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PostPosted: June 2, 2017, 12:00 pm 
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When talking about the new, mid-engined Corvette, and the speculation that it will be a high performance hybrid, the topic of hybrid and/or electric pickup trucks came up. Just yesterday, I ran into chatter about some new examples, from new vendors not in the market now. Here are some visuals of the concept (Tesla) and two prototypes (Workhorse Group and Havelaar Canada) for electric pickups. Additional research on these vehicles, if interested, will be left to the reader.

Tesla Pickup Concept (USA):
Attachment:
Tesla Pickup Concept.jpg


Workhorse Group Electric Prototype (Ohio, USA):
Attachment:
Workhorse W-15 Pickup.jpg


Havelaar Canada (Canada):
Attachment:
Havelaar Bison.jpg


Cheers,


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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: June 2, 2017, 2:41 pm 
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Hi Lonnie.

I am a convert of electric vehicles, I have 2.

I am the guy that just a few years ago made jokes at the expense of electric cars, something like; Did you hear about the electric car that's entered LeMans? Runs for the first hour, charges for 22 hours then runs to the finish.

Now I own the things, WOW! Just Wow!. Not a replacement for gasoline, but a 100% side by side parallel alternative, far superior in the city and tight mountain roads close by, a pain in the azz if you're not a planner and like to go on sudden long trips, or just do things randomly.

Once you become familiar with how to own them, life is good. I come home, throw it on charge if low, next morning ready to go again for a few days (all local to medium distances). Haven't paid for fuel for the last year or so, damn it's noticeable to your wallet. if you need to go distances then there is planning involved, it can be a PIA, and I have been caught short.

But anyway, fun, fun, fun, massive, massive torque from the very first rpm and incredible instantaneous acceleration like you haven't experienced. Anyone who has driven a turbocharged car and experienced lag, then get into an electric car and you will from that moment realise how much lag a normally aspirated car has in comparison to electric.

Our Tesla

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM_vG2TEoz0
[youtube]xM_vG2TEoz0[/youtube]

Our Chinese JAC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIQpLJhO-zw
[youtube]TIQpLJhO-zw[/youtube]

I am right now becoming a small part of a JAC and another brand's, YeMa, exclusively electric car dealership.

So, I have started the motions of getting my Large Locost, The Largo, back on track, and I have thoughts of fully electrifying it, and am traveling later this month to a couple of the suppliers of the drivelines who are very keen on having an interesting car to display their products with.

They appear agreeable to supplying kits for others use as well, and a 7 layout seems perfect, plenty of space for batteries and a small drive unit similar to a FWD setup, eg; mid engined, front battery pack driveline.

Just imagine this, but running backwards ...

Attachment:
electric running gear.jpg


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PostPosted: June 2, 2017, 3:58 pm 
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
I like the idea, but around here (with among the highest electricity prices in the world...despite having vastly more available than we can ever use), I'm not sure there'd be any savings.

Mind you, with our current Provincial gasoline "carbon tax", and our soon-to-be-added Federal "carbon tax" (which will also tax the taxes upon which the Provincial carbon taxes tax), I wouldn't be surprised to see us hit $2 per liter soon...a little over $9.00CDN per gallon ($7.58CDN per US gallon), so who knows...maybe electric will be more affordable (relatively speaking).

'Course, we really don't have the infrastructure (charging stations, etc.) to deal with anything less than a Tesla, unless your commute is very short (which mine isn't). Many of the current crop of pure electrics would require me to drive to work, plug in the car, take the bus home after work (as it likely wouldn't be charged enough to get me home...assuming I could find a charging station) & to work again in the morning, and by then, the car would be available to drive home again. So, every second day I could do a one-way commute.

I'd love to have a Tesla, as it would truly make electric commuting workable due to it's great range, but the cost of admission is breathtakingly high - from $110,000 to $161,000 in Canada. After taxes, etc., you wouldn't get a dime back out of $200,000.

What I'd REALLY like to see is for Tesla to make a car with the kind of range they have now, only in the price range of, say, a Honda or Mazda. If they did that, the masses would pound a path to their door...

