New to this and need estimates for costs

3599 Views 11 Replies 5 Participants Last post by D a n n y^, May 9, 2017

JoelGregoryHayes

Discussion Starter · Apr 24, 2017 (Edited)

Hey Everyone,

I'm super new to all this and am looking to set up a budget for an electric RV or Cargo Van. My plan is to convert a larger vehicle like an RV or a Sprinter van, my focus is going to be on range and charging speed which I am sure are two very incompatible things, given that a larger battery will almost guarantee that the time to charge will be much greater than its counterpart. So things I need to find out are:

- Cost of a conversion on a van (not including the van) that can travel up to 70Mph or 110km/h and the potential range of that vehicle with a theoretical battery pack of various sizes.

- Things that may effect my vehicle purchase decision like manual/automatic, anything that may be important and in working order at the time of the purchase.

- Effect of weight and loads on the range of such a vehicle

I would love to put together a full detailed parts list for the conversion and make a fully detailed budget. Anyone with real life experience on the road in this capacity I would love to hear from you.

The plan is to drive the van on trips throughout North America and get charges on the way in strategic locations.

Thanks in advance for any of your help,

Cheers
Joel

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Harpkatt

· #2 · Apr 25, 2017

This seems like a tall order. Personally I have no experience here. But many locales use Hybrid Drivetrains, which for your purpose you might want to consider. Hopefully someone else here can meet your needs. That said,You'll be adding a lot of weight in batteries for any sort of real range. And considering you'll already be pushing a large brick. This could add to price very quickly.

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GoElectric

· #3 · Apr 25, 2017

If you are going to DIY and use something like Leaf cells I'd say you would need two full packs, but you would have to bottom-balance the lot to make sure both packs die at the same time. You can get a Siemens motor and controller from EVTV for a very good price. Good luck finding a high-capacity charger - maybe someone-else can suggest. You want a manual trans. All-in I would say about 20K for parts if you are lucky. That would still only give you 150 miles or so.

I can see a hybrid as a better alternative as well, but it may have to be fairly large to keep the batteries charged - maybe pull a small trailer w. a diesel generator.

Basically, I think you are nutz - range = big dollarz. Maybe by the time you get it done in a couple of years there will be more charging stations and you could build something with a single pack.

If you have the deep pockets and time to do this, invest in a VW van as your donor - then you at least have something of value when you are done.

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JoelGregoryHayes

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 2, 2017

Thanks for your responses! I do have deep pockets, but I'm not rich, I'm not really sure that I like the idea of creating this thing in a VW but a very good point, about re-sale. 20k for a conversion of that size seems pretty awesome really, 150miles is not bad either. There is obviously a lot going on here that I'm not thinking about yet but I stumbled upon a company called zenith motors who creates cargo and people carrying vans for industry, maybe worth chatting to them. Seems definitely do-able? I'm not discouraged.

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JoelGregoryHayes

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 2, 2017

Thanks for your message

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galderdi

· #6 · May 5, 2017

The problem is the frontal surface area of a van. You're idea would be great if you only intended to go maybe 40mph. But as you rise over that speed the wind resistance on the front of a van starts to become more like a wall. If you have soem way of either sticking to lower speeds or choosing a much more aerodynamic vehicle your goals would become much more achievable.

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JoelGregoryHayes

Discussion Starter · #7 · May 5, 2017

Yeah I guess I thought about that I'd even looked up drag and aerodynamic behaviours of vehicles. You are completely right, I've done some estimates and the idea of doing this in a cost effective way is pretty hard... back to the drawing board. What about towing a trailer with battery banks in a more aerodynamic vehicle. Or just a smaller cargo van?

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galderdi

· #8 · May 8, 2017

I think that is a smarter way to go. The extra weight of a trailer is not too much of a load. Of course this assumes mostly flat travel. Hauling a Trailer up and down hills all day is going to drain your battery fairly quickly. But at least it's not as bad as the load of the frontal surface area of a flat nosed van which would be dragging 100% of the time.

I did see a Honda Odyssey the other day and I thought of your project. But I don't know if that is big enough for your purposes.

