Electric Vehicle conversion for a T1N

ECU

2006 T1n 118 Sprinter
I've been thinking. A 160 hp electric EV motor can be had for $2800. Batteries, 280 ah Lithiumion x70 at $6000.
When you look at a replacement sprinter engine at $12,000, maybe one should consider the option of electric conversion. If you looked at the fact you could sell a running sprinter engine with ecu for about $5000, it could be a profitable swap.

Siemens Azure AC Induction 3 Phase Motor 1PV5135 4WS14, EV West - Electric Vehicle Parts, Components, EVSE Charging Stations, Electric Car Conversion Kits



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Keep a two gallon fuel tank to supply the Espar.
Could you hook a motor direct to the driveshaft? Or do you need a transmission?
 

RVBarry

2023 AWD 170 DIY CamperVan
Hi,
You'd need a simple transmission...
Power steering unless it's already electric.
A DC-DC charger for the chassis battery/12V system.
110&240V AC-DC charger for the batteries, and J1770 plug (https://www.tucsonev.com/index.html).
Power brakes unless already electric.
A heater; which would suck aH.
A/C
...

Delete any emissions systems that would cause limp mode.
...

There is a company in San Diego doing conversions on Miata's, so it's certainly possible to convert cars newer than aircooled VWs and Porsches.

MBZ has an electric VS30 in EU, but the range is only around 85mi and the battery weight dramatically reduces cargo capacity.
 

cian128

Well-known member
need some gear reduction because of very high RPM on a motor. since this would all be a DIY thing you could put a cheap transmission that EV companies already make motor adapters for in front.

do you have the link to batteries? what pack voltage would you run? wonder what range you could get.

300 wh/mile is normal for a small light car conversion, large brick shape van that weighs twice as much might be 1500 wh/mile maybe?

def won't be able to do 600 mile 75mph runs on the highway!
 

Axiom

Mike from Florida Van Man
I like the idea of it, but it might be too quiet for our tastes. Have to put a speaker in somewhere to emulate the sound of the 5 cylinder.
 

Patrick of M

2005 T1N 2500 (NA spec)
I have been semi planning an electric conversion on a different vehicle. ballpark for anything with devent range continues to always be around 15 to 20 thousand. If you happen to stumble on a good battery deal a good controller deal then the prices go down the actual motor is rarely the most expensive thing.
 

Alphacarina

2006 Itasca Navion 23H
Hi,
You'd need a simple transmission...
Power steering unless it's already electric.
A DC-DC charger for the chassis battery/12V system.
110&240V AC-DC charger for the batteries, and J1770 plug (https://www.tucsonev.com/index.html).
Power brakes unless already electric.
A heater; which would suck aH.
A/C
More important than any of that (and more expensive too) you'd need an inverter/motor controller to power the motor - It takes the DC from the batteries and converts in into 3 phase AC the motor needs to run forward and reverse and at a speed chosen by the driver . . . . and then regenerative power to recharge the battery when you lift your foot off the accelerator. The motor controller would have to be specifically designed for that particular Siemens motor - The motor is virtually worthless without it. It's a shame it's not included with the motor . . . . they offer a 100kw controller, but it's not included in the $2,800 price

You *could* buy $10k worth of parts and never end up with a running van - Cobbling together various EV parts into a working vehicle isn't so simple . . . . and it can be doggone dangerous as well unless you're very well versed in what you're doing

We've been driving 3 BEV's now for 8+ years, as well as a 2017 Chevy Volt

Don
 

sassmatt72

2006 high top long, Fully converted by me
so how about a Tesla "skateboard" (i.e. full battery and rear end chassis) put under a TN1?

(That is to imply a complete system swapped under the TN1 chassis).
 

RVBarry

2023 AWD 170 DIY CamperVan
Could a Tesla rear suspension handle a Sprinter body with much cargo?

Supposedly the Leaf is more popular as a donor (batteries, motor, controller).
I don't recall them having great range though.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
Back in 2004, MB had a dozen hydrogen-fueled fuel-cell electric-driven Sprinters running around.
Also some battery-assisted hybrids.
They mounted the electric motor between the transmission and the engine ... leaving the entire diesel drive train in place.
(yup ... dual fuel)

hybrid_sprinter_schmatic.jpg

Visit this old thread: https://sprinter-source.com/forums/index.php?threads/5974/#post-47045 and scroll up and down.

There also this plug-in hybrid (from 2009):

Here's the fuel cell version's underneath:

sprinter_fc_2.jpg

If the simple "battery plus diesel" conversion was available for $10K plus batteries, i'd be very interested.

--dick
 

Midwestdrifter

Engineer In Residence
Leaf packs are desirable because they are easier to incorporate into an existing vehicle. Tesla packs are too large for a vehicle not designed for them. You can do something with the individual modules, but they need protection, mounting, and cooling considerations.

