Electric Cars Facts

Archive for the ‘Electric Trucks’ Category

If you can’t tear yourself away from driving your truck but want save on gas, consider converting your current truck into a electric or hybrid vehicle. By doing so, you’ll be getting much better mileage per gallon. Substitute fuel costs are just a third of the price of regular gasoline or diesel.

There is a gradual yet growing trend of converting trucks into plug-in hybrids, particularly pickups, customs, and conversion SUVs. This option is ideal for those who need to or prefer to drive trucks but wish to conserve their gas money, as well as partake in a more eco-conscious lifestyle. With today’s advanced green technology, it is possible to cruise with a large vehicle and still get great gas mileage.

Companies such as ConVerdant Vehicles will install a new motor, batteries, controller, and charger into your existing truck. The original engine and other components are not altered. Instead, ConVerdant will simply add in a few electric devices and “trick” the vehicle’s motor into thinking it should work with the new motor.

ConVerdant provides a lithium phosphate battery which the company boasts offer a longer lifetime and three times the density of a lead acid battery. The charger itself can be plugged into any standard 120-volt outlet to be filled. Meanwhile, the motor mounts on the drive shift right behind the transmission. A technician will mount the charger plug onto either the front or rear fender, as the car owner desires. Just be sure to plug in the charger at night to recharge the battery. The designs of these add-ons were made for harsh road conditions and extreme temperatures.

This service is available for a variety of truck models, including the Ford 150 series, Ford SUVs, Chevy 1500-2500-3500, and Toyota, Chrysler, and Honda trucks and SUVs. The price rate starts at $13,500 and the warranty is for three months on parts and labor. With a reservation, you can walk out of ConVerdant’s shop with your hybrid truck in two weeks after checking it in.

Though the market is still in its initial stage, the idea of electric trucks may be the next big frontier for mass manufactured hybrid vehicles. Electric motors are well known for their extreme torque and thus are ideal for moving heavy loads, such as on truck beds. With a truck, there’s also plenty of space to store large batteries and other heavy duty components without affecting driveability.

Last year, Protean Electric, formerly known as PML Flightlink, converted a 2009 Ford F150, one of the country’s most iconic American truck models, into an all-electric drive for the SEMA Show. Unlike other standard electric vehicles, the company’s remake of the F150 includes in-wheel electric motors that are extremely powerful.

Through their technology, Protean was able to create an in-wheel electric motor unit that’s essentially eight motors in one. Segmented magnets are situated on the exterior of the truck, while the stator is a new integration into the stock version. Another key component to the electric F150’s power lies within its eight identical inverter motor controllers, each capable of switching on and off independently. This feature gives the EV maximum power and torque.

Because of this approach, the electric F150 is more easily reparable. Protean has also designed its motors as a modular bolt-on system, which makes it less of a hassle to swap the bearing on the integrated mechanical brake and motor. Yet another modification to the truck is Protean’s decision to remove the factory rear axle and replace it with a more suitable hollow beam axle. Again, this takes a decent chunk of weight off of the vehicle and improves gear reduction.

By integrating unique EV elements into the existing 2008 Ford F150 model, Protean was successful in increasing the power, reliability, and control of the vehicle. It also substantially reduces weight and, of course, is a lot more eco-friendly than its non-electric counterpart.

Have you heard of any other electric car experiments that help to advance the EV movement?