Hybrid conversion

Philip Edginton · Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 10:25 pm Post subject: Hybrid conversion

Having watched a couple of interesting programs on converting classic cars over to electric power driven, I wondered what other members thought or have found information about.
I also watched a Maserati biturbo have a conversion and was rather impressed.I was thinking of the SZ Bentley turbo models, or a Brooklands.
I know it is not the route the purists would travel, but it is a topic that I thought might be interesting to some members.

John Murch · Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:01 am Post subject:

Why not!
Although I suspect that the costs could be prohibitive, I have an electric boat, it’s only 2.4kw and one would need much, much more power for a car. But when I looked into swapping the lead acid batteries for Lithium ones (225amp hrs @ 24v) the costs were circa £15k, so for a car.........
How do the big manufacturers do it for the price!

Stephen Blakey · Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 7:03 pm Post subject:

There's a huge amount on the internet about EV conversions, though it does look a bit like Blighty is lagging behind somewhat. Maybe we don't have such a ready supply of crashed Priuss (sp? Prii?) and Teslas to plunder. Canadian Electric Vehicles claim to have been doing conversions for 20 years;

https://canev.com/customer-conversions/

There's a few conversions on this next link which continue the superlative overload which seems to be the current "thing" in the Review.

https://dgit.com/10-awesome-ev-classic-car-conversions-8592/

Having 1000 horsepower for a few seconds would be a fun party trick (and I should really calculate how long it would take to replenish the battery from an ordinary domestic supply. A while, I suspect).

I reckon we will soon be at the point where a Derby owner facing an engine and gearbox rebuild will find it cheaper to go electric.

Stephen Blakey · Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 7:28 pm Post subject:

Well 1000 horsepower is about 750KW.

Your cooker supply is 30A which is 6.9KW so if you put your lunch on hold and connect the car to the cooker feed, it will be expending energy, during its party trick, at 109 times the speed you can put it back.

As the party trick will only last a couple of seconds until you either double the speed limit or the half-shafts go ping, that equates to less than four minutes of charging before you can do it again (plus a bit for losses). Who'd have thought?

Did I miss something?

Robert Craven · Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 10:55 am Post subject:

Slightly off topic sorry, but I read an article yesterday suggesting manufacturers should start using standard size removable batteries (which could perhaps still be of various capacities). You could then call at a garage/depot to swap your almost discharged battery for a fully charged one within minutes, rather than waiting ages to charge up.
Whether that's a praticable proposition I don't know.

PS, I'm still finding this forum a pain to log onto. Using Firefox I click to go to the site. On my medium size screen the box for the password etc is then out of sight beyond the bottom of the page so I have to scroll down to it. Firefox memorises passwords but I still have to choose the appropriate user name, then click to log on and then click to view recent posts. The old forum was easier and quicker. Am I missing some simpler logging on procedure?

Robert Craven · Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 10:57 am Post subject:

As usual when I posted my last message the system told me it hadn't worked, when in fact it had.

Mark Taxis · Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 6:23 am Post subject:

To avoid having to log in everytime, go to the forum and login, now save this page to your bookmarks in future click on this and you will be straight in.
_________________
Mark Taxis
Sunshine Coast
Queensland 4560

Stephen Blakey · Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2019 10:30 am Post subject:

John Murch · Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2019 2:31 pm Post subject:

That is interesting. 4 off lead acid deep cycle 225amp hr 6v batteries cost circa £600 - £700 (I actually have two banks of them).
One suspects that the sort of Li batteries used in fork lift trucks and my boat are way over priced!
I doubt that I shall go that route as I would also need to change the battery chargers.

John Robins · Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:34 pm Post subject:

Sorry to come in late on this discussion, but I have recently been having a very preliminary skirmish concerning creating an electric R-Type.

Not being a press-on type these days I suggested that 120 hp might suffice, and could the firm I contacted give me a very ball park number for design and supply of the bits necessary to mount a power unit and batteries in the car.

