[DaveP]

You could also give the guys at Electric Classic Cars a call, I know they've got 2 Defenders they're converting for customers at the moment, maybe you could buy a kit from them.

 

[DaveP]

I think Kevins about right on the kWh estimate. The electric classic Range Rover that Electric Classic Cars built last year was 80kWh and had a max range of 200 miles, so I would have thought that 48kWh should be good for 100 mile range. The weight, aerodynamics and parasitic load of the drivetrain in a Defender are all against you though. When I picked up my Tesla Model S batteries off ECC a few weeks back the main guy there took me out for a spin in his mental Beetle, which had 48kWh too. He said it would get 200 mile range at a push but it's probably half the weight of a Defender.

Whats the plan? are you going to attached a motor to the gearbox via an adapter plate or direct drive it?

 

[DaveP]

I think attaching the motor directly to the transfer box and placing it where the gearbox is would free up a lot of space in the engine bay for batteries. Although you'd need to do all the calculations on ratios, both transfer box and diff to see what rpm vs road speed gives you. This page I've just Googled might help.

If I remember rightly the ECC guys were going both ways, one Defender was having the motor attached to the gearbox the other was going to be direct drive. I'm not sure why they're trying both routes, maybe to see which works best, more than that you'd need to ask them. My thinking is that if you're planning on going serious off roading or towing you should keep the gearbox, if it's simply going to be on road then direct drive or through the transfer box could be a viable option, as long as all the ratios are in your favour.

 

[DaveP]

That's only sort of accurate though. Yes, it does have 2 speeds, but only in 4WD, and the Defender 4WD system can not be used on asphalt as it doesn't have a central differential. In 2WD its only 1 speed. The only reason to connect it directly to the transfer case is to lose the gearbox.

??? Defenders are permanent 4x4, and can be used on asphalt. There is no 2WD option for a Defender. I think the Series 3 Land Rover had selectable 2WD/4WD though.

 

[DaveP]

Thanks for that...Ill have a look at the ratio calculator and input a chosen motor in there to see the rpm/speed it would give.

This would be 99% for onroad driving, and getting rid of the gearbox and just connecting it to the transfer case would be the easiest/neatest installation. Direct drive isn't really an option though as it would render the front solid axle useless and way overkill to just do the suspension/steering work. For a direct drive the ideal thing is a 2WD pick up, or an SUV that is sold both in 2WD and 4WD versions like a Toyota 4Runner.

I'm pretty sure the ECC direct drive Defender was keeping it's 4x4, but to be 100% you'd have to ask them.

Talking about steering above, whats the plan there? obviously it will need power steering but you're going to loose the pump when the engine goes. Are you going to convert it to EPAS?

 

[DaveP]

I agree with Brian, I can't see how an accesory plate thing would work with a power steering pump. Surely when you need it most is at very low speeds, but then the motor wouldn't be turning enough to make the power steering pump work.

Also, I'd be surprised if the companies that make EPAS solutions for classic cars have a Defender kit. The reason being that they usually make kits for classic cars that didn't originally have power steering. Making a kit for a car that originally had power steering would be a very VERY small market for them Maybe they can sell a generic kit that you can fit to any car, although it would need to be powerful enough to deal with the Defender's steering torque which is huge. I'd be wary of getting one off a production car that has EPAS like a Vauxhall as it might not have the grunt for the Defender application.

 

[DaveP]

I just thought..... the classic Range Rover that ECC converted to electric last year must have originally had power steering on. A quick search on ECC's facebook page turned up this EPAS converted steering column they made.

Maybe it's the same or similar to a Defender one, or maybe they can convert your column for you as they're going to have a similar problem to overcome with the 2 Defenders they're converting. If they're building 2 anyway maybe they can build a 3rd for you cheap