DIY Electric Car Forums banner

Chevy G20 Van conversion

14K views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  metal  
#1 ·
Hello people hello 👋. I’m doing my best to understand what parts are required for my build and I’d like to talk about them here if your willing to read about my project.
I’m a professional hot rod builder and fabricator so I’ll be attempting a true DIY conversion on my car.
Ever since I was a young boy I wanted a lifted Chevy van and this year I turned 40 and finally got around to building it. Lifting a 2wd van is not straight ford and not kit existed to pull it off so I had to build the 6” loft kit myself. After 4 or so months of spare time she is on the road and now my daily driver. I just love it lol. But I don’t like the gas bill and to be honest I’ve built so many v8’s I’m not interested in having one in my own car. So I’d like to convert it to an ev. I was thinking the warp11hv would be the best bet. My current v8 probably only puts out about 160hp and probably about 200fp of torque. I drive less than 100 miles a day most any trip I do. And I have loads of space for batteries. My curb weight 6600 lbs. yup she heavy. I’m thinking of using a transmission to help with highway speeds. I sometimes tow with my van also.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Hi Brian. I have plenty of other rides to use while my vans off line. Can you suggest some other motors with a higher efficiency? Yes I figured I’d be looking at a big battery.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Full brown electronics out of a Tesla intimidates me for sure. I know it’s not new tech but a dc net gain setup seems more straight forward to me. I cald Netgain and spoke with sales. The warp 11 or a pair of 9’s was suggested. As for batteries I’ll find what I need eventually.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
Duncan this totally sound like me. We have lots of industrial areas with fork lift part recycling and service. Any links for the brush work that’s needed? That’s something I’d definitely be happy to do myself. I guess I should calculate the complete requirements my van will need in order to know what voltage, amps the motor will need to deal with. Any calculator apps out there?