I apparently have a curb weight right around 4k lbs. What the weight would be after deleting engine and transmission etc then adding batteries is a mystery, but it could push 5k lbs I suspect. Someone posted a link to evalbum.com and it made for interesting reading. For sure, what I'm wanting to do will be a challenge, especially on a budget. This link here
Jim Donovan's 1992 Ford Ranger XLT has a Ford ranger of similar vintage to my Explorer, and I believe they share several components.
I came to realize the hugely high cost that could be incurred by building this as solely an electric car, so I'm starting to hedge toward making it a hybrid, with the motor pushing one of the axles. Would it be better to drive the front or rear with an ICE though? The front car be disengaged on the fly, but the rear would constantly be going. I suspect I could get the 4 cylinder motor available for the Ranger to fit in the Explorer fairly easily, which could potentially improve my economy, and I would still have the electric motor for power assist and slow driving. I suppose if I made the ICE run the rear wheels and I put in a fuel pump kill switch, I could easily roll start the thing when needed and make it more of a hybrid.
Thoughts?