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Right on. The work you’ve been doing looks great! I am interested in seeing how far it will go on one charge. With all that stuff gone, you’ve had to cut the weight in half, but not sure what ev parts weigh, that will add a lot back.Stay tuned! Of course it can charge by solar, it will just take friggin forever. I've got some plans along these lines that are going to be awesome
I'm just a hobbyist into cars of all types and interested in EVs.
The same reason I don't have a G-Wagen. I'm on a budget. I also want to finish this project and actually drive it. If I had a dollar for every time someone said "you should use Tesla" to me I'd have enough to buy a Tesla. I got my wrecked LEAF for less than $4000 including the fuel to pick it up. I'd have to spend 4-5x that amount to get a wrecked Tesla. Also a Tesla is basically a driving battery. The engineering and packaging in those cars is insane. Trying to package that into a DIY build would be an exercise in futility. I've seen others try and fail or stall out or end up with 1/3rd the anticipated battery capacity etc etc.
My 100 will satisfy my long range cruisering and it will tow my EV 80 to the trailhead.
Lastly, as just trail rig and around town driver the range and performance will be fine. And let's not kid ourselves, the 1FZ ain't winning any races. Also the upgrade path is clear, I can install batteries in so many locations on the truck, gas tank, exhaust, spare tire, along frame rails, etc. Also I can just do an inverter swap and double my current horsepower. I did think about this for a few minutes before I started
Shouldn't be more than it was stock. The 1FZ is 600lbs and trans 275 or thereabouts plus fluids etc. All of the LEAF hardware should be a couple hundred lbs lighter. We shall see. That's part of the reason I weighed it before I started. I was actually worried about not having enough weight on the front axle if I put the battery somewhere else.Thats gonna be a lot of weight on the front axle! Like 70/30 weight distribution.
Why not cut open the cargo area and drop them down in there?
Really hard to say as I am doing a 2nd project simultaneously that is similar but also totally different so a lot of the LEAF stuff is overlapping. I'm guessing just into the LC I'm probably closing in on $10k parts + materials.Total project cost so far including recoupe? Very impressive so far.
Love the project. Admittedly, I’m not an EV drivetrain expert, but I still don’t understand the benefit of running a single motor through the transfer case. If torque is available at zero RPM, why not bolt the motor(s) into the axle third member and apply torque right to the ring gear? The motors are compact enough to run one on each axle. Double the power. Double the torque.
Also, check out Romeo Power. They do a fantastic job of building EV power packs to spec. And without the complication of a transmission, transfer case, fuel tank, exhaust or drive shafts, you basically have the entire center area between the frame rails for the battery pack(s).
The t-case is in the same position it was stock. That was the piece that located everything else. The electric motor sits about where the transmission bellhousing was.Maybe...very interested to see the finished corner weights.
The stock trans and tcase are much farther to the rear of the truck than the electric motor is, and you're losing fuel tank and fuel.
You know what you're doing....carry on!
Love the project. Admittedly, I’m not an EV drivetrain expert, but I still don’t understand the benefit of running a single motor through the transfer case. If torque is available at zero RPM, why not bolt the motor(s) into the axle third member and apply torque right to the ring gear? The motors are compact enough to run one on each axle. Double the power. Double the torque.
Also, check out Romeo Power. They do a fantastic job of building EV power packs to spec. And without the complication of a transmission, transfer case, fuel tank, exhaust or drive shafts, you basically have the entire center area between the frame rails for the battery pack(s).
First of all, it's not that simple to just mount a motor onto an axle like you are making it out. The motor is like 150lbs to start. Ok then I have two motors, twice the wiring, my VCU can't control both motors, I need to do twice as much fabrication, and re-engineer the axles. I'm surprised you didn't tell me to get 4 motors, one for each wheel. That's usually what people sayI'm curious about the same thing. My Model Y single motor is obscenely quick from right off the line to 100+ MPH. I don't see how more gear reduction would be a benefit. It would seem like a lot of extra drag and unnecessary components fighting the batteries for space.
Different time and place of course but this would be a great discussion.And to those that dislike the concept of an EV, you might want to drive one for a while before announcing how much you hate it.
That is like saying an industrial diesel engine has the same characteristics as a land cruiser diesel engine just because they're both diesel. I'm guessing your micron level control motors do not also spin things at extremely high speeds. I'm guessing they are highly specialized to do only one task. I could make a better vehicle than what I am making, obviously. But currently I am making it. Not talking about what I would do.Interesting points.
Being in manufacturing and knowing exactly what tesla powertrain looks like it doesn't seem like it would be impossible to integrate the motor and gearbox into a dropout center differential such as Toyota or 9 inch Ford. It would surely entail a new housing and axleshafts.
Having some decades of experience in industrial automation where large AC servomotors are often used to move lots of mass and position to micron level control I see a mechanical advantage as not always the answer. Closed loop AC motor control is amazing stuff. I have used 20 to 80 HP direct drive machine tool spindles to position and hold under the extreme forces of broaching operations.
I think you're project is great. Just thinking that my approach with the resources and background that I have would be different. Keep up the good work!
I drive my Model Y down and up a very steep, often loose gravel driveway sometimes with wet leaves on it. It's impressed the heck out of me. In 2wd the Tesla does better than my Superduty locked in 4wd.
Only thing Tesla fails at is snow and ice. They haven't figured that out yet.
100% agreed. EVs these days make you more dependent on the grid and Teslas for instance can turn your car's charging off from HQ. At least with gasoline nobody can just turn it off over the internet! I just love the idea of total liberation like you say.Different time and place of course but this would be a great discussion.
Renew-ability notwithstanding, I would say that what OP is doing is not in the vein of your off-the-shelf EV concept.
I'm excited to see what he has in store for off-grid recharging in a reasonable time frame. THIS can liberate a converted vehicle and make it a truly advantageous endeavor imo.