EV Fiero Project?

[bennelson]

Last night, I was at an environmental group meeting.

Afterwards, I met a guy who is interested in converting a Fiero to electric. In fact, he has two Fieros, and bought the one SPECIFICALLY to convert to electric.

I would love to help him out on it, as he has never done an EV conversion before.

I have often heard of how much people like converting Fieros to electric. Somebody on this board must have converted one. What do you like about it? Any special considerations? Any other thoughts?

-Ben

PS: sounds like this guy is really serious. Might be a very cool summer project!

[cfg83]

bennelson -

I googled "electric fiero" and got a gazillion hits.

Pontiac Fiero - Electric Conversion
Fiero Gallery
Eco Steve, The Fiero Electric Vehicle Conversion and Electric Car Conversion Project: February 2010

CarloSW2

[bennelson]

Oh yeah, I know there are tons of them out there. I seem to recall that someone on this forum had one, but I don't remember who.

[cfg83]

bennelson -

Originally Posted by bennelson

Oh yeah, I know there are tons of them out there. I seem to recall that someone on this forum had one, but I don't remember who.

I think there was a Nor-Cal fellow who has an eFiero and SOMEHOW got hold of and/or restored an EV-1 as well. He probably made less than 100 posts.

CarloSW2

[Irukandji83]

I forget, were Fieros fiberglass bodied or am I thinking about Corvettes? Anyhow, I'm pretty sure there are fiberglass build kits for Fieros and I'd imagine that would be the best start for making the most efficient EV because it would be lighter than a metal body. A buddy of mine has a Fiero GT and I looked under the 'hood' to see how crammed in the V6 was so it would be a nightmare to get one of those out. I hope this fellow at least has a 4 cylinder version to work on.

[bennelson]

Yes, the bodies are NON-metal. I'm not sure if it is fiberglass or something else. Apparently these cars sometimes have an issue with the points where the body attaches to the car, and it's NOT a problem on this one.

The owner also told me that the whole bottom drops out the back (it's a rear-engine car) for easy engine and tranny removal.

[cfg83]

bennelson -

From what I know, Saturn took the plastic panel process and refined it for the S-Series.

From what I understand the plastic panels on the Fiero were *supposed* to contribute to a weight benefit, but the engineering led to a very heavy frame, so the Fiero is very heavy for it's size, with a curb weight close to about 2600 lbs. The upside is that it is "safer" than other cars it's size and it's probably well-suited to carry heavy battery packs.

Pontiac Fiero - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A mid-engine layout was chosen as a way to reduce both aerodynamic drag and vehicle weight to improve fuel efficiency, and also for its handling, traction, and braking benefits. The sports car potential of the mid-engine layout was not fully realized when the Fiero debuted. In line with its market position, the tires, brakes, and some suspension components were carried over from other GM economy cars (like the Chevrolet Citation and Chevrolet Chevette) so the Fiero could be priced appropriately.
...
A large following of owners still exists with many web pages, groups, and clubs devoted to the car, and the basic chassis is commonly used as a kit-car platform from wild custom rebodies to Ferrari F355 replicas. Due to their small size and weight, they are also a popular choice for all-electric conversions.

CarloSW2

[cfg83]

bennelson -

Found this tidbit :

why are fiero's so heavy? - Car Questions, Answers, and Discussion

Like every other data item on the net, published information is a no more than a guideline. To know how much your car weighs, you need a scale.

The 2.8 weighs about 30 lbs. less than the 2.5. The block is a toy. Actually, the little 60 degree V6 is an excellent power plant for its mass. While you can't extract high power numbers without pumping it to the teeth, you CAN get decent torque and a very fun driver. Stroke it to 3.1, add a cam and some head work, and they run quite nicely. Of course, if competition is your goal, they're limited. The bigger 6s or a V8 are more suited to racing.

At the time of production, Fiero was the only American car EVER built to Swedish (most stringent in the world) safety standards. The little P-body is a tank!

CarloSW2

[Hondo]

Hi Ben, I think I'm the one your thinking about that has done a Fiero. It currently has a broken Kelly controller in it. Just north of you guys up here in Appleton.

Hondo

[Hondo]

I forgot to answer the questions in the first post. I guess the thing I like the most is that the Fiero has such a low coificient of drag that it doesn't suck many amps when you are cruising at 50-60 (unless you come to a hill). I chose it because I didn't want to spend a lot of time on something that would rust right away. Plus, I think they are just cool and they corner like they are on rails- especially when your carrying 1000 pounds of lead only 12-15 inches off the ground.

Hondo