adam_knox Posted January 9, 2011 Report Posted January 9, 2011 Not that I'm planning (let alone capable!) of an electric motor modification but just wondering. :confused:I saw the thread about disel motors and gas mileage. I know a DeLorean's been converted and Volkswagon bugs are done all the time, would a 40's mopar be likely for such a thing? I always hear today's cars can't get phenomenal gas mileage because of all the extra weight of the safety stuff, but surely ours are tank and we don't have much for safety precautions! Of course if one did convert, we probably couldn't keep it a 6-volt and would have to do a 12 volt conversion! Electric Delorean Featured Bug Conversion in Wired magazine Quote
Young Ed Posted January 9, 2011 Report Posted January 9, 2011 Adam while it wasn't done for MPG or long distance travel I helped the local childrens theatre with an electric P15. They were putting on a performace of the watsons go to birmingham. In the book(which incorrectly has a 52 on the cover) the family travels in a brown p15. The stage crew/prop guys took the gas engine out and converted it with some sorta golf cart electric engine so it could actually be driven on and off stage during the show. Quote
adam_knox Posted January 9, 2011 Author Report Posted January 9, 2011 Lol, that is one heck of a theater group! All the plays I was in as a kid we just used folding chairs to be the car. One time it got fancy and someone made a cardboard grill! Must've a been a fun project to work on. That's interesting a golf cart motor could get the car to move. Heck, that'd be like a giant go-kart then! Heck, if you took that on a golf course you'd even put this guy to shame! Quote
Young Ed Posted January 9, 2011 Report Posted January 9, 2011 Its called a childrens theatre because the plays are directed at them for an audience. The cast are often paid adults etc. The p15 they got out of the junkyard had a 42 hood so I borrowed them some p15 parts to make it look right. Also a few other parts they were missing like a horn ring. Quote
hkestes41 Posted January 10, 2011 Report Posted January 10, 2011 There was a pretty good story in Hot Rod Mag about electric hot rods but they were all roadsters. The story included a table showing various electric motor specs. http://www.streetrodderweb.com/tech/0904sr_the_electric_powered_hot_rod/index.html Quote
adam_knox Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Posted January 10, 2011 Hey, that was a great article, thanks hkestes41! For those curious, here's the table of ranges you get with each battery pack. The first dollar amount is the conversion kit cost. I was surprised to find out 6 volts gives you the most range. Its a shame the trade off scenario is the way it is, as I'd be fine with the old mopar perfoming the same with batteries in it, but I'd want at least a 150 mile range. If I had the time/money I'd love to do that to a junkyard mopar! Battery Range Comparison Cycle Life/Longevity Comparison Cost Comparison NiCad 40% greater 2 to 4 times the cycle life 4 to 10 times the cost NiMH 2 times greater 3 to 4 times the cycle life Up to 10 times the cost Li-Ion 3 to 4 times greater 4 to 10 times the cycle life 10 to 25 times the cost Voltage is the first number, top speed and range 96 55 0-60 in 20 sec. 70 mph 45 miles $5,500 FCLA - $1,350 120 85 0-60 in 16 sec. 80 mph 60 miles $6,500 FCLA - $1,700 144 150 0-60 in 10 sec. 90 mph 70 miles $7,300 FCLA - $2,050 192 200 0-60 in 8 sec. 110 mph 50 miles $9,500 SRLA - $2,900 288 300 0-60 in 6 sec. 125 mph 60 miles $11,000 SRLA - $4,300 336 400 0-60 in 4 sec. 125+ mph 80 miles $15,000 Li-Ion -$15,000+ 356 800 0-60 in 2.2 sec. 150+ mph 125 miles $28,000 Li-Ion -$30,000+ *Battery Types: FCLA = flooded-cell lead-acid SRLA = Sealed recombinant lead-acid Li-Ion=Lithium-iron-phosphate Quote
Big_John Posted January 10, 2011 Report Posted January 10, 2011 I got take a short in drive a Dodge Electric Caravan back in 1993 like this one: http://www.qsl.net/ki7cx/TEVan.htm It belonged to New York Electric and Gas. A couple things stuck with me about the van. First it was heavy.. It even felt heavy to drive. There was a lot of batteries on board and if I remember right, it was over 5k lbs. Second it really labored to accelerate, although there was a 2 speed trans mission that helped a bit at low speed. One other thing... It had power steering and air conditioning! Both driven by seperate motors!. So... IMHO, an old Mopar could work out well. Its got a heavy enough chassis to handle some extra weight from the batteries and its simple, so you don't have to worry about things like power steering or other accessories. There's enough info out on the web about converted vehicles. The speed controller is probably the most complicated part. It would be an interesting project for sure. Quote
dndrodshop Posted January 10, 2011 Report Posted January 10, 2011 http://www.ecedra.com/ http://www.nedra.com/ http://www.evparts.com/galleries/3/ Quote
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