To anyone who isn't aware, there is a huge world of car hacking. There is of course the basics like getting an expensive air filter (pointless), and it goes all the way up to welding up your own custom car. The more common mods are things like tuning your suspension, replacing your engine with a more powerful one, or upgrading your differentials. It takes a wide range of skills, including welding, machining, panel beating, plumbing, and electrical. You can very easily nerd out on this.
Considering they built a new subframe and raised it so much, this is really more like a custom Tesla/volt frankencar that is wearing the body shell of an Accord as a hat.
One day, when money is not an issue and I have the time to tinker all day long, I'd love, I mean LOVE, to build my own electric Saab 9000. I'm a big fan of the early, non GM Saabs and currently own two. For some unknown reason, I've always had it in my head that an electrified 9000 would be the most perfect car every possible. I understand and am comfortable knowing I am alone on this. Buy lordy, one big lottery win and I know the first thing I'm getting myself!
<a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt4fGIoVMpM" rel="nofollow">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt4fGIoVMpM</a><p>Another fun swap: a Tesla drive unit and Volt batteries into a Lotus Evora. Basically recreating the original Tesla Roadster's bigger counterpart.<p>Volt+Tesla is an increasingly popular swap because the Volt batteries are easier to manage and have a more convenient form factor. Plus, there are more of them available from recyclers.
Sounds a lot like the urban legend I read years (and years) ago, about the son of a Porsche dealer who dropped a Porsche Spyder engine into a Volkswagon Bug. According to the story, he had a lot of fun rolling up next to muscle cars at stop lights, and then watching them disappear in his rear view mirror.
...and somewhere else, someone is probably contemplating swapping a combustion engine into a Tesla. The world has a way of balancing itself out with weird things.
Also worth checking out: <a href="http://evbmw.com/" rel="nofollow">http://evbmw.com/</a> this is electronics wizard and Irishman Damien Maguire converting BMW's (in his view, the best cars in the world) to electric.<p>His videos are very detailed and also fairly slow paced so you can take your time to understand. He's done several brilliant builds already including an E39 (aka the best 5-series in my opinion), and E31 (8-series from the early 90s).<p>Currently he's busy with an E36 EUR1000 conversion which almost sounds too good to be true so it will be very interesting to view.
Watching that video of the car accelerate I remember being awestruck how fast circa 1990 my Taiyo RC Fast Traxx could go.<p>I remember my dad and I scaling up the math (I was only 10 so I needed a little help) and I remember asking him why normal cars didn’t have batteries.<p>I don’t recall the answer but it was long... I also was quite distracted with my new RC toy car .. err tank (google fast traxx).
Why do HNers like Tesla so much? Surely Tesla start the era of electric vehicles,but for me it's just yet another American luxury car.I fancy something more exquisite and fun to drive.
A long time ago I would go to the street drags on S. Eubanks in Albuquerque. This guy rolls up in a beater Corvair. Starts powerbraking it, burning up the stock 14” wheels on the back, egging anyone on to race him. Everybody is ridiculing him. One of the regulars with I’d guess about a 12 second muscle car (quarter mile in 1977, pretty fast) takes his challenge.<p>The Corvair totally smokes the muscle car. I only recall a couple of seriously built cars being that fast. Corvair guy dies his victory lap, comes back to the starting line, stops and turns on his dome light. He’s got a Pontiac 428 where the back seat used to be, a 2 speed automatic is hooked up to a static rear axle via chain drive. Absolutely brilliant in its simplicity and ROI.
EV West makes kits you can drop into your old Karmann Ghia, Beetle, Porche and more. <a href="http://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=40&osCsid=63bejo67v91j814k59tmakfcm6" rel="nofollow">http://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=40&osCsid=63be...</a>
Sounds awesome. Back in the day people were (or still are) stuffing VG30 (Nissan 300ZX) engines in 70s era Datsun 510s, which were awesome little rally cars in their time.<p>Example: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0MXPq8LLhU" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0MXPq8LLhU</a><p>I guess this is the modern equivalent?
One day I'll take my '67 VW Bus and put a nice powerful engine in it. Maybe one of the early 90s Porsche engines (as it would be nice to stay air-cooled and Porsche has VW heritage).<p>But damn it's an expensive hobby to even <i>own</i> an older car - let alone mod it.
He is just getting his feet wet with this first ev project.
Looking forward to his next one!<p><i>This won’t be his last electric build, either. Next up, he’d like to build a full-size version of an RC10 radio control car. That’s our kind of toy, for sure.</i>
Sadly, this kind of things on Spain are far of being possible as a car that run on the streets need to be homologated, and a lot of paperwork. Something stupid and simple like replacing the lights by led lights would required it.
How about Tesla drivetrain in a stretch Vanagon?<p><a href="http://cafeelectric.com/stretchla/about/" rel="nofollow">http://cafeelectric.com/stretchla/about/</a>
moment motors is an austin startup that converts classic cars to electric.<p>Here is a porsche they did
<a href="https://www.momentmotors.com/porsche/" rel="nofollow">https://www.momentmotors.com/porsche/</a>