# Suzuki Jimny and Carry EV conversion



## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

Hi All,

I just finish converting a Suzuki Carry 4x4 mini truck using a old 72v 10kw max brushless motor and a Kelly KLS7250NC controller with a 2.9kwh battery pack. I have had it running for about 2 months, getting 25 km per charge and done over 500 km.























I'm so pleased with the Carry that I am looking at converting a 2007 Suzuki Jimny using a Kelly HPQ10-96 AC Induction Motor 96V 20KW max ( HPQ10-96 AC Induction Motor 96V 10KW - Kelly Controls ) coupled to the gear box with matching controller and making 2 battery packs using BYD blade cells with a combined capacity of 21kwh (running batteries @ 80% capacity). Sorry I don't have an actual pic but it looks like this one. The Carry weight 780kg before the conversion and the Jimny weights 1080kg









Now to the real reason to write all this, has any one converted a Jimny if so what are your thoughts and I am open to any ideas.


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

Am curious about what kind of speed you got out of the Carry?


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

4th gear 68km/h, 5th gear is only about 5km/h faster but not as much grunt, I have pulled about 1000kg in 1st gear and my dad pulled about 1500kg in 4th low both weights were on gravel roads with hills


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

impressive


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Hi, I'm starting the same conversion (carry) but with a '90 Mazda scrum.

I was looking for comparative and you posted right that, thx!

Mine will be with a 7.7kwh 72v pack and a ac34 Curtis motor. But seeing what you state maybe I will go lower with a golden motor 20kw instead...

I should order the motor this week.

It will be used on steep hills everyday in the summer. What are the spec of your motor? It seems bigger than a 10ke max. When climbing a steep hill with maybe half a load, what speed do you get?

Also, did you cancel your clutch?

Did you made by yourself the adapter plate?

Did you use a DC/DC converter or an accessory battery? Mine has the dumping box and I'm still thinking about each way to make the 12V works.

Sorry, so many questions but it's difficult to find a successful conversion with anything else than DC motor on these Kei trucks.

Thx!


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

I dream often about a Jimny. I had many Samurais but here in Canada the Jimnys where banned because of a stupid lawsuit from Honda and Toyota.

I tried them in Iceland and in the south sun destinations. The spiritual successor of the Sammy...

I'm deeply jealous of you project lol. It will be really awesome!


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

Hi Seb,
This is a photo of the motor name plate.








We live on a farm on the west coast of NZ and it is very rugged country. Both loads we pulled were up about a 10 degree slope, speed up hill I was looking at my amps more that my speed, I think 1st gear 10 -15 km/h @ 160amp. I have used it for chasing cattle on our river bed paddocks which can be quite ruff and it did great, drawing 25 - 45 amps with 140kg on the deck.
We did pull out out the clutch but we wouldn't do that again. We used a DC/DC controller to a 12v battery.

In saying all that, if I was going on to the gear box all over again I would go with the 20kw for more speed on road. 10kw has lots of power for off road in low gear see this pic if in doubt on pulling power.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

The Carry on the trailer is an other one we were looking at converting with a 20kw. The Carry's have a 60hp engine in them and combustion engines are only 20% efficient so do the math.


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

60hp is 60hp. 

Efficiency loss from there is in the drivetrain.

That nameplate is showing 5kW continuous rating...

While your speeds in 1st gear seem plausible, I'm going to guess your ammeter is way off, though.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

The amp reading is strate from the BMS and the Kelly controller is 140 amp continuous and 380 max but we have limited it 300 amp on the BMS.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

Just wondering Remy just with our conversation why would our 5 kw continuous motor perform as good as the old petrol engine we had in it. As it our first conversation and we are planning to do more I would like to get my head around the concept


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

It's got me scratching my head. 

The only things I can think of is there's either a black hole nearby that's pulling on it or a current sensing shunt got substituted. 

