I just bought an iMIEV

[gone-ot]

DEVIL'S ADVOCATE -- all the above just illustrates *why* the IC vehicle will continue to exist (humans are 'creature-comfort' acclimatized creatures!) for quite awhile (wink,wink).

[EVmetro]

I am a little surprised to see you rolling around in a manufactured EV. Your early days of DIY conversions were an inspiration to me as I followed in your footsteps, and I have found that my converted Metros beat manufactured EVs in almost every category imaginable. What changed for you?

[AJI]

Originally Posted by EVmetro

and I have found that my converted Metros beat manufactured EVs in almost every category imaginable.

Safety? Comfort? Manufacturer support? Features? Technology?

Don't get me wrong, there are some cars I'd really like to try converting one day... but as a car to drive every single day, I'd expect that most purpose-built EVs sold today would be significantly better than a conversion of a 1980s or 1990s car in most areas.

You've piqued my curiosity though - in what ways would you suggest a converted Metro would be better than something like an i-MiEV? Off the top of my head, performance and weight probably tip in the Metro's favour (and the former only if you specify a suitable motor), and range might be if you cram the Metro's chassis with enough batteries, but I'm genuinely intrigued by how it might be better otherwise.

[dremd]

Thanks again for the good updates, you probably pushed me over the edge to buy a LEAF, and definitely convinced me to get one with a heat pump.
One less VW diesel in daily operation (but I have to keep it for towing + long range).

[bennelson]

Originally Posted by EVmetro

I am a little surprised to see you rolling around in a manufactured EV. Your early days of DIY conversions were an inspiration to me as I followed in your footsteps, and I have found that my converted Metros beat manufactured EVs in almost every category imaginable. What changed for you?

The Metro is a unibody car. We use LOTS of salt on the roads in my area. The body is really rusting out. Also, the Metro only ever ran on used lead-acid batteries.

I could rebuild the Metro, or transfer all the parts to a new donor vehicle (but would be hard to find a good non-corroded shell) and buy new Lithium batteries OR I could buy a used electric car with a good battery warranty, J1772 connection, and fast-charger and NOT have to do any of those things.

Also, the iMiEV is a "normal" car. My wife has no problem hopping in the iMiEV with our 5-year-old daughter to go out to the store, but she never would have done that with the Metro.

Don't worry, I'll still be playing around with making upgrades to the iMiEV.