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Ev Jeep

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by ADKJeep, Mar 15, 2022.

  1. Mar 15, 2022
    ADKJeep

    ADKJeep New Member

    Upstate NY
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    Sep 17, 2018
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    I know this may be considered heresy among some, but is anyone else considering this? Some of the newer motors are putting up Dauntless numbers and prices are dropping.
     
    ITLKSEZ likes this.
  2. Mar 15, 2022
    boopiejones

    boopiejones I can’t drive 55

    California east bay
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    Mar 16, 2020
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    If I purchased an old Jeep that was in need of a power plant, I’d certainly consider going EV. But I wouldn’t toss a working gas engine just to go EV.
     
  3. Mar 15, 2022
    truckee4x4

    truckee4x4 Grant Kaye 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Truckee CA
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    Got a link to one of these motors you’re talking about?
     
  4. Mar 15, 2022
    Bondo

    Bondo Master General Re-Engineer,...

    Greenfield Me.
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    Dec 17, 2021
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    Ayuh,.... Where ya gonna put the batteries,..??

    What are the batteries gonna weigh,..??
     
  5. Mar 15, 2022
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
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    :watch:

    I’d definitely consider it if I had the know-how.
    But electricity and me go together like… electricity and human flesh. :confused:
     
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  6. Mar 15, 2022
    SFaulken

    SFaulken Active Member

    Bellevue, WA
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    Not in any serious manner, no, and not for anything I'd take offroad. The power storage just isn't there yet, to make it feasible, as far as I can tell. I'm certainly open to being proven wrong.
     
  7. Mar 15, 2022
    timsresort

    timsresort Active Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    South Lake Tahoe CA
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  8. Mar 16, 2022
    nickmil

    nickmil In mothballs.

    Happy Valley, OR
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    Please don't.
     
  9. Mar 16, 2022
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
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    I would love to do a bolt-in conversion to the '69. We just use it on the farm and around the neighborhood. A puny 100 mile range would be fine since never goes farther than that and can plug in every night. Full torque from 0 RPM would be amazing in a Jeep.

    However looking into it, a controller, motor, batteries, and a charger is looking like $7K plus and it's just not worth it to me. Maybe the stuff will get cheaper over time.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2022
    jeepstar and ITLKSEZ like this.
  10. Mar 16, 2022
    1967 CJ5A

    1967 CJ5A Mike 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Raleigh, NC
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    I'd do it in a heartbeat if I had money to burn. The performance potential is excellent, and you can fit in a lot of batteries for the weight of the original drivetrain.

    For an off road vehicle, range should be pretty good even with modest battery size. Most of the energy necessary to move a EV down the highway is due to air drag, which is negligible at trail speeds. This is where electric propulsion efficiency really shines and ICE propulsion is at its worst. I'm confident that a relatively small pack (Nissan Leaf base model, for example) would have more range on the trail than a stock CJ5 with 10 gallon tank + 5 gallon jerry can.

    That said, EV components, whether new or from a wrecked vehicle, are still prohibitively expensive. It will be a few years before they make any sort of financial sense for conversions. Until then, you would need to be willing to shell out big money for the sake of the cool factor.
     
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  11. Mar 16, 2022
    jeep2003

    jeep2003 Well-Known Member

    Upstate NY
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    Iv had this idea to use possibly a golf kart motor off the pto. They are about 12hp and run on 36-48v. You could use it as a hybrid. It would be alot of juggling of leavers and switching the ignition on and off at the right times but it would probably work ok
     
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  12. Mar 16, 2022
    ADKJeep

    ADKJeep New Member

    Upstate NY
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  13. Mar 16, 2022
    Jw60

    Jw60 Sitting up n buckled down. 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Sedalia MO.
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    I'm afraid the range offroad will disappoint you on trails. Take this for example, the offroad power consumption was great enough on the 4xe it couldn't do redcone on battery alone.
    Air resistance is exponential and a wall at 45mph but the actual work of climbing is still there.