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PostPosted: June 3, 2017, 10:05 am 
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zetec7 wrote:
I like the idea, but around here (with among the highest electricity prices in the world...despite having vastly more available than we can ever use), I'm not sure there'd be any savings.



It's not about fuel cost savings in this case, it's about the incredible drivability, massive low down torque, no gears, just turbine like solid drive all the way to top speed. I left a hot Audi A4 standing today in a race from the traffic lights in my cheapo Chinese JAC 100HP equivalent - glad we had to slow for the next set or he would have blown by me after say 200 yards!

Then there's the absolute dead silence when you are stopped, and no engine vibrations at all.

Like the idea or not, I encourage every driving enthusiast to try and get your hands on an electric car and go for a hard drive, any of them, Tesla at the top of the list of course. When we got the Tesla it was 2 votes to my 1 being against it, now I barely believe my own fanaticism for them based on my previous extremely cynical position. I will never buy another gasoline car if circumstance permits.


zetec7 wrote:



'Course, we really don't have the infrastructure (charging stations, etc.) to deal with anything less than a Tesla, unless your commute is very short (which mine isn't).



Wow, must be some distance to work?

I only look for and use a 'medium' or 'super' charger when travelling long distance, 90% of all mileage is done via charge from home or factory wall socket (seen in video above).

Today we left home in the JAC with 70%, arrived out in the sticks with 20% left, plugged into a caravan park's wall socket, did our things and 3 hours later had 50% to drive home (90 kms/55 miles) arriving with 10% left (I drove slower). The JAC only has 200/120 mile range compared with the Tesla's 500/275 mile range. If I could just get the Daughter out of it ....

But then the JAC was sub $15,000.

zetec7 wrote:


What I'd REALLY like to see is for Tesla to make a car with the kind of range they have now, only in the price range of, say, a Honda or Mazda. If they did that, the masses would pound a path to their door...


You are not aware of the Tesla 3?


Then there's another possible angle, some people in some countries or states, will wake up one morning and find that due to current climate change factors, that you will no longer be able to drive your gasoline powered homebuilt.


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PostPosted: June 3, 2017, 11:12 am 
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@cheapracer

Hey Cheapy,

It's nice to have you back in the conversation!

Thanks for the interesting info on electric vehicles.

Cheers,

Lonnie

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: June 3, 2017, 11:34 am 
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
Hmmm - well, I have to admit I hadn't heard of the Tesla 3, probably because they don't exist yet, and none will be available until 2018. Still, in Canada, they'll be around $50,000...a far cry from the price range I was hoping for (my wife just brought a brand new, luxury Kia - more bells & whistles than a new Lincoln, amazing build quality, and about $26K CDN, taxes etc. included). Mind you, in Canada the lowly Nissan Leaf is around $40,000...and they ain't no Tesla!!

I do know how much grunt a high-end electric can produce, and it would be a LOT of fun, I must admit...but, for now, the price of admission is waaay out of my reach.

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PostPosted: June 3, 2017, 11:44 am 
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I just had to take a look at the JAC. The J4 iEV costs (in USD) is ~$25K, before incentives. Nothing close to the 15K you mentioned. Were you taking used car prices or after incentives? I'm not trying to be argumentative. If I am wrong, please point me to the correct info. If it were really 15K for us, then I could see a bigger market, for sure.

For me, the major problem is that the JAC has a top speed of only 62 MPH. Unfortunately, that speed would not cut it in an American suburbia environ or in less populous areas. Doing 55MPH in a 45 speed zone is near suicide. Everyone wants to pass you. Heck on the near-city interstate highway where the limit is 55, if you aren't doing >70, .... Well a car that has a 62MPH limit is rapidly out classed. It is not the car's fault. It just won't fit in here. In China where there are well-over 100 cities with a population over 1 million people it sure looks good.

