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Electric Sunbeam

Jay Laifman

Donation Time
Anyone doing it yet? Here is a great video of James May talking about a very fancy MGB that is electric. He makes some great great points. The part I think I like the best is when he said the MGB engine never did sound good to begin with. That's always been my thought and something I like about the Alpine!


And best off all, an electric Sunbeam will of course have a Sunbeam Appliances logo on it.
 

alpine_64

Donation Time
Maybe 10 tears ago now someone did a Sii alpine.. They had a website too... Would be in the old forum archives.

Tech is muuuuuch better now as would batteries be
 

Series6

Past President
Gold Level Sponsor
From another site.
 

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alpine_64

Donation Time
Thr most interesting conversion ive seen was a 356 porsche that they didnt bolt a tesla motor in and go for massive power and acceleration.. But used a smaller electic motor and battery... Jept it arpund 150hp and..... Kept it mated to original 4 speed manual box.. So that you get a more authentic ICE driving experience

 

Jay Laifman

Donation Time
That Chevy conversion was something. I've seen conversions for a long time. Years ago, I saw folks basically hooking up an electric motor, batteries, and a controller. But they certainly had limited range and usefulness. The latest cars actually work, but need so much cooling and technology to do that - like that Chevy.

I used to hate the concept of electric cars. However, I must say that I've driven a few and I'm definitely a fan of how cool they are and their amazing torque at all speeds. No comment about whether it's good to be using power plants or solar panels to recharge those batteries, or strip mining to make the batteries (though I do understand that the batteries themselves are almost 100% recyclable). My only point is that they are cooler to drive than I expected. Still like the revs of the gas engine and all the cool gauges that go with a gas engine, and shifting, etc.

I did think the guy's comments about shifting the 356 were odd. That he found it so cute to be able to shift. Well, he can still go out and drive a 356 (0r Alpine) and also shift where it matters. The electric motor is just going to eat up that transmission.
 

jdoclogan

Platinum Level Sponsor
In my 1965-66 high school days during physics class the concept of an electric vehicle was accelerated (get it?) by the torque comparison between an electric motor and a combustion engine. Only limitation seemed to be electrical storage. This stayed with me through the years until my 1993 post-doctorate work and subsequent professor position at a local University 35 miles from my home. With a strong car restoration and electrical background diving head first into converting a combustion vehicle to an electric vehicle was doable. It didn't take multiple degrees to recognize the value added to my life while driving to and from work. I purchased an inherited (from the owner's son) 1986 Ranger pickup that was said to be non-running. I brought it home and began the design process. Associating with other electric vehicle enthusiasts and researching all the current publications on electric vehicle conversions brought my vision to an end. It became clear that the lead acid battery was still the stumbling block (weight vs electric storage capacity). Generally the range, at that time, was around 70 miles. I was at the limit for my round trip to the University. I decided I needed a more staunch mode of transport. Good news my 16 year old son needed a vehicle. I put forth my mechanical abilities and reassessed the Ranger pickup's non-running condition. Found a vacuum hose had came loose. I simple reattached the vacuum hose and my son had a perfectly good running vehicle that lasted 50,000+ miles.

Current battery technology has been topped by the Chinese BYYD battery maker since 1995. They currently produce a blade lithium battery that is the safest in the World. You can drive nails through it without shorting out the circuits and causing a heat enhanced fire. BYYD, like many other lithium battery manufactures, view the solid (no liquid composition) state lithium battery to be the best design. It has greater electrical storage density (20- 30 percent) over the current designs. This will most likely not be available for another decade. I haven't had the pleasure to drive a full electric vehicle yet. Here is a thought. I have an excellent Series IV body that is completely stripped down ready for an electric conversion. Mmm maybe the light (get it?) is still on for the electric car vision. First, I need to work on the newly acquired HLM, the Lyrad project, and most of all the #41 Sebring race car. Sheesh I'm running out of time. Is anyone else feeling the time crunch?
 

Jay Laifman

Donation Time
I hear you. And COVID didn't help in the backlog of getting the cars all running again. Doing a race car to get it really race ready makes it an order of 10x! We actually considered that Sebring race car - but ended up with an Elva MkVI instead. We now have EVERYTHING fixed, rebuilt, remade, etc., except the body - which has ground everything to a halt. And we can't even put anything on the tube frame until the body is ready. So everything sits in boxes in the garage.

Funny your comments about batteries. My dad was a true rocket scientist. He said years ago that the electric motor has it all over the gas engine, and the only issue is the battery - but that it's been that way since the 1800s. He showed me the advance curve of improvements to batteries over the years - and it's almost horizontal flat. He suggested against investing in any companies related to electric cars until the curve moves up. I don't know what that curve looks like. But I do know what Tesla stock looks like.

Meanwhile, we rented a Tesla for a long trip. I have to say the charging was great, especially how seamless the Tesla software made it work. Telling us where to get a 10 minute bump in power, and where to stop for lunch and a longer charge. Yes, the overall trip was longer than it would have been with gas. But not terribly so. And I was getting such a kick out of that torque. We're still not buying one. But I now realize they not remotely the big golf carts that I thought they were.

I remember the day Tesla announced the Roadster with 0-60 in 1.8 seconds. The next day I saw an ad for an Aston Martin which said "Impressive 0-60 in 4 sec" (or some time like that). It was a big shift of reality right then and there. No, 4 sec is not impressive - and it should no longer be used in marketing. Yes, there are other reasons to buy an AM. But not 0-60. Ha.

Interestingly, making an electric truck solves the light rear end issue for trucks!
 
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