80]

How could using a battery to power a motor to move a car possibly be an enforceable patent?

[EricG]

Originally Posted by ed97fzj80

How could using a battery to power a motor to move a car possibly be an enforceable patent?

It may not be - but it will cost you a boatload of money to find out.

[AfricanToy]

Move to chit-chat

[Grench]

Back to tech ideas...

What if someone were to put a big electric motor on the front differential of a rear wheel drive CDL locked 80? Just use the motor for acceleration assist and regenerative braking. The engine gets used for constant travel.

It wouldn't do much for long haul mileage, but might boost city driving somewhat. Plus it wouldn't be nearly as expensive as a full electric conversion.

In theory this would work with substituting an electric motor for either front or rear drive shaft. A front wheel drive, rear wheel assist would work too I suppose.

I'm not saying either is a good idea. Just an idea.

IMHO YMMV

[blackisback]

fredtj where did you get this info from and what kind of car are you refering to?

I'm not sure whether or not this is a patented technology....maybe he found a loop hole?
Whats the punishment for copying a patent?? whould the fine be less than the fuel savings?