The Electric VX

[kelvin]

I actually think about this every couple weeks or so... but the conversion would be so drastic and expensive that it wouldn't even be a VX any more. Plus (as light as the VX is) you would have to trim the weight down a TON. And even then you're looking at standard electric car woes (limited drive time, etc). and you will loose all the cool TOD and 4x4 transmission in the process....

[Zorak]

If I was hell-bent on having an all-electric SUV, I would just snag one of the Toyota RAV4 EV's that show up occasionally on ebay. If I had the money, that is.

But I'm not and I don't

[tysamigo]

I emailed Valence Technology and this was our correspondence:

Hello Tyler,

Thanks for the message. Though we don't have an after-market conversion kit currently available for purchase, our sales managers would be happy to discuss your proposed project. If you would like to speak to a sales manager regarding your project, please provide your telephone number.

Thanks,

Topher H.

Valence Technology, Inc.
888-VALENCE
www.valence.com

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
tysamigo@aol.com
Hi,

I own a 2001 Isuzu VehiCross (SUV). I would love to convert it to electric. I've been reading up on what Phoenix Motors is doing along with your company and even Tesla. I have a feeling that the EV will be again be revived.

I would like to know if you offer an aftermarket kit for modifying vehicles
to electric?

I was the owner of Robo Direct for 7 years (the national service center for
servicing home robotics such as the robo vacs, robomower and robotic pool
cleaners) and recently sold the business for profit. I had an idea of a new
business venture in which converted cars to burn renewable energy.

Thanks for your help

Tyler Ramage

[Ldub]

That would be one solution to the intake gasket & oil consumption problems.

[Chopper]

Ummmmmm....no. Thank you, but just no. I'm trying to be kind(Where's a good Spazz when you need one??) No. Did I say no, No. You paid for it, chop it up how ever you like... or just buy a Prius, and pass the poor ol' VX on. It deserves better.

[TEN36VX]

I would consider it if you could keep the TOD or 4WD, and double the range... at least.

Electric cars need to figure out the battery technology AimPoint uses for their scopes.

[Joe_Black]

The thought is admirable, but the execution will be major. If you pay someone else to do it you've got deeper pockets than most ever will. Doing it yourself would be a major undertaking, but the options are "sky's the limit". Unfortunately the current state of battery technology will leave you with a heavy vehicle, thanks to the full frame chassis, that would be lucky to go much further than 40 miles of normal driving. You could retain TOD in the sense that you can ditch the entire driveline and an individual drive motor at each wheel, with traction control making sure the most power went to the ones with the most traction. Again, "sky's the limit" if you've got the corresponding budget.

Make magazine recently had a great article on folk doing garage conversions of older, economical vehicles to full electric. It's more of a primer but outlines a lot of common misconceptions and addresses pros and cons. Check it out here: http://www.make-digital.com/make-loo...avenue%22+make (make sure to click one page previous in the link as the article starts on page 61 and the link takes you to page 62)


About 14 years ago, when I used to drive my '88 Trooper all over the place for work, the sudden shift in my personal fuel useage went up as I transitioned from sports cars to the Trooper. Even at that time with relatively lower-priced fuel I was always aware of the curse from petroleum and longed for a return to the electric and bio-fueled vehicle technology of the early 1900's. My mind turned to a scaled down version of common railway propulsion: diesel-electric. The heavy-equipment genius LeTourneau used this same idea for most of his designs, essentially using a diesel engine or turbine to power a generator which in turn powered electric motors to provide propulsion or operate implements (he wasn't a big fan of hydraulics). With plentiful and inexpensive APU (auxiliary power unit) turbines, basically a jet engine not much larger than a bread box, the same idea could be applied to passenger vehicles. Turbines aren't particulary choosy about their fuel, as long as it's clean. Plus they burn their fuel very efficiently, leaving very little in the way of emissions.

Of course, ideas are cheap and implementation something altogether different.

In any case, just my $.02! Our IronMan is now being driven just in-town by my wife and we recently pruchased a new VW Jetta TDI for my daily travels and any long cruises we take. Best mileage so far has been 48MPG and diesel has lately been almost $.20 less than regular, plus the car is really nice to drive. And when we're done moving to the new digs we can finally get all the biodiesel stuff going which will lower our fuel costs even further, especially since we get a big property tax break for the crops grown to produce the fuel. By that time the VX diesel conversion will have taken place as well, leaving us with plenty of torque and horsepower and no battery-limited range concerns.