If in the future an electric engine existed, what would I need to do to swap it in?

[DocuDude]

Reading the tea leaves, one day gas is going to be $150/gallon , rendering my beautiful Cruiser a lawn ornament.

Unless, there's also an electric engine to be swapped in.
Just curious on your thoughts on that possiblity.

Everything from what type of engine needed, to where to plug in the charger.

Ain't no right or wrong answers, just want to drive my LC when I'm 90.

 

[maxamillion2345]

You smoking them tea leaves too?

You better send this question to Elon.

 

[DocuDude]

Hey @maxamillion2345
You aren't funny.
I'm thinking long term.
Sorry your brain can't see past tonight.

If you have nothing to contribute, GTFO my thread.

 

[maxamillion2345]

Okay.

Did you even read what you wrote? And you’re calling me names... smh.

This might as well be chit chat hah.

Put electric motor to drive transmission and batteries in cargo area. What type of engine and where to plug it in? Your dystopian future is too far away to predict what kind of ev technology might exist then.

 

[JTU]

Jonathan Ward @ icon has been doing EV swaps on classic vehicles for a few years. You can see them on his YouTube channel.

 

[Tools R Us]

My tea leaves say that driver aids are more likely to take it out than loss of access to fuel. As they evolve, self driving cars (transportation pods) are likely to pack tighter in traffic, be seen as safer, etc. The pressure is likely to be something like, your old dinosaur is messing up traffic flow and compromising safety, so legislation is passed, restricting when, where they can be driven, if at all.

A electric converted '80 is going to need tons of batteries! Maybe make a fake overland lifestyle type trailer and fill it with batteries?

 

[TWILLY]

I think about this too.

I love my 80. We've had it since new. But for lack of space for batteries, I think retrofitting the 80 to electric, at least insofar as it'd have any worthwhile range, would be nearly impossible. That's the kind of thing that needs to be designed from the ground up, like Atlis and Rivian and Ford are now doing with things like battery-based skateboard platforms.

But, I also don't think we're going to see super expensive gas. There's no shortage of hydrocarbons in the world and as electric vehicles take over the market, demand for gas will plummet, keeping prices down. And I just don't foresee draconian legislation banning trucks that were built compliant with federal regulation. That'd pose massive takings problems for the government.

All that said, my next touring truck won't be gas. The EVs are more powerful, cleaner, quieter, and more robust off road (one motor per wheel). As their range continues to skyrocket and charge times plummet, they'll just be better vehicles to buy and own. I expect the hurdle for touring will be the availability remote charging lagging behind vehicle technology

 

[Tools R Us]

My guess, the future of off road is powersport (side by side) based. The only manufacture that still makes a true/practical full sized is jeep. Powersport has much less regulation, simpler, lighter, some like Roxor, are coming out with A/C, etc, here can be, are street driven....

 

[cahill]

Remote charging is going to be a bit problem if you actually want to go off road. Electric vehicles are relatively new and not sure I agree with @TWILLY that reliability is more robust off road than an 80. How many 20+ year old off road 4x4 electric vehicles with 300,000 miles are there out there to compare reliability with? How many EV are loaded to 6000lbs like many of our land cruisers? I agree that trying to convert an 80 to electric would be a tough job. Maybe just swap the body over to an electric chassis? Hopefully if transportation turns to all electric there will be an 80 series equivalent available. I will admit that I am not up on my knowledge of EV's but I can't see and EV having the same soul and character as our vehicles. Maybe they will some day but until then I will keep driving my 80 as long as I am allowed to and can keep it alive.

 

[CaptClose]

Reading the tea leaves, one day gas is going to be $150/gallon , rendering my beautiful Cruiser a lawn ornament.

Unless, there's also an electric engine to be swapped in.
Just curious on your thoughts on that possiblity.

Everything from what type of engine needed, to where to plug in the charger.

Ain't no right or wrong answers, just want to drive my LC when I'm 90.

After I read your first sentence... I knew you must be from California

I’m sure being from that state, the end of fuel must seem a lot closer to reality than the rest of us. You have two options... the first is to do nothing and keep voting in policies that will destroy your state further and further as you wait for the government to tell you what and where you can drive, how much water you can use, etc..

Or... you could take back your state from the corrupt politicians that ruined it in the first place. California deserves everything they voted for.

Back on topic.... fuel is not going anywhere soon. It is the lifeblood of the world economy. EV will only serve as an alternative to fuel for the foreseeable future. Offering a competitive choice to the market. The winner will ultimately be the choice that is cheaper and more efficient. Electric could and probably will, drive down the price of oil as it competes for demand. It’s simple economics.

But in California... anything can happen. If you’re not willing to move like the rest of the people fleeing your state for freedom, then you are prudent to start looking for an alternative.

If oil ever goes away quickly... the last thing you’ll worry about is what electric motor you can fit in your land cruiser. You’ll be too busy standing in breadlines.

This post will probably get us kicked over to chit chat. Sorry man.

On a side note... I’m a SoCal native. I love California. It’s incredibly sad to see what has happened to.

 

[Heckraiser]

I have DD'd an electric vehicle for the last few years and really enjoy it. Performance, economy, low maintenance, baby polar bears, whatever the reason, it has worked well for me. If there is ever a practical way to convert classic cars to electric in the future, it is definitely something I would consider. The technology is probably only 1/4 of the way there though.