Would be cool if you could *safely* get a clamp meter on there to validate the current readings.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

Hi there guys. 
I thought I would put my 2 cents worth in since my son is the one that has been doing the posts on my behalf. I am not so good with the writing. 
I have been working with machinery for over 35 years - involved with mechanical engineering and building all sort of machinery and mechanical work on heavy industrial machines and worked a lot with diesels and petrols. 
A lots of people put a lot of emphasis on Kw and horsepower but often underestimate how important torque is. Power is nothing without torque. So I think when you are looking to go electric it is something you need to take into consideration. And yes it is true, I agree with you. 60hp is 60hp. I did a bit more explaining to my son. 
The thing you need to really concentrate on is what sort of thing you are looking for. Is it speed you are wanting and high performance or are you looking for low down torque where speed is not the issue or are you looking to get both speed and low down torque ??? that's when you will need a lot more horsepower with a good amount of torque. 
There are a lot of variables to consider, and to clarify the Amperage, I have test everything I have done with an expensive clamp metre as well as what the BMS tells me. 
Overall the outcome of what it does speaks for itself. I am very happy with it's performance. I am planning to do another 4. Which I know I can do improvements in. 
I will explain, this is my lovely wife writing for me. 
I have never done this sort of thing before, I'm a bit nervous - hope I have explained it well enough. I have really enjoyed working with EV conversions.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

sorry I didn't see your post. It will be no problem to double check with clamp metre tomorrow. I just went back and read what my son Michael had written. He may have been a bit low on the amps.
Hopefully I can be a bit more accurate for you.


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

trustpete2 said:


> Hi Seb,
> This is a photo of the motor name plate.
> View attachment 128507
> 
> ...


Really impressive! Your numbers make me think a lot on the other projects I have. Like someone says here, torque is really the most important thing and the only one I did not calculate when designing the conversion. I could have saved a lot.

I'm going forward with a custom made kit from a seller here in Canada (canev).

It's really pricey (20k$cad)... But I got 3 sponsors and a grant. It will be the Curtis ac34 and a 7.7kwh pack (24 cells + room for 12 others when they get them back in stock).

It's way overbuilt comparing to yours... I will give the numbers when it will be rolling.

Since it has the dump bed, we will extend the rear subframe to place the pack between the cab and the bed.

I'll see the fitting possibilities with/without clutch when delivered.

Mine is older than yours ('90) and it's not the same transmission and gearings. I have two '98 with blown engine, I will probably try the two different transmission to find the best combo.


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

Power is speed times torque. You can't make speed if the torque is not there. So, you are sort of right about torque, but there is a reason for the focus on kW and HP...

A transmission or gearbox or belt/chain transfers power. Nearly 100% - the rest of the energy is lost, mostly as heat. So the gearbox/trans/chain/belt can give you more torque at an output speed...but only if the HP or kW is there.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

trustpete2 said:


> Just wondering ... why would our 5 kw continuous motor perform as good as the old petrol engine we had in it.


Because you are pushing it (applying enough voltage at a high enough motor speed, resulting in enough current) to produce far more than 5 kilowatts. And if you were shifting the transmission to keep the engine speed very low, the engine would have been unable to produce anything close to its rated power.

300 amps at 72 volts is 21.6 kW, not 5 kW; even 160 amps at 72 volts is 11.5 kW. Of course those are input power to motor, but even at only 80% efficiency that would be 17 kW and 9.2 kW. When the BMS sees more than 300 amps, does it shut off the main contactor, or is there some sort of communication with the controller? I'm wondering how the BMS limits battery discharge current.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

trustpete2 said:


> The Carry's have a 60hp engine in them and combustion engines are only 20% efficient so do the math.


What math? The 60 horsepower rating is for engine output. Efficiency determines the rate of energy input that is required by engine to produce that output, but whether the efficiency is high or low has no relevance to the output.


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## Electric Land Cruiser (Dec 30, 2020)

A "5kw" motor running at 21kw is reasonable. And yes the Kei truck's engine is very small and spinning near max rpm to make 60hp and also most of it's torque so there is probably quite a bit of area in the powerband where the electric motor makes more power and torque than the gas motor. As far living on a farm in NZ with electric trucks, just color me a little jealous.


