Hilux 4x4 Forum

I have been pondering about this idea for some time now and last night received an email about somebody who is selling an eBook which shows you how to actually do this.

I bought the eBook but will only get time over the weekend to read it.

Those who are curious can check it out so long at http://www.hilux4x4.co.za/go/electric-car

This idea makes more sense to me than trying to save fuel with the hydrogen gadget. By still using an engine you still use fuel and you still need oil for the engine.

Hmmm ... would be interesting to hear some more. Most of these things invariably turn out to be gimmicks, and with the cost of electrickery rising the way it is, I wonder if it will be economically viable if one takes the overall cost into consideration..

My sentiments exactly MudDog,

My 'lux already gets 11-13 km/liter and thats not even intercooled or tuned. I'm sure if I put in the effort I could get it to 13-15km/liter, if not more.

One would have to do a LOT of km's to justify the cost.
That said its always fun to put a project like that into action and that satisfaction is often priceless

I haven't start reading yet but will give you an update on Monday.
I thought about converting an existing car to electric. If you take the weight of the engine, gearbox and full tank of fuel and you replace that with electric motors and batteries I am sure you will come to about the same weight. I also wondered why they do not make the complete roof of electric cars with solar panels, so the batteries can charge while you drive or while the car is parked outside the office while you are at work.

Hmmm! Very interesting!
I happen to agree with Piet - the solar panels could work out to be very useful!

If we run our cars on electricity we will still be damaging the environment ultimately anyway? Makes one wonder what the whole point is?

Lance, I also thought about it, instead of using oil all the time we will now need more copper for the electrical motors, some other material for the batteries and solar panels but the way I see it is when you build an electric car you need those materials less often. A battery pack might last you two years, so instead of using something from mother earth once a week you will now do it once a year.

And then, besides the gasses normal engines produce, the oil it burns was laying deep down in mother earth and was cold. Now we take it out, burn it and produce harmfull gasses and HEAT. Something that was once cold is now hot and you wont have that with electricity, or not that much

Pieter.

If i had the money I would invest in something like this.
Trying to convince my dad to offer up his 1990 corolla for the project.

It's best to transform an automatic vehicle for this project - according to this guy from Australia - http://www.evcapri.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Gives video guides of how he did it.
You'll see they fitting electric motor to what looks like a Triton as well
In here he also says batteries can last up to 5 yrs.
It won't go million miles per hr - but this can be done as well - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qDZOBQs60w" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

yep solar power to recharge looks like a good option.
But solar technology is currently inefficient and expensive
BUT... true to form... we solved the problem of this few years ago already.
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_ ... 138C184427" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
So where is this miracle solar panels --- being produced in Germany for the Germans to enjoy cleaner air, while our government pockets the money and we have to suffer from all sort of asthma and allergies.

But I degress.
The Joule - SA first commercial elec car - would not be in production if it cannot save you money.
But at a price tag of R220K, it's gonna take alot of driving to make up that money.

The technology is out there to rid us from the oil companies grips, but governments around the world hand so deep in their back pockets they trying their utmost to stop us at every turn.
I bet you if you try to build an elec car like that capri , you will be hit with so much red tape and import duties, it's gonna be more expensive than the Joule - again protecting the local market - which is a good thing - but at the expense of the man on the street.

Jeesh, I suffer from verbal diarrea when it comes to alternative energies.
Pieter I hope I have given you some more valuable info.
Pity you so far, else I would have offered to help you in this project.
I used to be around your side of the world alot more, but since the baan does not share her bounty with me anymore .... lets just say we not on speaking terms at the moment

Funny, this guy recons a manual is the best. Of what I have read of production vehicles is that they have a motor at each wheel which eliminates the need for a gearbox.

OK, the book just gives you enough info so you know you should take out the engine, replace it with a DC electrical motor pop in 20 batteries and wire it up. Some parts are a bit vague but it gives you a good idea.

You can get conversion kits (if you wanna import) at http://www.canev.com/KitsComp/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Spares at http://www.evparts.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; More interesting info at http://www.evcapri.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

pietpetoors wrote:Funny, this guy recons a manual is the best. Of what I have read of production vehicles is that they have a motor at each wheel which eliminates the need for a gearbox.

:wth: would this not add to the weight.
And you would probably have to do ALOT of modifications to the car.
whereas one motor, small modification to slide the motor into the gearbox.

Pieter is referring to production vehicles Shaakir, and I think the point he's trying to make is that they do not use a gearbox / drivetrain or differentials. The okes with the coke-bottle glasses would have taken all aspects into consideration .... and I think that 4 smaller motors will have a higher output than one big one, .... and with less weight than what would be the case with a drivetrain on a single motor.
On the production vehicles the motors have direct drive to the wheels .... no clutch, and when decelerating the motors become dynamo's putting some charge back into the battery system. The resistance created is then also a little like running against compression on an internal combustion piston motor.

AH, I see said the blind man to his deaf daughter.

That does make sense. No power loss thru diff, shafts etc.
Pity manafacturers of the Joele did not read this book.

On their website it says:
Joule incorporates a powerful traction motor with a single speed gearbox for front-wheel drive. From a driving experience the vehicle is completely automatic.

Firstly do some reading on an ev1 or EV100 system You could go the route of Zappie or curtuis syatems. If you want to rewire it to suit two motors on the wheels it is a little bit complacted regarding the contactors

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.pgdt.com/products/x-drive/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;