Took pictures of the car. I think we like pictures
Misc facts about this EV conversion since I get asked these questions a lot.
I'm running a 40kwh battery. In a Nissan Leaf its rated for about 150 miles of range.
The CRX with battery and motor is 2500lbs which is 1000lbs lighter than the 3500 Nissan Leaf.
Did a test drive last week and calculated 218 miles range based on my driving. It probably will vary depending on how aggressive or economic I drive.
(SOC = state of charge which is a measure of battery percentage)
The motor is tiny and can probably fit where the fuel tank used to be in a CRX. So if someone is interested in building a RWD CRX, its very possible.
Also the motor stack is actually composed of 3 things
All three can be separated and located where ever you have room in a car. The motor is smaller than the short engine block. The transmission is about 1/3 the width of the Honda transmission (single speed).
The power/speed of the car is based on Battery & Inverter.
Nissan Leaf had about 3 different inverters which means 3 different speeds. They all used the same motor.
Nissan Leaf had about 3 different versions of the PDM (Power Distribution Module), also known as the charger. This means you have 3 different charging speed options.
Nissan Leaf had about 4 different generations of batteries that work for this build: 24, 30, 40, 62 kwh. 24-40 kwh batteries are similar shape and layout and size and weight so its an "easy" upgrade for range. 24 (80 miles) - 40 (150 miles)
Upgrading this EV conversion is as simple as swapping one of the parts listed above. I thus have an upgrade path for speed/power via inverter. I have already done the battery upgrade from 24 to 40kwh. I can still upgrade charging speed as well by going to the 3rd gen charger for faster charging.
Brakes are currently vacuum boosted still. I currently am using a vacuum pump found in some other GM/Chevy vehicles. It is connected to a pressure switch so it only runs when the vacuum pressure is low. I also have a valve to ensure it stays under vacuum pressure when not in use. Note that EVs are extremely quiet so this vacuum pump is the loudest thing in the car currently.
And because the vacuum pump is obnoxiously loud, I plan to replace my brake booster with the iBooster. It is an electronic brake booster found in the Tesla as well as some CR-Vs. The model I purchased came second hand from a CR-V.
The EV conversion still uses a radiator but EVs run quite cool so it isn't enough to heat a heater core/radiatior in the car. I'm running the HF half radiator. The coolant cools the charger, inverter, and motor. It uses an electric water pump which is the second loudest thing in the car after the vacuum pump but it isn't as obnoxious. The water pump comes from the Nissan Leaf.
The conversion route I took is not actually meant for "speed" or "power" but for cost and "ease".
The average cost for an EV conversion is 15K+ if you're buying parts off EVWest. This is because you need: Motor, Inverter, Charger, Battery, Controller, etc.
The 2013 Nissan Leaf can be found locally used for about $5000 dollars (which is what I bought it for). A Nissan Leaf is a working EV with everything "needed". If you just want an EV then its cheaper and 1000x easier to just buy a Leaf. However I like the CRX and the Leaf doesn't look or drive as nice (my opinion). A leaf due to its age and range makes a great donor to convert a CRX or any car. Tesla donors are probably faster but expect to spend over 20k is what I'd estimate.
Other than the Leaf, you'd need a controller and I used the $800 Resolve EV controller. Its theoretically possible to just swap over all the internal of the Leaf and get it working but the Resolve EV is fully documented and simplifies the swap immensely. Why code and build your own ECU when you can just buy one that makes it almost plug and play? With this you can swap it into almost any vehicle whether it be golf kart, go kart, CRX, CRZ, etc.
Next depending on your transmission, you can go with the existing single speed (cheaper and more efficient as its gear ratio was designed by Nissan) or you can mate the motor with your own transmission. Mating with another transmission requires an adapter plate and a coupler. Both need to be fabricated but a company called
https://bratindustries.net/ does half the work for you by making the Leaf side of both motor and coupler. If you want 4WD, mating is the way to go. The single speed is probably good enough for most people.
If you go with the single speed then you need custom axles. I welded my axles together and am in the process is getting the shafts I welded professionally made by a machine shop.
Then you need mounts. We're blessed by the Honda scene for most of our engine mounts to be made for just about every popular swap. That doesn't apply to DIY electric cars because its an emerging scene. Also depending on your build, you might not really want to mount the motor in front. The motor is pretty close to the size of a transaxle so its completely reasonable to fit the motor in the rear if you have the skills to swap over a rear suspension from another vehicle that supports RWD. Food for thought.
Overall a Leaf swap isn't the fastest but it can be done perhaps the cheapest and completed quickly in comparison to other EV builds. EVs are capable of instant torque and even though the Leaf is slower than the Tesla, its capable of up to 200 HP.
So all in all its a pretty good swap. Its possible to get free charging at many companies and schools. Range is good enough for a local daily commuter vehicle. Its fast.
Cons is that the weight of the car increases about 600 lbs. Rear cargo space is taken up by the battery depending on the design. If single speed then you might miss the shifter. Its too quiet so you can't rev at people (working on fixing that).
www.millteksport.com
thor-tuning.com
www.maxhaust.com
www.sound-booster.com
