# Cost and Time to Convert a 1996 Cadillac Hearse



## madderscience (Jun 28, 2008)

Well lets see. A large car that probably weighs 4000 pounds (at least) dry and you need a minimum of 50 miles of freeway range plus altitude gain. The good news is the overall geometry of the car is probably relatively aerodynamic for its size. The other good news is the car has plenty of interior volumne and can probably be set up to carry a lot of weight. How much does a casket + body weigh  ?

I would try to find a WH/Mile number by looking at conversions of large station wagons or SUV type vehicles if you can't find enough data just looking at hearses (cough). Chances are you are looking at 400 to 500 WH/mile at 55mph for battery-to-wheels efficiency but that is just a shot-from-the-hip guess. (FWIW A compact, aerodynamic EV conversion can easily achieve double that efficiency which means half the weight, half the battery and half the cost for the same performance parameters) But then, I'm not sure how I would react if I saw a geo metro hearse.

so taking the worst case of 500 WH/mile and multiplying by 50 miles, you need a battery pack of 25kwH usable capacity. 

A 30KwH nominal battery pack would be the smallest advisable one based on cruising range alone, not any significant altitude change. This is doable with lithium (156v/200AH) but will cost about $10K for the batteries alone (no BMS or anything else) at the current best available price I know of that is $1.10/ah plus shipping/tax/etc. But for a bit more margin and better cycle life, a 40KwH pack (160AH at around 250 volts) would be better. But this is more expensive of course and also would require a more expensive controller to handle the high voltage (soliton or zilla are the options right now in the DC arena I believe) The caddy will easily be able to carry the weight and volume of either battery. 30 or 40 KwH with lead acid is not practical unfortunately.

Drivetrain wise, for a (DC) motor and retaining the transmission, a warp 11 or warp 13 with a single motor, or dual 9's would work too but dual motors mean more complexity. Big car, big motor. You would also need to either jump through all the hoops to make the electric motor work with the automatic transmission in the car (accepting the efficiency loss and extra complexity) or better yet find a manual out of a similarly sized vehicle (older light truck or older large american passenger car) and use it instead. You might be able to get away with direct drive with a 2000 amp zilla, warp 13 and a high ratio rear axle. (chances are it has a 3.54:1 axle, but I am sure you could easily change to a 4.77:1 gear ratio)

Also budget for high pressure light truck tires. If you center the weight well, you may not need a suspension upgrade. (even the biggest lithium pack recommended is probably only about 1000lbs)

Big lithium battery, big motor, fancy controller, big car, hmmm. I would not budget less than about $30K for this, just for parts.


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## dragster (Sep 3, 2008)

Hi
We can build it for you if you like. $28000.00 including Lithium batteries
1.Speed 70MPH
2.Hills on problem
3.Driving range 60 plus
This would include using the transmission and drive train you now have so it would drive just like it dose now. Also all accessory's would be retained.
Thanks Tom Reid
htcracing.com
273 Weymouth st
Rockland MA 02370
http://www.htcracing.com/electriccar.htm


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## RevolutionOfTheMind (Dec 1, 2009)

To Madderscience thank you very much for the invaluable information. That is exactly what I am looking for. It sounds like $28-33,000 which is within reason for the vehicle and the marketing potential. 

Madderscience:
"How much does a casket + body weigh ?" 
We are a sustainable casket & coffin company, so we are only transporting caskets, no bodies, average weight is 250 lbs, but we put two inside, so 500 lbs total. 

Dragster: I am putting pencil to paper to workout the numbers for the conversion in the next few months. Considering you are in Mass., I will factor in the transport cost if I cannot find anyone closer to do it.

Thank you again, this forum is great.

Long live the EV Revolution.


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## William Brinsmead (Sep 16, 2010)

Hi Just saw this post. 
I too am doing a Hearse, http://www.evalbum.com/2861 
How is it coming? Bill


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