[CuTeBoi]

So... old thread is obliterated, and I'm back from my central american road trip/vacation that lasted a month.


Recap:

I have a gutted V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which I currently use as a flat towed trailer, I fill all my goodies into the jeep, and travel throughout north/central america.

I was hoping for a 1 mile range to allow the jeep to be parked in a secured parking area when in town that I can't fit my truck and the jeep attached, which is pretty much every smaller town in any central american country. I typically have been parking outside of town, and detaching outside of town and drive into town in my 3500HD truck, but if I could, I would split the car responsibilities with my wife, and both enter town, park the Jeep in a secured parking, and go on about our day.

I was lucky enough this trip to find a good parking spot in Chiapas to park while I went into Guatemala/El Salvador for a week.

But again, I find this issue when I was in the mountainous areas of Tabasco/Veracruz where moving the Jeep was difficult, and ended up using the truck to just ram the Jeep into a spot as needed.


Requirements:

1 ~ 2 mile range.
Speed is not a big requirement, but 45mph would be nice to have. I can deal with 5~ 10mph as driving through a very busy town, or trying to find parking doesn't require much speed.
I still have the transfercase, and would like to keep it for the 4x4 features that would help me park in rougher terrain, especially if I want to climb a rock and park on it as well.
I still have the automatic transmission as well, but I'd prefer selling it, it's there for the meantime, I've attached cables to it so that the connectors aren't damaged, all tubes are kept above the engine area, breathers.
Battery tech would love to have something handle 12v deep cycle, but with the option to use Li-Ion that I've been salvaging. I'd like to use tech that would support a better motor


In my previous thread, I was suggested to run off of the starter only; this is not possible, the automatic transmission needs a LOT more RPMs than what a starter motor can do. Yes I know this can be done on a manual transmission, not something I have.

Now I'm back to square one, I have the car, I have no clue how to pick out a motor, and I came here to choose a motor + motor controller, and to be told what battery tech + charger to use. From knowing the motor, controller, and what kind of battery and charger to use, I can move on from that, and see about wiring it all up.

I had been considering using my li-ion batteries to just set up a large series with many BMS with balance charging and discharge protection, and wire those up in parallel to provide a good 12v to run 2 12v motors to the transmission to keep me satisfied, but I would have the problem of not having a controller to manage the 12v motors. I have no clue how to pair things up.

ideas?

 

[CuTeBoi]

I must be doing this wrong, not sure how to request help. But oh wells.

 

[Emyr]

Your requirements are quite far from what's been built before. That plus many users have been less active since the site operators managed to lose 12 months of posts and the whole garage section...

Having a large battery is normally desirable for range, but it also means less stress per cell for a given current draw.

I'd suggest this:
A forklift DC motor
one Tesla or Chevvy Volt battery module (about 4-5kWh, probably about 10 miles depending on speed and weight)
A basic DC controller.

 

[CuTeBoi]

I'd suggest this:
A forklift DC motor
one Tesla or Chevvy Volt battery module (about 4-5kWh, probably about 10 miles depending on speed and weight)
A basic DC controller.

Got a suggestion on the parts? What model forklift motor and a compatible DC controller?

I could work on the battery part, but the motor and controller are what I'm really looking for. I'll get a coupler as needed to bypass the transmission, I know the transmission will be useless in an EV setup.

Honestly, I'm just looking for a motor to move me down the road to a parking spot at 5~10mph. I could rebuild when I'm more accustomed to how this EV will work.

 

[Emyr]

Given your requirements, you could use the entire electrical system from a forklift, then replace the lead batteries with something modern later. This makes your main challenge mostly mechanical: connecting the motor to some part of your existing drivetrain. The difficulty of this step depends on the motor's speed rating, the ratios in your transfer case and differentials, and the size of your wheels.

 

[Emyr]

Your 2001 Grand Cherokee is the Second generation GC, code "WJ".

The V8 engine is the 4.7L/287ci PowerTech and your transmission is either the 4-speed 45RFE or 5-speed 545RFE (WJs also used the 42RE Torqueflite "A500", but only with the 3.1L turbodiesel engine).

The 45RFE and 545RFE were used in various other Dodges and Chryslers where manual transmissions were also offered, so there might be manual gearboxes you can take from a Dakota/Nitro/whatever and bolt straight into your GC. You'll need to make an adapter plate to suit the motor anyway, so it doesn't really matter what engine it was originally used with, so long as you can bolt it in.

 

[CuTeBoi]

The 45RFE and 545RFE were used in various other Dodges and Chryslers where manual transmissions were also offered, so there might be manual gearboxes you can take from a Dakota/Nitro/whatever and bolt straight into your GC. You'll need to make an adapter plate to suit the motor anyway, so it doesn't really matter what engine it was originally used with, so long as you can bolt it in.

There is no manual transmission on this car, and the V8 models didn't come with one from what I recall. Do I need to use the automatic transmission? the transmission on this car is electronic, and would need the ECU connected, and I'm sure the Transmission depends heavily on the load of the engine, which doesn't exist anymore. I can hook up a motor to the transmission, I just don't expect much from that combination.

the transfer case is the NV247, not too fancy, but it always worked since I've rebuilt it twice to clear out gunk and sand when the breather port broke off.

 

[CuTeBoi]

the transfer case is the NV247, not too fancy, but it always worked since I've rebuilt it twice to clear out gunk and sand when the breather port broke off.

The transfer case has a 1:1 ratio normal mode, and a 2.72:1 low gear ratio for the low lock 4x4 mode.

If only I had a manual transmission.

 

[puddleglum]

Interesting project. I agree with the above post that you could probably do a low voltage conversion directly from a forklift and do what you need to do. I'm speculating, but I think you could remove the transmission and connect the motor direct to the transfer case. Find a forklift with an 11" 48v motor and a Curtis or GE controller. Look for a sit down rider, 4000-5000 lb minimum.