Check out ‘Car-Roll Builds’ latest project as he puts a Telsa Model 3 motor in what might be the narrowest Tesla subframe ever made.
With some trial and error it is now ready to put under the car and on to the next phase of the EV conversion project. Give him a sub while you’re at it!
Recycling Trucks Specialist Embraces EV Conversion On Massive Scale
In 2018 David Lorenz scribbled down some ideas for a new business venture. He wanted to identify different vehicle types which he could convert to electric. This is how retrofit specialist Lunaz started, as Rod Kirkpatrick report.
“I drew a spider diagram for electric power trains – it included classic cars and bin lorries!” he chuckled. Wind the clock forward and Lorenz, the founder of Lunaz, has now filled a huge factory space, yards from the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, UK, with a state-of-the-art production line where the most exotic and premium British classic cars are being electrified and re-imagined into very expensive works of automotive art. Rolls Royces, Bentleys and Aston Martins share the space with Jaguars and Range Rovers. Each car is stripped to bare metal before being rebuilt and given its new 21st-century power-plant.
The company has just moved into a second 140,000 sq ft warehouse next door. This is where Lunaz is giving the same treatment to a fleet of six-year-old 27-tonne Mercedes thrash collecting trucks or ‘bin lorries’. Lorenz continued: “We’re among the UK’s fastest-growing companies; we’ve raised thirty million pounds in investment and have a unicorn growth trajectory.
“We are now going to market with lorries which are better for the planet and the taxpayer and are functionally better than when they were new. More than 80% of embedded carbon over the total lifetime is saved when upcycling rather than replacing an existing truck with a new EV equivalent.
Converting trucks to electric also stops them from being shipped abroad to carry on polluting for years to come – we’re helping with the circular economy. And for every twenty trucks, one million pounds will be saved by councils. Our first trucks will be on the streets next year – upcycled and electrified.”
“Buckinghamshire Council has already signed a fleet electrification agreement – they are transitioning their entire fleet to electric over the next ten years. We’re also talking to private waste management companies. The first trucks being converted are the same model of diesel-powered Mercedes Econic, all built in 2016. But the 82-strong engineers at Lunaz will adapt other types in the future as they can predict exactly when, how many and which vehicles will come to market.
Most bin lorries come off-fleet on a seven-year cycle with about seventy to one hundred thousand miles on them, but the lorries are good for about a million miles. We don’t build one-off vehicles – it takes a year-and-a-half to engineer each development model,” explained Lorenz.”
“Each truck type is stripped, its components scanned before they can be re-designed, re-built and given their new powertrain. One size does not work for all, so our lorries are tailored around duty cycles – how many lifts they need to do – with plug-and-play modular battery options.”
“Our trucks must outperform their ICE (internal combustion engine) equivalent,”
“Lunaz Operations Director Kirk Trewin said: “Recycling lorries are perfect for running electric powertrains as they spend ten to twelve hours resting overnight when they can be charged up with a slow and low-power charge – which batteries like. We fit them with a large 370kW motor which will take them to 62mph – in service; they’ll be limited to 56mph. They also come fitted with an onboard 22kW charger. Each modular battery is 65.5kW – and we can fit six. In service, these trucks can range from four-hundred and to one-thousand-six hundred daily lifts. It’s more efficient on the shorter urban routes to carry fewer batteries – bin lorries are one of the few commercial vehicles that get heavier as they route. Lighter batteries mean increased payload and more efficiency.”
“If a vehicle is designated a new route, we can easily add or remove batteries. Our lorries are installed with the latest tech too, with cameras for wing mirrors, an updated dashboard and 360-degree cameras with pedestrian and cyclist detection. We’ve also improved over the original trucks with a comfier middle passenger seat and brass – rather than poly – bushes fitted to some of the moving parts on the Faun Zoeller body. They’re also fitted with a regenerative braking system and a ZF transfer gearbox with high and low ratios to filter power to the rear axle. This is fitted over the front axle – where twenty-per-cent of the weight needs to be to stop the truck wheelieing when it’s fully loaded.”
Info: https://lunaz.design
Iconic 4×4 Range Rover models redefined for the 21st century – and beyond
Everrati Automotive Limited, one of the leading technology companies specialising in the redefining and futureproofing of automotive icons through the integration of state-of-the-art electric vehicle powertrains, has expanded its line-up with zero-emission versions of the Range Rover Classic and Land Rover Defender, our friends at Lux Afrique report:
Following the successful launch of its electric Land Rover ‘Series’ – multiple examples of which have been delivered to customers globally – Everrati continues to lead the charge as the international creator of dream-car electrification by transforming and preserving the iconic Range Rover Classic, and Land Rover Defender Series with cutting-edge electric powertrain technology into sustainable luxury models fit for the 21st century.
Range Rover Classic, a vehicle that shook up the automotive 4×4 sector when first launched in 1970, was ahead by combining rugged performance with luxury, comfort, and prestige. Occupying the height of desirability, the Range Rover Classic was owned and cherished by high-profile customers, from celebrities to royalty alike.
Meanwhile, the iconic Land Rover Defender remains one of the most revered off-road vehicles of all time, synonymous with toughness, ultimate utility, and unstoppable 4×4 performance. Both vehicles remained at the apex of desirability throughout their production run.
Now, owners of Everrati’s redefined Range Rover Classic and Land Rover Defender can be part of the next chapter of their legacy. Everrati’s expert team of engineers meticulously incorporates its proven, state-of-the-art OEM-grade electric powertrain, designed and developed at its global headquarters in Oxfordshire, England.