Or maybe just build a big fibreglass nose to improve the aero on your van

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JoelGregoryHayes

Discussion Starter · #9 · May 8, 2017

Haha yes I could imagine it now a huge fibreglass nose! It would attract a lot of attention I think I'm going to go with something like a ford aerovan or smaller cargo van with less weight. I have seen people converting these before and able to get some sort of decent range and performance. I don't want to be going too fast 60mph with tourque maybe a little faster would be perfect. Anyone have suggestions on motor controller combos for a vehicle like this I'm thinking the final weight will be around 5000lbs hopefully less. I was thinking an AC75 and curtis controller?

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D a n n y^

· #10 · May 8, 2017

JoelGregoryHayes said:
Haha yes I could imagine it now a huge fibreglass nose! It would attract a lot of attention I think I'm going to go with something like a ford aerovan or smaller cargo van with less weight. I have seen people converting these before and able to get some sort of decent range and performance. I don't want to be going too fast 60mph with tourque maybe a little faster would be perfect. Anyone have suggestions on motor controller combos for a vehicle like this I'm thinking the final weight will be around 5000lbs hopefully less. I was thinking an AC75 and curtis controller?

Awhile back I dabbled with the idea of either converting my Highlander Hybrid to PHEV, or full electric. The thought crossed my mind one day while climbing a steep incline in "EV" mode at about 25 miles per hour with ease. Ultimately the dollar signs deterred me from going through with it, however Damien Maguire had some promising stuff going on with parts of a highlander hybrid posted up on YouTube. Once my wife finally kills the old girl's ICE I may look into this again. Until then, I will live vicariously through your project. Might I suggest you go all the way? Say 4x4 Mercedes Sprinter Electric?

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JoelGregoryHayes

Discussion Starter · #11 · May 9, 2017

D a n n y^ said:
Awhile back I dabbled with the idea of either converting my Highlander Hybrid to PHEV, or full electric. The thought crossed my mind one day while climbing a steep incline in "EV" mode at about 25 miles per hour with ease. Ultimately the dollar signs deterred me from going through with it, however Damien Maguire had some promising stuff going on with parts of a highlander hybrid posted up on YouTube. Once my wife finally kills the old girl's ICE I may look into this again. Until then, I will live vicariously through your project. Might I suggest you go all the way? Say 4x4 Mercedes Sprinter Electric?

Hey D a n n y! thanks for the enthusiasm, I was feeling a little like a crazy man for a second there, haha glad to hear I have someone into it as much as I am! I'm actually thinking a smaller van would be better for me the more that I think about the logistics and cost's etc... as much as I'd love to go full all out into it with a sprinter van 4x4 etc. Maybe when the time comes to buying the donor I will get a sudden urge to go huge again! But watch this space something will happen. Send me a PM so I can talk details with you about what you were thinking or thoughts you had about your project maybe there will be some ideas that I could use with mine? I'll also check Damien Maguire's channel now to see if there is anything I can mooch off of his projects.

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D a n n y^

· #12 · May 9, 2017

JoelGregoryHayes said:
Hey D a n n y! thanks for the enthusiasm, I was feeling a little like a crazy man for a second there, haha glad to hear I have someone into it as much as I am! I'm actually thinking a smaller van would be better for me the more that I think about the logistics and cost's etc... as much as I'd love to go full all out into it with a sprinter van 4x4 etc. Maybe when the time comes to buying the donor I will get a sudden urge to go huge again! But watch this space something will happen. Send me a PM so I can talk details with you about what you were thinking or thoughts you had about your project maybe there will be some ideas that I could use with mine? I'll also check Damien Maguire's channel now to see if there is anything I can mooch off of his projects.

Well if you're looking to go smaller now, then your options are almost endless. There are a ton of smaller vans out there that have been converted to electric. The VW vans are a very popular option as well and tend to be my favorites. One project that came to mind when you described your desires, was a vanagon conversion - http://www.evalbum.com/1727.

And of course if your pockets are deep, maybe you could find a Volkswagen Syncro out there, providing 4x4 capabilities!!!!

Like I said, endless possibilities nowadays. As more and more production line EVs make their way into the junkyards, guys like us are slowly accumulating resources to make just about anything happen. I recommend, find your donor, and pull the trigger on it. Then you'll have an idea of what you are working with in terms of space and capabilities. And then build onto that based on your budget!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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