LocostUSA.com

So some of you might remember my build from a while back:

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=14587

Well, just recently I had the good fortune to be able to buy a Tesla Model 3 as my daily driver. The good? It has changed my life (long commute made easier). The bad? When I drive my Miata based Seven, I have to drive the crap out of it to feel anywhere near the thrill of driving the Tesla. The model I have is the slowest one they make!

So the building obsession has been rekindled. I am obsessively thinking of building a Tesla powered Seven. Not helped by the fact that EV West is close by. It is hitting me so bad I am contemplating selling my beloved autocross Miata to start the build.

I think the motor and inverter will fit easily within the design of the seven with 2 inches extra width on the Haynes Roadster. About 32 kwh of batteries will easy fit up front. Probably 1,600 lbs total weight with all that beautiful torque!

Am I crazy?
Martin

Funny you bring this up; I'm having the same conversation on the Midlana builder's forum: http://www.midlana.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&p=10297#p10297

In short, I'm having trouble convincing myself that it's worth the expense. I mean, swapping an LS3 into your Miata will give you all the performance you could want and cost far less than an electric conversion, and probably weigh less as well. I say this, but am open to discussion, hoping that someone can convince me otherwise.

Oh, and I, too, live very close to EV West...

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/

Thanks for sharing the link. Looks like the same thought process happening! Noted about the LS. I haven't priced out an electric build fully yet but there's just something special about the 'silent' power.

I LOVE electric vehicles and I actually bought a S13 chassis with the intent of converting it to Tesla powered. But after adding up the costs of everything, especially the batteries I came to the conclusion its just not feesible for me at the moment. as KB58 said other options are much cheaper.

I decided to wait a few years until everything is abit cheaper

But in saying that I live in Australia so everything tesla is at a premium here and still quite rare! so you being in USA are likely already at the stage that I would be happy to pull the trigger on the build.

I certainly think electric drivetrains are the future of motorsport, and not for any hippy tree hugging reasons. They are superior in almost every way from a performance standpoint. Except the batteries! but as that technology gets better, cheaper, lighter alot more people will jump on board.

Profile page updates still broken so cannot fix my avatar.
But I can post it here.
Picture is worth a thousand words.

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If I must be a one-man PC free zone, so be it!

Bill Watterson would be so proud.

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Ford 5.0 into an M3
mikaelvroom.com | @MikaelVroom

Hey RichardSIA, you do realize that this is a forum meant to share and provide support for all kinds of scratch built cars, right? He wants to build something different, which is great!

If you haven't felt the acceleration of a Telsa, you might want to give it a try sometime before mocking someone else's choice of drivetrain. I've never been a fan of the El Camino, but good on you for building something you like. I'm not about to go into your build log and slag on it just because I'm not a fan of it.

Just because you're 65, you are not exempt from common courtesy. I'm glad that you are able to enjoy working on different car projects. I hope to do the same when I retire one day.

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Photo gallery of my completed Locost:
https://plus.google.com/photos/10397358 ... banner=pwa

Tesla/Musk are the ones who proclaimed that all ICE cars should be outlawed ASAP, and have lobbied to make it happen.
Not the way to win my friendship or support!
My avatar is really directed at that and goes back many years, to when Musk originally made his statements.

As a freindley gesture I would suggest looking into Tesla's rather poor drivetrain reliability record before putting lots of hours and funds into using such in a build.
Solid info may be a little difficult to locate, Musk/Tesla use some "Interesting" strategies to keep that info under wraps as much as possible. I have turned down jobs at Tesla/Panasonic, they are about seventy miles away from me.

I enjoyed this, the Tesla may not really be all that much the car of the future as is claimed.
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a ... s-feature/

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If I must be a one-man PC free zone, so be it!

Unfortunately Tesla seems to attract just as many rabid, fanatical detractors as it does supporters.


