EV West unveils Tesla crate motor for EV conversion projects

EV conversion one-stop shop EV West has announced a new Tesla crate motor kit designed to convert V8 muscle cars to EVs. The drop-in package consists of a complete Tesla drive unit, including inverter and mounting brackets.

“Our new Revolt Tesla crate motor mounts to your small block motor mounts and attaches directly to your driveshaft, allowing you to use your existing rear axle,” says EV West.

Tesla electric motors are already popular with the conversion crowd. EV West’s new product should make the process of mounting the motor much simpler.

Contrary to what some believe (and what a couple of credulous media outlets reported), converting a gas car to electric drive is not generally considered a cheap alternative to buying an OEM vehicle. An EV West representative told EV fan Robert Straith that the new crate motor unit, which should be available in a month or two, will cost around $30,000, and estimated that adding a battery pack and other necessary components could bring the cost of a complete powertrain to around $50,000.

Once you add the cost of the original vehicle and the skilled labor, you may find that the cost of a conversion is greater than that of a brand-new Tesla. Conversions are for those who have an attachment to a particular vintage vehicle and can afford to pay for what they want, or for mechanically talented folks who love the challenge.

Be that as it may, the conversion market thrives (as does the market for customized, modified and tuned ICE vehicles). EV West says it has a huge backlog for converting customer cars. Name any vehicle you like, from the humblest to the most prestigious, and there’s probably an electrified version of it on the road somewhere. The EV Photo Album offers technical details of over four thousand conversions, from lawnmowers to Lamborghinis.

Octopus Energy’s roaming service now includes over 1,000 chargers across the UK

Octopus Energy, a UK retail supplier of renewable electricity, launched a roaming service for EV charging called the Electric Juice Network in May—charter members included charging providers Char.gy and Osprey (formerly Engenie). Now four more charging firms—Franklin Energy LiFe, Hubsta, Alfa Power and Plug-N-Go—have joined the Electric Juice Network, bringing the total number of participating chargers to over 1,000 across the UK.

EV drivers can use their Octopus Energy account to pay for charging at any of the participating networks, and all costs will appear on a single bill. The service is open to all EV drivers.

Octopus has joined a number of other EV roaming providers as part of EV Roam, a new service that aims to further facilitate roaming among UK charging networks.

“Users of the Electric Juice Network can now benefit from considerable cross-country coverage, and even more access to rapid charging across the UK,” said Octopus Energy’s Zoisa Walton. “This makes EV charging on the go considerably easier, and it is a crucial step towards providing a totally seamless charging experience, wherever you are in the country. Each time a partner joins the network we get one step closer to creating the effortless charging system that EV drivers need.”

SAE publishes Wireless Charging standard

SAE International has published a new global standard that specifies both the vehicle-side and charger-side requirements for wireless charging of EVs.

The new standard, SAE J2954, was more than a decade in the making. In 2007, when SAE began its research, there were few EVs on the market, and wireless power transfer (WPT) may have seemed a whimsical pursuit. Since then, the Wireless Power Transfer and Alignment Taskforce has worked to thoroughly vet and test the technology, in partnership with numerous government agencies, regulatory bodies and industry groups.

Wireless power transfer begins with parking a vehicle over an SAE J2954-compatible transmitting pad on the ground (the Ground Assembly, or GA). After a communications handshake, charging begins automatically. Power is transferred by creating a magnetic resonance field between the GA and a receiving pad fitted on the underside of the vehicle (the Vehicle Assembly, or VA). The energy crosses an air gap (the ground clearance between the pads) and is then converted from AC into DC on the vehicle to charge the battery pack.

Tests using a 10-inch ground clearance have shown that WPT systems can operate at grid-to-battery efficiencies of up to 94%.

“Charging your EV should be as simple as parking and walking away. The SAE J2954 standard gives freedom and convenience to do exactly that, safely and automatically,” said Task Force Chair Jesse Schneider. “The SAE J2954 standard is a game-changer by giving a ‘cook book’ specification for developing both the vehicle and charging infrastructure wireless power transfer as one system, compatible to 11 kW. The SAE J2954 alignment technology gives additional parking assistance, even allowing for vehicles to park and charge themselves autonomously.”

The new standard specifies three power levels: WPT1 (3.7 kW), WPT2 (7 kW), and WPT3 (11 kW). To validate its performance targets and safety limits, the standard includes key parameters such as minimum efficiency, limits on electromagnetic interference (EMI), and foreign object detection. There are three overlapping ranges of vehicle ground clearances, from 100 to 250 mm (3.9 to 9.8 inches) and three levels of grid input to the GA, up to 11.1 kVA. Parking tolerances are ±75 mm (3.0 inches) in the direction of travel and ±100 mm (3.9 inches) in the lateral direction.

Wireless communication for control of the WPT charging process was standardized by SAE J2847/6, which was published in 2015, and updated in 2020. “SAE J2847/6 is a communications document utilizing WiFi, IEEE 802.11n, designed specifically with the SAE J2954 standard, and facilitates the automatic wireless charging experience while allowing for continuous optimization of the WPT system,” said Ky Sealy, co-lead of SAE J2847/6.

EGEB: South Korea joins Japan and China in net zero pledge

In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

  • South Korea’s president Moon Jae-in has formally pledged to reach net zero by 2050…
  • …But Australia digs its heels in, refusing to set emissions targets.
  • Virginia completes another solar farm in its journey to a green economy.
  • Arcadia Power is committed to making clean energy work for the planet and Americans’ bank accounts — all without changing your utility company. Sign up to receive your $20 Amazon Gift Card — *ad.

more…

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Source: Charge Forward