Feasability of going from gas to only electric

[sendler]

I suppose it would be possible to to make a fuel efficient 40 hp pusher out of a Honda NC700 that was wrecked in the front. This way you could have something with a catalyst and O2 sensor, suspension, fuel tank, dot rear lights. With the intruments and controls extended up into the cabin.
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I don't know how you would get an inspector to give you an inspection sticker though.

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by LittleBlackDuck

I don't know why you would bother with all this crap on a new vehicle that is totally emission free. Sounds to me like you are trying to ram a square peg into a triangular hole. What about a larger battery pack made from another leaf (or two) that loads into the luggage area for longer trips? More efficient, still zero emissions and does not look totally ridiculous.

Simon

For the trips I need to take I'll need to charge at least 2, maybe 3 times (perhaps more) to get to the places I need to go. So that would require adding a couple of leaf battery packs (or more, or around 1,700lbs (or more) of weight. Otherwise I'm basically on the same boat. With a larger battery pack I might make it from charging station to charging station, but I'd have to wait longer at each station for a complete charge. Only if I had a 1,700lb battery trailer I might make it clear to any destination, then let it charge up there (with a 6.6kW charger at 12 hours?!)

At that price (and waiting time to charge) I might as well as A) just drive it with the battery it has and carry along a small generator for emergencies and make 3 hour trips turn into 12 hour trips. Or B) buy or rent a newer ICE car. Or C) just keep driving my mosquito fogger (my 1985 diesel), in which case it would cause worse for emissions than what I'm striving after.

A pusher trailer can be used temporarily like I said, maybe 10 or 12 days out of the year (the other 353-355 days would still be all electric). I can still opt to wait at charging stations and drive mostly, if not all electric on long trips whenever I want. I can use propane, a low carbon fuel, instead of being stuck with gasoline or diesel as my only other options. I wouldn't have a whole ICE car just sitting in the drive way 353 days out of the year. I wouldn't have to hassle with the towns only car rental that's oddly vacant every time I stop in there.

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by sendler

I suppose it would be possible to to make a fuel efficient 40 hp pusher out of a Honda NC700 that was wrecked in the front. This way you could have something with a catalyst and O2 sensor, suspension, fuel tank, dot rear lights. With the intruments and controls extended up into the cabin.
.
I don't know how you would get an inspector to give you an inspection sticker though.

That might work. But one thing you have to understand, that even though small off-road engines get much worse emissions than cars and trucks, so do motorcycles. The law hasn't caught up with two wheeled transportation yet since for one, most people drive a car, not a motorcycle, so they're not a major contributor to emissions anyway. And two, those emissions controls are what make new cars cost $15,000 and up. Imagine if a 50cc scooter cost close to that much just because it basically had a miniature car engine.

I'm not sure how an off-road propane engine with at least an aftermarket catalyst would compare in emissions to a Honda motorcycle engine but I can assure you that the Honda NC700 gets way worse emissions than allowed on a car.

If I want car emissions, yes I'd probably either have to do more than switch to propane in an off-road engine, or get an actual car engine.

As far as inspections go, here on Colorado there are no inspections. Lots of guys around here still delete their EGR valves and catalytic converters and get away with it.

[sendler]

The Honda NC700 is by far the most fuel efficient and cleanest proposition for a pusher trailer mentioned so far.

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by sendler

The Honda NC700 is by far the most fuel efficient and cleanest proposition for a pusher trailer mentioned so far.

Thanks! I'll keep it in mind. I did mention a (2014 or newer) Mitsubishi Mirage engine.

[sendler]

Single wheel motorcycle based would be much easier to build. Remove the legs off the forks and bolt the remainder of the steerer to the hitch receiver. Run the controls into the car. Done. Save the front wheel to bolt back on for wheeling it through the garage when not in use.

[Isaac Zackary]

It's all about cost and convince vs. emissions and aesthetics at this point. The Honda engine might be the ticket.

Whatever I do though, I'd like it to look at least like it's legitimate.

[sendler]

The motorcycle would look like you were just towing a motorcycle with the rear wheel on the ground which is legal even with a dolly with no trailer registration.
The forks might even take the load well enough to just remove the front wheel and put the axle bolt through the receiver so it really is still a motorcycle. Any modern motorcycle will tolerate nose wheelies which is more force than the pushing rear wheel would ever produce.

[roosterk0031]

Go with 400cc Suzuki Burgman, CVT so all you need is throttle control, a servo motor and rc control so it would be wire less.

MC Front wheel towing system

I think I'd add some straps from the frame as well to keep it straight.

https://tow-ster.com/

400 makes about 30 hp, the 650 makes 55 is you think you need that much.

[sendler]

I have a Yamaha Majesty400 I never ride and was thinking of selling. The fuel economy was not that good though.