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97 Ranger EV conversion




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Lithium batteries are way out of our buget so they will be lead acid, deep cycle batteries. If the truck performs to expectations, we will re-evaluate the battery situation when the first set are worn out. Perhaps lithium will be cheaper then.

Our battery search came down to two manufacturers: Trojan and US Battery
We chose US Battery, for price reasons.
 












Trojan and US Battery
We chose US Battery, for price reasons.

I'm curious how the US Batteries perform, I use Trojans often and have had excellent results with them in high-current draw followed by rapid recharge situations on-board large vessels. They can really take a lot of abuse and still hold up.
 


















Hello again,

We ordered the batteries over a month ago. It took a long time to get them because I insisted on them being fresh and all being produced in the same factory run (same date code).

In the mean time, we worked on improving the looks of the truck.

We re-covered the seat:

Ranger09.jpg


The interior looks much better:

Ranger10.jpg


We fixed all the little "dings" in the body:

Ranger14.jpg


And painted it:

Ranger15.jpg


Painting made a big improvement in the looks of the truck:

Ranger16.jpg


Then the batteries arrived:

Ranger17.jpg


This is a closer look at the battery box:

Ranger18.jpg


Now I have to build the battery box to hold the four batteries that go up front to replace some of the weight lost when we removed the gas engine. Then a lot of heavy wiring with 2/0 welding cable.

We hope to be done by early April (when the snow is gone).
 












Looks great Jim, thanks for sharing all those pictures of the project.

Lithium batteries are way out of our buget so they will be lead acid, deep cycle batteries. If the truck performs to expectations, we will re-evaluate the battery situation when the first set are worn out. Perhaps lithium will be cheaper then.

Our battery search came down to two manufacturers: Trojan and US Battery
We chose US Battery, for price reasons.

I was wondering about the batteries, since they seem to need the most planning, because you don't want to lose money by having to replace a battery that is one to several thousand dollars.

Are you going to cover the batteries somehow? It's great to actually see them in the truck bed, makes the whole idea seem more doable. Another thing I've heard of with pick up trucks is having solar panels in the bed. Did you give that any thought? It might be something you could add onto later if you are interested.
 












I was also kinda curios, what kind of HP and torque is that electric motor suppose to produce? And also something else I was wondering about, since its a manual would it be bad to down shift and use the motors RPMs to slow the vehicle down like in a down hill slant since its an electric motor? I dont know much about these kind of applications but find it very interesting :D
 






I was wondering if you had anything to add to what was posted since this thread was last left off. How many miles did you put on since the conversion? How many miles do you get per charge? Do you notice a difference in mileage when it's cold compared to when it's warm outside? Are you planning on adding anything to it?
 






Hello again,

Well, we are done. It has been a long trip but it was worth it and we had fun.

Here are the results.
Max range 30 miles
Max speed on level 55 mph
Weight 3800 lbs

Here are the pictures

RangerDone4.jpg


RangerDone5.jpg


RangerDone2.jpg


RangerDone3.jpg


RangerDone1.jpg


RangerDone6.jpg



Here is a link to a newspaper article. They got it mostly right.
http://www.meadvilletribune.com/local/local_story_110235157.html

Jim
 






...Thank you for the Update...:biggthump

...Are there any more plans in the future for this truck???
 












We have a little more than 700 miles on the conversion. We have had zero trouble. I almost hate to mess with it since it is working so well.

We have talked of different batteries. The lead-acid pack weighs 1500 pounds. A similar lithium pack would weigh less than 500 pounds. The reduced weight would increase the performance substancially. The cost is the problem.

We have also talked of regenerative braking. That would increase range somewhere between 10 and 20 percent, but things become more complex with regen. We may try it anyway.

Jim
 












No plans for another EV, but my younger grandson and I have discussed an electric "GoKart".
 






Nice work!

I just came across this on the internet:


It is a fully electric 2nd gen EXPLORER! The converter kept the automatic transmission and the 4wd capability! I still think that the ranger is a wise choice just for personal transportation, since it is much much light than the explorer.

I would like to do this one day.
 



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