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## Electric Land Cruiser (Dec 30, 2020)

And yes KW and HP are not really directly comparable except outside of the peak rating. For instance an electric motor can pull very high amperage at very low RPM which equals high KW and high torque. But high torque at low RPM is still low HP so in that example the KW and HP are not comparable.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

brian_ said:


> When the BMS sees more than 300 amps, does it shut off the main contactor


Yes


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

1st gear at 140Amps is not in question. Nowhere does it say they are pulling 300amps in operation. In fact, it says the opposite:

"I have used it for chasing cattle on our river bed paddocks which can be quite ruff and it did great, drawing 25 - 45 amps with 140kg on the deck."


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

Thanks for your thoughts and input to the kw/hp talk guys but back to the reason I started this is discussion has any one converted a Suzuki Jimny to ev and if so how did you go.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

Hi there again
This is the dad back with an update of the clamp metre
This was just an experimental project. With a low budget. As you can see it does the job. And we are very happy, did some more tests today and it performed quite well as you can see in pics.
































pulling up about a 10 degree slope, speed up hill was 1st gear 10 -15 km/h
We did it a couple of times and we just kept filling the pods until it reached 1500 L but it didn't exceed 162 A. ( this also lines up with our BMS display)
And 2nd time on about 15 degree slope
Motor was only just warm.
So as a farm vehicle I think it's perfect and it only cost me $2800 NZD that is why I have been asked by a lot of farmers to do some more. Of course they will be a lot more tidy than this one.


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

trustpete2 said:


> Hi there again
> This is the dad back with an update of the clamp metre
> This was just an experimental project. With a low budget. As you can see it does the job. And we are very happy, did some more tests today and it performed quite well as you can see in pics.
> 
> ...


Really cool! Mine will be used on my outfitter, I'm sure my colleagues will want one for them too.

My conversion will be much more costly, since 100% new stuff and sponsorship. I hope it won't be too powerfull that I can broke the transmission.


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

I just got the golden motor 5kw and 10kw order. Impressed, big, heavy and well built. I'll try them on my komodo project and since it use the same transmission assembly than the scrum, I'll make an adapter plate that fits the two golden motors and the Curtis ac34 (anyway my scrum/carry conversion kit will came with an adapter plate too).

I will try the 5 and 10kw on the buggy with lead acid batteries (I got 65 115ah deep cycle that I try to sell since January).

And with the lithium ion pack, and the lifepo4 pack that I'm still waiting for.

I will get a lot of numbers and thoughts that I will share here for the next enthusiasts.

Which sort of union fitting did you used for your carry? Did you worked on the Suzuki shaft or you found something that fits?

I was thinking about some Timken coupling with very hard rubber damping to cancel vibration and torque shock. Anyway in the machine shop they will figure.

There is some play on the shaft, if they can fit without opening the transmission I will just test as is. If not they will change the main bearing.

I'm still thinking about the three cable, forward/reverse, high/low, 2wd/4wd, and gear select. I will probably retrofit the original handles to test and solder all that after finding the best gears combination.


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

There's play in the input shaft because it is supported by the pilot bearing you took away when you pulled the engine.

Also not sure what "vibration" you're trying to kill...the coupler is for alignment compliance.


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

remy_martian said:


> There's play in the input shaft because it is supported by the pilot bearing you took away whan you pulled the engine.
> 
> Also not sure what "vibration" you're trying to kill...the coupler is for alignment compliance.


I still have the pilot bearing and clutch and the engine. Original plan was to rebuilt it but here it's the same cost of rebuilding a recent engine at around 3k$. So I decided to go the ev way even if it's double the cost. Figure.

So you say that this play is normal? Around 1/16".

I want to isolate the vibrations from the mechanical parts (diff, transfer case, transmission) so they won't impact the motor.

I read about some horror stories exactly like that (vibration or noise from the motor after not many hours of use, caused by a really slight misalignment who destroyed the inner bearings of the brand new motor).

