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"Vintage Voltage" on Discover÷. Company in Wales converts ICE cars to EVs.

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  • 22-09-2023 7:39am
    #1
    reboot
    Registered Users Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭


    Episode 1 Chap from N. I reland pays £30,000 to convert his Karmen Ghia to EV.

    Episode 2 Fiat 500.



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    #2
    zg3409
    Registered Users Posts: 6,568 ✭✭✭zg3409


    These are repeats. It's been on TV for years. You can play them back using an online player.


    https://www.vintagevoltage.tv/

    This is companies website

    https://www.electricclassiccars.co.uk/

    They sell DIY kits for some cars like beetle. There are more similar companies in UK. None in Ireland. Many owners are very very rich, some are using it to avoid London congestion charges by driving a cool EV. Prices around £40,000 excluding the car and the sky is the limit. As a DIY a beetle kit is relatively simple but expensive and very slow charging and limited range. They had a 3+ year waiting list.



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    #3
    reboot
    Registered Users Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭reboot


    It's interesting to see the build process and I found it informative re battery regeneration settings sending 170 Amps into the battery when you take your foot off. The battery also being capable of drawing 800 Amps!

    But maybe that elephant in the garage is still there,weight!



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    #4
    zg3409
    Registered Users Posts: 6,568 ✭✭✭zg3409


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121146592#Comment_121146592

    Most of these conversions use relatively small batteries and try keep the weight around previous factory values. The old petrol tank when full is fairly weighty and the old engine is heavy. They tend to try improve the weight distribution to 50% front, 50% rear which gives the car better handling. Main issue is early conversions had no CCS so max 22kW charging rate which is impractical for long trips, combined with a small battery and old style non aerodynamic body means real world range is tiny with public charging mid trip impractical. That said newer conversions have CCS, 100kW+ charging rates and bigger batteries. Also Tesla motors tend to give the cars far more power than they had from factory. I would definitely be in the market for one of these when prices come down in 10/15 years. A used already converted car for say 25,000 euro a beetle or mini would be a great local car.



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    #5
    reboot
    Registered Users Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭reboot


    The points you mention are well covered in the Land rover discovery (from Dublin), and quite interesting..

    The vehicle is weighed before and after process. The owner insisting on retaining 4wd,involving quite some mods to the Tesla motor and diffs.

    The owner of the Karman Ghia,being told the weight added after the mod,equivalent to an extra passenger.

    I would have liked more info on the installation of the EV side of the process, but perhaps a general audience is less interested. It's a bit plug in black boxes and connect the laptop.

    Some snippets get a mention, like the inverter,the motors being AC, the brake sensors sending a signal to the motor to regen, high voltage cableing, having to mount the 12v battery underneath a Fiat seemed a little silly.

    To digress slightly,I thought Lidl were selling a Granny cable next week for £120, but I see it's not a charger,just a m2 cable.Would have thought most EV owners would get one with the car? Thanks.

    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121147676#Comment_121147676




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