# LG Chem Cease & Desist / Classic 911 Battery Dilemma



## eUKenGB (Feb 21, 2019)

This is really bad news. I have been finding suppliers of crucial items, like motors, batteries etc do NOT want to sell to anyone except big manufacturers. This I think is the biggest obstacle with EV conversions and a company such as LG Chem taking this stance does not bode well for the future of such conversions.


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## BlueHorizon (Nov 27, 2018)

Agree Ken, although I suspect that some of these moves are liability / safety oriented as manufacturers worry about consumers creating dangerous setups with the batteries (no BMS -> fire etc.). 

Talking about dangerous  - I have also been looking at Alibaba to see what the current offerings are regarding EV batteries there and there seem to be growing number of manufacturers that are able to create custom battery packs. Might be worth considering..


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## Tomdb (Jan 28, 2013)

Zero-EV in the UK are working on something quite interesting. *Electric Porsche 911 Conversion Kits - Electric Porsche 911 *


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## BlueHorizon (Nov 27, 2018)

Very interesting Tom! Looks like they are working on a G body version too (which is the vehicle type I have). I'll reach out to them and see what the deal is. 

Note that the EV West kit (Tesla motor, controller interface, batteries, mounts, high voltage components, charger and mounts) came in at just over $30k for a DIY install.


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## eUKenGB (Feb 21, 2019)

Tomdb said:


> Zero-EV in the UK are working on something quite interesting. *Electric Porsche 911 Conversion Kits - Electric Porsche 911 *


Unfortunately it's for the 911. A car in which I have never had the slightest interest.


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## Tomdb (Jan 28, 2013)

BlueHorizon said:


> the EV West kit (Tesla motor, controller interface, batteries, mounts, high voltage components, charger and mounts) came in at just over $30


Sure, but the Zero-EV kit, is way more complete and battery pack is 54 kWh.


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## Tomdb (Jan 28, 2013)

eUKenGB said:


> Unfortunately it's for the 911. A car in which I have never had the slightest interest.


You can get batteries and other parts from Zero-Ev, they even just sell them on their webstore. Battery Modules Archives - Zero EV


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Those LG Chem 16S 2.6 kWh modules are presumably the ones out of the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. I don't know why there ever was a large supply of new modules for the aftermarket, but presumably this is still some supply of salvaged modules from crashed Pacifica vans, just as the Volt, Leaf, and Tesla modules are salvaged from those vehicles.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Tomdb said:


> Zero-EV in the UK are working on something quite interesting. *Electric Porsche 911 Conversion Kits - Electric Porsche 911 *





Tomdb said:


> You can get batteries and other parts from Zero-Ev, they even just sell them on their webstore. Battery Modules Archives - Zero EV


The combination of the kit description and the module offerings from Zero EV suggest that the modules included in the kit are the CALB modules from Zero EV... 24 of them, all connected in series.


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## Tomdb (Jan 28, 2013)

brian_ said:


> The combination of the kit description and the module offerings from Zero EV suggest that the modules included in the kit are the CALB modules from Zero EV... 24 of them, all connected in series.


Correct, plus it runs a Tesla Large Drive unit. Also the batteries are watercooled.

Here is the inside of the front battery box

__
http://instagr.am/p/CALRlkFnZzA/


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Tomdb said:


> Here is the inside of the front battery box ...


Thanks. 
That's two vertically mounted cooling plates (the ones offered by Zero EV), each sandwiched by a pair of modules on each side, for a total of 8 modules up front. That leaves 16 modules in the rear; a 911 is rear-heavy and should be, but this is a lot of mass in the rear, much of it mounted very high.


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## Tomdb (Jan 28, 2013)

brian_ said:


> Thanks.
> That's two vertically mounted cooling plates (the ones offered by Zero EV), each sandwiched by a pair of modules on each side, for a total of 8 modules up front. That leaves 16 modules in the rear; a 911 is rear-heavy and should be, but this is a lot of mass in the rear, much of it mounted very high.


is it now? how much you thing the engine, plus ancilaries plus exhaust plus gearbox weigh? (its going to be on par)

Luckily all of this is documentend so once the first car goes togethor, anytime now, we should know. 

I should know as I designed most of it.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Tomdb said:


> is it now? how much you thing the engine, plus ancilaries plus exhaust plus gearbox weigh? (its going to be on par)
> 
> Luckily all of this is documentend so once the first car goes togethor, anytime now, we should know.
> 
> I should know as I designed most of it.


The dense parts of the engine are not that tall.

I may be mistaken about weight, since I'm not familiar with how heavy Porsche engines are. Every other conversion in the world of a modern engine to an EV of substantial battery capacity increases weight, but on the other hand people put American V8's in Porsches without major problems so perhaps those boxers are stupidly heavy.

What are the calculated axle loads stock and after conversion? All the component locations are known so this should be known.


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## Tomdb (Jan 28, 2013)

Finished car will be under 1500 kg. Stock they weight 1350kg+ depending on options and how much gas is in the tank. So this should work out to be a kilo or 60 over stock (with full fuel tank and taking the weight quoted by Porsche for stock).
Got to keep in mind this is a car with a range of 200 miles + and 0-60 times well exceeding stock.

Edit: Keep in mind, this conversion changes Nothing (not even wiring, you are only removing parts that un bolt or clip) of the original car.


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## eUKenGB (Feb 21, 2019)

Tomdb said:


> ...
> I should know as I designed most of it.


Are you then associated with Zero EV (along with Chris?)?


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## Tomdb (Jan 28, 2013)

eUKenGB said:


> Are you then associated with Zero EV (along with Chris?)?


Yes I do alot of contracting for Zero-EV


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## Tremelune (Dec 8, 2009)

$30k?? Buy a used Model S, part it out, and have someone fab you up some battery boxes...I think you'd wind up $10k ahead depending on how much time you spend selling parts and how complex the battery boxen you went with were.

It's tough to beat Model S modules for power/weight and power/volume. The tricky bit is finding enough space to put enough for 200mi. If it were me, I'd fill the area behind the front seats a foot or two high, then see what would fit where the shifter was, then move on to the frunk and engine bay. This is, of course, not straightforward...


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## BlueHorizon (Nov 27, 2018)

First of all, this thread turned into more of a goldmine of info than I expected so thanks for all the responses! Headed down the DIY route rather than a kit at this point working with a local shop here in Texas to help fab mounts for the motor and batteries. Already have a modified Tesla motor and now need to move on to batteries / other high voltage elements.

Tremelune - I hear you that you could go the route of buying a used Model S for about $26k (based on what I found on cars.com), however I personally don't have the space or time to part out an entire car. Watched a few videos of people doing that and it's a ton of work. Plus, as you rightly called out, the old 911 is a tight fit for the Model S batteries without major modifications to the body hence I'm looking at other options as I know over the years the battery tech will improve in capacity and size so I can upgrade to longer range / power later. Plus, the bigger deal about the kit from EVWest was that they had a tested motor & battery mount solution for my car which was the primary appeal.

The journey continues!


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## kennybobby (Aug 10, 2012)

@Tomdb,

first check looks like voltage reading of the 2 modules in series.
second looks like isolation check from mid-point to chassis, megohms.


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