Also the torque from electric vs ice is not the same. This UTV will be used like there is no tomorrow so I just want to be sure to not damage the motor.

Same sort of coupling they use on hydraulic pump. Or better.

Also, since it's custom work I prefer to have a little margin on alignment, Wich won't be the case if I use a direct metal coupling.

And with these type of coupling I can switch easily the motor for testing purposes.

I'm still curious on how the op has done his coupling.









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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

The play is part of an engineered power transmission solution that is self aligning and has built-in allowance for part tolerances. 

You are taking away key pieces of that. Yes, the input shaft wiggles. It doesn't when the motive source is attached....everything is aligned.

See what the farmer did - it seems to work at low vehicle speeds. 

What you're proposing might get lucky, or not. Putting it all in a box with a prayer book and handing it to a machine shop without engineering capability or experience is a coin flip.

The good news is that 5kW motor is too tiny to do major damage to a 60hp transmisdion, though people are magical in finding coffin corners of designs.


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## Tony Zhao (Oct 22, 2021)

The motor peak power is different its rated power, maybe from 1.5times to 3.5times, depends on the motor design. But the controller may limit the motor output, This is why the lithium battery supplier always want to know the motor power and controller information.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

We aren't just farmers we live on a farm, but have 45 year of motor mechanic and energy plant experience between us. We pulled the clutch out (which we won't do that again) but we left the clutch damper in as an absorption plate which we consider a must if you want to protect your splines. Our motor had a spline shaft so we milled a coupling to bolt the clutch damper to it. 















If you leave the clutch in you just couple the motor to the fly wheel. In the early years we did a lot of petrol to diesel conversions which is basically doing the same thing as mechanics go, so if your mechanical engineer has done any thing like that he will work it out quite fast. I feel the clutch damper is much more reliable than the Timken type couplers we have used these sort of couplers for lots motor to pump connections and the like, but for the job you are doing you will probably find they will tend hammer out more regally.

With alignment if you are out at all there will be damage, also are you using your clutch if so, you shouldn't need to worry about play on the gear box shaft as the pilot bear is there. But if you aren't going to use the clutch the gear box shaft will be supported by the motor coupling, we used the clutch damper because we know that they will last thousands of kms. We forgot to take photos of the set up but if you want we can pull the motor off and take some photos of the coupling. It should only take about 20 min.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

Also as Remy said "The good news is that 5kW motor is too tiny to do major damage" the Mazda scrum has only about 60 nm torque the Curtis ac34 has 143 nm so I would be careful not to stress you gear box. There gear box is a very light gear box.


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Ok, so with all the info, I'll take the clutch, bearing and flywheel to the shop to have the two options.

This for the komodo who is the testing UTV. For the carry the clutch is kept.

Any of them won't ever go in asphalt road and they will stay under 50kmh.

As trustpete said the torque is a concern, this is exactly why I'm thinking about the ac34 vs the golden motor 10kw. If the 10kw is enough i will put the ac34 in a road vehicule instead.

Also if I can cancel the transmission and replace it in the near future for something simpler with only one set of gear reduction matching what I need when using it, it would be perfect.

It's a long run test. I got the option of buying a lot of carry's with defective engine next year. If I find a a good utility/price combination, my goal if to convert many to sell them for off road use (private property, hunting, ect). People here pay more than 30k$cad for really not reliable side by side without cab or towing power so...

And the Polaris kinetic costs 38k$cad, it's really expensive and I think a converted carry is more rugged and far more practical.


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

trustpete2 said:


> We aren't just farmers we live on a farm, but have 45 year of motor mechanic and energy plant experience between us. We pulled the clutch out (which we won't do that again) but we left the clutch damper in as an absorption plate which we consider a must if you want to protect your splines. Our motor had a spline shaft so we milled a coupling to bolt the clutch damper to it.
> View attachment 128550
> View attachment 128549
> 
> ...


Something like this?


