Electric Truck Conversion Update
My electric truck conversion
Wish I had good news about the electric truck conversion project. But the truth is that the Toyota pickup truck fell through, because the owner of the vehicle could not come up with the title. Thank God I did not start pulling it apart before I had the title in hand. I was very tempted to jump in because of my excitement for the electric vehicle conversion task.
As I stated in my last post I purchased a how to conversion guide. I e-mailed Les, who put the manual together to ask him for some advice about the vehicle selection process. The vehicle you start with is the most important decision you will make. After talking with Les he recommended that I find an S10 pickup truck with a 2.5 L engine and a manual transmission.
When I started to do some research on converting this vehicle I found a lot of support and information available. In fact, they make high line electric conversion kits for this vehicle that contain everything you need including a 9 inch motor capable of 70 mph and all the parts and brackets pre-made. There is no question that these complete kits would be the way to go, but they are expensive.
As a side note, Les provided me with a sample of his conversion guide to give to visitors. Here is a link to my You fix cars website were you can grab it. This free electric vehicle conversion guide is only 12 pages. I am also going to post the video that has been my inspiration to continue with this electric truck conversion project right here. This is an amazing must see video.
Electric vehicle conversions video
There is no question that this project is not for the faint of heart or someone that has no experience at all working on vehicles. The task is still within reach of people that do their own oil changes or change their own car batteries. The bulk of the work is the removal of the parts that you will not be using after the conversion from the donor vehicle. This is considered the demolition process and does not take a lot of skill, but is heavy work.
In this video to follow, you will meet a guy who has been doing these electric vehicle conversions for more than a decade. Since he does this for a living his shop is extremely well equipped. But take a look at the video to see some of his completed projects and also a look at why he has chosen to do this full time.
Electric vehicle conversion
You can see from the video that there is a lot of work involved. But you can also see that the finished product is well worth the time and effort. A converted electric vehicle can provide a lot of fun as well as a lot of financial gains as well. 70 MPH and a round trip range of 40 to 50 miles will be sufficient for most motorists.
Remember that you will want to keep your newly converted electric vehicle for many years to come. This is why you must take your time in the original vehicle selection process. I am now hunting for a 1985 through 1995 S10 pick-up with a 2.5 L four-cylinder engine and a manual transmission.
I would like to find one with a blown engine and a perfect body. I have seen plenty of these vehicles on eBay, but since the engines are still running, the prices are a little high. If you know, where there is such a vehicle with a blown engine and in excellent condition. Please leave a comment for me below. Also if you have converted any vehicle to a fully electric one please leave a comment with your overall view of the experience.