Electric Land Cruisers, yes, electric land cruisers.
First off, want to say thank you to everyone in the ih8mud community — been following closely and learning for 5+ years, and now that I bought a fresh-ish 200, decided it was time to join. Especially after I saw KDN165’s ongoing e-conversion project. So here’s the question/challenge: has anyone pulled off an electric conversion or hybrid conversion for a 200 series?
My gut says yes, because the folks on this forum have a ton of: (1) creativity; (2) will; (3) resources (whether money, elbow grease, connections, etc.). So would be very curious to learn the ropes.
A few crews are doing e-conversions on 70-series trucks, but they have relatively limited range and top speed. Tembo 4x4 in The Netherlands produces for the mining market (
Request for information about the Tembo 4x4 e-LV, the Electric Cruiser contact us)
; there’s a New Zealand team that’s working on an e-cruiser.
With a Tesla drivetrain, and a Model S or X battery pack, it should be possible to get range in the 200 mile window. Plus highway-level speeds — 70-80mph+.
Yes, a ton of work, a ton of money, etc., etc., but with DC charging (which includes possibility of solar arrays), one’s actual range ends up exceeding the 200-500mile range that’s possible on petrol/diesel currently (~200 if were talking stock 25gal tank; 500 if someone is running long ranger tank plus swinging jerry cans).
Before you’re tempted to write something “witty” like, “why don’t you buy a Model X instead?” — the answer is, the fun is in the challenge. Just ask the legion of modders who are doing various diesel converts in 80 series, 100 series, etc. So it’s not about, can it be done, but rather, let’s start working in this direction.
Tesla motor torque curves, 1million-mile motor over-engineered design, simplicity, etc. suggests a final rig that will weigh about the same as a current 200, but with lower COG, far more usable space, better handling, and potentially endless range.
How can we get potentially endless range? Just imagine a 6-pack stack of 4”x8” fiberglass or carbon-fiber sheets with solar panels mounted. At camp, they “unbox/unfurl” like a Martian rover’s panels, giving shade below, and netting 192 square feet of solar collection area. Depending on how long you break camp (2-3 days), it gives you enough juice to go another 100 miles or more.
Petrol is king today, but you can’t squeeze pine sap into your jerry cans when you’re high and dry. But solar charging, as insignificant as these trickles may seem now, is charging nonetheless. And charge = forward motion. Hence, potentially endless range.
I don’t know many other engineering challenges that are as faithful to the true spirit of the go-anywhere/tackle-anything machine we love and know as the ... Land Cruiser.
It’s 2018, so high-time we pooled our mental circuits together to show Toyota how to make the Land Cruiser as relevant and legendary in the 21st century as it was in the 20th. It’s time for a proper 200-300mile range, 80mph, 4x4 suspended, ultra-capable, E-Cruiser.
Let’s build it, folks.
First off, want to say thank you to everyone in the ih8mud community — been following closely and learning for 5+ years, and now that I bought a fresh-ish 200, decided it was time to join. Especially after I saw KDN165’s ongoing e-conversion project. So here’s the question/challenge: has anyone pulled off an electric conversion or hybrid conversion for a 200 series?
My gut says yes, because the folks on this forum have a ton of: (1) creativity; (2) will; (3) resources (whether money, elbow grease, connections, etc.). So would be very curious to learn the ropes.
A few crews are doing e-conversions on 70-series trucks, but they have relatively limited range and top speed. Tembo 4x4 in The Netherlands produces for the mining market (
Request for information about the Tembo 4x4 e-LV, the Electric Cruiser contact us)
; there’s a New Zealand team that’s working on an e-cruiser.
With a Tesla drivetrain, and a Model S or X battery pack, it should be possible to get range in the 200 mile window. Plus highway-level speeds — 70-80mph+.
Yes, a ton of work, a ton of money, etc., etc., but with DC charging (which includes possibility of solar arrays), one’s actual range ends up exceeding the 200-500mile range that’s possible on petrol/diesel currently (~200 if were talking stock 25gal tank; 500 if someone is running long ranger tank plus swinging jerry cans).
Before you’re tempted to write something “witty” like, “why don’t you buy a Model X instead?” — the answer is, the fun is in the challenge. Just ask the legion of modders who are doing various diesel converts in 80 series, 100 series, etc. So it’s not about, can it be done, but rather, let’s start working in this direction.
Tesla motor torque curves, 1million-mile motor over-engineered design, simplicity, etc. suggests a final rig that will weigh about the same as a current 200, but with lower COG, far more usable space, better handling, and potentially endless range.
How can we get potentially endless range? Just imagine a 6-pack stack of 4”x8” fiberglass or carbon-fiber sheets with solar panels mounted. At camp, they “unbox/unfurl” like a Martian rover’s panels, giving shade below, and netting 192 square feet of solar collection area. Depending on how long you break camp (2-3 days), it gives you enough juice to go another 100 miles or more.
Petrol is king today, but you can’t squeeze pine sap into your jerry cans when you’re high and dry. But solar charging, as insignificant as these trickles may seem now, is charging nonetheless. And charge = forward motion. Hence, potentially endless range.
I don’t know many other engineering challenges that are as faithful to the true spirit of the go-anywhere/tackle-anything machine we love and know as the ... Land Cruiser.
It’s 2018, so high-time we pooled our mental circuits together to show Toyota how to make the Land Cruiser as relevant and legendary in the 21st century as it was in the 20th. It’s time for a proper 200-300mile range, 80mph, 4x4 suspended, ultra-capable, E-Cruiser.
Let’s build it, folks.