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

Seb you are on the money, my dad and me were just saying the same thing about the carrys, there engine is the weak link. What you've done for your coupler is looks basically like our one.


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

trustpete2 said:


> Seb you are on the money, my dad and me were just saying the same thing about the carrys, there engine is the weak link. What you've done for your coupler is looks basically like our one.


Not mine, found on the net. I got an appointment Monday with an engineer from the machine shop. They want to go without clutch, with a special coupler with which they've done 50kw motor coupling... They also said that they will have a customizable gearbox perfect for this type of project later this year, I was really surprised about their knowledge and interest in ev conversion!

I'll have more news next week.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

That sounds great Seb


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## Oldspot (Nov 24, 2021)

Hi boys!
I am a farmer in the uk, I started playing last autumn. Project 1 was a 48v golf buggy bought as non runner, added another 12v battery and off it went, it now has 48v 100ah lithium battery and coulomb counter ( only took a day).
so project 2 Yamaha golf buggy coil over shocks, lifted 4kw Qs motor and Votol em200sp controller, I am still waiting on the 72v 150ah battery (on a train in Kazukistan at the moment).
geared down 10.8 to 1 if my calculations are correct 35mph plus loads of torque.
so project (dream) 3 is a Suzuki Jimny, the way you are talking is way simpler than I was thinking. I want to use it on and off road for running around.
what kw motor should I be looking at? Do you think the 72v battery I have (10.8kwh) will be suitable. I will follow this thread with major interest, thanks, keep posting (I know how hard that is when you are immersed in a job).


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Oldspot said:


> Hi boys!
> I am a farmer in the uk, I started playing last autumn. Project 1 was a 48v golf buggy bought as non runner, added another 12v battery and off it went, it now has 48v 100ah lithium battery and coulomb counter ( only took a day).
> so project 2 Yamaha golf buggy coil over shocks, lifted 4kw Qs motor and Votol em200sp controller, I am still waiting on the 72v 150ah battery (on a train in Kazukistan at the moment).
> geared down 10.8 to 1 if my calculations are correct 35mph plus loads of torque.
> ...


For my carry conversion, the engineers where on 72v 200ah. On and off road. I think you will be ok, only less range since more weight and smaller battery. My carry will have a Curtis ac34 (around 40hp) which is really really overbuilt.

I'm still waiting for the custom adapter job for my buggy project. When done I will be able to feedback on a 500lbs buggy with a 10kw motor and a 5kw too.

Personally I'd go with something way bigger for your application, especially if you go on road.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

Oldspot said:


> Do you think the 72v battery I have (10.8kwh) will be suitable


The 72v would work but I would look at a higher voltage e.g 96-144v as the amp draw will be lower for more power. We are looking at converting a Jimny as well, the 1.3L engine is about 116N.m @ 4,100rpm. My personal opinion is that if you are using the gear box just match the engine N.m (20kw 144v 64N.m / 223N.m max), if you aren't using the gear box I would think you would have to go bigger. I have seen guys with 100kw in similar vehicles. You could look at this motor chart we found as a reference, I don't know how accurate this chart is and not all motor brands and types will be the same.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

As well we are doing another Carry with a 10kw 96v motor and a 26s 138ah Byd blade battery and hoping for about 90-100km range. With the Jimny we were going to use a similar motor size as it is just a farm vehicle and only about 300 kg heavier but with 2 battery packs = 26kwh


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## jedics (8 mo ago)

Just 2 days ago I thought a Suzuki Carry would make an ideal Ev conversion and now I find this forum doing exactly that right now. Im very interested in the details of the build as while I built my own off grid solar system and tiny house truck I have never done anything like this before.

Is there a parts list and pics somewhere of the build?


