Electric Cars

[Braden]

At the risk of being removed from this forum, can I stat firstly that i love the sound of a V8 with a supercharger attached.

Saying that, has FF thought of an electric car? Tesla have shown they are very quick and can now travel long distances. Batteries are getting cheeper as well.

I'm hoping to build an 818 first then a 65 Coup, but thought I would ask the question.

Please don't black ball me for asking. I love the smell of Petrol (gas) in the morning as much as the rest of you.

Cheers

Braden

[Mike N]

No worries with being the silent type :). Check this out https://www.factoryfive.com/whats-new/factory-five-customer-erik-h-go-carts-electric-818s/ and this http://www.evwest.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=233 and don't miss this!! https://www.factoryfive.com/whats-new/10-second-electric-818-destroys-porsche/

[wallace18]

Here is an electric 818E I built with Chip a really great customer.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?18790-Chippyhawkeye-818SE-build-thread

[Just puttering]

On a side note- Tesla seems to be going bankrupt, and is down sizing and laying off people!

I have wanted to build a small electric motorcycle to use around the neighborhood and get ready - California already has no gas powered car sales planned. So an electric should be able get tags real easy? Maybe the Gov will give us subsidies to build electric and then your biggest problem will be the wait period to get a kit!!!

[DaveS53]

Keep in mind that FFR only makes bodies and chassis and has nothing to do with the drivetrain. Electric vehicles are very complex and very expensive. If a builder wants to steal the drivetrain from an electric car and install it in an FFR car, it would be possible, but very expensive. It would not appeal to most customers.

[Braden]

Thanks for the replies one and all. I suppose we are still on the cutting edge of all this. I suppose I was thinking something like the 818 which used bits from an electric car instead of say a Subaru.
I don't think I have the smarts to do a custom job.
Thanks for the feedback and the links.
Cheers
Braden

[Mitchbiz]

An electric FFR is very doable. It would require some custom fabrication work (battery boxes, motor mount), though the FFR chassis make that a pretty straightforward task.
The actual drivetrain is pretty simple, much more so than a combustion engine. A single moving part, fewer components overall. Pretty much everything can be bought off the shelf (shops like EV West in the US). Even plates to mount the motor to popular transmissions can be bought pre-made.

The work is mainly in wiring from point a to point b - it looks complicated, but it's no different to wiring up an ECU (with extra safety precautions for high voltage stuff, of course).

I understand the psychological hurdle. I've built and drive my own EV, and I find combustion engines as foreign and intimidating as most people must find EV's. Different side the same coin, I suppose - we're all just after torque!

[Jeff Kleiner]

Check out the posts by Jeff McCabe on the other forum detailing his electric roadster.

http://www.ffcars.com/forums/members/24708-jeff-mccabe.html

Jeff

[DavidW]

I recently was talking to someone in NC who is very familiar with FF and mentioned they have a GTM sitting around ready to be built and maybe an electric powertrain is the way to go. I saw that electric 818 and that was awesome but I am partial to the noise and smell of a petrol burning V8.

[jmccabe]

Keep in mind that FFR only makes bodies and chassis and has nothing to do with the drivetrain. Electric vehicles are very complex and very expensive. If a builder wants to steal the drivetrain from an electric car and install it in an FFR car, it would be possible, but very expensive. It would not appeal to most customers.

Just thought id let you in on a little secret..........................Electric cars are much simpler to build then gas cars :)
If your are handy at doing your own fabrication and willing to learn a few new tricks.
They are no more expensive than a standard ice build. I have just under $38,000 in my build and it has a 0-60 mph right around 3 seconds and can beat a Tesla around a racetrack :)

Jeff McCabe

[erlihemi]

Didn't FFR get Licensed for producing up to 500 assembled cars per year? The 818 is an excellent platform for electric. Hmm, the Bed in the 35 PU would make a good long range battery platform, adds traction, a couple 33's have been built with electric motors... a hybrid is achievable with the Subaru unit Im guessing. Wouldn't that be a tire smoker. Is there room to put the Crosstrek unit in an818?