83 replies to this topic

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Some video is here, though it's nothing pretty (though there's a nifty bit showing the axles and suspension in action): https://www.instagra.../p/CCfGiEoH2XV/

First time out of the garage in like a year...

Just watched it on Insta brilliant ?

[meetthespeakers]

Good to find your build on here. Hope all is well out west. Curious, being that I'm not to hip on EV stuff, I have one customer looking at using our frame kit with D-series trans and adapter plate:

 

Something like this:

https://www.evwest.c...v1t28u889pcb347

 

With maybe a 9" motor like this:

https://www.evwest.c...products_id=469

 

Curious if you have any input on the difference between that and a leaf setup.

 

Glad your on the road. Have fun!

 

[Tremelune]

That setup will cost quite a bit more, but won't require as much fabrication. This is a valid enough reason, as it took a great deal of time and care to get the Leaf motor positioned and mounted up. It also avoids getting $1,500 custom axles or fabbing those too. I suspect you'll still need a way to support the rear of the electric motor, though that's not so critical.

 

A benefit to using a Honda gearbox is that MiniTec sells a rear subframe for AWD applications using a CRV differential. Considering a FWD electric Mini's acceleration is limited by traction...that would be a pretty wicked car. It would add several hundred pounds of weight, and you'd certainly have to give up both the rear seat and boot.

 

With a Leaf motor and 22kWh battery pack (44 Leaf modules), the car will spin a set of Yokohama A032Rs at 30mph, so like...there's no great torque benefit to the gearbox. That said, my car tops out at 70mph due to gearing. It currently sits at 1,650lb, with 56% up front.

 

If I were gonna do it again I'd probably try and modify the stock subframe or get a bit crazy and put a motor in the rear. That said, if I could buy a subframe I could bolt a Leaf motor into, I'd go that route for sure, especially since the chassis wouldn't need to be cut. Throw in a simple bracket to mount the inverter, coolant pump, and little 12V battery and you've got a conversion easy enough for any shade-tree mechanic. I'd build another one—this car is extremely fun, even just puttering around in city traffic.

Edited by Tremelune, 15 October 2020 - 06:47 PM.

[FrancisReg]

First piece of evidence I am a noob on this forum...

Edited by FrancisReg, 21 March 2021 - 03:29 PM.

[FrancisReg]

This is an amazing job! Congratulations! It has given me the incentive I needed to do the same to mine. A few questions to help my decision making process:
- why did you displace the inverter from its stacked position over the motor? Can it be kept stacked? Would the extra layer for charger, etc also fit under the bonnet?
- did you lose your rear seat area to get the 22kwh in? Can you share pictures of where the batteries are placed?
- any idea how of how much range you'll have on it?
- what is the voltage you have in nominal now? As you say, seems plenty. My intent was to keep the same voltage as spec (96S) to use the same charger etc.

My current plan is to use the whole leaf powertrain stack with an Arduino to control it. If the stack fits. As I'll buy the powertrain, I was going to use another battery with the Leaf BMS on the same CAN. I would also be happy to have as little as 7kwh for a start to take the least space possible. It is just for city fun and kids school run, so I was looking at the Kia Niro HEV pack at 6.4kwh as the minimum.

I'll share any progress on this thread. Just hope it doesn't dilute the quality of this thread. Truly amazing job!

[Tremelune]

- The inverter simply wouldn't fit. I believe it hit the bulkhead, so I needed to rotate it. I can't see any other way to fit it up front. The charger is right out—it would go through the bonnet. If I could have gotten the charger working, I'd have put it in the boot with its own dedicated cooling loop (to avoid running lines up front).

 

- I did lose the rear seat. There's just no room with where the batteries are—there's barely enough room to move the seat back.

 

- I get about 100-120km, which is heavily dependent on how I drive. Easy and slow it'll clear 120 easily. Hard and fast, and 100 is a hope.

 

- Nominal voltage is 330 with my 44 modules. From "empty" (3.6V) to "full" (4.1V) it's 317-361V. Thunderstruck claims the inverter works down to 140V.

 

You can fit the full 48 Leaf modules if you want (which should allow you to use the Leaf BMS), but in a slightly more efficient stack than mine. My setup is tall, and it limits how far back the front seat goes. I'm 5'9" and possibly a bit cramped.

 

My first attempt at installing batteries had the top half of the stack moved rearward, but it made BMS wiring painful and I redid it. There is plenty of room in the boot, but I've become somewhat irrational about adding too much weight to the rear.

 

I've seen some very clever battery work involving fusing Tesla modules into the floor, but that's beyond my skill level. Most seem to put a big ol' stack in the boot, but I haven't heard much feedback about how they go around corners after...

 

One thing worth noting: McGee's Custom Minis has completed a prototype subframe that allows for a HyPer9 and Honda transmission to be bolted in. This route would cost quite a bit more than the Leaf route, and you'd have to deal with a transmission, but you'd get a higher top speed and avoid a lot of finicky fabrication.

 

I'd say start your own thread and link it here! I'd love to see what you come up with, and you then you won't have to deal with anyone getting our two builds garbled up.

 

Also well worth starting a thread on diyelectriccar.com forums.

Edited by Tremelune, 22 March 2021 - 12:58 PM.

[Tremelune]

Random note about starting with a small battery pack: You might find that a lot of components only work within a certain voltage range, such that you couldn't use them when you move to the "big" pack.

[8mini]

How is the leaf mini going after 2 years, still going strong? Any photos of the interior dash, how you mount the charger, controller etc?

Edited by 8mini, 24 February 2023 - 08:33 AM.

[Tremelune]

It has been pretty much trouble-free, and it's a real monster in the twisties. I still need to finish the interior and get the rubber cone springs in, but I'm finding it hard to get the motivation to take everything apart at the moment...

 

The street Yokos are wearing muuuch better than the A052Rs with a bad alignment, that's for sure...The Protech dampers didn't do much to soften the suspension up, but I'm starting to suspect that the harshness I'm getting is the suspension bottoming out on the hard rubber stops. I have the larger, more progressive bump stops ready to install...but that means taking things apart, so i just live with it. I should probably put a camera under there and see if I can figure out exactly what's going on.