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

Its all in my dads head, but the Carry we are about to convert will have a AC Motor XQY10- 96-H9-DJ, KAC96601-8080H Kelly Controller, KCG9615DX OBC unit from Kelly controllers and we are getting the accelerator, main contactor and fusing is also from Kelly's Kelly Controls - Motor Controllers, EV Parts . We are using BYD blade batteries Lifepo4 Battery BYD Blade Battery 3.2V 138Ah for /EV/marine/RV/Forklift, lithium battery blade battery lithium ion battery - Buy China Lifepo4 battery on Globalsources.com and the BMS we are thinking of using a Qucc 32s x 2 relays 151.67US $ 25% OFF|Qucc Smart Bms 4s 500a 7s 8s 10s 13s 14s 16s 20s 32s Relay Contactor Li Ion 3.7v Lifepo4 3.2v Bms With Bt Uart 485 Can App - Battery Accessories & Charger Accessories - AliExpress. We are hoping that all finished it will be under $8,000 NZ.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

These photos are of the one we have already done


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## jedics (8 mo ago)

Now I am even more interested in this project, I didn't know those blade batteries were available, at $62au a cell they cost about half what I payed for my solar system 2 years ago for more capacity, amazing value.

I have many questions, are you going to remove the exhaust and tank and put the batteries under the tray?


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

The Carry we have already converted has the batteries on the deck but it only a 3.5 kwh so it doesn't take much room, the next one we are doing with the blade batteries will be under the deck/tray. We have pulled every thing out but gear box, we are going to keep the clutch on this one. We don't have the clutch on our other one but we have found the we can still have regen if we just keep it in the gear we want or if we want to change we put our foot on the accelerator until it disengages the regen the we change gears. Some people say not to bother with regen as you dont get that much out of it but in my opinion it's a great form of engine breaking.


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## jedics (8 mo ago)

It looks like you have the Suzuki model with the tray attached to the cab, is it just a matter of cutting it away from the cab and un doing some bolts to remove the tray?
I don't imagine regen breaking does put much back in the battery but the gear box will absolutely increase your torque for hill climbing in low gear and general efficiency, 
does regen just work or do you have to include something during your installation?
The 10kw motor specs seems on the under powered side, google says the stock motor makes about 30kw peak, are you only using it for work around your farm?


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

Transmissions are lossy and decrease efficiency. How do the increase it in an EV?

Regen puts energy into the battery vs burning it off in heat with friction brakes. If you're going to climb a hill, I'm pretty sure you'll be going down it at some point.


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## jedics (8 mo ago)

Auto Transmissions are lossy but with manuals the loss is small and you at least gain some efficiency back when putting it in first gear going up a hill for example instead of no gears being driven directly from the motor up a hill. I know Electric motors have a much larger torque range through their rpm but its still going to aid efficiency.

But anyway we all agree keeping the gear box is a good idea, especially with the small 10kw motor they plan to use.


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## jedics (8 mo ago)

Ive been enquiring about importing a Suzuki Carry to Australia and while they are only around 3 grand to buy with imports and the approval process it will make it closer to 7-10 grand which makes them no longer a cheap platform to start on.

So I assume your build is for off road use only then and wont be registered?


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

Yes it is off road, the one we are using right now has only got a 5kw motor and we have pulled 1.5T with it up a 10 degree hill, you can read about it further back in this forum. The down side with the 5kw is that it can't go over 65 km/h (that's why we are going to use a 10kw on the next one and the Nm are more than the petrol engine) but on the farm that's fine. I personally think that the gear box is a must on the farm (even Jeep has a 6 speed manual in the Magneto) with the 1.5T we just put it in 1st and it was fine (the Carry is only rated to tow 750kg braked) and going down hill we were getting 60ah back from regen (if it was strait through you would only get about 15ah back and would have to use you brakes). The regen is just a setting in the controller.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

We already had the first one and got our second Carry from a wrecker for $600 NZ and we have been offered 2 more from a friend for $2,000 one still works the other has a cooked engine, they seem to get cooked engines on farms but I haven't heard of one doing in a gear box.


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## jedics (8 mo ago)

I will be interested to see what your new top cruising speed is. Another guy who did a similar build with a 72v/10kw motor said he would go bigger with a higher voltage if he did it again because his top cruising speed wasn't quite as much as he would have liked.


