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electric motor swap

6K views 14 replies 5 participants last post by  P63 
#1 ·
Daydream:
Two Focus electric drives (motor, axles, suspension) into an SN95: one replaces the rear axle, the other bolts in where the K-member goes.

I've got a 98 cobra with zero compression in one cylinder. Maybe I can build a poor-man's Tesla. :)
 
#3 ·
Two electric motors and paraphernalia such as axles, control arms, etc, and lots of Lithium batteries.... probably not much more than an iron OHV V8 with transmission, driveshaft, SRA, and that constantly-draining fuel tank.

Going fast in an electric car is going to cost more than equal speed with gas, but it's like a laser versus inkjet printer; pay up front and enjoy lower operating costs versus lower entry cost followed by a life of buying fluids.

I'm really getting used to the idea of never visiting a gas station or changing oil again.
 
#4 ·
Probably cheaper to buy a Tesla. The Focus Electric only has a 143hp and 184 ft-lb, so 2 would only be 286ish hp and 368ish ft-lb.

You could convert and stay with rear drive for reasonable costs probably. Warp9 or double Warp9 and batteries everywhere they fit.
 
#6 ·
Some guy in town has a dual Warp 9 setup for cheap. Part of me would want to connect that directly to the differential, complete with a torque arm underneath it.

Tesla now sells motors directly. Check out EV West.
 
#7 ·
Currently looking at a DC Warp9 dual motor and controller. The thing should bolt up where the T5 resides.
... then I have to get >$10k of lithium batteries and figure out how to mechanically support them.
 
#9 ·
UPDATE: Weight:
1. A flat battery pack underneath the floor wouldn't terribly affect ground clearance and it makes a car extremely predictable in turns due to a very low center of gravity. (and heck, coilovers can always give some needed ground clearance as well.)

2. Per tjm73, the tranny can be tossed, but why not basically mount the motor in front of the differential? There's no real need for the DS.

3. fwiw I like the idea of no flywheel, just a clutch, and the tranny only having 3rd and 5th gear. A DC motor runs out of torque around 3krpm, so why not throw in a gear swap by leaving the t45 in there? Also, this will deliver a VSS signal to the speedo... which is about the only thing on the dash that will be working.

4. Anybody know the dimensions of a Focus Electric front end? I wouldn't mind doing away with the mustang's k-member and shock towers, especially if it means I'd get a front suspension designed after 1975. (I have an sn95).
 
#12 ·
2. Per tjm73, the tranny can be tossed, but why not basically mount the motor in front of the differential? There's no real need for the DS.
The only issue with mounting the electric motor in front of the axle with no driveshaft is it adds a substantial amount of unsprung weight to the rear suspension system. While not an insurmountable issue, it will require thought and re-engineering to compensate for. Making clearance for the motor in this setup might also require giving up some interior space. Perhaps flipping the axle so that the electric motor was behind the axle would be an option to save usable interior space. This would mandate a custom axle of course.

As for least intrusive packaging I think a motor hung in the transmission tunnel about 12-14 inches ahead of the rear axle with a CV drive shaft would be simplest. But clearance for speed bumps and rod debris may be an issue.

But in reality converting an ICE car into an EV is going to cost an exorbitant amount of money. The ROI will likely NEVER work out. The car will probably wear out before you break even. Or worse get totaled resulting in lost money for the conversion parts.

Look at the $9,000 for just batteries. I think it'll cost at least 3X that before your done. Today gas is about $3.70/gallon in San Diego (per gasbuddy.com). $27,000 will buy 7,297ish gallons. If your car gets only 20 mpg (totally doable if fuel economy is the goal), you can drive over 145,900 miles. How many miles a year do you drive? Average miles driven by Californians is about 14,400 per year. That's a little over 10 years just to break even.

I don't think the economics are there. You would be further ahead to buy something already made to be an EV. I bet there are used Tesla's or other EV's in the $30K price range at this point.
 
#10 ·
When I get done with my yard and balcony projects, I'm going to shop here: https://evwest.com/catalog/

Need an electric steering setup, electric AC, not sure about a defroster or heater.
It looks like twelve of these would fit where the gas tank goes: https://www.evwest.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=481&osCsid=k17itkfgduhb2i6t5lkafunhe4 ... that would put 500 lbs over the rear axle. ... $9k... ouch.

motor: https://www.evwest.com/catalog/prod...ucts_id=213&osCsid=k17itkfgduhb2i6t5lkafunhe4

So an early design decision: mount the motor in front of the factory-mounted transmission (extra weight and expense, but more acceleration above 70mph), vs mounting the motor about where the tranny currently is.
 
#15 ·
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