One of my favorite cars:


In terms of making an 80 electric, I envision one electric motor hooked up to the factory t-case so you keep the stock axles/driveshafts etc. Maybe take some of the guts out of the t-case since gear reduction is not really necessary with an electric motor. Then fill under the hood, where the gas tank is, and any space between the frame rails not occupied by suspension with battery cells.

Interesting video, this guy disassembled a tesla and re-assembled all of it's functioning parts into a sprinter van:

This rogue Tesla enthusiast helps keep unsupported cars on the road

In this video, Rich Benoit hangs out with a guy named Phil who fixes one of Tesla's most common hardware flaws.

www.cnet.com

 

[DocuDude]

I
I have DD'd an electric vehicle for the last few years and really enjoy it. Performance, economy, low maintenance, baby polar bears, whatever the reason, it has worked well for me. If there is ever a practical way to convert classic cars to electric in the future, it is definitely something I would consider. The technology is probably only 1/4 of the way there though.

One of my favorite cars:


In terms of making an 80 electric, I envision one electric motor hooked up to the factory t-case so you keep the stock axles/driveshafts etc. Maybe take some of the guts out of the t-case since gear reduction is not really necessary with an electric motor. Then fill under the hood, where the gas tank is, and any space between the frame rails not occupied by suspension with battery cells.

Interesting video, this guy disassembled a tesla and re-assembled all of it's functioning parts into a sprinter van:

This rogue Tesla enthusiast helps keep unsupported cars on the road

In this video, Rich Benoit hangs out with a guy named Phil who fixes one of Tesla's most common hardware flaws.

www.cnet.com

@Heckraiser
Fascinating seeing the tesla parts assembled in a Sprint van.
That's well beyond my computer/mechanical abilities.
Also a good reminder that tesla doesnt support (and believe it's a crime) that people work on their cars.

Would be great for a Chevy 350 type electric engine to plug & play with many classic cars.
A Chevy 350e

Battery pack storage would be the concern on an 80, but with Moore's law maybe it wouldn't require much more space than placing them where the gas tank is (great idea!)

Here's to hoping the Toyota Landcruiser 400 offers a completely electric option. Because change is coming, regardless of where it comes from, and the RAV4 EV doesn't work for me.

 

[MDJ]

I'll just leave this here.

Electric Vehicle News and Analysis | InsideEVs

Read the latest EV news from the U.S. and around the globe including new model reveals, business news, industry insights, latest technology, and more.

insideevs.com

 

[davesax36]

4 warp 9 (or 11) motors. A good controller. As many old laptops as you can find...

GO!
I've strongly considered investigating this as well. Still all wheel drive, probably a BIT lighter. Even if you only used two motors and used E-lockers. There must be a bunch of different configurations that could work. Search the youtubes.

 

[Tools R Us]

... the RAV4 ...

The TuRD pro offroad version is reported to be coming, likely would be lighter, easier to convert? It will have bumpers painted to simulate skid plates and stuff!

 

[inkpot]

My guess, the future of off road is powersport (side by side) based. The only manufacture that still makes a true/practical full sized is jeep. Powersport has much less regulation, simpler, lighter, some like Roxor, are coming out with A/C, etc, here can be, are street driven....

And no emission requirements, so far!

 

[leonard_nemoy]

Electric cars are a scam. 63% percent of our countries electricity is made from burning fossil fuels. And another 20% comes from nuclear. Not to mention the uncalculable carbon and environmental load created in the manufacturing of lithium ion batteries and shipping them across the globe. And don't forget the carbon load used to make an electric vehicle ( or any new vehicle ). New cars are made of more plastic every year and plastic comes from oil. This is why I drive a 28 year old vehicle, it is really good for the environment. Remember the three R's of environmentalism, Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle. What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source? - FAQ - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

And please move to chit chat.....

 

[inkpot]

I have DD'd an electric vehicle for the last few years and really enjoy it. Performance, economy, low maintenance, baby polar bears, whatever the reason, it has worked well for me. If there is ever a practical way to convert classic cars to electric in the future, it is definitely something I would consider. The technology is probably only 1/4 of the way there though.

One of my favorite cars:


In terms of making an 80 electric, I envision one electric motor hooked up to the factory t-case so you keep the stock axles/driveshafts etc. Maybe take some of the guts out of the t-case since gear reduction is not really necessary with an electric motor. Then fill under the hood, where the gas tank is, and any space between the frame rails not occupied by suspension with battery cells.

Interesting video, this guy disassembled a tesla and re-assembled all of it's functioning parts into a sprinter van:

This rogue Tesla enthusiast helps keep unsupported cars on the road

In this video, Rich Benoit hangs out with a guy named Phil who fixes one of Tesla's most common hardware flaws.

www.cnet.com

Classic cars will no longer be classic if converted to electric. Nuclear, hydrogen, or whatever.

 

[davesax36]

Graphene super-capacitor storage systems. Solar array on roof. It can work.

 

[hobbes]

Quick internet search. Nation average fuel price in 1979 was $2.35 US per gallon adjusted to 2019 dollars. It’s $2.60 per gallon 40 years later where I live. This will be like the diesel swaps debates of old. Do it because you want, but you’re not going to be saving money...