A model X has GVWR of around 6900lbs, so it could handle reasonable weight.

A basic conversion only needs a motor, controller, and batteries. Plus power steering and brakes. You can use a charger mounted in your home. Then there is AC, Heat, and on board charging capability. It can get complicated if you need to communicate with chargers, etc.

Remove the engine and transmission. With stock tires you need 3.73*710= 2650rpm of shaft speed. There are motors which have good torque at the speed, so you could do a direct connection to the driveshaft. Just make a coupling bearing/plate and attach the electric motor. That leaves lots of space in the engine compartment for batteries and motor controller. You could put 400lbs of batteries near the front axle easily.
 

sassmatt72

2006 high top long, Fully converted by me
I wonder if you could even mount the electric motor at the mid point of the driveshaft, i.e. midpoint of chassis.?
 

sassmatt72

2006 high top long, Fully converted by me
Now If I had say 400 watt solar on roof, 4-500amp/hrs of Li batteries, a dc-dc 50amp, and 3000w inverter, how or could that factor into the build???
(I'm thinking of systems integration possibilities for a "fully built out" van...)
 

Midwestdrifter

Engineer In Residence
Now If I had say 400 watt solar on roof, 4-500amp/hrs of Li batteries, a dc-dc 50amp, and 3000w inverter, how or could that factor into the build???
(I'm thinking of systems integration possibilities for a "fully built out" van...)
If you had a traction battery, there is no reason to have a dedicated house battery. As far as solar, you can do the math to determine charging etc. A 100kwhr pack might be good for 100 miles. Which would take 1-2 months to charge from a 400W solar array.

Charging a ~200V traction pack from solar would require some unique chargers. There are solar chargers and arrays that run at that voltage, but you need lots of panels in series to get that voltage.
 

cian128

Well-known member
your battery cells that you are getting for ~$100 each are 3.2 volts right?


so you would need all 70 in series to get to your motor nominal voltage of 215

70series pack has 224v*280ah = 62 kwh / 1.500 kwh/mile = 40-50 mile range
 

Midwestdrifter

Engineer In Residence
At 1C a 70 cell pack would yield 220*280= 61.6kw, or 82HP raw. Take 20% off for efficieny losses, and you are looking at 65 motor horsepower.
 

Alphacarina

2006 Itasca Navion 23H
If you had a traction battery, there is no reason to have a dedicated house battery.
Most BEV's do though. Our Mitsubishi's (we have 3 of them) have a 35 AH house battery and a 75 amp DC to DC converter to keep it charged from the traction pack. In 8+ years the only thing 'flaky' about any of the car's operation has been when the house battery gets weak - The cars display all sorts of unusual behavior which is cured by replacing the 12 volt with a new one. Everything in the car (except the A/C) runs on 12 volts and many of the computers seem to want a very stable 14.4 volts which the DC to DC supplies to the 12 volt battery

In 8+ years, one set of wiper blades, one set of tires and one 12 volt battery is the total sum of all 'maintenance' on any of the cars

Even our 2017 Volt has a big 12 volt AGM battery, even though the car uses the traction pack to start the engine

Don
 

Alphacarina

2006 Itasca Navion 23H
At 1C a 70 cell pack would yield 220*280= 61.6kw, or 82HP raw. Take 20% off for efficieny losses, and you are looking at 65 motor horsepower.
But, most all BEV's discharge their packs at way more than 1C. I think our Mitsu's use up to 3C or so. A 16Kw pack gives us a 47kw motor, at 63 hp. That's 63 electric horsepower which is much different than ICE horsepower. Our 63 hp BEV will out accelerate most small 4 cylinder cars with 110 to 120 ICE hp
 

ECU

2006 T1n 118 Sprinter
I spec'd that Siemens motor due to a matching HP to the T1n ICE. What would be a comparable electric motor to match the original?

Another idea I had was a hybrid. Where you could have maybe 50 miles of battery; an electric motor in the driveline that would generate or power depending on if the original motor was in operation. Enough battery to do the in city and short hop stuff without using ICE.
 

Alphacarina

2006 Itasca Navion 23H
I spec'd that Siemens motor due to a matching HP to the T1n ICE. What would be a comparable electric motor to match the original?
For a truck, torque would be the number you'd want to compare, not horsepower. Electric motors make max torque right at stall, so to match up with a 250 ft lb diesel, you could probably get by with 200 lb ft and be happy
Another idea I had was a hybrid. Where you could have maybe 50 miles of battery; an electric motor in the driveline that would generate or power depending on if the original motor was in operation. Enough battery to do the in city and short hop stuff without using ICE.
Buy a wrecked Chevy Volt and transplant it's Voltec drive train into the front end of your Sprinter to make an FWD van. Add a second battery pack from another Volt and you'd have 50 or 60 miles of range . . . . probably

Don
 

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