Anyone ever thought about going electric conversion?

[vlad_d]

Hey Rovers!

I've been thinking about long term. I want to keep the Series 3 I have on the road for many years to come. But, it's kind of a rough ride. Also, parts are getting more and more rare. 15 years from now, will I still be able to get parts? Also, my 2.25L engine makes 60 HP on a good day. Been daydreaming of fancy upgrades...

Have you all seen what these guys in Australia are doing with EV conversions of Series trucks?

https://www.jauntmotors.com/vehicles

They have some YouTube videos, too:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zDbiIJiX8is

Kind of interesting. I mean, it could be the antithesis of a Series truck - most people love old land Rovers because they are so mechanical and easy to work on. That Electric Motor and controller looks daunting to work on! But, still, something in me wonders what it would be like to have like 300 foot pounds of torque instantly and silent running in a classic vehicle.

I'm not jumping ship yet. Just curious what you all think.

[wrongway]

Lots of parts suppliers around and I believe they will be around until we run out of gasoline. If you want a smooth ride and instant torque and acceleration there are 500hp rangerovers that sell for less than an old landrover. The charm in owning an old vehicle is like you say its simplicity.

[jimrr]

I'm in deep water sometimes and lots of mud. I think i'd be afraid of electrical issues but i suppose we all should get use to this eventuality for the forces that be can pretty much make gas unavailable to the masses!

[biffidum]

You would have to drive a lot of miles to make economic sense and ultimately might hurt long term value. I have driven an EV for 6 years and am on my second battery now. Just think about anything you own that has a battery - they all wear out and cost $$$ to replace... so no long term value. If you commute lots then maybe...

[vlad_d]

You guys all make good points.

I guess it's all in how you look at it. Like, for me, one of the nice things about owning a classic/vintage car is:

1) The classic lines. The vintage aesthetic. The sheetmetal work. The quirky knobs and vents. Everything is unique and from another time. Forget the motor (my 60hp 2.25 doesn't get my heart racing) it's the shell of the car and the interior.

2) Especially in California, having a pre-1976 car means not having to get it smog checked. Some British forum users will freak out when they hear that there's literally NO inspections required. If you have a pre-1976 car...you can run it off coal if you want. You can do anything. So there's that mechanical freedom. You want to put a crazy motor in? Go for it.

So, in that context, you could have a total classic...with all the funny knobs and touches that just make you smile to use them. And you could just make a science project of it - just put some crazy creative thing under the hood. No one is stopping you. Used to be the thing was like a V8 crate motor was the thing. But now, you can get a Ford crate electric motor from a Lightning...or something like that. That would turn some heads!

But, yeah, I wouldn't want to be doors deep in a river with an EV truck.

Battery life ain't bad. I have a Volt and a Prius as my daily driver. They're rated for like 80% charge after 8 years. So, if my Volt gets 60 miles of EV range now...it will have 48 in 8 years (and that's a hybrid...there's full EVs getting 300 mile ranges...so those drop to 240? Not bad). It's a "total cost" thing, too. So, add up Oil changes, gas you could be getting for the equivalent of $1.20 a gallon(electric rates vs gasoline), alot of maintenance e items. The gas one is the biggest. Like, sure, you might replace a $6,000 battery in 10 years. But you would have bought $20,000 of gas in that time. Anyway, not the best crowd to talk about EVs on the Rovers forum, hehe. But it's not so scary. Just another engine, like diesel. There's trade-offs. Nothing is perfect. Nothing is as scary as they make it out to be.

But, yeah, with "project" cars...you're going to have to find a real special buyer that likes all your mods. So, resale will definitely be an issue. But, I've resigned to my fate. Everyone I meet loves my Rover, but they wouldn't buy it for what I got into it. Everybody wants a deal...

[vlad_d]

Speaking of which...

I love this old bastard! Steam-Powered Land Rover...What!!!!?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0DGtf7asP8I

[jimrr]

I could visualize the day when steam may be a viable alternative.

[jp-]

Everatti is also apparently making Land Rover EV conversions.

https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/land-rover/series-1-3/1959/890275

Personally, I prefer my gas engine for many reasons as noted above.

[vlad_d]

Everatti is also apparently making Land Rover EV conversions.

https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/land-rover/series-1-3/1959/890275

Personally, I prefer my gas engine for many reasons as noted above.

Wow. Looks like a clean vehicle!

But 1/4 Million $$$??? Who is spending that kind of money on a Land Rover (now that Prince Phillip is dead)?

I'm so amazed by the cognitive dissonance with Land Rover (especially Series) ownership. I consider myself somewhere between hill-billy mechanic and serious classic car restorer. But everyone I meet in the LR Series community is really resourceful and frugal. But then I just see a "hail mary" money grab like that. Or I see someone on ebay selling a part for $2000 and I'm just wondering "who buys this stuff at that price?".

It messes with me, because then I think "that's it. I'm quitting my job and rebuilding Land Rovers for a living." But that would be ruinous, because only 3 ever sell for that price ever...and you have to know Jay Leno personally...

[jimrr]

if politics continues this way we all might be looking for alternative fuel ......... i'm wondering about hydrogen? don't know a thing about it but may have to?

[vlad_d]

Hydrogen always seems "just 2 years away from being mainstream!" But it never comes...

I was excited by it a few years ago. Read up on it. a d I look into it every now and then.

Basically, it's Hydrogen stored in a gas cylinder at like 8,000psi. People get weird about that much pressure, but the tanks are regulated and crash tested. They run the hydrogen through a catalyst that combines oxygen and releases electricity in the process. So, it's basically an electric car with a pressurized chemical battery.

But, Hydrogen is hard to make...or at least, it takes large amounts of energy to make. So, it's debatable if it's really "green". Most of the Hydrogen for fuel comes from petroleum anyway (as in "Hydro-carbons", anyone?). So, it's kind of hilarious when neo-hippies are superior about their cars "producing nothing but water vapor". Ah-huh? Okay. So, for me, it's a pass for now. It's not a magical environmental bullet, and it doesn't free us from being gouged at the pump for money. Same companies making Hydrogen from oil as making gasoline from oil. Are they going to pass savings onto us? Not likely...

I DID see one gas station in Sunnyvale had a Hydrogen pump. That felt pretty futuristic. But other then that, there's just not anybody moving on the infrastructure, too.

But I'd watch the hell out of a video of someone doing a hydrogen Land Rover. Why not?