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A battery is a range-weight tradeoff, so it is possible to get a light EV car; it'll just have shit range is all. While not ideal for the Miata as it still has

A battery is a range-weight tradeoff, so it is possible to get a light EV car; it'll just have shit range is all. While not ideal for the Miata as it still has to vaguely work like a commuter car, it's still a viable idea for a RX-derivative that leans more heavily into enthusiast territory like the Lotus Elise

jsight 7y ago
Its funny you mention the RX series. I think an RX-8 like car with an electric drivetrain would actually be a lot of fun. It would weigh a few hundred pounds more, but the increase in torque and the low CG would mostly make up for it.
- elihu 7y ago
  I'm actually working on an RX-8 conversion right now. AC motor (netgain hyper9), I'm keeping the transmission and clutch, lithium iron phosphate batteries under the car where the gas tank was and in the engine compartment. I agree that it would be great if Mazda revived the RX-8 as an electric vehicle. Especially if they kept the stickshift.
  - jsight 7y ago
    Oh, that is an interesting project. I've been tempted to do something similar with an older Miata, especially after seeing a pretty decent conversion of one using Leaf packs. The RX-8 would be much more complex, IMO, but I bet it would be a lot of fun to drive as an electric. Are you blogging about your efforts somewhere? I'd love to follow them.
    - elihu 7y ago
      No, I'm not blogging about it. I might write something up eventually. A Miata would likely have been an easier conversion, and it's probably what I should have done, though a convertible is kind of a tough sell when you live in Oregon and with RX-8s you can get a pretty recent car for not much money. (RX-8s with engine problems that no one wants to spend the money to fix are quite common.) One thing to be careful of is weight balance. I'm told that if you have too much weight in the back, it makes the car a lot less safe in corners because it's easier to recover from front-wheel slip, whereas if the rear wheels break loose first you'll probably spin out. So far, making battery boxes seems to be the biggest/most awkward task. I've never done welding before, and so I'm learning aluminum TIG welding. It took awhile to get the hang of it, but it's going alright now.
elihu 7y ago
I'd consider a range of about a hundred miles or so to be pretty good for a commuter car, and that should be a reasonably light battery (especially if the rest of the car is light). You'd need a large battery for road trips, and it seems reasonable that most people who would buy a Miata probably aren't using it for that.
- snapetom 7y ago
  I'm currently on my second one. The Miata is not a commuter car. It's is a weekend road trip car. It's easy to find one a few years old with low mileage. My first one was 5 years old with 27k. Miata culture is a thing. Being a convertible is one aspect of it, but other attractions are the handling and how common manuals are. In every area I've lived, there's at least one active Miata club where members take group road trips on weekends. These trips are typically 150-250 miles up and down hills and curves. A 100 mile range on a Miata definitely would not sell.

jsight 7y ago

Its funny you mention the RX series. I think an RX-8 like car with an electric drivetrain would actually be a lot of fun. It would weigh a few hundred pounds more, but the increase in torque and the low CG would mostly make up for it.

elihu 7y ago
I'm actually working on an RX-8 conversion right now. AC motor (netgain hyper9), I'm keeping the transmission and clutch, lithium iron phosphate batteries under the car where the gas tank was and in the engine compartment. I agree that it would be great if Mazda revived the RX-8 as an electric vehicle. Especially if they kept the stickshift.
- jsight 7y ago
  Oh, that is an interesting project. I've been tempted to do something similar with an older Miata, especially after seeing a pretty decent conversion of one using Leaf packs. The RX-8 would be much more complex, IMO, but I bet it would be a lot of fun to drive as an electric. Are you blogging about your efforts somewhere? I'd love to follow them.
  - elihu 7y ago
    No, I'm not blogging about it. I might write something up eventually. A Miata would likely have been an easier conversion, and it's probably what I should have done, though a convertible is kind of a tough sell when you live in Oregon and with RX-8s you can get a pretty recent car for not much money. (RX-8s with engine problems that no one wants to spend the money to fix are quite common.) One thing to be careful of is weight balance. I'm told that if you have too much weight in the back, it makes the car a lot less safe in corners because it's easier to recover from front-wheel slip, whereas if the rear wheels break loose first you'll probably spin out. So far, making battery boxes seems to be the biggest/most awkward task. I've never done welding before, and so I'm learning aluminum TIG welding. It took awhile to get the hang of it, but it's going alright now.

elihu 7y ago

I'd consider a range of about a hundred miles or so to be pretty good for a commuter car, and that should be a reasonably light battery (especially if the rest of the car is light). You'd need a large battery for road trips, and it seems reasonable that most people who would buy a Miata probably aren't using it for that.

snapetom 7y ago
I'm currently on my second one. The Miata is not a commuter car. It's is a weekend road trip car. It's easy to find one a few years old with low mileage. My first one was 5 years old with 27k. Miata culture is a thing. Being a convertible is one aspect of it, but other attractions are the handling and how common manuals are. In every area I've lived, there's at least one active Miata club where members take group road trips on weekends. These trips are typically 150-250 miles up and down hills and curves. A 100 mile range on a Miata definitely would not sell.