    I still want a 4xe with a 3rd row.


     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2022
  14. Mar 16, 2022
    ADKJeep

    ADKJeep New Member

    Upstate NY
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    Sep 17, 2018
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    Less than than my F134!
     
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  15. Mar 16, 2022
    ADKJeep

    ADKJeep New Member

    Upstate NY
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    Sep 17, 2018
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    Thanks for the feedback. Still working on understanding what it will take. Cost is definitely an issue, but I think it’s the smart play long term. My biggest concern is not burning the house down or frying myself during the build. Lots to learn.
     
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  16. Mar 16, 2022
    Dave Deyton

    Dave Deyton Member

    Fuquay-Varina, NC
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    Saw a show on the "Green Channel" a long while ago.
    Guy took an old Land Rover and made it battery power.
    Really cool, and he destroyed the factory 4X4's in the drag race, hill climb, and rock crawling. Never talked about charging or the range on a charge.

    Would be cool, if you could make it cost effective.
    Would hate to run out of juice out on the trail.
    Cool engineering, but not easy, or cheap.


    Dave
     
  17. Mar 16, 2022
    bigjohn

    bigjohn Active Member

    Kelso Wa
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    The idea of an EV swapped compact classic car has been appealing enough to me lately I’ve begun researching the process. In a jeep I’m afraid I wouldn’t be super interested. This could certainly be swayed but two issues I see. Battery placement to ensure balance is maintained, as well as protected. And how would the rigors of off-road affect the complex controllers that operate and manage power as well as other EV systems. On that same note you’re looking at lots of voltage but north of 400 amps depending on battery setup. The cable routing would need to be very very well laid out accounting for the movement/vibration and rub/pinch points.

    More importantly as previously mentioned I don’t feel battery technology is there. I’m no expert on the subject but I feel like swapping 1200lbs of battery would make that 100 mile range feel very disappointing. Of course that ranger could be increased, with more batteries and weight. I think I saw swapping 2 Tesla batteries, the gear and motor in a classic VW bug from the stock motor gained about 900lbs. Although the battery packs (under the front hood and rear luggage area) improved the bugs balance and performance of course, that’s a significant weight gain.
     
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  18. Mar 16, 2022
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    I'm sure you guys have seen this one:



    There's not much info on it, but I think it's pretty cool. I'd definitely consider one, especially for a "ice cream run" jeep. Would be a perfect use case for a Surry or tuxedo park :)
     
  19. Mar 16, 2022
    1967 CJ5A

    1967 CJ5A Mike 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Raleigh, NC
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    A fair point, and I'll admit to thinking from a flatlander's perspective.

    But the 4xe is a bit of a different animal. At 5150 lb, its about twice the weight of a CJ5 and I'm not surprised that its very small 17 kWh pack didn't take it far. Base model Nissan Leaf packs, which are a popular candidate for low performance / budget EV swaps, are over twice the size at 40 kWh. The 4xe's hybrid architecture hurts its range performance too, since you have to haul around all the extra dead weight of an ICE drivetrain that isn't doing anything in electric only mode. Not to mention the extra drivetrain losses resulting from the motor's position before the transmission.

    I think a swap could be done without adding too much weight to a CJ5.

    F134 with accessories is ~475 lb
    Gas tank is 60 lb full
    Misc other parts (air cleaner, exhaust, clutch pedal and linkage, radiator) 40 lb?

    40 kWh Leaf pack 650 lb
    Electric motor 125 lb
    Inverter and wiring 35 lb
    Cooling system 20 lb

    That's an additional 255 pounds, assuming the transmission was left in place (ideally would be removed, but depending on the motor selection some gear reduction is needed). Lighter batteries are available too, for example a Tesla based pack of the same size would close the gap to only 170 lb difference between stock and the theoretical EV conversion.
     
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  20. Mar 17, 2022
    Rick Whitson

    Rick Whitson Detroit Area 2024 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    I live South of...
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    My Daughter has a Hi Bred Jeep both a motor and electric .
     
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