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

Looking for high cruising speed is reckless with the Barbie Jeep brakes that thing is equipped with.

You have zero regen braking with a full battery.


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## jedics (8 mo ago)

I have no idea how good the Carry brakes are but they can be upgraded if needed. There just aren't many options for a Diy EV platform, the weight and a place to put the batteries are an issue for the practical affordable daily driver I want to justify the time and expense.

Especially a problem in Australia with very limited vehicle choice and even though we don't make cars here anymore importing them is a PITA!


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

jedics said:


> There just aren't many options for a Diy EV platform, the weight and a place to put the batteries are an issue for the practical affordable daily driver I want to justify the time and expense.
> 
> Especially a problem in Australia with very limited vehicle choice and even though we don't make cars here anymore importing them is a PITA!


BS

Oz practically invented the ute.

All kinds of Holdens are also great candidates - likely a few GTOs out there with busted conn rods in them.

Same with Fords. I think a Falcon is a great candidate.

Then there's all the Japanese minitrucks and the lovely Ranger that's now coming. Trailblazer has been around for a few years as well...that Thai turbodiesel can't last very long, can it?

I also seriously doubt you can "upgrade" the Carry brakes for high speed use. They need a lot more mass and diameter - wheels won't fit in the wells.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

You don't need to worry about the Carry's brakes, I decided to go as fast as possible last night and got just over 70 km/h and the brakes stopped me fine and we don't even have the vacuum pump installed. As for regen if you are only charging you battery to 90-95% you can still have regen on a full battery, unless of course you are driving down a mountain with a full battery.


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

But Remy is right about the high speeds, while the brakes may be fine I wouldn't want to go over 70 - 80 km/h, they are safer than a quad or side x side but I would still put them in the same family.


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

Take it up to 100km/h from that 70 and you need to sink twice the heat into those ashtrays they use for brake drums.


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## jedics (8 mo ago)

I also don't imagine there being much left of the cab in an accident at 100kmph. The Carry still seems like the best Ev candidate to me and infinitely safer and practical than 2 wheels. 750kg is about half the weight of any other car option I know of and being able to just remove the tray to put all of the batteries/electrical underneath and still use the tray when you put it back on and get the benefit of improved traction of the rear wheels un ladened and all for less money is about as good as it gets for diy.


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## jedics (8 mo ago)

Any idea when another step in the build will happen?


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

Waiting on freight, some of the gear is just getting it to NZ and some of of it is still on the way.


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

That's the one thing that drives me nuts when I'm out of the country is getting supplies and tools quickly.

I was in Thailand for a couple of months, needed a chip from a company called Microchip Technology. "Sorry sir, we can't ship it to you there due to export restrictions on that part." "But it's shipped from your warehouse in Thailand..." 🤦‍♂️


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

We now have the BMS, motor and controller from Kelly's and the batteries just arrived to day. A bit of a long wait.


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## jedics (8 mo ago)

trustpete2 said:


> We now have the BMS, motor and controller from Kelly's and the batteries just arrived to day. A bit of a long wait.


It took me 4 months just to get the water heater I wanted in so Im not surprised, I found the carries are very rare and ridiculously over priced here in South Australia and importing is a bit of a hassle and not cheap which dulled my enthusiasm somewhat but I am still interested to know how your project is going?


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## trustpete2 (10 mo ago)

We have been flat out with other work but we will hopefully start on the panel beating and painting soon.


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## junimo (3 mo ago)

trustpete2 said:


> We now have the BMS, motor and controller from Kelly's and the batteries just arrived to day. A bit of a long wait.


best of luck for your next build! 
We just imported a Suzuki Carry from Japan and are considering converting it to an EV. We've done some simple repairs on cars but nothing related to a motor change so this thread has been super educational.

We live in a small city and plan to use it as a city truck doing short commutes and buying materials for renovating our house. Sounds like a 10kw continuous motor would be ideal for us too. Still reading about ev conversion and shopping for the parts.


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