I have a 2005 Trailblazer with a great body and interior, but drivetrain issues. I know a lighter weight vehicle would be preferable, but I'm wanting to build something for trail adventures, etc. I'd like to make it a multi-fuel vehicle, so a PHEV that can be plugged in or ran on liquid/gas fuel would be great.
What I'd like to do:
Step 1: Start with building a 4WD EV, limited range, possibly 30-50 miles. It's currently 2WD, so I'm not sure what the best way to achieve this is. Drive the rear axle with one motor, then direct drive the front wheels? Put a 4WD Trailblazer front end and use two motors? One motor for each wheel?
If that's going to become too complex, I can just go ahead and go with RWD, but I'd prefer to drive the rear axle directly instead of messing around with the iffy 4L65 transmission.
I'd like to have J1772 6.6kW charging, but want to see what options I have for DCFC, if any, for homebrews.
Ideas would be appreciated for step 1.
Step 2: Add a 30kW turbine genset either under the hood or in a hitch-mounted module to save weight on local battery-only runs. I've found such on ebay for $5000-6000, some previously used as I envision.
Step 3: Eventually add a trailer with a portable foldup solar charger of some kind. Haven't thought about this one much, and may never get this far with all of the work in the previous steps LOL
Thoughts?
What I'd like to do:
Step 1: Start with building a 4WD EV, limited range, possibly 30-50 miles. It's currently 2WD, so I'm not sure what the best way to achieve this is. Drive the rear axle with one motor, then direct drive the front wheels? Put a 4WD Trailblazer front end and use two motors? One motor for each wheel?
If that's going to become too complex, I can just go ahead and go with RWD, but I'd prefer to drive the rear axle directly instead of messing around with the iffy 4L65 transmission.
I'd like to have J1772 6.6kW charging, but want to see what options I have for DCFC, if any, for homebrews.
Ideas would be appreciated for step 1.
Step 2: Add a 30kW turbine genset either under the hood or in a hitch-mounted module to save weight on local battery-only runs. I've found such on ebay for $5000-6000, some previously used as I envision.
Step 3: Eventually add a trailer with a portable foldup solar charger of some kind. Haven't thought about this one much, and may never get this far with all of the work in the previous steps LOL
Thoughts?