I’ve been wanting to do an EV conversion to get me to work for awhile. I’m currently commuting in my S2k but with currently gas prices I’m paying $400 a month and it’s going to get worse.
First has anybody ever heard of this car getting converted? Good idea, bad idea?
I drive about 70-75 miles round trip but will be able to charge at work. The drive is mostly 55-65 mph speed limits and not much stopping at all. It’s slightly up hill going to work, maybe 1500 ft change over the 35+ miles.
I’m debating a few differnt motors and controllers but in general a DC system 144v is probably what I need for my budget and speed needs, maybe less volts? I’m really not sure.
My biggest concern, as I’ve been reading is for most, are the darn batteries. I’m really not sure what to use. The lithium would be great but that’s a lot of cost up front and the charging is getting confusing for those. Should I go with 6v, or 12v? Not even sure how many batteries I could potentionally fit in that car. Most importantly, how many watt/hour battery do I need to look at building for this drive?
Do most people have to end up modifiying their suspenion for a conversion to handle all that extra weight?
The S2000 would be too heavy. You could drill holes into the chassis and replace the entire exterior with carbon-fiber panels (the C-West S2000 racecar or the Opera S2000 racecar weighs 1700-lbs versus stock OEM 2600-lbs). But for that money, you could buy a Tesla Roadster and an extra S2000
An S2000 is NOT to heavy. 2600lb stock weight should wind up around 2200 minus engine, exhaust and gas tank. What you need to do is decide on what your desired range is and at what speed. An S2000 has the benifit of a low drag number, this will allow it to seem lighter to the drive system once at speed (good for extending range). Once you have decided on range you can size your pack accordingly. Once the pack is sized you can begine laying out batteries, this might be the tricky part as the S2000 is space limited. You’ll only have the trunk and engine compartment.
Obviously the best option will be litium’s for the lower space requirment but that may not be in your budget. I haven’t seen any of these converted yet and a quick search of the evalbum didn’t return anything.
If you have any specific questions make sure you ask, there are lots of good folks here!
Since it’s a rear wheel drive - That would be one of your problems… As many articles point out, FWD is more efficient. FWD also is a lot more compact driveline package…
I view RWD as a benefit . allowing more room for batteries in the engine bay whereas if it was FWD there would be less room for batteries . you’re really talking about 35 miles on a charge since you know in advance that you can charge while at work . I’m trying to decide on direct drive removing the transmission (less weight more efficient ) versus leaving the transmission in . i don’t know enough about my gear ratio in the rear end yet to make an educated decision, but I like the direct option.
take a look at this guy’s conversion in the works http://www.evalbum.com/1796
this is his second EV conversion . I’m thinking that removing the tranny allows the motor to sit lower and further back towards the center of the car . again allowing more room for batteries. i figure you have to enjoy the car in the end , it doesn’t have to make anyone else happy but you . since you are driving an S2000 i’m fairly sure you don’t want to “just get to work” :). check your cars max gross vehicle weight on the door jam somewhere or in the engine bay .somehwhere there is a label saying how much the car weighs now and how much is over the front axle and rear and how much it can safely support maxed out .
I’ve considered going without the tranny. Another 100 pounds in my case would be removed and the direct drive is more efficient. I’ll have to calculate the ratio to see what my top speed would be and how much load would be on the motor during starts. UPDATE (I just checked this and it would be like being in middle of 4th and 5th gears, 6 speed tranny). So for me that’s way to high geared.
I am afraid I might be pushing the limits of the suspension with lead acid batteries though and lithium might be my only choice. That will hurt the pocket book badly though.
HI Brian - I looked over your blog and am glad to see that you’ve started on your quest… I’ve done a fair amount of fabrication so I have a pretty good idea what you’re up against mechanically… You may want to consider installing the motor in the trunk above the differential and using a HiVo Chain drive (like a power take-off for a 4WD truck) or potentially using a Gilmer belt drive such as those used on Motorcycle Primary drives or Superchargers.
That would give you the entire space under the hood - the tunnel and a small amount of room left in the trunk…