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“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766


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PostPosted: June 3, 2017, 12:13 pm 
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rx7locost wrote:
I just had to take a look at the JAC. The J4 iEV costs (in USD) is ~$25K, before incentives. Nothing close to the 15K you mentioned.

For me, the major problem is that the JAC has a top speed of only 62 MPH.


Did you not watch the video above where I am driving mine down the road at 85? Our National speed limit is 75 btw, and no shortage of takers, although most sit on about 65 to 70.

Actually my JAC has a switch that limits it to 62mph (100kmh), wonder if the American model has the ability, but for whatever reason the ability is disabled for you guys, weird.

I don't know the American model and spec range sorry, nor the prices there, I was quoting the retail here. they might be dearer due to the Nissan being 40K(?) and fear of allegations of dumping.

Anyway, almost irrelevant, just trying to explain my purpose of investigating electric 7's!


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PostPosted: June 3, 2017, 12:28 pm 
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I gotta admit, I'm waiting with bated breath for the Tesla cargo van to come out.
We're (at Ecologic) a "B" Corp with the improving environment being the mission goal...
Then I'll have a good reason to convince corporate to split the valley stuff off my book and open a new region, it's 220 miles one way to my most distant stop at the moment.

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PostPosted: June 3, 2017, 12:41 pm 
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On the electric trucks...if you go on ecomodder or similar, people love the swapped s10/ranger pickups. Perfect useful around town rig, range isn't a deal breaker.


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PostPosted: June 3, 2017, 1:18 pm 
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Hey cheap, I don't know if the JAC is sold here in the US. I've never seen any JAC, except for my visits to China several times a year. I was quoting a price I saw in the Internet (so it must be true) of 169800 RMB and converter it using today's conversion rate of 6.809 RMB to 1 USD.

http://chinaautoweb.com/electric-cars/

I have to admit I was too much in a hurry to read more about the JAC to actually see the video :oops: Sorry about that chief! Glad to hear there is an over ride on the MPH deal. Must be for maximum miles per charge.

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“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766


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PostPosted: June 3, 2017, 2:32 pm 
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rx7locost wrote:
Hey cheap, I don't know if the JAC is sold here in the US. I've never seen any JAC, except for my visits to China several times a year. I was quoting a price I saw in the Internet (so it must be true) of 169800 RMB and converter it using today's conversion rate of 6.809 RMB to 1 USD.

.


Ahh sorry, JAC have this weird thing that if you group buy 5 cars, then the price is 90,000 rmb. It costs about 6000 to get it on the road.

The Chinese are right into motivational sales stuff like that, and it helps their sales by having purchases round up friends and family to buy as well, or just other purchases getting together.

Hope you might drop in on one of your visits, I'm in Sichuan but get around occasionally.


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PostPosted: June 4, 2017, 9:32 am 
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The Tesla truck looks a lot like those little Chevy (Aveo?) mini-trucks I see every now and then. They all have Mexican plates. I think GM would make a killing if they sold them here.


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PostPosted: June 4, 2017, 10:12 pm 
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cheapracer wrote:
......Hope you might drop in on one of your visits, I'm in Sichuan but get around occasionally.


My business trips have recently been focused in the Shanghai area (Kunshan). I was previously doing business only in Zhongshan (Guangdong Province) for about 13 years or so. I still visit Zhongshan, but only ~ 1 per year down there. These locations are both a long way from Sichuan.

I have to ask..... do you get to Bejing? Ever visit a micro brew there called Slow Boat Brewery? It is part-owned by my Daughter-In-Laws cousin. I would like to visit it some time. But is a long trip (again) from where I visit.

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“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766


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PostPosted: June 14, 2017, 8:14 am 
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As to electric trucks, Protean modified a 2008 F150 into an AWD, pure electric vehicle a while back. It only had had about 40 miles of range because of it's weight and that it was equipped with NiMh batteries rather than Lithium batteries. Full disclosure, while I don't work for Protean my boss is an investor, so we have a lot of literature laying around and some demonstration peices like a full rear axle with wheel motors.

http://www.proteanelectric.com/demonstration-vehicles/


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