[Driving] 1996 Nissan D21 Hardbody 4x4 Leaf Swap

[Sector7e]

I have a 1996 Nissan Hardbody 4x4 with 205,000 miles that developed rod knock and had a variety of other issues due to poor maintenance by the previous owner. I was initially going to rebuild the gas engine but ran across the Leaf motor adaptor by Brat Industries. I have had the transmission and transfer case rebuilt in preparation for the swap. I initially intended on using the Leaf Brain Board, but decided I wanted to use the ZombieVerter. My intent is to use the entire Gen 2 Nissan Leaf Stack, which I'm still looking for. I'd like to do some off-roading, so I will need to keep the battery box airtight. I was thinking behind the seat in the extended cab, but the idea of several hundred pounds of batteries breaking free in a wreck worries me. Also, that's where the dogs sit.

Pictures:

Questions:

• Since I have both a Brain Board and ZombieVerter I was wondering if it's possible to use both, and is so what the advantage would be? (I'm mostly wondering if the ZombieVerter can unlock some of the extra power of the inverter)

• I'd like to get the truck running on a modest budget and I'm looking to get ~100 miles of range, so I'm wondering what the best option for a battery pack in the extreme Tucson heat would be?

• Does anyone have any suggestions to make this 4x4 build as capable as possible in terms of reasonable water crossing and other issues I might be overlooking?

[Bratitude]

batteries in the cab for a 4x4 is a good idea. sort off. the leaf cells will pack up nicely behind there, youll still have storage space on top of the battery box. but having some vents that will lead to outside the cab for safety incase theres a battery fire. (leaf cells are very safe chemistry)

but for simplicity sake, ie to get this driving asap, put the unopened leaf battery in the bed of the truck, and just extend the hv lines.


the zombievert can control the replacement board over canbus no problem. but if your looking for a power upgrade, finding the 110 or 160 kw inveter might be a easier option(though more expensive)

id just stick with the zombiverter for now, and make that part of stage 2

[Proton]

The Nissan batteries have Energy density of 140 Wh/kg. That is not very good.

I am planing to use LiFePO4 that have Energy density of 165 Wh/kg. I can also use in my solar system in the future. and they do not catch on fire.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 45423.html

[Sector7e]

The Nissan batteries have Energy density of 140 Wh/kg. That is not very good.

I am planing to use LiFePO4 that have Energy density of 165 Wh/kg. I can also use in my solar system in the future. and they do not catch on fire.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 45423.html

How many of these batteries are you putting in your vehicle?

[Proton]

I am planning 110 or 112. If I put 112 I can use them later in a solar system as 16s7p

[Sector7e]

batteries in the cab for a 4x4 is a good idea. sort off. the leaf cells will pack up nicely behind there, youll still have storage space on top of the battery box. but having some vents that will lead to outside the cab for safety incase theres a battery fire. (leaf cells are very safe chemistry)

but for simplicity sake, ie to get this driving asap, put the unopened leaf battery in the bed of the truck, and just extend the hv lines.


the zombievert can control the replacement board over canbus no problem. but if your looking for a power upgrade, finding the 110 or 160 kw inveter might be a easier option(though more expensive)

id just stick with the zombiverter for now, and make that part of stage 2

Putting the batteries in the bed temporarily is a good idea to get it running faster and give me time to plan out the battery pack distribution.

The batteries in the cab would really raise the center of gravity which would make it easier to roll the truck, and that is a real issue with the terrain in AZ. I'm wondering if the extra work of waterproofing the batteries under the bed is worth the difference in center of gravity. It would also be easier to thermally manage the batteries in the cab.

[Sector7e]

The Nissan batteries have Energy density of 140 Wh/kg. That is not very good.

I am planing to use LiFePO4 that have Energy density of 165 Wh/kg. I can also use in my solar system in the future. and they do not catch on fire.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 45423.html

Proton, I just noticed that the batteries you linked to had a max discharge rate of 1C, which I believe is too low for an EV application. I was looking at some 105ah batteries which have a 3C discharge rate.

Here is the link to the 105ah 3C batteries:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568049 ... pt=glo2usa

I'm looking to get about 100 miles on a charge with about 112 of these 105ah batteries. By my calculations that is about ~42.9kWh. Will that be able to achieve about 100 miles?

