Electric Engine Conversion

fiestawing said:
To those who wonder if I'm serious the answer is YES. Last week I was having drinks with a friend who had an NSX for many years. He reminded me that this car was light and a fun car to drive. I'm the President of software development company based in Palm Beach Florida and I want to make statement. The Insight is just to unsightly for me. Even when it is in my favorite color, puke green.

If is funny that some have mentioned the Flux capacitor. BMW has a Hybrid in testing that uses two large capacitors that run the length of the car in place of batteries. I doubt they are Flux capacitors. LOL, but who knows.

I’m current watching on eBay and the Auto Trader for a 91 to 94 NSX with a blown engine do this with. I’m hoping to pay between 7 to 12k for it.
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Good luck finding, a NSX for 7 to 12K, the one's out there for those price's are normally scams, even salvaged one's go for almost $20K and some even over that, I hope that this venture is for yourself, because I highly doubt there are any NSX owners interested in a electric conversions, we just buy an another insight or prius to drive around as a second car, but Good Luck on your ventures :biggrin:
 
fiestawing said:
Ok wise guys!!!! You think this is a joke. These EVs are starting to stomp on ICE cars. Check out what these guys have done: http://www.proev.com/index.htm - look at some of the videos and race results.

These cars are only Electric, no gas power hear....
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LOL! Don't be mad, I actually think what you're trying to do is very interesting and certainly original. You've got to understand that this is a relatively low key forum so something like this is just too difficult for most of the members to pass up :biggrin:. Electric (or some other non gas) cars are the future and I think you'll be making a really stylish statement with an electric NSX. I don't think you'll have a lot of luck finding one with a blown motor; the NSX is already a unicorn (read: rare) so finding one with no/blown engine will be no simple task. Good luck to you though, I hope it works out!!!!!!!!
 
actually while it's not practical, i think it's a neat idea and sure to get at least a little press interest. i'm sure you could take whatever it costs to do this as an advertising write off :).
 
actually i think this is an awesome idea, and one ive been considering doing myself sometime in the near future, i came to this page searching around on google for someone that has already done it. i am young enough that i will likely see the end of gasoline as a standard fuel in the world. not willing to accept that the NSX may become undriveable in the near future without using "hobby" fuel, i think it is important for us NSX fans to look into electric conversions to keep them on the road as long as possible. not to mention with the recent electric car market starting to build performance machines (http://www.teslamotors.com/) i think a comparison between electric converted and ICE NSX's would be awesome.

im kinda half dissapointed more havnt thought of this and most think its a joke. ideally id like to have 1 stock nsx and 1 older perhaps salvage nsx for converting/testing. im just preparing for tomorow and exploring the possibilities of today.

(sorry i might have revived a very old thread)
 
Greetings
You to can be an Ultra Polluter by driving an electric or hybrid car. I don't know if it is still on the web, but there used to be an internal engineering memo from Toyota (I had to read the translated version) about how hybrid's and electrics are ultra polluters because of all the energy needed to electrolytically refine the metals needed for the batteries, replacement batteries, and the disposal of the batteries. Electrics are Ultra Polluters for these reasons and for the inefficiencies of generating, transmission, step down, and charging an electric car. Drive an electric or a hybrid because you are cheap, or can drive in the car pool lane -- don't even think you are an environmentalist. I am both an engineer and an environmentalist.
Martin
 
whatisreal7 said:
I've got a fusion reactor engine I can sell you. One big mac and it'll run a thousand years.

I'm not trying to be an ass......alright I was trying to be an ass.
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Sorry already have one.

faktenfusion2.jpg



Also as to the feasibility of this project, I wouldn't knock it until you've tried it. I build an all electric vehicle in High School from a Ford Festiva (aka called the Electric Meyham II) for a senior design project. We had an extremely limited budget, time constraints and that was well over a decade ago. The thing ran pretty well and the torque off of the DC motor lit up the wheels like you wouldn't imagine. If the thing didn't weight over 6,500 lbs, it would have been a rocket.