Where? Here?

https://www.theverge.com/transportation ... -dangerous

He acknowledged that tens of thousands of people die every year in vehicle accidents caused by human error, and that in the decades to come, autonomous driving technology can prevent some/most/all of those deaths.



The drivetrains are the best part of those cars. They achieve low overall reliability scores due to issue with paint, trim, fitment, and body electronics. Drivetrain maintenance and repairs are leagues ahead of ICE cars. There are literally hundreds of moving parts in a typical ICE engine, and even with a century of development, automakers are still releasing engines with crippling design flaws. An electric motor requires basically zero maintenance and has just a handful of moving parts. By its very nature it HAS to be more reliable.

I understand wanting to drive your own car, but that doesn't mean a Tesla is bad or unreliable. We had a few Model 3s show up to autocross this weekend, one with just a rear sway bar and RE71R tires absolutely murdered almost everyone else - GT350s, Porsches, Corvettes...didn't matter. Electric cars can and are absolutely enthusiast cars, and if weren't for Tesla we'd still be looking at electric cars as Leafs, Priuses, and Bolts.

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Ford 5.0 into an M3
mikaelvroom.com | @MikaelVroom

Hah! I'm looking for a wrecked Leaf, to do a FWD to Midi transfer (a la Midlana, Fiero, etc) in a Locost-like chassis under a Lotus 19 body.

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Locost builder and adventurer, and founder (but no longer owner) of Kinetic Vehicles

I do not archive every interesting article I find, but Tesla transmission life has NOT been impressive, to say the least.
They are made about seventy miles away from me.
Maybe it's all the owners showing off the electric motor full charge torque, but they fail regularly and at fairly low mileage.
If Tesla's were really as wonderful as so many claim they would not have so many NDA's with unhappy owners.
They use customer support as a club to beat owners into signing the NDA's or not getting their "Brick" fixed.

I have to wonder with Tesla's insistence on retaining control of the car/software even after it is out of warranty and has been paid off, what happens to the adventurous folk who mod or adapt their components?
Last I looked they do not sell parts, they may repair your car if it is in warranty and they are happy with you as a good little disciple of the true faith.
So parts come from salvage which may not always be the best source.

As to Tesla/Gov. Org. taking full control of my car, not going to happen, for a variety of reasons.
Kind of like CA Gov. Nuisance and his recent electric only by 2025 mandate.

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If I must be a one-man PC free zone, so be it!

almost all of those issues are not applicable to a Tesla Powered Seven.

Im surprised there is issues with the gearbox since they don't really have one, only a single speed "transmission" and the whole drive line only has 7 moving parts.

In a lighter locost it should be less of an issue also.

Im considering this avenue again as after speaking to my engineer If i use a ICE engine from a vehicle that is pre-2000 (which i am planning to) then it needs to be pollution tested. No one in my area does it and apparently its hard to pass. (im in Australia, still cant update profile)

If I was to do it id take a page out of Tesla's book and put the battery pack spread across the floor pan to keep the center of gravity low and you could pretty much delete the engine bay (which is a weak point in the chassis) and shorten the vehicle a fair amount.

This implies that if you use an engine newer than 2000, it does not need to be pollution tested? That's a pretty big reason to use a "newer" one, in quotes because that's already 20 yrs ago!

_________________
Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/

Go to the Factory Five 818 site some time and see how many people have had problems with Subaru flat 4s, or LSXs with oiling problems, or....

C'mon Richard. Don't feel obligated to piss on someone's parade. Everything has plusses and minuses.

It does not need to be pollution tested IF you use the original ECU and all the pollution gear from that car then they can "assume" it has the same rating as that vehicle would have.

Problem is the whole reason I came to the idea of building a locost is I have this engine which I built for another car and spent a fair amount on. I ended up selling the car and not the motor. So now I have a motor and no chassis for it.


But the pollution issue has turned me back onto a EV conversion. I just wished parts were easier to come by in Australia