F100 EV, DIY project

Just saw this on the news and figured people here would enjoy talking about it- 

https://printveela.com/the-ford-f-100-eliminator-is-a-dyi-electric-pickup/

It's pretty cool but "traction inverter, power controls and battery are required to operate, which are not currently available in the Ford performance catalog, but will be added at a later date."  So, not quite DIY yet.

SEMA show is this week , so there will be lots of Vaperware  from  the PR division.

Last year GM was  pushing a crate EV motor ,  did that ever happen ?

I wonder if they haven't developed the inverters, traction control and battery management yet because of the high voltage risk?  There are a number of videos floating around of shops converting cars with wrecked Tesla's and most mention the high voltage being and issue to work around.  I could see the manufacturers trying to sort through a safe package to avoid lawsuits when the shade tree guy wires something up wrong and fries himself and or his whole house.  Or tries to extend it or make it do something they didn't intend with bad results.

I'm guilty of that thinking myself.  I'd love an EV powered classic van, but just thinking through it, I was wondering how many batteries I could daisy chain together to get more range.  In a van, space is plentiful and I could see mounting several batteries under the floor to have a 400+ mile range.  But, I know zilch about the electronics and could easily see myself doing something stupid with subsequently bad results.....

I'm still kinda surprised Tesla hasn't offered something, but I wonder if that's more closed system thinking (like computers and software) instead of the modifying attitude of the auto industry.

-Rob

rob_lewis said:

I wonder if they haven't developed the inverters, traction control and battery management yet because of the high voltage risk?  There are a number of videos floating around of shops converting cars with wrecked Tesla's and most mention the high voltage being and issue to work around.  I could see the manufacturers trying to sort through a safe package to avoid lawsuits when the shade tree guy wires something up wrong and fries himself and or his whole house.  Or tries to extend it or make it do something they didn't intend with bad results.

I'm guilty of that thinking myself.  I'd love an EV powered classic van, but just thinking through it, I was wondering how many batteries I could daisy chain together to get more range.  In a van, space is plentiful and I could see mounting several batteries under the floor to have a 400+ mile range.  But, I know zilch about the electronics and could easily see myself doing something stupid with subsequently bad results.....

I'm still kinda surprised Tesla hasn't offered something, but I wonder if that's more closed system thinking (like computers and software) instead of the modifying attitude of the auto industry.

-Rob

This is all just Mach E parts in a different wrapper, so not too much development needed. I think the biggest reason they're not selling the other critical components is that they're still supply constrained and are using everything they can get to build Mach Es

STM317 said:

I think the biggest reason they're not selling the other critical components is that they're still supply constrained and are using everything they can get to build Mach Es

This seems like the logical answer.  Those components will be eventually available, but the manufacturers are having a hard enough time getting parts for production cars as it is, without also supplying the aftermarket.

Chances are there will be people anxiously watching Copart for wrecked Mach-E's to show up, so they can harvest the components.

stuart in mn said:

STM317 said:

I think the biggest reason they're not selling the other critical components is that they're still supply constrained and are using everything they can get to build Mach Es

This seems like the logical answer.  Those components will be eventually available, but the manufacturers are having a hard enough time getting parts for production cars as it is, without also supplying the aftermarket.

Chances are there will be people anxiously watching Copart for wrecked Mach-E's to show up, so they can harvest the components.

Maybe the "Mustang" part of the name will help them show up more often.

californiamilleghia said:

SEMA show is this week , so there will be lots of Vaperware  from  the PR division.

Last year GM was  pushing a crate EV motor ,  did that ever happen ?

There's one in Project X... 

Originally, I figured it would be Mach E components put into an old chassis because that's what crate motors are for. But the more pics I see, the more it seems like this is just an old truck body dropped onto a Mach E skateboard.

Here you can see the battery pack under the rockers and irs:

The entire front suspension/cradle seems to have been brought over:

Mache E wheel, column, dash, center tablet and presumably pedals:

I like the concept of electrifying older cruisers. But I'm not sure this really shows anything truly DIY or sells their "crate motor" concept very well. The "crate motor" buyers are likely to have different goals than the person that gets a wrecked donor and just swaps their body onto it. For me, the execution of this is a little "off". This would be a perfect concept if Ford were selling the entire Mach E skateboard to the public, but that's not what they're doing. This isn't an old truck that's been EV swapped, it's a Mach E with a different shell on top.

In reply to STM317 :

Agreed.  It's still well done and I like how the conversion doesn't appear to eat into any of the bed space.  If they had done the same conversion/body swap with an E-series van with a raised roof, I'd be posting a Fry "take my money" image...  A raised roof conversion van EV with around the Mach E range would be the perfect DD for me for 90% of the driving I do.

It also appears they did some subtle modifications to the truck as well. I don't think that is an 8' bed, which would have a 131" wheelbase. The Mach E has a 117.5" wheelbase so the truck bed is 6.5' or somewhere in between a short bed and a long bed.

STM317 said:

...if Ford were selling the entire Mach E skateboard to the public...

 

I wonder if GM/Ford/anyone will start doing this. Cater to the custom car/coach built market. Like back in the early 1900s.

iansane said:

STM317 said:

...if Ford were selling the entire Mach E skateboard to the public...

 

I wonder if GM/Ford/anyone will start doing this. Cater to the custom car/coach built market. Like back in the early 1900s.

I think VW  has been talking about selling an EV skate  , 

Meyers Manx comes to mind ,