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I've been thinking about my needs for an EV and I am now considering something larger rather than smaller. I have a 1989 Toyota 4x4 pickup truck with a cap and I rarely drive it, but it comes in handy once in a while for getting stuff like firewood, furniture, building supplies, appliances, etc. But I think what would be even more useful would be something like a small (12-16 foot) box truck that has a capacity of 1 to 2 tons, and capable of towing a trailer or a small camper. It may even be possible to use it as a camper.
My thoughts are that a larger vehicle would have more room and a heavier frame that would easily accommodate a larger motor and heavier batteries, even (gasp!) lead, which may be practical for a vehicle that is meant for local pickup and delivery rather than highway driving, and for occasional use where the cycle life of lead batteries would not be as much of an issue. I'm sure I can figure out what I might need, and as a first approximation I would consider 24 x 100 Ah 12V deep cycle batteries for 288 volts and 28.8 kWh. This would cost about $2000-$2200 and would weigh about 1600 pounds.
Hopefully I can keep the total truck weight to about 5000 pounds. For an average 2% grade at 45 MPH my energy consumption would be about 500 Wh/mile and 30 HP (22 kW) which would be 78 amps and the Peukert effect would cut the effective capacity in half, so I would have a range of about 20 miles. For climbing a 10% grade at 45 MPH I would need 80 HP (60 kW), so a 50 or 60 HP motor should be sufficient. At that power I'd be drawing about 200 amps so I'd have about 40% capacity. But I also figure that a heavy truck at moderate speeds may be able to recoup much of the energy expended going uphill, when going down with regen.
I don't know if I'm actually going to do this, but it seems like a more practical EV for my purposes at this time, and it's something I may actually be able to afford, now. I saw some suitable vehicles on Craig's List for $1500-$2500, and I figure I can get a motor and VFD for about $2000, and the batteries for $2000, so maybe $6000 total. And I think I'd be able to sell it for close to that amount if I find I need the money more than the truck. But I might also be able to make a little money doing local pickups and delivery occasionally.
Any thoughts? Anyone else with similar conversions?
Thanks!
My thoughts are that a larger vehicle would have more room and a heavier frame that would easily accommodate a larger motor and heavier batteries, even (gasp!) lead, which may be practical for a vehicle that is meant for local pickup and delivery rather than highway driving, and for occasional use where the cycle life of lead batteries would not be as much of an issue. I'm sure I can figure out what I might need, and as a first approximation I would consider 24 x 100 Ah 12V deep cycle batteries for 288 volts and 28.8 kWh. This would cost about $2000-$2200 and would weigh about 1600 pounds.
Hopefully I can keep the total truck weight to about 5000 pounds. For an average 2% grade at 45 MPH my energy consumption would be about 500 Wh/mile and 30 HP (22 kW) which would be 78 amps and the Peukert effect would cut the effective capacity in half, so I would have a range of about 20 miles. For climbing a 10% grade at 45 MPH I would need 80 HP (60 kW), so a 50 or 60 HP motor should be sufficient. At that power I'd be drawing about 200 amps so I'd have about 40% capacity. But I also figure that a heavy truck at moderate speeds may be able to recoup much of the energy expended going uphill, when going down with regen.
I don't know if I'm actually going to do this, but it seems like a more practical EV for my purposes at this time, and it's something I may actually be able to afford, now. I saw some suitable vehicles on Craig's List for $1500-$2500, and I figure I can get a motor and VFD for about $2000, and the batteries for $2000, so maybe $6000 total. And I think I'd be able to sell it for close to that amount if I find I need the money more than the truck. But I might also be able to make a little money doing local pickups and delivery occasionally.
Any thoughts? Anyone else with similar conversions?
Thanks!