[Proton]

These are 160AH batteries. 112 x 3.2v = 358v x 160AH = 57kW. I thought that should be enough.
Maybe somebody that already finished a conversion can let us know how much they pull at max, or how much is enough to have a decent acceleration.

[Sector7e]

I believe that capacity is sufficient, but the batteries ability to discharge faster will affect your ability to accelerate and maintain speed while driving up grades. I'd like some input for others with experience as well since I will try to do some off-roading with my build on steep terrain.

[Proton]

I found something for you:

This is the EVbot from Cascadia motion. you can chose a different battery configuration and different cars.

http://www.cascadiamotion.com/evbot

[Bratitude]

The Nissan batteries have Energy density of 140 Wh/kg. That is not very good.

I am planing to use LiFePO4 that have Energy density of 165 Wh/kg. I can also use in my solar system in the future. and they do not catch on fire.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 45423.html

Are you comparing raw battery cells with a fully assembled battery back on energy density? Apples to oranges….

[Proton]

Are you comparing raw battery cells with a fully assembled battery back on energy density? Apples to oranges….

you can find them only used, which means that energy is even less than 140 Wh/kg.

[Bratitude]

you can find them only used, which means that energy is even less than 140 Wh/kg.

Uh okay? That’s a different statement. And you can get 100%health salvaged batteries.

the complexity of building a pack from scratch that match’s the hermetic and safety level is a lot of work. And will be expensive. salvaged ev packs are simple cheap,and safe.

[Sector7e]

Uh okay? That’s a different statement. And you can get 100%health salvaged batteries.

the complexity of building a pack from scratch that match’s the hermetic and safety level is a lot of work. And will be expensive. salvaged ev packs are simple cheap,and safe.

The more I look into utilizing these batteries from AliExpress, the less confident I am with it. For a solar power storage it seems ok, but even these listings that claim Grade A LifePO4 seem like that might not be the case. That would result in less range, life, and max discharge from the battery pack. I'm starting to think it might be more trouble than its worth if the batteries aren't well matched are have issues that aren't easily detected before installing the pack in the vehicle. The idea of making a custom pack seems fun and cost effective, but I'm thinking the ability for a customer to get good EV grade LifePO4 batteries at a decent price isn't an option any more because demand has outpaced supply. I haven't 100% ruled it out, but I'm going to keep researching before pulling the trigger on a battery pack.

I'm aiming for ~40kWh, which should give me ~100 miles of range. Bratitude, what would a good salvaged pack option be for me that will last several years? Also, how is the Leaf motor in terms of exposure to water. Have you ever done a water crossing in the Brat up to your bumper?

Has anyone on this community successfully utilized AliExpress "Grade A" LifePO4 batteries?

[Proton]

I recommended those batteries because of this video:



I put my brother in contact with Jenny Wu and he bought some of these batteries in Europe from the Poland Warehouse.
I use on my solar system 30KW of a different type of battery, 100Ah and they work perfectly after 4 years. So yes it is important from where you buy batteries from china.

She just pinged me about the 280Ah batteries and she said that they can reach 300Ah.

[Sector7e]

I have made some progress on the truck, and just acquired a donor 2013 Nissan Leaf. In the Hardbody, I have installed the rebuilt transmission, transfer case, and drive shafts. I'm having the Brat Industries coupler machined and welded over the weekend. Also, the adaptor plate seems to line up perfectly with this Nissan transmission. I plan on getting the truck moving as a test with the Nissan Leaf battery pack placed in the bed, and make a custom battery box/pack at a later date.

Does anyone have a recommendation on where to buy the HV wire terminals that I could use to make a temporary extension HV cable for the Leaf battery pack in the truck bed? If anyone knows the exact terminals I would need to make the cable that would be helpful too.

What power steering pump would the community recommend for my build?

[crasbe]

What power steering pump would the community recommend for my build?

The power steering pump from the Opel Zafira/Astra/... was used quite often and successfully, however it is quite noise. https://openinverter.org/wiki/Opel_Power_Steering_Pump
An alternative is the power steering pump from Volvo: https://openinverter.org/wiki/Volvo_Power_Steering_Pump

[Sector7e]

The power steering pump from the Opel Zafira/Astra/... was used quite often and successfully, however it is quite noise. https://openinverter.org/wiki/Opel_Power_Steering_Pump
An alternative is the power steering pump from Volvo: https://openinverter.org/wiki/Volvo_Power_Steering_Pump

I decided loop the power steering box, and install an EPAS column in the truck. The reason I decided on EPAS over a Vovlo Pump was noise. When I off road the truck I wanted the minimum amount of noise so that I can enjoy the the natural ambiance of the trails.