Now, with a crappy chassis, limited budget, 1990's technology, an immature alcohol laced HS brain, and time constraints we were able to make a pretty good drivable electric vehicle, I can only imagine what a concerned effort would bring. For what it's worth, from my experiences, I think a mid-"engine" layout is probably the best chassis for an all-electric vehicle conversion.

Plus you guys realize that electric vehicles are the way of the future. The torque you get off an electric motor is instantaneous and the power levels you can achieve are mind boggling. Also, internal combustion engines have limitations both in what the fuel and produce and the efficiency of the engine cycle. The theoretical maximums and effectiveness for electrical and chemical cycles far exceed that of the traditional ICE, if only we could harness it effectively... but like with all budding technology, we will someday.
 
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Why not start with a cheaper salvaged car as your prototype? What's the benefit of starting with an NSX to experiment on? I'd put more $$ in perfecting your conversion rather than putting it into the purchase cost of the NSX.
 
Yellow NSX said:
I would love to see Honda resurrect the NSX as a high performance electric vehicle. And this from a supercharged NSX owner.

When gas begins costing $5 a gallon - and NSX owners start posting about losing races to Tesla Roadsters <snip>
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+1

about a year ago i started to initiate a similar thread to this one (somehow had missed this thread.) and gave some thought to soliciting bids from "qualified nsx" shops (sos, driving ambition, etc) to convert my nsx to all-electric but didn't.

while i like my sc'd nsx a great deal, i believe a properly modified, fully electric version would make it my perfect car.

any / all "qualified vendors" are welcome to contact me re prototyping :)
 
The NSX is probably a good platform too: trunk, fuel tank cavity and motor all next to each other too.

Even the EV 550 spyder's weigh in at some 2600 pounds, so the NSX isn't all that far behind.

Just remember that LiON batteries lose 20% of their total capacity annually as measured from their manufacturer date. And that there are all kinds of EV conversion parts for VW based vehicles...the 550 is quite a looker too.

I think it is a good project and has some legs. There are NSX engine burns from time to time that you should be able to pick up in the low teens.

though do take a look at this:
http://www.renewables.com/ElectricSpyder.htm

**

Though on a personal note, I think that it is going to be very difficult to beat the ICE and chemical fuel. It is unfortunate that hydrocarbons are such a dense and stable energy medium: very hard to replace.

I'm hoping some sort of algae or bacterium based source of oil or alcohol that we harness using our ICE's. A lot easier on the environment and easy to replicate.
 
Synthesis said:
why does everybody think this is a joke? haven't you heard of the tesla? 0-60 in 4 seconds, betch. :smile:
http://www.fast-autos.net/vehicles/Tesla/2007/Roadster/
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I would imagine that by now, just about everyone here is familiar with the (vaporware) Tesla... along with the fact it's been delayed again and the founder booted out on his butt. I'm sure it will hit the streets eventually, but I seriously doubt the company will be particularly successful.
 
robr said:
I would imagine that by now, just about everyone here is familiar with the (vaporware) Tesla... along with the fact it's been delayed again and the founder booted out on his butt. I'm sure it will hit the streets eventually, but I seriously doubt the company will be particularly successful.
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i think it'll be interesting to see what actually makes it to production as a tesla vehicle. they've had lots of hype, more than a bit of investor cash, built some nice prototypes, etc, but getting it to full production is another story. (yup, captain obvious here)
 
Vega$ NSX said:
Plus you guys realize that electric vehicles are the way of the future.
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No... no they're not. It's all part of this B.S. fad about global warming and being "green". It's a fad. Electric cars are super inconvenient, and inconvenience is certainly not what this country is all about. I'll let you know when electric generators start showing up at gas stations. California, maybe. Anywhere else.. No. And if you want to do this, why not just purchase a Tesla? Why would you destroy something as rare, and as finely engineered as an NSX? I'm not as P.C. as alot of people here. This is just stupid.
 