They said start thinking about £50k, but that they had no experience of this type of car, but believed it to be a feasible proposition. My response was to thank them for their consideration of my enquiry, but that I could not really envisage any way that adding that figure to the amount that is already necessary to sink into my rather dog-eared R-Type could ever make economic sense. It seems that they use Tesla battery packs, don’t know how their purchase of such units could be arranged but I bet the contract looks fun.

Out of courtesy to them, I won’t say who or where, but they did treat my enquiry with respect.

I hope that you all find this of passing interest, at least.

Cheers, John

Robert Craven · Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 12:17 pm Post subject:

John,
On my own posts the quote, edit and delete buttons are in the top right corner and I find it easy to miss them or think they are part of the previous post and not mine.

I'm editing this post to say that as usual the system said it had generated an error when it hadn't. It's time they put this regular fault right.

John Robins · Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 7:37 pm Post subject:

Thank you, Robert. That’s how I got hornswoggled into the above posts.

However, while I may have “quote” and “edit” buttons, there is no “delete” option.

All the best
John

Paul Spencer · Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 1:22 pm Post subject:

Delete is the circle with a line through it next to edit.

John Robins · Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:11 pm Post subject:

John Murch · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 4:49 pm Post subject:

I have no delete button on any of my posts.

John Robins · Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 6:45 am Post subject:

Thanks Paul, now I look 2/3 less of a twit.

Still no delete option though.

My new standard operating procedure for posting is compose, check, hit the submit button, wait for the error message, ignore it and log out.

When I log back in a few seconds later, the new post is there, notwithstanding any spurious error messages from on high,

Cheers
John

Philip Edginton · Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 11:56 am Post subject:

I read that Jaguar have decided to go the electric way for sure now, plus have a section for producing batteries. this will keep the work force of over 2000.Plus competition for BMW and Mercedes etc.

Will we ever see WO or RR going that way for bespoke
E Vehicles.

AnthonyEssington8982 · Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 10:14 am Post subject: EV Bentley Special

as some of you who already know what we do here at barnfindspecalist.co.uk will have seen that we are building a MK6 special we have worked out that the EV part of the build will cost us around 30k.

John Murch · Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 7:25 am Post subject:

Anthony, what a wonderful story on your web site, you are obviously hugely talented!

AnthonyEssington8982 · Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2019 10:39 pm Post subject: Website

John thank you very much, I hope you enjoyed the read.
Anthony

Stephen Blakey · Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2020 9:31 pm Post subject:

Philip Edginton · Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 1:05 am Post subject:

Having just watched a program about the new all electric London Taxi.Yes I do realise there is a small petrol engine, which is there to charge the batteries only, similar to a genny
I do wonder why more of our car makers do not follow more along those lines. Now surely is the time for say Ford GB to make the change over, say half of it's production.
If it could be done within a reasonable cost I would be tempted to convert one of the SZ models.

John Murch · Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 5:32 am Post subject:

Many London buses are hybrid too, the difference in noise and pollution between one of these hybrid buses and the old ones is dramatic. Its not that they have much range in electric only, but the start from stationary is nearly silent, the diesel cuts in soon after but in a manner that seems not to cause noise and smoke. Also their diesel normally is not running while the bus is stationary. If you live in the city centre it is a great improvement.

Philip Edginton · Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 10:55 pm Post subject:

That is interesting John, I remember Electricity board down here in the south had electric vans and lorries way back in the 80's, However those London buses were really smokey and noisy, not sure if it was poor maintenance or cheap fuel that contributed to the fumes.
I think I would quite enjoy a quiet but powerful Bentley silently cruising around town.
I see that the Taxi relies only on electric completely to drive.

Philip Edginton · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2020 6:37 pm Post subject: electrification

So Bentley are actually taking the plunge, hurrah, a Hybrid but only a plug in.( is the humble black cab the only vehicle to be powered by electric only).Will it be on the streets in time for the new year I ask.
When will we be given some info on this exciting news.
Page 39 of the August Review.

I should point out that the taxi has a 1.3 petrol engine that is basically just a generator. only electric drives the vehicle, could Bentley improve on this idea.