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I'd be happy to retrofit my good-condition Yaris to be a BEV with ~80km range (similar to first gen leaf). Is there actually a practical way to do this?
by SECProto 5y ago
I'd be happy to retrofit my good-condition Yaris to be a BEV with ~80km range (similar to first gen leaf). Is there actually a practical way to do this?
- elihu 5y agoPractical? Not really: EV conversions usually don't make economic sense, due to the amount of labor and custom engineering involved. It could probably be done though if you really wanted to do it and have the time and money. The simplest thing on a front-wheel drive car is probably to tear out the engine and replace it with a motor, keeping the transmission. If you have a manual transmission, it would make that part easier. Finding room for batteries can be tricky, but if you're only looking for 80km of range that simplifies things considerably. You might be able to put a battery box where the gas tank was, and maybe some more batteries in the engine compartment if there's room. Putting batteries in the trunk might be okay too. Things you'll probably need: a motor, a motor controller, a motor-transmission adapter plate of some kind, a coupler to attach the motor to the flywheel or transmission shaft, motor mounts, battery boxes, batteries, charger, battery management system, j1772 charge port (if in the U.S.), battery boxes, cabling, some assortment of contactors, fuses, and manual shut-off switches, a vacuum pump for the brakes, and so on. In modern cars you might also need to figure out how to work around the car's electronics so that all the major systems function as expected.