Having an eco-conscience is about more than just what powers your vehicle, it’s also about having a vehicle that has a lower ‘whole life’ energy cost. I drive Land Rover which has the advantage that it’s prety much all bolted together, so if a bit goes wrong, or gets rusty, you unbolt it and bolt on a new one.
There’s no getting around the fact that large 4 wheel drive vehicles like this consume lots of energy, but at least they tend not to be scrapped after seven or eight years (with all teh environmental consequences). (I once read that it was estimated that 75% of all Land Rovers ever produced were still on the road and in regular use).
Hopefully, EV technology will now advance rapidly, reducing costs and improving range, but unless we’re going to see huge scale scrapping of the millions of cars currently on the roads, I hope that the conversion market will start to grow to meet the needs of those who would like to pursue that alternative.
Does anyone know just how practical it is to convert a 4x4 vehicle to an EV (cost, range, speed of vehicle)? Has anyone any experience of towing a small trailer using such a vehicle?
Sorry - a long first post!
Greenman
Don’t be sorry about the length of the post, I am not sure about a 4x4 conversion but go for it. the weight is a big factor in a electric vehicle what is the GVWR on the land rover? :bathbaby:
It’s a 110 station wagon - the GVW is around 1900 Kg (about 2 tons), so very heavy!
I’ve read that there are electric buses out there - how do they overcome the weight problem (or do they have a very limited range)?
There is a company just setting up in the UK that will be producing EV versions of the latest Range Rover, so the technology (and battery capacity) obviously does exist. They publish a projected range of 200 miles on a 6 hour charge time. They also optionally fit an on-board generator to increase range.
Although these are heavy vehicles, a significant proportion of that weight is from the engine and the fuel tank (assuming it’s got fuel in it). I don’t know how heavy the electric motors would be, but I imagine that the net difference between the two configurations wouldn’t be that great (depending on what type of batteries are fitted, and how many). The advantage though, is that the base vehicles are designed to carry a large load, and so should be strong enough to cope.
The trouble is that this solution (only available on the Range Rover at present) is aimed at the luxury market, and is priced accordingly. I’ve no doubt that it’s just a question of time before this sort of solution becomes more widely available, and at a more affordable price…
Batteries are the key and whatever Land Rover is using is not available to the general public. I am interested in what kind of battery they are using at what voltage they are running probably three phase Lithium or Nickel Metal Hydride. I have a Saturn that has a GVWR at 3440 empty and I get a mileage of only 60 miles on a charge. Wet lead acid batteries are my batteries the Trogan t1275 weighing in at 84 lbs each and running 12 at 144volts. Just to give you a idea.:plane:
I can’t find the details, but I think they are using Lithium Ion batteries. The company’s called Liberty Electric Cars Ltd, so you may be able to find out more via the web if you’re interested.