[ausev] Toyota Landcruiser conversion

[Mark Farver]

charles winningham wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I am an aspiring electric car owner who has come into the opportunity
> to purchase a 1983 Toyota Landcruiser for next to nothing.  I would
> like to buy it and convert it to electric for the purpose of being a
> commuter car but I have some concerns and I do not know exactly how
> much it would cost to do a competent conversion of this particular
> model.
>
>   
SUVs tend to be poor choices for conversion.  They are heavy, have awful 
aerodynamics and even with their size can be difficult to fit batteries 
into.

Remember, you are going to spend upwards of $10,000 - $15,000 on the 
conversion parts and fabrication.  Any savings you get by choosing a 
vehicle that is "free" may be a false savings.  The EV drivetrain will 
easily extend the life of the vehicle 10+ years more.  Ask yourself if 
you'll still want to drive this chassis 10 years from now. 

Parts become much less available for vehicles more than 10 years old.  
The EV drivetrain won't require much maintenance, but you'll need things 
like brake pads and replacements for all the little plastic pieces that 
wear out.

I love my 1987 MR2, but I have to live with little things like broken 
door handles and missing vents because those parts are only available in 
junkyards, and are usually just as worn out.   The car needs a 
replacement transmission and they are basically not available... so I 
have to pay a premium to get this one rebuilt.

My recommendation is pretty simple.  If you are going to convert a car, 
pick a reasonably new one, no more than about 5 years old or so.  In 
most cases you should be able to purchase the car for less than $5000.   
No accidents, and the body should be in excellent condition.  Vehicles 
that tend to run longer lives like Hondas or Toyotas, or light pickups 
that are run until the engine falls out are a good choice, you know 
parts will be available for awhile.   VWs also have a history of long 
life and _very_ affordable parts, even from the dealer.

In Texas the best way to save money is to find a vehicle that was not 
equipped with AC.   Nobody wants used vehicles without it, and since you 
have to remove almost every part of the AC system during the conversion, 
its not that much more of a hassle to add a new system.

My best recommendation is to check out the local dealers for stripped 
down light trucks.  Roger Beasley often has sales where a brand new 
Mazda light pickup (really a re-badged Ford Ranger) sells for $8000 with 
the underpowered four cylinder, manual transmission and no AC.  Older 
light trucks tend to be more expensive, since they are tougher to find 
"stripped" and those that are have often seen a rough life.

Otherwise small to midsized cars are good choices.  Browse through the 
evalbum at http://evalbum.org and look at some of the vehicles others 
have converted for ideas.

Mark Farver