Thank you Brian, that makes much more sense. One thing I’m also confused about is GVWR vs curb weight. My understanding is GVWR is the maximum allowable weight, including passengers, cargo, and tow. The curb weight is full tank of gas, no driver or cargo. Hard to find the actual weight without a trip to the dump.
Also consider the 1,500lbs of engine, transmission, and fuel would not be present, not to mention the 15-20 passengers weighing ~3,000lbs it is designed to carry, and the foldaway bench seats weighing ~400lbs.
I don’t have a ton of stuff, but I might have half a ton of stuff say +1,000lbs. Truly guessing here, but I imagine the GVWR includes people’s luggage too, and a bit of flexibility.
The point is, it wouldn’t actually weigh 14,050lbs.
And obviously I wouldn’t be charging with just solar, that’s just a bonus. It would be flexible panels glued and taped to the top, so there’s no “deploying” either. And fwiw the tires are 16”, not 30”
I am new to this, and not confident in making calculations, but for reference, these already exist:
Products – Phoenix Motor Cars
www.motivps.com
The Lightning ZEV4™ shuttle bus is equipped with a state-of-the-art electric powertrain for zero-emission passenger transportation. Go electric!
lightningemotors.com
Lightning Electric Zero Emission Ford E-450 Shuttle Bus Battery-electric vehicle Fast, smooth, and quiet Maintenance performed by trained local dealers Vouchers and grants available, call today for expert support Specifications Base Chassis Ford E-450 Shuttle Bus GVWR...
nationalfleethybrids.com
Also, I hope this doesn’t ruffle any feathers, but I would want to use LiFePo4 batteries. I’ve already reached out to a group in Sacramento who does EV conversions, and they didn’t bat an eyelash at this idea, and in fact have done these conversions themselves.
Hope this helps!
