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Thread: Getting Serious on Electric Cars?

  1. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Garson View Post
    Well said, on the Mini, he had the adapter plate and coupling fabricated before he tested the motor (it worked) then assembled it without checking clearances and ground a bunch of metal off when he tested the motor transmission combo. Not exactly confidence boosting.
    I've seen lots of similar stupid/sloppy mistakes in his other videos. He is pretty funny though, especially when dealing with the haters in the comments.

  2. #47
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    Remember, Richard rebuilds got started figuring out how to rebuild Teslas from scrapped vehicles - without tech manuals or factory support.

    $6500 and five hundred determined hours later he has a running, registered and inspected Model S.

    He may be many things, but he's no hack.

    https://www.boston.com/cars/car-cult...-rich-rebuilds

  3. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Matthews View Post
    Remember, Richard rebuilds got started figuring out how to rebuild Teslas from scrapped vehicles - without tech manuals or factory support.

    $6500 and five hundred determined hours later he has a running, registered and inspected Model S.

    He may be many things, but he's no hack.

    https://www.boston.com/cars/car-cult...-rich-rebuilds
    No arguing at all that he's smart, determined & motivated. I've wondered if his loosey goosey, red neck engineering thing was a bit of an act for the videos.

    And there's his new assistant, Leenda. I think he hired her to stir the pot with some of his viewers. It will be interesting to see where things go with her, because I don't think she's any dummy.

  4. #49
    havent read the thread but have seen lots of custom electrics. Last night an old VW beetle. Stunning power as usual in those builds. First one I saw was the Zombie datsun 510 then the mustang done I think at EV it was 1000 HP if I remember correctly. Its all big buck stuff but it will get better. When I read at the time you could do your own for 30k for parts.

    Here is the VW


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXGKt8sK8CQ

  5. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by Warren Lake View Post
    havent read the thread but have seen lots of custom electrics. Last night an old VW beetle. Stunning power as usual in those builds. First one I saw was the Zombie datsun 510 then the mustang done I think at EV it was 1000 HP if I remember correctly. Its all big buck stuff but it will get better. When I read at the time you could do your own for 30k for parts.

    Here is the VW


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXGKt8sK8CQ
    I want one!

  6. #51
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    Good observation and I strongly suspect that most conversions are going to be focused on older "classic" vehicles which is a nice niche to be in.
    I'd start looking for a rust-free '65 or later Corvair coupe, with the idea of giving up the back seat for battery space. Most of the obvious objections (C/G, power steering, etc) are non-issues in that application...if anything, the handling would be improved.
    Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
    "Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
    We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
    The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
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  7. #52
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee DeRaud View Post
    I'd start looking for a rust-free '65 or later Corvair coupe, with the idea of giving up the back seat for battery space. Most of the obvious objections (C/G, power steering, etc) are non-issues in that application...if anything, the handling would be improved.
    Really weird because that was a thought i had after passing a four door parked on the street in town the other day. We had Corvairs when I was a young kid...multiple trips to Florida for a family of four, even. They would make for a very interesting project vehicle for this kind of thing.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    Really weird because that was a thought i had after passing a four door parked on the street in town the other day. We had Corvairs when I was a young kid...multiple trips to Florida for a family of four, even. They would make for a very interesting project vehicle for this kind of thing.
    Learned to drive stick in my dad's '62 Spyder: if you could handle the twitchy clutch in that thing, you could drive anything. Had two of my own in college (perfect for Colorado winters), followed by a full restoration on a '65 Corsa a decade or so later.

    I've probably exceeded my lifetime quota.
    Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
    "Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
    We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
    The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
    The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
    You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.

  9. #54
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    How about a Citreon DS or a CV2. The 1955 DS looks more modern then most cars made today. The CV2 looks like it should be an electric car. The SAAB sonnet would look like a traditional electric car. After seeing one in the flesh I was surprised to find out they are not electric. The Oscar Meyer winier mobile looks like it has a giant battery in a hotdog bun already.
    Bill D.

    The SAAB picture does not really show the true ugliness of the car. I thought the one I saw had plywood body panels. The CV2 is french for two horses. It was designed to replace a two horse farm cart.
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    Last edited by Bill Dufour; 11-04-2020 at 3:07 PM.

  10. #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    The CV2 looks like it should be an electric car.
    More like a pedal-car carrying an octet of clowns.
    Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
    "Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
    We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
    The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
    The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
    You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.

  11. #56
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    The SAAB picture does not really show the true ugliness of the car. I thought the one I saw had plywood body panels. The CV2 is french for two horses. It was designed to replace a two horse farm cart.
    I've never seen a Saab Sonett-III (green car) in person. To my eye, it looks alot like a Bricklin! Not exactly, but enough that I had to look twice.
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

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  12. #57
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    Yes, I am an automotive engineer. I also spent some time working for a military contractor doing a study on the feasibility of converting the HMMWV (Hummer) to a hybrid power plant. It was proven to be a waste of time because the conversion costs exceeded the cost of buying a new vehicle. That is exactly what fleet operators will encounter when they try to do an even more difficult of converting to all electric. There will some day be a big market for electric cars but my opinion is there will never be a market for conversion except for novelty vehicles. Heck, that is what internal combustion crate engines are used for now. They are very seldom used to restore the functionality of old work vehicles because that is too expensive to do so.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ronald Blue View Post
    Art I take it you are an automotive engineer? Since you presume you know more than I about this. You may well indeed. But you totally ignored the rest of my post. The part that this might only be a small part of the pie looking ahead. There certainly is great potential for the market I mentioned. Companies that operate large fleets of service vehicles would be prime candidates for conversions. Only a fool would think they expect to make millions from this.

  13. #58
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    It was proven to be a waste of time because the conversion costs exceeded the cost of buying a new vehicle.
    One factor may not have been in the cost calculations, tax incentives or allowances passed into law. If a law allows for a better break for conversion than for buying new all bets are off.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  14. #59
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    Quote Originally Posted by Art Mann View Post
    Yes, I am an automotive engineer. I also spent some time working for a military contractor doing a study on the feasibility of converting the HMMWV (Hummer) to a hybrid power plant. It was proven to be a waste of time because the conversion costs exceeded the cost of buying a new vehicle. That is exactly what fleet operators will encounter when they try to do an even more difficult of converting to all electric. There will some day be a big market for electric cars but my opinion is there will never be a market for conversion except for novelty vehicles. Heck, that is what internal combustion crate engines are used for now. They are very seldom used to restore the functionality of old work vehicles because that is too expensive to do so.

    That's great. Time will tell. Using shelf parts there isn't huge R & D costs involved here. A hybrid would be far more complex than a straight electric. Really an apples and oranges comparison.

  15. #60
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    Lots of older cars get a new fuel injected v8, computer controlled automatic transmission, power brakes, power steering and air conditioning and a chrome plated jaguar independent rear axle. Seems like an electric motor with attached transaxle might be an easier swap.
    Bill D.
    Link included just to show wood working in the automotive world.
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