[ausev] Realistically?

[Ian Ward]

David,

I've been in your situation, too.  For longer than I care to admit, I
planned on doing a conversion, but the available technology, my lack of
necessary skills, and more than anything the time required - all proved
substantial impediments.  When I did the math, it turned out that used
production EVs aren't really that much more expensive (if you're smart and
patient).

My reliable 20 year old Honda Accord gave up the ghost a few months ago. Out
of desperation and traditional thinking I bought another reliable Honda,
this time a Fit.  It is a great little car that gets good mileage and will
probably run forever, but despite all of that, I just felt pretty bummed
about it.  I had hoped the Accord would be my last smoker.

My dream conversion has always been a single reduction gear AC drive system.
In doing research on production models, something intrigued me about the
Ranger EV drive train.  As I did more research I ran across some posts on
the various EV lists about past eBay auctions and decided to look at the
currently available Rangers.  Sure enough, there were a couple and the lead
acid models sometimes sold for sums comparable to nicer DC conversion
prices.  Once I got past the anxiety, I placed a bid and ended up winning
for just above what I paid for my Fit.

On the down side, I've never really wanted a truck, and I also have to sell
my Fit.  I'll probably have to replace the batteries sooner than later, but
I still feel good about my decision.  I'm actually getting an AC drive
electric vehicle, which never seemed closer than my imagination.  It would
have taken me years to complete a conversion, and even though I still plan
on it, I can drive electric in the meantime.

Since you want a truck, I would highly recommend stretching for a factory
Ranger EV if they are close to your price range.  EV enthusiasts like Mark
Witt (with the help of the AusEV) have replaced their lead acid packs (is
that done, yet?).  The AC drive is great because the wide RPM range negates
the need for a multi-speed transmission and it has regen.  The Rangers also
have conductive charging, which is a little easier to come by than the Magne
Chargers required for other production EVs.

And best of all, the lead acid models aren't as ridiculously priced as the
NiMH.  This one just sold a few hours ago on eBay for $13K:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-Ford-Ranger-EV-1998-Ford-Ranger-EV-Elect
ric-Pickup_W0QQitemZ250139884113

That's only $3K more than Chris's ballpark estimate for a DC conversion and
way cheaper than an AC conversion.  Best of all, it comes with (near)
instant gratification on top of the other benefits I've listed.  Chris has
been working on his Ohmbre for 2 years now, and he actually knows what he is
doing!

There is currently a Ranger on the EV Tradin' Post with a dead battery pack
that you could probably pick up cheapish, but you'd have to ship it from SLO
for probably $500+ (I can recommend some shippers to investigate due to my
recent purchase), and then replace the battery pack for around $3K.  I'd
help just to get the experience, if you're interested.  Or you can wait
until the next lead acid model pops up on eBay and keep yourself from
bidding too high (unlike me).

Another option is to buy an S-10 from Jeff at EVBones.com or have him do a
battery swap.  The S-10s are much more of a rarity and Jeff is the only
person that has done battery replacement (that is his business).  He only
puts NiMH batteries in, even if it used to be a lead sled.  I've heard he
charges between $8-12K to do a pack swap, which seems like lot for
reconditioned batteries.  S-10s have more range because they are more aero
(and lighter?) than the Ranger, and they also have more horsepower.  Jeff
also lists whole trucks between $15-22K.

There is also a Solectria S-10 on evfinder.com for $15K.  It is a
conversion, but a "Commercial" conversion by a well known company.  It has
AC drive and as a bonus, dual voltage charging and a standard NEMA plug,
which are two things I wish my Ranger had.  Again, like most purchases,
you'd be shipping from CA for a little extra.  There's also a decent looking
Ranger DC conversion here, as well.

And like Chris says, there are always conversions for sale and almost always
below the price of the parts.

Don't get me wrong, I still want to do a conversion (or a few).  My problem
is that my standards are beyond my capabilities.  I'll get there someday,
but I'm glad I don't have to wait much longer to at least drive one.  When
my Ranger gets here, I can pick you up on my way to the next open garage.
:-)

Cheers,
ian


-----Original Message-----
From: ausev-bounces at austinev.org [mailto:ausev-bounces at austinev.org] On
Behalf Of Christopher Robison
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 6:17 PM
To: AustinEV News Announcements and General Discussion
Subject: Re: [ausev] Realistically?

On Thu, 2007-07-12 at 17:46 -0500, David White wrote:
> Dear friends,
> 
> I've been lurking on this listserve for some time now.  I live in  
> Austin and own a Prius, but have fantasized about converting my 1996  
> Ford Ranger XLT to EV.

Hi David,

At the moment, a primary focus of our group is assistance with
conversion of vehicles to electric power for folks in your situation; we
might be just be general enthusiasts like other car clubs, except that
today there aren't many choices out there for folks who just want to buy
one. So, we build them instead.

If you have the drive to do a conversion, we can help with advice, some
loaned tools, heavy lifting, etc.  Budget about $10K in parts if you do
the work yourself; you may be able to come in under this but it's a good
number to start with.

The Ford Ranger is a vehicle we've done before. There are issues with
the frame rails being too close together for effective battery storage
between them (the S-10 frame is wider and works better) but I've seen a
good example of a conversion where body modifications to the bed sheet
metal allowed some batteries on the outside of the frame rails as well. 

The best bet may be to get involved with other projects, open garages
and other work events, helping out with other people's conversions and
learning what's what at the same time. When you've seen a bit of what's
out there, you'll be in a good position to start making choices about
your project.

> PS.  I have considered an outright trade for a completed EV, but I  
> really do need a truck.  Am I missing other options--short of buying  
> the 26k Ranger on ebay. 

Besides building your own or hiring out the conversion, another option
may be to look on the Tradin' Post:

http://www.austinev.org/evtradinpost/


Keep an eye on it, and at some point you may see someone posting a
vehicle that would work for you.  You'll probably have to pay for
cross-country transport, but this shouldn't be a dealbreaker.


-- 
Christopher Robison
chris at ohmbre.org
http://ohmbre.org          <-- 1999 Isuzu Hombre + Z2K + Warp13!

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