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Is the VW Evan any good? Anybody looked at the Canoo? That thing checks all the boxes except availability. Crew cab AWD flat bed with flip up sides is my choice. But availability and service? I wish Tesla would buy that company and hit the accelerator. (Oops almost said gas!) We gotta stop burning stuff!
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I've been wondering about converting the Eurovan to electric and if anyone has tried that. I've seen some conversions of older VW campers but not the T4
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While not quite total electric, I have a fantasy of converting a T4 to a hybrid marrying my 2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid chassis with my 2003 EVC. Imagine a hybrid all wheel 4-wheel drive with air suspension base with a T4 body! ?While the wheel base is not totally lined up, etc., it would be totally cool if possible. I suppose anything is with enough money. For me hybrid ICE would check all the boxes. In the meantime, driving each works out okay.?
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I love this idea and concept, but sadly, I think it will mostly reside in the fantasy/dream world….
To take two “species” with very little shared DNA in common (think cheetah and house cat :) and successfully mate them is almost as difficult as it is to re-create a new species altogether from scratch. Especially one of which is at the end of its lifetime in terms of dealer support w more and more parts becoming NLA, etc.
?I’m a total electric car convert and a very happy Tesla Y owner/driver (my one gripe is w the CEO who I think should be strapped to the nose cone of a space X rocket and launched into outer orbit ;). I wish my van had that sort of power plant, low center of gravity and torque!
I say this as someone who has converted their van quite extensively from what it came off the boat as (2000 EVW 2.6l VR6 2wd auto). ?The big difference in doing any kind of engine/drivetrain conversion with donor parts that share DNA is several orders of magnitude easier—on a different planet really yet it’s still no small task both in terms of time (years), money (tens of thousands of dollars) and mechanical reserves to pull it off. It’s a stretch, but this is still within reach here on Earth 1.
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Justin
2000 EVW 1.9TDI Syncro 5-spd
501k mi :-)
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I'm also an EV "nut". I've been building and driving EVs since the 1970's (when I had to build them myself). My website is if you want to see examples of my work.
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Basic EV conversions are fairly straightforward. I've built and assisted in quite a few. One was a Chevy G20 full-size van. For economy, we used lead-acid golf cart batteries, a big 9" Advanced DC series motor, and Zilla motor controller. The batteries all fit underneath the floor (with trapdoors added to access them for servicing). Since this was a rear wheel drive van, it was easy to simply remove the engine and transmission, and couple the DC motor directly to the drive shaft. Range was only about 50-60 miles (due to the lead-acid batteries), but performance as good or better than stock.
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Modern EVs provide an excellent source of high-tech parts; better AC motors, controllers, and *much* better lithium batteries. These part are relatively easy to get from wrecked vehicles. The big drawback is that the auto companies seem to go out of their way to make them difficult to re-purpose. Motor mounting and shaft sizes will require expert machining to adapt. All the components are computer-controlled, and are difficult to "hack" so they will still work outside the original vehicle. Common EVs (like Tesla and Nissan Leaf) have already been "hacked"; there are skilled expert that have already figured out how to make their motors, controllers, and batteries work. But unless you're an expert yourself, expect to *pay* for their expertise.
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I'd *love* to have an EV version of the Eurovan! No more transmission or engine troubles! But my experience says the most practical approach would be to replace the entire drive train with one from a salvage EV, like the front wheel drive package from a Tesla. There are companies doing this for other vans; so it can be done. The cost will be the killer.
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Lee Hart
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Excellence does not require perfection. -- Henry James
But it *does* require attention to detail! -- Lee Hart
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Lee A. Hart
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That’s good to know thanks Lee I’m happy to hear that. I’d be curious what the cost estimate would be and what the estimated range would be. My Model Y long range dual motor (AWD) when brand new had about a 320mile range. Last I checked around here in Oregon a wrecked Tesla w/viable drivetrain/battery system with X unk miles was going for around $20k.
Starting there before any custom work is done for electric motor mounting to Eurovan chassis, drive axle configuring, battery mounting/installation (the tesla battery is one big continuous unit that occupies the entire space beneath the floor of the Tesla wheel to wheel L-R and fore and back), and teasing/massaging/hacking the battery / motor / control screen ECM communication, etc. I’m curious what such a project would realistically cost? and what the realistic range and final weight would be? Cost wise—unless totally a DIY job—I suspect it would be closing in on what you could buy a new Tesla model Y long range dual motor for, a bit North of $50k and that’s a brand new 0mile car with a 50k mile warranty….. And 6-months free supercharging :-)
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Justin
2000 EVW 1.9TDI Syncro 5-spd
501k mi :-)
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I think VW really missed a big opportunity by not making the new ID-Buzz a Hybrid with an all wheel drive camper variant.? Toyota Hybrids have been used for off-grid camping for years, as they run the climate control system off the Hybrid battery, with the gas engine kicking in only occasionally to recharge the hybrid battery.? Imagine camping in the desert or on a mountain top at a ski resort, and have your mobile home maintain perfect interior temps off the Hybrid battery.? Again,.....something all Toyota Hybrids (and possibly other brands) have done since they were first introduced.? ?This is why even Prius are frequently used for light overlanding with lift kits, all terrain tires, even winches.? It's referred to as "Hotel Prius".
