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Drop In Motor Converts Car To EV
With the latest craze of electric vehicles, it might be tempting to take an old project car and convert it from gas to electric. On the surface, it sounds simple, but the reality is there are a number of pitfalls. It would be nice if you could find a drop in engine replacement that was ready to go. According to Swindon Powertrain, you’ll be able to soon.
Based on their existing powertrain that can convert a Mini to EV, the transverse powertrain weighs 70 kg and if it can fit in a Mini, it can probably fit in nearly anything. Specifically, it’s 60 cm wide and 44 cm deep — that means it could fit easily in a roughly two foot box. The height can be as little as 28 cm. The company talks about fitting it on a quad bike or even a loading platform. It can be thought of as sort of an electric “crate engine” — a common term for a ready to install powerplant that, as the name implies, arrives in a crate.
The powertrain with a single-speed transmission, cooling system, and inverter weighs in at 154 pounds and generates up to 110 horsepower. We aren’t sure what the expected battery pack is, but presumably, it will be somewhat flexible.
(Score: 2) by slinches on Wednesday October 30 2019, @11:04PM (12 children)
How much will this cost? Is it comparable to a 110hp ICE crate engine?
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 30 2019, @11:12PM (1 child)
Where is our drop-in Mr. Fusion and hover conversion?
(Score: 4, Touché) by PiMuNu on Thursday October 31 2019, @09:47AM
For that you need a 19th century steam loco.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 30 2019, @11:23PM (9 children)
Cost is about $75,000... they're clearly after people with more money than brains.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 30 2019, @11:31PM
https://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=40&osCsid=p8539pgn18n02eckhq1ebg2k34 [evwest.com]
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 30 2019, @11:34PM (2 children)
The website offers a re-built original Mini (front drive) with electric conversion,
http://webshop.swindonpowertrain.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=95&product_id=244 [swindonpowertrain.com]
UKP £79,000 + local taxes -- this is getting up into Tesla territory, but with much less range and performance.
Their blog entry notes that you can avoid the ICE fees to enter London and other restricted zones...
I've often thought that the electric motor and rear subframe from the Smart-e would be a useful piece for a modest power electric conversion--to rescue some small rear drive car that needed a motor. Electric Smart cars are almost a dime a dozen, used. A friend bought one from a dealer outside NY City, a 2 or 3 year old car with low miles for about the 3-year lease price from the dealer.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Nuke on Wednesday October 30 2019, @11:42PM (1 child)
They obviously have a sense of humour then. I will leave the calculation of how many times you need to enter London to get return on investment as an exercise for the reader.
(Score: 2, Touché) by fustakrakich on Thursday October 31 2019, @12:23AM
I will leave the calculation of how many times you need to enter London to get return on investment as an exercise for the reader.
Well, if they set the fees right, once or twice oughta do it.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Thursday October 31 2019, @06:49AM (1 child)
(Score: 3, Interesting) by janrinok on Thursday October 31 2019, @06:52AM
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Thursday October 31 2019, @03:50PM
Apple will not be happy with another company targeting their customers.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Thursday October 31 2019, @08:47PM
At a glance, you're getting a lot more than just a powertrain for 75k quid. That's a full road-ready car.
(Score: 2) by toddestan on Friday November 01 2019, @11:04PM
$75,000 is way too much, but I can see people in the resto-mod crowd doing conversions on classic and collectable cars that they intend to use as drivers, kind of like the Minis in the article. If electric takes over, at some point driving a gasoline or diesel powered vehicle is going to get pretty expensive, and in the UK, could be limited to where you can drive it too.
I don't see any large scale conversions of existing mass-produced gasoline or diesel vehicles. It's just too expensive, the vehicles way too complicated to just "drop-in" a replacement motor, and the end result isn't going to be as good as a purpose-built electric vehicle that would end up being cheaper anyway.