700hp electric S2k project

High school kid gets the support of daddy's mad money to do a serious EV conversion on an S2k:

http://electrichonda.blogspot.com/2011/05/introduction.html

Hit "Newer post" at the bottom to see the next update.

Two 9" motors? That's cool. It should be able to give the White Zombie datsun some serious competition.

Cool project, and the kid writes a mean blog.

I didn't notice a price mentioned for the main electric drivetrain components. What does that kind of gear cost? (...it looks expensive).

Wow, that's Juan's car, he's a good friend of mine. He lives 10 miles away; I used to ride my bike with my 50 pound toolbag on the back over to his house to work on other Frankenstein projects.

He was going to use an Elise, but couldn't find a clean one around here.

I've calculated the cost of the battery pack he's building at a bit over $11k which isn't bad for what you're getting...but it's $11k.

The motors were $2k and $2.4k (they're actually two different models).

Yeah... He isn't poor; he usually drives around in a new AMG mercedes. He is GRM, just in a higher price bracket than most of us.

JoeyM wrote: Two 9" motors? That's cool. It should be able to give the White Zombie datsun some serious competition.

If his estimates of a 100+ mile range and sub 3-sec 0-60mph are in the ballpark, he might be giving the Tesla a run for its money.

Luke wrote:

JoeyM wrote: Two 9" motors? That's cool. It should be able to give the White Zombie datsun some serious competition.

If his estimates of a 100+ mile range and sub 3-sec 0-60mph are in the ballpark, he might be giving the Tesla a run for its money.

I imagine the 100+ mi range and sub 3-sec 0-60 are mutually exclusive features on one 'tank' of electrons.

... I imagine the 100+ mi range and sub 3-sec 0-60 are mutually exclusive features on one 'tank' of electrons.

Exactly, and it's always be overlooked when electric cars' capabilities are discussed.

Remember the video of the Tesla "blowing away" the Ferrari/Porshe at the dragstrip? They didn't mention that the Tesla needed a 20-minute cool-down period between runs, or the fact that each run got slower. I'd like to see, three back-to-back runs, but since it's all about marketing, that'll never happen.

kb58 wrote:

... I imagine the 100+ mi range and sub 3-sec 0-60 are mutually exclusive features on one 'tank' of electrons.

Exactly, and it's always be overlooked when electric cars' capabilities are discussed. Remember the video of the Tesla "blowing away" the Ferrari/Porshe at the dragstrip? They didn't mention that the Tesla needed a 20-minute cool-down period between runs, or the fact that each run got slower. I'd like to see, three back-to-back runs, but since it's all about marketing, that'll never happen.

The Tesla cooling system has been improved so that should no longer be an issue. The pack this guy is using is a bit more capable than the Tesla pack and neither the motors or the batteries are all that stressed by one sub 12 second full throttle run. The effect of higher load on the newer batteries is less also. I would say the difference between maximum/minimum range is less than 30% or so. Less than the difference on a ICE.

Would you guys like to read about this in GRM?

mmmm......not sure. You guys did the EV miata already, but this is a cool build. Maybe an article after he is totally done, homebrewed s2K EV vs. Tesla vs. stock miata....drag, autocross and cross country drive, all back to back so the old internal combustion/gasoline car has a chance to show where it still shines; i.e. energy density in a gallon of gasoline.

^Agree I'd rather see some comparisons when it's done. It's very high on the cool meter but pretty low on the grassroots meter, and all the info is already available on his blog.

he said 1500 ft/ lbs torque

You can't expect the magazine to find secret cars that aren't documented on the internets. Also, expecting a cross-country drive on the article is a bit much, especially since everyone knows how that will turn out. Watch Top Gear for that one.

I'd like to see it in GRM. Think of it as a home-brew Tesla. And comparison against a stock NC Miata (or an S2000) would be interesting, as long as it was kept within the intent of an electric car.

electric cars need not have a short range.. as this venture is showing

don't charge it, change it

I'd like to follow the build. Not in the mag necessarily but a forum thread where members can keep updated/ kick it around and add related links/ comments.

A magazine article on the build highlights through sorted car and testing would be good.

Fellow S2k owner here... I would love to see the car in the magazine! Maybe I am a little biased because I own an S2000 but its a pretty neat project regardless. If you actually live 10 miles away from him, go take some pictures of his project and maybe interview or something. Then when he finishes, you can have pictures from before and after and compare the two.

It seems like he will be finishing up soon, so go for it!