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I think VW really missed a big opportunity by not making the new ID-Buzz a Hybrid with an all wheel drive camper variant.? I mean .... they have the T7 california in hybrid AWD and it even has two sliding doors? pod
Le mar. 9 juill. 2024, à 10 h 51, bcolins via <briancollins.tx= [email protected]> a écrit?: I think VW really missed a big opportunity by not making the new ID-Buzz a Hybrid with an all wheel drive camper variant.? Toyota Hybrids have been used for off-grid camping for years, as they run the climate control system off the Hybrid battery, with the gas engine kicking in only occasionally to recharge the hybrid battery.? Imagine camping in the desert or on a mountain top at a ski resort, and have your mobile home maintain perfect interior temps off the Hybrid battery.? Again,.....something all Toyota Hybrids (and possibly other brands) have done since they were first introduced.? ?This is why even Prius are frequently used for light overlanding with lift kits, all terrain tires, even winches.? It's referred to as "Hotel Prius".
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You know the T7 is a Ford Transit right???The T6 was the last real VW transporter.??T7 is a ford with a VW front end bolted on.
On 10 Jul 2024 at 3:45 AM +0200, Pierre-Olivier Dybman <po.dybman@...>, wrote:
I think VW really missed a big opportunity by not making the new ID-Buzz a Hybrid with an all wheel drive camper variant.?
I mean .... they have the T7 california in hybrid AWD and it even has two sliding doors?
pod
Le mar. 9 juill. 2024, à 10 h 51, bcolins via <briancollins.tx= [email protected]> a écrit?: I think VW really missed a big opportunity by not making the new ID-Buzz a Hybrid with an all wheel drive camper variant.? Toyota Hybrids have been used for off-grid camping for years, as they run the climate control system off the Hybrid battery, with the gas engine kicking in only occasionally to recharge the hybrid battery.? Imagine camping in the desert or on a mountain top at a ski resort, and have your mobile home maintain perfect interior temps off the Hybrid battery.? Again,.....something all Toyota Hybrids (and possibly other brands) have done since they were first introduced.? ?This is why even Prius are frequently used for light overlanding with lift kits, all terrain tires, even winches.? It's referred to as "Hotel Prius".
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They were developed?as one platform by the two companies, yes. Unsure if it means the T7 is a Transit more than the Transit is a T7 but I guess it doesn't really matter.? I assumed in a discussion about swapping the engine for an electric one, what we cared about was more the form factor of the vehicle than its propulsion?means and the T7 def. is a VW Transporter when it comes to the form factor.
You know the T7 is a Ford Transit right???The T6 was the last real VW transporter.??T7 is a ford with a VW front end bolted on.
On 10 Jul 2024 at 3:45 AM +0200, Pierre-Olivier Dybman < po.dybman@...>, wrote:
I think VW really missed a big opportunity by not making the new ID-Buzz a Hybrid with an all wheel drive camper variant.?
I mean .... they have the T7 california in hybrid AWD and it even has two sliding doors?
pod
Le mar. 9 juill. 2024, à 10 h 51, bcolins via <briancollins.tx= [email protected]> a écrit?: I think VW really missed a big opportunity by not making the new ID-Buzz a Hybrid with an all wheel drive camper variant.? Toyota Hybrids have been used for off-grid camping for years, as they run the climate control system off the Hybrid battery, with the gas engine kicking in only occasionally to recharge the hybrid battery.? Imagine camping in the desert or on a mountain top at a ski resort, and have your mobile home maintain perfect interior temps off the Hybrid battery.? Again,.....something all Toyota Hybrids (and possibly other brands) have done since they were first introduced.? ?This is why even Prius are frequently used for light overlanding with lift kits, all terrain tires, even winches.? It's referred to as "Hotel Prius".
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As someone who has been building and driving electric vehicles since the 1970s, Before the current century, almost all of them were conversions of ICE vehicles, so I have a fair amount of experience in EV conversions.
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I love the idea of an electric Eurovan (an EV-EV if you will). My 2003 Eurovan was both the best, and the worst van I've ever owned. Best, because of the versatility and huge interior. Worst, because of the constant engine and transmission problems. Converting it into an EV could be the best of both worlds.
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If I were converting an EV today, I would use one of the current automaker electric vehicles as a donor vehicle. This is being done commercially by a number of companies. Here is one example:
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I believe they are converting Dodge Promaster vans using Teslas as their donor vehicle.
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Lee Hart
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Excellence does not require perfection. -- Henry James
But it *does* require attention to detail! -- Lee Hart
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Lee A. Hart
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Well,....I'm glad you "Mean" that.? (Yeah, sorry,......had to poke you on that,.....) Although, I'm glad to see they are building a PHEV camper,......I find the fact that they continue to NOT bring their "T" van line to the US,....is now even MORE annoying.? ?They would have the only camper van capable of off extended off grid camping with climate control operating off the hybrid system not to mention that the shorter wheelbase makes it more desirable to many,....while also seating and sleeping 4 adults.? ?Yet another VW missed opportunity.
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Tom Kennedy
Bob H
Justin Soares
Lee Hart
bcolins