GM Getting into the EV Conversion Business?

[cajunfj40]

Hello all,

Cool idea/concept! Having to watch video to get the relevant information is annoying, though, so I poked around. If you search on "eCOPO Camaro" you'll get a bunch of articles.

Here's a decent one.

The upshot is two Borg-Warner HVH 250-150 motors plus a controller in a package that is a bolt-in replacement for a GM LS-series smallblock.

Note that Remy and Borg-Warner use suspiciously similar model numbers for their motors, they are likely the same motors.

Batteries are in 175-lb 200V modules, the demonstrator is running 4 modules for 32kwh at 800V.

I wonder how much tweaking they plan on doing in terms of trying to mimic an engine's power-band, so that using all the gears in the transmission makes sense, and you don't need to run a ridiculous final drive ratio.

I'd like to see this "crate motor" repackaged to mimic a *transmission* rather than an engine, and have it be single-speed. Offer RWD and 4x4 tailshaft/tailhousing versions, to offer a driveshaft mount or transfercase mount. Mimic a common GM transmission. The motors themselves are small, and GM has already squeezed them into a 4L80e case before - see the older GM Two-Mode Hybrid system 2ML70 transmission that incorporated two HVH 250 Remy motors, in a package that is a drop-in replacement for a 4L80e transmission.

With planetary reduction gears (again, set up to not require a ridiculous final drive ratio) and no need for shifting and associated clutches, etc, it should make for a very slim design. Standard fittings for external transmission cooler lines, too. Since most transmissions only have the one rear mount, it'll need some sort of front "cradle" structure to link up to the motor mounts. With the right design, they could easily offer multiple variations cheaply, designed to drop in for anything from a small-block/Powerglide up through a big-block/10R90 combo. Different power outputs can potentially be obtained with different numbers of motors. The front mounting "cradle" can hold the controller, too. They can either integrate a cooling package on that same cradle, and have the installer provide ducting, or leave it up to the installer to choose an approprate radiator/cooler combo to put in the traditional location. A standard V6 radiator with integrated trans cooler would probably be overkill, given how efficient these motors and controllers are.

Similar idea could be done to do a drop-in FWD unit that replaces a transaxle/engine assembly, though it will have the final drive in it as well, and there's a lot less "standardization" in that market, so probably not very attractive from a market size standpoint.

Sure wish I had a lump of working capital, a cheaper cost of living, and a better head for business...

[Piotrsko]

I want one. ^^^^^^^ drool, drool.

[HaroldinCR]

Sure wish I had a lump of working capital, a cheaper cost of living, and a better head for business.

Don't we all.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by cajunfj40

The motors themselves are small, and GM has already squeezed them into a 4L80e case before - see the older GM Two-Mode Hybrid system 2ML70 transmission that incorporated two HVH 250 Remy motors, in a package that is a drop-in replacement for a 4L80e transmission.

That would allow either a good amount of batteries, or a built-in range extender for those who are still concerned about range-anxiety.

[freebeard]

A single-speed drivetrain needs double the horsepower rating and fat wires to carry the current at start. Toyota uses buried magnets in their AC motor to reduce the drop in torque at higher RPMs.

Here a two-speed planetary box, but it's $4K.

EVTV Motor Verks Store: Torque Box 2:1 Gear Box, Drive Train Components, torquebox

And people trying to roll their own from GM parts;

https://www.diyelectriccar.com/forum...ar-180777.html

Jaguar Land Rover is already converting owner's XKEs to electric:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Jaguar+XKE...on&t=h_&ia=web

[Piotrsko]

Hmmm a powerslide low pack in a fancy expensive case. Typical EVTV.

DIYELECTRIC is possibly dying due to new owners or lack of interest. Whole lot of new know-it-alls that are rather dumb, too.

[freebeard]

EVTV have declared victory, nobody needs to make their own EV anymore, you just buy one. And even if you want to, there're OEM components at 1/10th the price.

They offer that $4K box, but I doubt they moved many of them.

They've gone into solar storage solutions.

edit:
Aston Martin is going resto-mod:

theverge.com:Aston Martin will make old cars electric so they don’t get banned from cities

[RedDevil]

... in a way. If Musk gets to do what he says the's thinking about:
https://electrek.co/2018/12/07/tesla...ies-elon-musk/

If GM goes through with its recently announced restructuring that would see several North America plants shut down, Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that they would consider buying some of those shuttered factories.
Last month, GM announced that they are closing 3 assembly factories in North America.
...
Now in a new interview, CEO Elon Musk said that they would consider it again:

“It’s possible that we would be interested if [GM] are going to sell a plant or not use it that we would take it over.”

Back in 2010, Tesla bought NUMMI, a car factory jointly owned by General Motors and Toyota in Fremont California, for just $42 million shortly after it was shut down.