I have a '92 Geo with a dead transmission, and a dying engine. The rest is in fair shape. I could rebuild both engine and trans, but then i'm still Stuck with the ICE. I figure this could be my "new" commute vehicle.
I have plenty of mechanical skill, cut/weld/fabricate is no issue for me. Electronic skill is fair, I understand the basics, but haven't dealt with the EV's enough to know off the bat what all is needed/where/how etc.
My daily commute is 53 miles minimum. Some days I do 75 because of errands.
As for performance, for acceleration I'd like to keep with roughly what the geo has stock (i know 63hp isn't much, and 63 ICE hp =/= 63 Elec HP).
I'd like some comfort (Utah has cold winters, hot summers. so it would be good to have some type of heating/cooling system.
I'd like it to be able to reach the 70mph speed limit of my normal commute route (commute speeds are usually slower, but that's the limit)
Efficiency is my main concern. Of course I will be doing body modifications for part of the efficiency (kammback, blocking all unnecessary frontal gaps, flat bottom, etc.) But that's half the battle. System efficiency is the other half.
As for cost, I'd like to keep it under what I can buy a fair used leaf for (~10k).
As for parts/setup plans, I have looked into mounting a 3ph directly coupled to a truck front differential in the highest ratio I can find, custom axles from the truck diff to the hubs. Battery packs would be around the ICE motor area, and taking place of the fuel tank area. (depending on how much area I need for the range I want).
What systems will I need for this? what motors will work for me? What will I need to setup for charging? I'm open to all suggestions on this.
