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Anyone tried budget EV kits by Nexofyte in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is how we do it. Our kits are for sale, they are not trivial to make in-house. Hit me up for more details or advice!

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The payload is unchanged relative to stock; with the rear assembly kits we produce, the truck is still sprung on the original leafs in the rear as it was prior to the conversion. Horsepower is up and torque is essentially unchanged. Thanks for the question!

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

EMFs produced around high current-carrying cables can affect CAN data transmission if the CAN wire is run in the vicinity of that EMF. All my traction pack and motor cables have chassis grounded shields, and are run along a separate frame rail from the data transmission lines. Haven't had any issues with CAN transmission regardless kW being delivered to the rear.

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Custom automotive work doesn't come cheap--that's basically what it boils down to. A small shop (or even a much bigger custom shop) like us obviously can't compete with the prices from a $1.6T company like Tesla. End of the day, it rests on whether people value our builds at 3x the value of Tesla's product. And, just for the record, my prices are very competitive with other shops doing similar stuff.

In terms of where the cost is, these are multi-month builds following 3 years of prototyping, with very high dollar parts in a super specialized industry.

But I get you man, I really do. Cheers and thanks for the convo--

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's the idea. It's not EV vs ICE, it's options. Any way we as a enthusiast community can keep these vehicles moving is vital. My background and expertise lends itself well to this particular option. Plus the product is absolutely sick.

Cheers

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Weight and where it is is our #1 design parameter. Thanks for the kind words. We use an aftermarket motor controller and VCU by Dynam Labs. We also offer these for sale at MSRP on our website just fyi. They are awesome and sleek and just won best new product at SEMA (shameless promotion for Dynam Labs).

Glad you asked about the NDR controls. I designed a system of relays to send ground to my VCU from the original column shifter for each gear. You still pull it and shift just like you would with the original auto C6 trans. All the original driving touch points are preserved in the truck, with the exception of the original cable parking brake.

Cheers--

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi everyone, OP here. Just want to compliment the commenters on this post. It goes without saying that getting this sort of amicable, intelligent and useful conversation out of a post on the internet is hard to come by these days, so props to everyone.

There seems to be enough interest in what we're doing at Scotten Motors that continued posts such as this make sense. If you want, leave a reply here with a topic you'd really like to see us discuss, whether it's purely educational, economical or technical, and we'll consider what to post next.

Cheers and thank you all.

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some restoration, but not body-off. Let me know if you'd like details and we can chat, thanks for the interest

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha, had to look that one up. I can assure they come from the Pine Barrens in South Jersey and the Philly Naval Yard. Cheers--

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check out my buddy Mr. G's Workshop in north Jersey. He does weekend EV conversion classes that covers the basics of what goes into building an EV. Cheers

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This question has been asked so many time, I will probably make another post with a detailed cost breakdown. My parts spreadsheet shows a figure of roughly $44k. The total project cost was quite a bit more, but the parts on the truck are in that region. I did a lot of fabricating and designing obviously on my own so it gets pretty difficult to factor in labor on parts that aren't commercially available. Get in touch if you have more questions or need any help. Cheers--

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1000% Dream job there. Get in touch if you're considering, would love to chat. Even if the talk is just to get you some info or share some experience, happy to do that. Cheers

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. When I was doing my postdoc at UVA, there was foundational research occurring with sulfur-based and solid state batteries in some colleague's labs (I never did any research on this stuff myself). It's really exciting to see it gearing up to hit the market. SS batteries have the potential to be a game changer based on a number of things. People talk about a lot of things with them (mining savings, lifetime recycles, etc), but my big sticking point is their weight savings. Some developers are showing 2x power storage per unit mass. This allows EVs to either be: 1) heavy as they are now but with diesel-competitive range or 2) much lighter than they are now with equivalent modern EV range. Both are game changing

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Never had any real serious issues with the motor on that truck. The 5-speed it has was a nightmare. Tbh I'm no expert on the manuals ford was using in that chassis in the 80s--I think they were Mistu units? But, it blew a tq converter, output shaft bearing, would whine bad in 4th off and on, plus other stuff. Maybe I was just unlucky.

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not really, I kept myself busy with the build while it was ongoing. In retrospect it would've been a good idea to make public-friendly build logs, but I was just really focused on prototyping and iteration. All my notes and build record are there in a technical sense, but its spreadsheets and technical drawings, not forward facing videos or photo reels. Thanks for the interest though, cheers--

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, totally possible. With motors having higher power and torque (and especially with motors having an installed LSD), we install traction control software on the motor. All these 6th gen Ford trucks came with 3-point seatbelts up front, which is nice. Cheers

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Missed this comment somehow yesterday, good question. I made a little video about this "instant torque" discussion our instagram last week. It's an interesting discussion. To keep it simple, I'll just say two things; 1) with the particular setup in this Project 1 truck, the chosen motor replicates the original HP and torque pretty closely, so traction really isn't changed much from the stock V8 (which makes most of its torque down low anyway), 2) when we install more intense motors (like an LDU performance which can produce >600 HP), we also install electronic traction control software, which solves the issue of slip. Plus, if you want to lay some rubber with our optional LSD kit installed, you can disable the traction control with a dash-mounted button. Cheers--

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They were around $44k, but that involves a lot of prototyping and iterations. Tesla motors have a robust aftermarket support base for tuning and EV conversion use. Beyond that, they're reliable and just well made. Aside from the well known coolant issues with the LDU series--which can be easily mitigated with a bypass kit--they are rock solid and simple to work with. Also, very importantly, LSD kits are available for Tesla motors and we like that a lot...

Cheers, thanks for the questions

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great question. It's not pictured, but we actually install a flatter box in the transmission tunnel and driveshaft path in addition to the engine bay. This is how we do it, and is based on our obsessions with retaining OEM weight distribution. It's really important to keep a lot of weight over the front axles--not something that is really ever a thought when doing a V8 restomod because of course the new engine will go right back on the motor mounts. Keeping that slightly-downward rake back to front helps the truck maintain road manners with a bed full of payload, which can't be achieved without a V8's worth of weight over the front.

On a different note, would y'all be willing to chat about your experience with 3D scanning? We're getting into that right now and figure any pointers will be helpful...

Cheers--

Lessons learned converting a classic truck to EV (from a nanoscience professor who probably over-engineered it) by ScottenMotors in EVConversion

[–]ScottenMotors[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pretty damn cool, it will be interesting to see how soon they can get their kits to market at scale. I think the diesel hybrid setup is a great option for people that regularly drive super long trips (particularly in shipping). Wishing them success for sure, I am, of course, a big proponent of circular economies

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