EV truck conversion

[blackeagle603]

getting popcorn, watching to see if this gets any <ahem, pun alert> traction

Magna has announced a new EV drivetrain called the eBeam, which seems like the EV solution to ladder-frame pickups enthusiasts have clamored for. The drivetrain aims to drop into current body-on-frame trucks replacing the internal combustion drivetrain, and leaving behind a fully capable EV truck.

RTWT

[Captain Wheelgun]

I remember hearing about so-called EV “crate motors” a couple of years ago, they would connect to the transmission in place of the IC engine and you would put the batteries in place of the fuel tank.

[tfbncc]

I have no doubt that they can come up with a drop in drive train replacement. That's just engineering. The problem with EV's is the expense of the short lived batteries and the infrastructure needed to support charging those batteries on a regular basis. As much as the greenies want to push electric vehicles, they don't want to admit that they're gonna have to build a lot more coal and nuclear power plants to support that EV on a large scale.

[blackeagle603]

I've got enough panels on the roof to make it up on sunny days late spring thru early fall here in SoCal.
And space for more (but would need an inverter upsize, or additional in parallel) if I wanted to spend the bucks to go there.

The battery costs are the big pill to swallow though (still).

[BDK]

There’s a company in Austin doing conversions.

My brother and I were talking about it for fixing up our grandfathers ‘77 F100.

Just seems to make more sense for something which will be an occasional grocery getter than trying to replace the engine and keep it in tune.

[Captain Wheelgun]

There’s a company in Austin doing conversions.

My brother and I were talking about it for fixing up our grandfathers ‘77 F100.

Just seems to make more sense for something which will be an occasional grocery getter than trying to replace the engine and keep it in tune.

I think EVs make great second cars, but I don’t want one as my only one.

[MiddleAgedKen]

I have no doubt that they can come up with a drop in drive train replacement. That's just engineering. The problem with EV's is the expense of the short lived batteries and the infrastructure needed to support charging those batteries on a regular basis. As much as the greenies want to push electric vehicles, they don't want to admit that they're gonna have to build a lot more coal and nuclear power plants to support that EV on a large scale.

There's enough infrastructure to power EVs for the nomenklatura. The rest of us ride bicycles.

[HTRN]

I remember hearing about so-called EV “crate motors” a couple of years ago, they would connect to the transmission in place of the IC engine and you would put the batteries in place of the fuel tank.

No,no, no, no no, no!

It's bad enough to go through a rear differential, and the resulting parasitic losses, but to add a completely superfluous transmission as well?

No.

On another note, I'm surprised you don't hear anything about Kei trucks getting an EV conversion, particularly the Suburbs with their rear engines,(making them ideal as the electric motor bolt right to the transaxle). By both Legislation(they're pretty much banned from highways in every state, and more than a couple from public roads altogether) and design, their a short range vehicle, mitigating one of the biggest downsides - range.

[Captain Wheelgun]

I remember hearing about so-called EV “crate motors” a couple of years ago, they would connect to the transmission in place of the IC engine and you would put the batteries in place of the fuel tank.

No,no, no, no no, no!

It's bad enough to go through a rear differential, and the resulting parasitic losses, but to add a completely superfluous transmission as well?

Snip.

I never said it was a good idea, only that I had heard about it.

[BDK]

It makes a good option for lots of vehicles. We would have done it to the hot rod, had it been around back then... Admittedly the burbling “Truck of Death” is more entertaining than the idea of a humming one...