Drop in Electric Crate Motor??!!

[Gregg in the 603]

https://jalopnik.com/finally-an-electric-crate-motor-you-can-drop-into-your-1839168140

I think I'm first to share this, but what's everyone think about this as a potential option?
I'm all about that stock air-cooled with those awesome sounds and smells, but there's no future in it. The future is water cooled, or now this?
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1979 Mexico Beige Westy auto
Dirty Dover, NH

[secretsubmariner]

I've been thinking about this conversion a lot. I'd love to be able to drive my bus into the future without worrying whether or not it will be outlawed because of the emissions.

I also love the idea of charging it with solar, so no coal is burned to create the electricity that powers the bus.

That would be awesome.

Thanks for sharing
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-Tony
ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ
1978 Champagne Edition Bus FI
1970 Auto Fastback FI

[Clementine79]

We are planning on converting our bus, only hold back at the moment is the cost of good batteries to have a decent range.

[Daverham]

Almost ten years ago, someone invented a "carbon foam" battery that promised all the benefits of typical lead-acid batteries (Low cost of production, great charge-discharge cycling, recyclable) with the huge added benefit of MUCH less lead (weight) and significantly less sulfation. That was the promise anyway. I don't know if it was fully realized.

Then they disappeared for many years. Naturally, I suspected a big oil conspiracy

Looks like they are finally actually available:
http://fireflyenergy.com


Link


When I read about these back in the day, it looked like a game-changer for electric vehicles. The battery conversation always been a balancing act between weight, performance and cost, with no technology succeeding all three fronts... until this. Hopefully. I haven't researched much since then. But it's worth exploring.

[SGKent]

Here is what the owners of DC Solar bought with all that tax money. Probably some bargains here - Oct 26. Shows how much the people who made solar believed in getting rid of gas guzzlers.

https://www.appleauctioneeringco.com/10-26-2019
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[secretsubmariner]

Daverham, always dropping the good stuff. That's really interesting thank you for sharing!
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-Tony
ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ
1978 Champagne Edition Bus FI
1970 Auto Fastback FI

[skills@eurocarsplus]

judging the capabilities of the average DIY guy, I think I am going to invest in caskets and urns. these HV systems WILL kill you if you're not trained.

I think you should do EV if you want. too many cons for most people.
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[busdaddy]

Interesting, but I wonder what the final turn key price will be after batteries and whatever the hell else is involved in the way of cooling and controllers, etc.....
I could tolerate an electric conversion that didn't require any hacking for a short range "around town" sort of vehicle as long as the final spread out cost could beat the almost $5 a frikki'n gallon we pay here

[HarryFD]

If I was going to make the effort to convert a car, this is it:

https://www.jaguar.com/about-jaguar/jaguar-classic/authentic-cars/e-type-zero.html
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1970 Deluxe Sunroof Bay Brilliant Blue/Cloud White
1973.5 911 Targa
2009 MB C300

[Clementine79]

Most electric conversions pay for themselves in gas savings if the vehicle is a daily driver, the cost of electricity is much lower per mile than gas.

[busdaddy]

[ivwshane]

I wonder how it will compare to the Evwest stuff?
https://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=40&osCsid=t9jvgmtjhdbhsf29ggqf9pefu1

Personally I’d like to go with a Tesla conversion but that would be for my Ghia.
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77 westy 2.0 FI
69 ghia coup 1600dp
70 single cab

[timvw7476]

you're on the samba so do it oldskool:
forklift motor/controller.

[raygreenwood]

The carbon foam battery?.....one of many that are similar. Not squashed by government. Simply not manufacturable for useful cost.

Actually thin film printed layer battery blows the foam technology away. That is already out there over the past 5-7 years. Mostly industrial traction. Think fork lift batteries....with 50% less weight (which is actually a problem because you have to add in lead weights)....60% faster charge time and 2.5X the amp-hour output. Slow to grow because there has to be a market PULL not push.

