[jsvehla01]

I have no idea if this is possible or if my truck is too big, but I have a 97 2dr Tahoe that I'm interested in converting. I've had this truck since I was 15 and have been through a lot with it, but recently I have been having more and more mechanical issues and I am trying to decide if I want to restore it to the best of my ability with the ICE or go crazy and convert it. I have money to put into it and I think an EV 4wd truck would be sweet. My end goal is somewhere north of a 200-mile range and the ability to comfortably cruise on the highway up to around 80-85mph. Does anyone have experience doing a long-range ev conversion on such a large vehicle/ is this even possible with current battery technology? Any help would be appreciated

 

[brian_]

Any size of vehicle is possible, but the size of components (especially the battery) needed for a big and heavy vehicle makes the conversion very expensive.

 

[remy_martian]

Take a look at Via Motors Vtrux as a starting point. Scale battery size to desired range.

 

[Electric Land Cruiser]

Fricken love these trucks, they are so cool. For a truck like this calculate about 1-2 miles per kwh. So for 200 miles you need 100-200kwh of available battery. The Chevy can take the weight but most people's budgets can't afford that many kwh. Also you definitely ain't getting that range at 80 MPH, more like 55-65 MPH.

 

[gregski]

echo the other guys love for these two door Tahoe's total bachelor ride, we had a four door '97 with a rear barn door, why GM stopped making 2 door full size SUVs is beyond me? of course they will argue that people didn't want those so they make the long four door Suburbans that barely fit in your garage, so how can you buy what they don't make? it's a catch 22

 

[jsvehla01]

Fricken love these trucks, they are so cool. For a truck like this calculate about 1-2 miles per kwh. So for 200 miles you need 100-200kwh of available battery. The Chevy can take the weight but most people's budgets can't afford that many kwh. Also you definitely ain't getting that range at 80 MPH, more like 55-65 MPH.

Love this truck too, probably going to end up keeping it gas powered electric sounds like a ton of fun but I don’t think I’m going to be quite able to get what I want out of it. I’m thinking the money could be better spent on a 454 swap

 

[jsvehla01]

echo the other guys love for these two door Tahoe's total bachelor ride, we had a four door '97 with a rear barn door, why GM stopped making 2 door full size SUVs is beyond me? of course they will argue that people didn't want those so they make the long four door Suburbans that barely fit in your garage, so how can you buy what they don't make? it's a catch 22

Its the best car I’ve ever owned and unless I could get my hands on a K5 I’m never getting rid of it

 

[brian_]

... why GM stopped making 2 door full size SUVs is beyond me? of course they will argue that people didn't want those so they make the long four door Suburbans that barely fit in your garage, so how can you buy what they don't make? it's a catch 22

Every auto manufacturer stopped making large 2-door SUVs because almost no one wanted them anymore. The Suburban is the long-wheelbase GM big SUV in the Chevrolet brand (also available as the GMC Yukon XL); you don't have to get one that long, because there is also the much shorter regular Chevrolet Tahoe / GMC Yukon / Cadillac Escalade.

I agree that lack of sales of a non-existent model don't prove anything, but by the end of the period in which there were 2-door and 4-door big SUVs (up to 2000 at GM) the 2-doors were rarely seen. After the 2-door was dropped Tahoe sales continued to increase.

Of course none of this changes the fact that some people do want the shorter 2-door.

 

[gregski]

Every auto manufacturer stopped making large 2-door SUVs because almost no one wanted them anymore...

I agree that lack of sales of a non-existent model don't prove anything, but by the end of the period in which there were 2-door and 4-door big SUVs (up to 2000 at GM) the 2-doors were rarely seen.

that is exactly the propaganda I said the auto manufacturers worked so hard to sell you, in semi related note instead of meeting the new EPA requirements for the small or as I like to call them regular 1/2 ton trucks they decided to make them BIGGER to get around the fuel efficiency requirements, I am not making this up, look at the Ford F150 it is gynormous, and no more Ford Ranger

After the 2-door was dropped Tahoe sales continued to increase.

BINGO ! a more expensive bait and switch model, I think it also cost more to insure a 2 door as it falls under the sports category

 

[brian_]

that is exactly the propaganda I said the auto manufacturers worked so hard to sell you...

There's propaganda, then there are cold hard sales facts. In 1996 the 2-door-only Ford Bronco was replaced by the 4-door-only Ford Expedition, and sales shot up. Most (not all) SUV sales are to families as station wagons, and four doors work better for them.

... look at the Ford F150 it is gynormous, and no more Ford Ranger

Yes, all trucks have been growing for a very long time, and buyers love them.
You do realize that the Ranger has been back for a couple of years now, right?

 

[gregski]

Yes, all trucks have been growing for a very long time, and buyers love them.
You do realize that the Ranger has been back for a couple of years now, right?

I did not, thanks, checking it out now, "As of current production, the two-door standard cab is not offered for sale in North America" Boo, it's so hard to find a standard cab truck these days, and I really like them, they look so clean and seem so nimble, I miss my '92 Toyota pickup, seems like everyone on the road is a 4 door with a 3 foot bed, LOL

Compact pickup truck (1983–2012) Mid-size pickup truck (2019–

and there it is in black and white ha ha

"the fourth-generation Ranger became the first of the model line produced as a mid-size pickup... Along with its shift in size segments, [...] the model line was adapted to accommodate US government regulations" I would love to translate that into English, ha ha

 

[brian_]

I did not, thanks, checking it out now, "As of current production, the two-door standard cab is not offered for sale in North America" Boo, it's so hard to find a standard cab truck these days, and I really like them, they look so clean and seem so nimble, I miss my '92 Toyota pickup, seems like everyone on the road is a 4 door with a 3 foot bed, LOL

The lack of two-door pickups is similar to the lack of two-door SUVs - there isn't enough demand for them - but it's more frustrating because there is a real functional issue (getting a longer box without a longer truck). And it is a demand issue: in the full-size trucks for which a regular cab is still available, they can be factory-ordered (since no dealer bothers to stock them)... and essentially no one orders them, confirming to the manufacturers that there is negligible demand.

