OwnerXavier McElwee
LocationDenver, Colorado United States map
Email email image
Vehicle1987 Subaru GL Hatchback
Bought the car a little over a year ago,
since
then it's gone through 2 ICEs, so I've
decided
to convert it
Motor Nissan EM57 Motor 3-Phase AC
Pulled from a wrecked Nissan leaf
DrivetrainPart time front/ 4 wheel drive 4-speed
manual.
Controller Nissan Leaf Stock Inverter
Pulled from wrecked Leaf along with motor,
accessories, and traction pack
Batteries24 Nissan leaf battery modules, 7.60 Volt, Lithium-Ion
Planned to be stored under seats and in
former gas tank area
System Voltage360 Volts
ChargerElcon HK-J-H440-10
Finally something not pulled from a Leaf,
this 3.3kW charger is directed similarly to
the stock charger but should be a little
more flexible.
HeaterNone at thet moment, planning on getting a
ceramic heater as well as AC working as soon
as
the car is rolling. Current solution until
then
is a heated blanket running off the
cigarette
lighter
DC/DC ConverterElcon TDC-IY-320-12
360v-12v converter, around 1.2kW peak power.
Given that 90a alternators are a popular
swap in these cars that should be enough for
my uses
InstrumentationStock mechanical Speedo, Tach, and Voltmeter
for
monitoring 12v system. SoC monitoring from
aftermarket gas gauge conversion kit
Top SpeedGiven that the Nissan Leaf has a top speed
of around 92mph and my car weighs about a
quarter ton less, we should expect a top
speed in the range of 100mph/160kph
AccelerationGiven the car's previous leisurely 0-60 time
of around 8-10 business days, anything is
improvement, but taking into consideration
the fact that depending on which Leaf model
I pull from I could have either an 80kW or
160kW motor I could have a car that's either
got respectable acceleration or something in
the range of a mid-90s WRX
Range75 Miles (120 Kilometers)
Depending on the model of Leaf I pull the
traction pack from. Honestly even a 24kWh
pack would work well enough for my daily
commute plus a little bit of extra leeway in
case I need it for joyriding or longer trips
Seating Capacity5, if you don't kind getting a bit personal
in
the back seat
Curb Weight2,700 Pounds (1,227 Kilograms)
Rough estimate, given the Subaru FSM values
for the weight of the car and ICE System as
well as the weight of the Leaf motor and
traction pack, as well as estimates of the
weight of accessories, etc.
Tires13" stock tires
Conversion TimeUnknown right now, though I expect
completion
probably before next summer if I were to
guess
Conversion Cost$1700 for the car originally, about $1k in
work
done to it before the conversion, just over
$3,000
for conversion parts and $2500 for a wrecked
Leaf,
leading to just shy of $7,500 USD for the
whole
car
Additional FeaturesDual range part-time 4 wheel drive courtesy of the original
transmission
I haven't yet completed the conversion of the car, but as it
stands
here are the prospective specs. My main goal is to convert the
car at
as low a price as possible while keeping it usable and without
getting used parts, giving me a budget of around $6k USD for
everything. I promised myself I'd stick to 3 base
goals for the project: 1) keep the 4wd, it wouldn't feel right
without it and in that small a car it's basically a requirement
during winter where I live. 2) keep everything the car had
before
with the ICE, not too difficult given that the car has no AC,
power
steering, or fancy fixings. 3) Keep It Simple, Stupid, sticking
to
that old adage, my plans for the car are intended to be
achievable
for a couple of highschoolers with some power tools and time to
burn.

code by jerry