Tesla Powered E30

[Driftit 1925]

Guy built a nice E30 Vert with Tesla and Volt gear.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa5kGfLlOUNlxuVF2RRTDig

Looks quite fun.

 

 

Edited May 23, 2019 by Driftit

[Michael. 2312]

I kind like the project aspect of it, a lot of technical work that is require to make it work properly. 

The lack of engine noise giving the car soul and drowning out the 1980s BMW rattles would get annoying quickly though.

I understand the appeal of such a conversion but after a while it would get quite dull compared to a conversion many have done, S52, S54 or a V8 swap, they have the sound and soul that gets the senses tingling,. Im not talking about performance either, intake, and exhaust notes have a musical quality that makes driving pleasurable, eg a 325i isnt fast but can sound superb,  giving off quintessential BMW sounds. A Tesla running gear E30 would move quickly Im sure but without some six cylinder pops and crackles, ehhh - 

[HardBall66 135]

That's the future right there.  it looks like a very tidy and professional job.  The key is to keep the standard engine mounts and not cut too many holes for cables and then the process is reversible and should not offend the purists too much. 

You're probably looking at about US$30k to do this properly, but Moore's Law will kick in at some stage so that eventually the cost curve will come down to a level where it'll be cheaper to convert to EV rather than do an engine rebuild. 

Admittedly you do lose all that soul-stirring sound, but our future selves can always be consoled when we realise how much money we are saving not having to maintain all those moving parts slapping ridiculously back and forth ?

[Eagle 1514]

I like it. As much as i love petrol engines they are on the way out and will go EV for a daily as soon as its more viable. The E30 wouldn't be my first choice but you could do much worse and it still looks better most EV's ever will. I'm sure ill end of doing a conversion in the future on something in the 90's era, which would be provide a good balance.

[treone 608]

The only EV worth owning - E31 840ci ?  http://www.evbmw.com/

He has been building this for 2+ years. It has Tesla components installed and looks very interesting.

He has done some pretty cool conversions of 90's era BMW's.

The E30 looks to be very tidy and well done!

Edited May 24, 2019 by treone

[HardBall66 135]

16 hours ago, Eagle said:

I'm sure ill end of doing a conversion in the future on something in the 90's era, which would be provide a good balance.

I can see myself doing the same thing one of these days and it's a practical way to keep these lovely old cars contemporary.  If you store the ICE components they can be put back if our descendants in 100 years turn out to be horrified at what we have done.

[Michael. 2312]

22 hours ago, Eagle said:

I like it. As much as i love petrol engines they are on the way out and will go EV for a daily as soon as its more viable. The E30 wouldn't be my first choice but you could do much worse and it still looks better most EV's ever will. I'm sure ill end of doing a conversion in the future on something in the 90's era, which would be provide a good balance.

Hardly on the way out. Variable compression, cam shaft less,  multi turbos, opposed piston engines, there is a bright future for new advance ICE engines. Combustible fuels are still extremely effective and economically viable so will continue to evolve like they have done for 100 years. 

Electric battery cars are a relatively new technology to run in parallel on the market, more options the merrier. People can  buy what they please, if you prefer to pay electric car road costs and increase your power bill verses buying fuel an electric car is a perfect A-B city daily driver. 

Once batteries can be the size of a regular fuel tank and take minutes to recharge they will gain popularity, but battery technology isn't anywhere close to that, just look at the size of a Tesla battery or how many heavy batteries these electric car conversions require. Not to mention what happens when they get damaged, massive lithium fires!

Hydrogen fuel cells will likely take over where batteries fail,  but time will tell. Some critics say they are too dangerous due to hydrogens explosive nature but the current hydrogen cars have very small tanks built into the strongest part of the chassis with various kevlar and carbon fiber materials, arguably safer than lithium batteries that are easy to puncture and expose to oxygen. 

In the meantime some people will buy petrol and diesel cars while others buy electric ones while new combinations continue to come onto the market like hybrids. 

A little known fact is the rare earth metals required to make electric car motors and key components are mostly mined in China,  this means they can regulate the global market making it difficult for supplies, not good for big business interests. It will be fascinating to see how that pans out. 

 

Edited May 25, 2019 by Michael.

[Eagle 1514]

Suppose to come down to your definition. To me its a bit like smoking, there is a push to reduce fossil fuel consumption but i wouldn't say the industry is going to die out anytime soon, It's likely going loose market dominance in certain segments over time as other tech evolves, specially if taxation side makes it favorable to own something else. Those with money will likely be far better off and usual and could pick and choose. Modern engine advancement seems to be all about ringing out the rag to need emission targets, doing more with less, even when there are break through's its always at the expense of something else, we all know most things these days are build to a certain lifespan. 

[Blackie 510]

I hope more people go to electric crap so I can experience more affordable classics. ?

[Eagle 1514]

Dreams are free

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2914]

17 hours ago, Blackie said:

I hope more people go to electric crap so I can experience more affordable classics. ?

Until the government gives in to the school kids and bans all ICE vehicles.