And of course none of these compact pickups have a bed only three feet long, but I realize that's just hyperbole.

Compact pickup truck (1983–2012) Mid-size pickup truck (2019–

Yes, even the smaller trucks have gotten bigger. To fill in the gap, North America is now getting "coupe utility" style smaller trucks again: it was the Rabbit Pickup long ago, and it is the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz now.

and there it is in black and white ha ha

"the fourth-generation Ranger became the first of the model line produced as a mid-size pickup... Along with its shift in size segments, [...] the model line was adapted to accommodate US government regulations" I would love to translate that into English, ha ha

All it means is that the current Ranger was designed and first manufactured (for several years) on other continents, and like any other vehicle had to be adapted to local regulations... probably for crash protection and/or exhaust emissions. There is no overlap between the engines in the North American and international Ranger: it comes only with the EcoBoost 2.3 here, and only with other engines (gas and diesel) elsewhere.

Ford also chose to offer it only in extended and crew cabs here (it is available as a regular cab elsewhere), to offer longer wheelbase here than anywhere else, to set the 2WD ride height the same as 4WD here (some variants are lower in 2WD form elsewhere), and to offer only 4WD in Canada (everywhere else gets a 2WD option)... but all of those reflect market preferences rather than government regulations.


This is long way from the topic of the thread, but it does illustrate the problems with finding what one wants, rather than what is built to meet the desires of the majority. That's one reason for converting a vehicle - to make a combination that otherwise would not be available.

 

[maodog]

I have no idea if this is possible or if my truck is too big, but I have a 97 2dr Tahoe that I'm interested in converting. I've had this truck since I was 15 and have been through a lot with it, but recently I have been having more and more mechanical issues and I am trying to decide if I want to restore it to the best of my ability with the ICE or go crazy and convert it. I have money to put into it and I think an EV 4wd truck would be sweet. My end goal is somewhere north of a 200-mile range and the ability to comfortably cruise on the highway up to around 80-85mph. Does anyone have experience doing a long-range ev conversion on such a large vehicle/ is this even possible with current battery technology? Any help would be appreciated

Hi, I am in the same boat. Don't know where you are in process currently but here is where I am: I live in Hollywood and plan on buying ElectricGTO's 413 to drop into a '98 2dr Tahoe. {413 eGT Motor - Electric GT }Probably about $60,000. on the low end but they have done all the other systems as well, and with regen. braking. After a '76 2002 the Tahoe is my favorite vehicle and the 2door makes my tits hard. If I could I would drive that till I die. I have a ChevySpark (with more low-end torque than a Lamborghini) that should be illegal it is so GD fast, so I want to mate them and get a '98-99 2dr with about 70mi range and fast charge. Like they say: You don't go back. I am a UN/IPCC kind of guy in LA, i.e. skeptical of any 'HappyTalk'. The GHG/% of a new EV is obscene- not un-sustainable but an utter delusion, it's in the maths. Conversions will I think soon become an entirely new economic sector. ElectricGTO is in Huntington Beach which is about an hour down the coast and it takes days just to get a return email and never a cal. I think they re overwhelmed but I'm not letting go. I can't get a fix on whether or not they perform the install, or refer some other place. or how long the wait is. Rivian would be settling through I did make a deposit on one. I maintain that you will never loose money on an EV. "sometimes I'm right, but I can be wrong.." Sorry so long but I've been looking for a thread like this anywhere for a few weeks.
Adios,,
Joe

 

[brian_]

... I have a ChevySpark (with more low-end torque than a Lamborghini) that should be illegal it is so GD fast...

A Spark EV isn't fast (in top speed) or quick (accelerating to any significant speed); the zero to 60 MPH time was about 7.9 to 9.2 seconds (depending on year, trim, and tester), which would have been high performance 50 years ago but is pretty ordinary now, for an EV or a gas-engine car. It's quick for a cheap car (and is only cheap because it was sold by GM at a loss).

The Spark EV motor can put out a lot of torque, but it has to because the gearing is so tall: only about 3.5:1 motor to axle speed ratio; it's geared like driving a conventional car in top gear (or whatever gear is 1:1) all of the time. The later Chevrolet Bolt uses a physically smaller motor which can produce much more power, and can spin much faster so lower gearing can be used and the torque to the wheels is higher; the Bolt is quicker than the Spark EV, even though the Bolt larger and heavier. The Spark EV motor could still potentially be a good conversion component, with higher torque but lower top speed than other salvaged EV motors... but it probably can't be readily removed from the transaxle.

 

[maodog]

Wow way to miss the point. Im having a 2 dr tahoe converted to ev BECAUSE i like my spark so much but i love my Tahoe. Did you deliberately mis-read that so you could rant? Your tone was sharp, kinda pompous.

 

[brian_]

Wow way to miss the point. Im having a 2 dr tahoe converted to ev BECAUSE i like my spark so much but i love my Tahoe. Did you deliberately mis-read that so you could rant?

The Spark EV is great in some ways, which was apparently your point. Perhaps "I have a ChevySpark... that should be illegal it is so GD fast" was supposed to be exaggeration that was so ridiculous that everyone would understand that it isn't true? It's hard to tell, as some people do actually believe this sort of thing; newbies might easily be misled and build unreasonable expectations.