well then, since we want to make the NSX last through time with the comming changes in fuel types, what do you suggest converting the NSX powerplant to? electric motors are out there, as well as batteries, and theyre relativly cheap. electric might be slightly more inconvenient the gasoline, but the world isnt phasing out electricity, theyre phasing out gas. id rather start on building electric conversions now so that the community knows how to do it when gas is gone rather then betting on another type of fuel to go in our current engines. besides, electric's performance is proven to be competitive at the very least, we dont buy NSX's (mostly) cause its a convenient car, but because of its engineering and performance.

i would like to go buy a tesla, but that would defeat the point, NSXs can be found for under 20k, tesla = 100k (not to mention the waiting list). and i love the NSX, not the tesla.

actually its kinda funny, i accidentally revived this 2-3 year old thread and when it died off 2 years ago, it was a total joke to most members. now however its got a much more positive responce and somewhat serious attention.

one question i do have tho is, what would be the aprox weight reduction of removing the ICE and all related components? i can try to find a similar weight electric motor/battery comparison. would be neat to write up the theoretical torque/hp/endurance achieveable at the same or less weight.
 
Yellow NSX said:
Remove the NSX's engine, transmission, radiator, fluids and all other items related to the current gas-powered system, and this lightens up the vehicle quite a bit.

I don't know how heavy the Tesla's battery system and transmission weighs, but I would hazard a guess that it is lighter than the NSX's engine and related parts.

Soon enough there'll be totalled Tesla's on the market, so perhaps we'll be seeing an NSX converted to all-electric sometime in the near future...
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The battery pack alone on a Tesla weighs about 1000 lbs.
 
I think if one was to do such a thing, an NSX is actually a good candidate for many reasons including the shape, drivetrain configuration, weight, etc. I don't know why everyone thinks this is such a silly idea, it can be done. The Tesla electric is a mid-engine lightweight Elise body. The NSX is not all that different. A corvette is not as good a candidate because of its front engine configuration. And it just is too common. Part of making this project neat is its rarity, and the NSX again fits that bill. The tesla is a 100K car. That leaves a lot of money for a used NSX with a blown engine and if someone has the will and the money, I bet it can be done.

By the way I have this guy I work with, he is an older guy, a real stereo nut. 2-channel old-school, he likes he tube audio gear. He said "You know this home theater thing is just a fad, right? it will go away." I burst out laughing thinking he was joking, but apparently... not. lol...
 
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It will be a while before production electric cars have the kind of top-end as an unlimited petrol motor.

Perhaps a 914 would be a more ideal choice for this conversion? The engine in the NSX is a large part of what makes it what it is.To remove it would be a bit of a crime.

As for the BS on global warming, you may want to check this site out.
http://www.ucsusa.org/

Its run by some crazy group calling themselve scientist from MIT.
What will those silly Fad mongers think of next.
 
Don't use the Tesla as an example of what a home brewed conversion would be- the kind of batteries available to reasonable people are very heavy and don't give the same discharge rate. I assume that you are not working with an unlimited budget, and most home EV conversions end up using 6 volt golf cart batteries (lead acid, deep discharge). This is for the kind of project that would cost $8k in a Civic.

The Tesla uses some ungodly number of lithium ion batteries, the kind you would find in a cell phone, at an equally ungodly price. I am told it also needs a dedicated air conditioning setup just for the battery pack.

With lead acid batteries you are limited in the voltage you can push, simply because the available deep discharge batteries are bulky- you would need a truck to easily get over 120v. That makes the really high voltage AC motors difficult to use, and pretty much rules out regenerative braking. You might be able to get enough voltage out of a NiMH pack, but then the price jumps way up.

Interesting project regardless of the car, but more difficult than I thought when I first looked into it.

Nick
 

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