Christopher Witmer wrote: > > I live in Japan and would love to be able to convert my 9-person Nissan > diesel van to electric; in a few more years it will no longer be legal > for me to own a diesel vehicle in Tokyo anyway. If the vehicle had a > range of 60 miles between recharges it would be adequate. Still, nine > people (my whole family) is a lot to haul around . . . is the DIY > technology up to snuff yet for this kind of a conversion, or is it still > pushing the envelope too much for a novice to consider? > > Christopher Witmer
I think degree of difficulty of a car, truck or van conversion will be about the same. A van will require heavier components and batteries, but all the steps involved will be the same as for lighter cars (3 wheelers and below aside). Conversions of minivans are exist and production vehicle exist as well. Buses also being made (in case you have _very_ large family...:-) Just do the home work, crunch the numbers and see if a vehicle and drive system/battery will provide expected performance. Look here and you'll find a few large vehicles. http://ev.inel.gov/fop/ And, for fun, one more: http://www.mercedes-benz.com/e/ecars/transporter/sprinter/alternative/elektro_umwelt.htm So if you feel you have enough guts to do a smaller car conversion, you can do a larger one as well. Kinda like if you master to groom a small dog, a large one will not be a problem as well... Victor
