sandrail gone electric in tampa??

7089 Views 7 Replies 7 Participants Last post by buseybr, Jul 23, 2020

laukaitis

Discussion Starter · Mar 9, 2011

I would like to build an electric sandrail

It should have enough power to do about 60 mph or more for 20 miles twice a day, plus 30 mph for a an hour or more. basically enough to drive to the base and do a little driving around then go home. I would like to do this on one charge. if not I know I can plug it in on base. I live in Florida I want to enjoy the weather without the smell or noise of the VW engine. (no offense) and not pay $3.50 a gallon for gas. I don’t want to off road it, just jump a curb once in a while or run it along the beaches.

questions:

1) why has no one done this as a daily driver? are they afraid of the batteries getting wet?
2) Is it the cost of the batteries vs the VW motor not worth it or…..
3) If this is a daily driver how do you calculate the use of lights and radios into the power consumption?
4) How do you calculate the weight of the vehicle VS the power and determine the amount of batteries.

I have novice to beginner mechanical skills, but I have friends who are experts.
Sandrails here are a dime a dozen – no worries there.

I am willing to spend 10 or 15 grand as a project, I will abuse craigslist as much as possible for the parts

Are there any Tampa people that are doing this??

Thanks in advance!!!

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JimDanielson

· #2 · Mar 9, 2011

An electric sandrail would be awesome. I really want to do one as my next conversion, currently saving up for the batteries.

The power drain from 12volt components will be low. Probably about 500watts or less. Seeing as most people's motors probably run around 15kw cont. or more, the extra .5kw wont make too big of a difference. When I use as few 12v items as possible, I can keep my consumption easily below 100watts.

In my area I have never seen a ICE sandrail on the road, so seeing an EV would be even more rare. Maybe people are afraid of electrical components getting wet or sandy, but just make sure to protect them.

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