[Tony Carrera]

Hello,

I am considering changing the engine of my van, and make it electric (I can't afford a Tesla or other expensive cars on the market). Did any of you had experience in this ? Any company you would recommend who could do such job ? Price range ?
Are we just talking about swapping the engine or is it more complex than that (impact on the car structure due to the weight of the batteries) ?

Best,
Tony (and no, Carrera is not my real name )

 

[black_amp]

take a look at the vintage voltage seies probably on cable or u tube, in the UK we can do this under SVA regulations, i don't think its' allowed in the EU and yes it's more complicated than simply adding a motor a controller and a few batteries, then you have the problems of Insurance which will be very costly for a one off conversion. you'd be better off by an existing electric van and upgrading the battery to meet your needs.

 

[farmergiles]

take a look at the vintage voltage seies probably on cable or u tube, in the UK we can do this under SVA regulations, i don't think its' allowed in the EU and yes it's more complicated than simply adding a motor a controller and a few batteries, then you have the problems of Insurance which will be very costly for a one off conversion. you'd be better off by an existing electric van and upgrading the battery to meet your needs.

Plus suspension and brake upgrades.

 

[Tony Carrera]

In Europe, it is allowed for some cars/ brands, one of the issue being the "car homologation" - you are actually changing the engine of your car. I saw it even happening for buses. Maybe at the end of the day, it might get cheaper to swap to a new EV van, but let's say I'd like to check this out first.

• Insurance wise, good point, I should check that out
• suspension upgrades +1
• brake upgrades +1
• ... ?

Anything related to the relative explosive matter of lithium batteries ? Any additional protection to add ?

 

[Oli]

It will almost certainly be cheaper and better to sell your van and buy one of the many electric ones coming to market. You’ll have much better resale value too. Swapping a combustion engine for electric is extremely complex - particularly as a one off. I’ve been looking at getting my MX-5 converted, and it’s £20k+ for circa 100 miles of range and less power than I have now.

 

[Edd Beesley]

In Europe, it is allowed for some cars/ brands, one of the issue being the "car homologation" - you are actually changing the engine of your car. I saw it even happening for buses. Maybe at the end of the day, it might get cheaper to swap to a new EV van, but let's say I'd like to check this out first.

• Insurance wise, good point, I should check that out
• suspension upgrades +1
• brake upgrades +1
• ... ?

Anything related to the relative explosive matter of lithium batteries ? Any additional protection to add ?

Lithium batteries don't tend to explode, they burn. A bit like petrol or diesel.

Check out diyelectriccar.com for people doing conversions. It's eye opening (not in a good way)

 

[Ian]

There again:-

Electron Garage

 

[Naturetech]

If you live in the real world and haven't just won the Euromillions lottery, forget it. Buy a ready-made van if you must, like a Nissan eNV200.