As for solar charging the batteries in the engine listed in this post?.....😂🤣😃......not in less than 24-48 hours with at least 100 square feet of the best AEROSPACE level (meaning not available for anything you could possibly afford)....gallium based cells.....which are not used commercially ....only on satellites and mars probes.

The BEST commercially available cells ...Sun powers C60 @ 23% efficiency and LG and first solar coming in around 20% efficiency......and power output on a 4' x 6' panel putting out 290-320 watts......a usable charge speed....when you have sun.....will take about 4-6 panels and hours of time. ASurere you going to carry that around with you....zet them up at truck stops.....like the guy in the "Martian" movie? 😁
Sure....you can do it......if you have a home solar installation and a storage battery system. A standard pretty efficient electric home of about 1800 sq ft......needs a minumum of 6-7,000 watts constant......unless you cut everything off you are not using. Thats about 24 of the best panels out there pushing 290 watts per panel (about 300 with a 1% converter loss and then line loses).......quite respectable actually!

I am the biggest solar fan in these forums and have worked and somewhat still do....inside of the solar industry. Solar reached grid parity with coal and natural gas in June of 2009.

Sadly.....it is being widely misused and is poorly understood by those who think its the silver bullet. Maybe when gen 5 quantum dot, dye based cells come out of the NREL lads and into production and......we will see a change.

However....and this is the misuse part ......if you have solar at home.....and still have your power connected to the grid instead of a battery.....your power is just as dirty as a Chinese coal plant ......something sadly I have current knowledge of....as I just got off a plane from Shanghai an hour ago and I'm still hacking it up! 😆

No....we need high yield, conformal battery technology long before we need an electric VW conversion kit.

Now......a natural gas conversion kit.....Im interested in! Ray

[jlrftype7]

[rugblaster]

I saw a Tesla charging on I 20 the other day out in the middle of nowhere the other day and I have to admit, I chuckled a bit. Just about the stupidest thing I've ever seen. A really expensive car with a true carbon footprint like Sasquach, unable to move under it's own power for 8 hours. What a scam. I think anyone with any sense should be able to surmise there is some work to be done here.
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'69 Karmy, '69 Camper, Meyers clone, '65 drag bug, 10.78 @ 128 (sold it) '51 Dodge farm truck,
'09 MB E350 '18 MB E400, '65 Plymouth Valiant convertible and a '19 Ford F250 King Ranch (nicer, but dirty, farm truck)

VWoA factory trained line tech 75 till 90 or so
ASE Master Certification
VWoA Assoc. of Quality Technicians inductee (One of 25 in the five state southwest region)
La Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (San Angelo Chapter)
TCU ......GO FROGS!!!!!!

[jlrftype7]

[SGKent]

us old farts heard it all in our lifetimes. Gasoline, Jet turbine that will burn anything, diesel is the future, hydrogen, hydrogen fuel cell, natural gas, bio-fuel, Peanut oil, high speed regenerative flywheels, 100% ethanol, electric, even nuclear powered cars and trucks. Each time something made it impractical - except for gasoline, gasoline/ethanol flex fuel, and limited diesel. Gasoline contains many different molecules so it is a generic term for combinations of those molecules.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[71whitewesty]

I found this interesting. Full on westy currently on tour around N America.
Lots of good points on power, cooling, charging, suspension, weight etc.
kinda makes the Suby swaps seem antiquated. I’d call this swap a rough sketch of what’s coming.
No more oil changes, valve adjustments, fuel lines, cooling issues, tune ups, noise etc. Always leaving home with a “full” tank and plenty of power. But then maybe that takes all the fun out of it?


https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=723737
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71 Westy 1600 DP, all stock Bus 1
1970's Snow Trac 1600 SP (sold 12/2016)
1968 Tucker sno cat, sold 2021
1969 Tucker Sno cat 542
2017 VW Alltrac
71 tin top stock 1600 DP (project but runs)
Twin 71 White Westy, Bus 2, that I pulled from a 15 year slumber in a dry eastern WA field in 2015.
1966 Sundial Camper "Boomer"

[ImAddicted]