As car custodians, Everrati will stay true to the timeless quality of the vehicle yet provide a powertrain upgrade that will exceed the original’s performance specifications, enabling unparalleled enjoyment and fun for multi-generational owners’ recreation and preservation.
The development of Everrati’s leading powertrain technology is supported by its best-in-class marque-specialist build partners, who deliver OEM-grade products, processes, and quality.
Each vehicle is bespoke to individual owners’ specifications while retaining the vehicle’s original character and DNA—both dynamically and aesthetically—by combining the very latest in sustainable luxury materials, including the world’s lowest carbon leather for the automotive industry from leading leather manufacturer Bridge of Weir.
Source: http://www.luxafrique.com/
What is it like daily driving a retrofit 1975 BMW… In London?
London only allows gas-burning vehicles into the center of the city if they pay a daily charge (up to $35 a day!), which if you have to travel through the city every day does add up becoming quite expensive.
And if you want to keep driving an older car, that just isn’t feasible for daily use, which is why drivers are choosing EVs, even those who want to drive classic cars.
Classics can, of course, be converted to full EVs these days, and some people are willing to pay quite a lot to have their classic cake and eat it without producing tailpipe emissions.
The London resident featured in this The Late Brake Showvideo initially looked at vehicles like a Nissan Leaf for his daily commute needs, but he ultimately chose the hard (and expensive) way to find a classic car and have it converted into an EV.
He initially looked at an Audi 100 coupe, but those proved to be too rare and expensive to make the conversion possible, so he settled on something much more common and easy to service – a 1975 BMW 1602, following Electric Classic Cars recommendations which was restored and given the 2002 look and in place of its 1.6-litre four-cylinder, it now has a 120 horsepower electric motor hooked up to the standard four-speed gearbox.
This isn’t one of those overly powerful EVs that have the ability to turn their rear tires into dust if you prod the go pedal too much – the owner wanted something with similar power to the original, although this is still pretty quick, with a zero to sixty time of around 7.5 seconds, more than adequate for negotiating London traffic.
With Tesla progressively opening up its worldwide Supercharger network to non-Tesla vehicles, we are eagerly looking forward to the opening of the network in the US. So we could soon be able to charge our Retrofits rides there!
(Now, when a Supercharger is next to a Taco Bell, we’ve got a winner!)
The latest one being built is a massive 51-stall Supercharger station in Sutherlin, OR, right off of Interstate 5 in the empty lot between Taco Bell and Starbucks.
This would make it the largest Supercharger site in Oregon and one of the biggest in the country.
But wait, there’s more! The world’s largest Tesla Supercharger at 164 stalls is coming to Coalinga, CA (halfway through LA and SF)!
Several other 100-stall locations have been announced, too, all with CCS connectors.
One of the benefits of Supercharging stations is they lead to more travelers stopping and supporting local businesses while charging their Teslas, and soon EVs in general.
We’ll update you on this particular charger, but let us know if you are making cross-country trips in your retrofit and if the Tesla System would be a game-changer.
Oh, by the way, ¿le gusta Taco Bell?
REE 4WS e-truck: an ideal retrofit base for Retro e-RVing
Anyone looking to retrofit a GMC Grand RVMotorhome, REE has the perfect solution for you, and then some:
REE’s P7-B box truck delivers 4,400-pound payload and up, 150-mile range, so plenty enough to move the GMC Motorhome fiberglass body once the cab has been removed.
Fully configurable, you can even opt for four wheel steering, and select the ideal wheelbase of track width:
ditto with the amount of battery cells
You could start with he box truck or you could simply opt fo the chassis version and build your RV from the ground up.
OEM and retrofit specialist launch commercial retrofit vehicles solutions
Renault Group and Phoenix Mobility, a French commercial vehicle retrofit specialist have signed a letter of intent to form a strategic partnership for the development and commercial operation of a retrofit kit, the first of its kind in the French LCV market.
This innovative solution enables a combustion engine commercial vehicle that is more than 5 years old to be converted to electric power.
The first stage of the partnership, in the form of a “Proof of Concept”, consists of a co-development phase to market a first retrofit kit for retrofit specialist vans before the end of 2023.
The objective of this first stage will be to market and install around 1,000 Retrofit kits and to demonstrate to professional customers the benefits of the retrofit approach (electric driving comfort, respect for the environment, economic gains, etc.).
Eventually, this innovative solution will be extended to other models.
If the CA Senate Transportation Committee approves this project, ICE vehicle owners may soon be eligible for a financial rebate if they switch to an electric vehicle’s powertrain.
If AB 2350 passes and becomes law, one would soon be able to receive a financial rebate for swapping one’s drivetrain to EV California. This bipartisan assembly measure, which SEMA is also supporting, aims to persuade individuals to switch to electric vehicles by allowing them to perform a conversion build rather than buying an entirely new car.
California has sponsored initiatives like the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program and the Clean Cars for All Program for years to encourage owners to purchase EVs. The hitch was that these programmes didn’t apply to conversions; they were solely for brand-new cars.
By converting their internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs), owners may be eligible for a $2,000 state reimbursement under Assembly Bill 2350, the Zero-Emission Aftermarket Conversion Project. According to the bill, the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project will have up to $2,000,000 available each year to give applicants rebates for qualified vehicles that have been converted into zero-emission vehicles.