Electric Vehicle conversion for 700/900 ?

[peterbl]

Has anyone done any research into converting a 700/900 vehicle to electric drive.
Our 1990 740 has been a trusty transport since bought new and we would like to keep it able to run in London and let it help the planet.
It is our thinking that it is preferable to convert good solid vehicles to electric rather than throw away all that engineering with its carbon footprint only to create a heap more CO2 in building what would be an inferior vehicle.

Any helpful thoughts?
I understand that some may hate the idea of an electric drive in an old Volvo and I respect that opinion.

[kiloran]

Definitely doable but expensive at the moment. Lots of space for battery packs in our car.

It could in fact be the ultimate group buy from a place like this - https://www.newelectric.nl/projects - they develop kits and need a minimum order of 3 vehicles to do the R&D for a new model.

[GingerMagic]

There have been a few successful conversions on other forums I use, the best one was a guy with a 406 coupe, using a Nissan Leaf as a donor.

There were many complications, namely the electrical side of things ( speedo, abs, ECU configuration etc ) but I'm sure it was a working project last time I checked...

There are also companies that will convert your pride and joy to an electric vehicle ( not my thing though ) as a way to enjoy* it for years, but it certainly comes at a price.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by peterbl

Has anyone done any research into converting a 700/900 vehicle to electric drive.
Our 1990 740 has been a trusty transport since bought new and we would like to keep it able to run in London and let it help the planet.
It is our thinking that it is preferable to convert good solid vehicles to electric rather than throw away all that engineering with its carbon footprint only to create a heap more CO2 in building what would be an inferior vehicle.

Any helpful thoughts?
I understand that some may hate the idea of an electric drive in an old Volvo and I respect that opinion.

https://www.londonelectriccars.com/

Give those people a try, they suggest "budgeting" £30k for the conversion but i understand that includes them getting it registered as an EV and hence getting round the ULEZ fees.

Put another way, it isn't going to be cheap but will be cheaper in the long run than buying a new BEV and then having depreciation and meanwhile you'll save howevr much daily on the ULEZ charge. I know it's £12.50 for non-residents, not sure what the discount is for residents but £12.50/day on a 5-day week is £62.50/wk, no idea if they charge at weekends or not but you could roughly say £3k/yr for the charge so a 10 year payback against the ULEZ charge alone - possibly more savings to be had, i don't know.

[deeman940]

Not researched it but by studying youtube it appears it is possible to put an electric drivetrain (usually Tesla) into anything. Notably a fella in Wales who specialises in putting Tesla drivetrains into old aircooled VW's and has appeared with Guy Martin on mainstream T.v....How deep is your wallet???
Electric cars seem a waste of time and an illusion of saving the planet. Does the carbon footprint of manufacturing the car offset the effect on the environment in saved emissions?
The effects of Lithium mining on the planet is immense. let alone disposing of all these batteries once they have reached the end of their life....
People need to look at the bigger picture not temporary savings on tax and ULEZ etc
Electric cars will not save the planet. a man once made a car that could run on water but mysteriously died of 'food poisoning' the day after dinner with the bosses of major oil companies......
Besides that, no countries i electricity infrastructure could cope if everyone bought electric cars tomorrow.....and even if it could. it is a **** in the ocean compared to the pollution the richest 75 companies in the worls are putting out....

[Familyman 90]

Bear in mind that it only dodges the ULEZ bullet until 2025. After that the the exemptions for electric and Euro VI cars will be removed and all will have to pay as well, so there won't be any long term advantage in that regard.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Familyman 90

Bear in mind that it only dodges the ULEZ bullet until 2025. After that the the exemptions for electric and Euro VI cars will be removed and all will have to pay as well, so there won't be any long term advantage in that regard.

If that is correct, then the ULEZ will no longer be fit for purpose as the clue is in the name - Ultra Low Emission Zone. What are they going to charge the BEVs for, electromagnetic emissions?

All a load of political hogwash to increase stealth taxes on people.

[Badger vs Bodgers]

Originally Posted by Familyman 90

Bear in mind that it only dodges the ULEZ bullet until 2025. After that the the exemptions for electric and Euro VI cars will be removed and all will have to pay as well, so there won't be any long term advantage in that regard.

That's not entirely correct; currently electric vehicles get a discount from the congestion charge, and it's that that's getting dropped in 2025.

The ULEZ is a separate but parallel thing that won't ever apply to EV's.

I get the purpose of it, but it still sucks. Bristol's likely to go the same way fairly soon.

[derek vivian]

I would be happy to investigate if my 1997 V90 could be made as environmentally efficient as a 2006 car is from the ULEZ point of view.

[derek vivian]

I am particularly interested to know if I could replace the engine in my V90 with that from a V70. My next door neighbour has a 2006 V70 and seeing that got me thinking. Could an engine swap be possible if so would that make my 1997 V90 which my wife and I love driving more environmentally friendly? Not bothered about ULEZ, but am concerned about pollution from vehicles. What thoughts??