I originally got a Prius column, but the original steering wheel didn't fit without modification. I got an EPAS column out of a Nissan Cube. The steering wheel bolts on without modification. I will have to make some slight modifications to install the clock spring so that the original airbag will still be functional. It does appear to go into a fail safe mode just like the Prius column.

I looped the power steering box

All this for $71 on ebay!

The D21 wheel on the Nissan Cube Column

The old steering column removed.

This Column does go into the failsafe mode!!!

[Bratitude]

Does anyone have a recommendation on where to buy the HV wire terminals that I could use to make a temporary extension HV cable for the Leaf battery pack in the truck bed? If anyone knows the exact terminals I would need to make the cable that would be helpful too.

i have a few leaf battery cables, i can send/sell you one if ya like

[Sector7e]

Here is a photo dump of the progress on my conversion. Let me know if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or see a mistake I should correct.

Photo Dump:

Thanks to Brat Industries!!!

Brat Industries again...

I'm going to temporarily place the degraded Leaf battery pack in the bed. I'll utilize a battery box mounted in the frame like EVSwap for the new permanent battery pack.

The cardboard mockup for the motor mount. I'll be using 1/4 inch steel.

The cardboard mockup for the motor mount. I will have a torque mount on the left side with a bushing.

I'll be using a Tesla Model S AC compressor that will be mounted on the steel motor mount plate.

I got some scrap 2/0 welding wire from the a decommissioned TuSimple self-driving semi-truck. I added some braided sleeves for protection and to reduce any EMI. Is it worth it?

It's gotta be orange...

This is just temporary housing for the ISA shunt until I build the final battery box.

I couldn't mount the entire Leaf stack without interference, so I just made a plate to rotate the PDM 90° and shift it forwards.

PDM mounted in place.

[EVSwap]

Really great progress that's great info about the Cube steering column. Have you been able to test it?

How are you going to control the Tesla AC compressor? I'm really curious about that.

[Sector7e]

Really great progress that's great info about the Cube steering column. Have you been able to test it?

How are you going to control the Tesla AC compressor? I'm really curious about that.

I have tested the Nissan Cube column outside of the truck and it seems to go into the same failsafe mode like the Prius column does, which is giving you boost you would get at 40mph. I haven't tested the column installed in the truck yet. Maybe in the next couple weeks. Eventually I'd like to figure out what CAN messages the column is looking for and provide them on the CANBus to get variable assist.

The Tesla AC Gen 1 Unit (Denso ES34C) compressor just connects to the 400V and can be turned on with a PWM signal. See here: https://openinverter.org/wiki/Tesla_Mod ... Compressor

Initially, for phase 1 of the project and testing, I'm going to use this to send the PWM signal: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B1H ... UTF8&psc=1
I've never liked programming but I may try and add the necessary PWM code to the ZombieVerter for permanent control.

Jimmy, what do you use for AC in your swaps?

[Sector7e]

The Nissan went for its first drive today. Everything went well except a wheel well liner started dragging. The Nissan Cube steering column works great, and went into failsafe mode just like a Prius column.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTNuyjGku/

[Sector7e]

I have the Hardbody moving reliably, but I can't seem to get it to charge. The Zombieverter will show it is in charge mode, but doesn't start charging. I'm currently using a 24kwh leaf pack at 43% SOH.

I'm attaching the Zombieverter settings in a PDF to see if I have an incorrect setting that may be causing this:

Huebner Inverter Management Console.pdf

(564.15 KiB) Downloaded 103 times

[Iceman96]

I have the Hardbody moving reliably, but I can't seem to get it to charge. The Zombieverter will show it is in charge mode, but doesn't start charging. I'm currently using a 24kwh leaf pack at 43% SOH.

Charging.jpg
Charger.png

I'm attaching the Zombieverter settings in a PDF to see if I have an incorrect setting that may be causing this: Huebner Inverter Management Console.pdf

Hi Sector7e,

Great project and I am enjoying following it. You are about 12 months ahead of me, as I started my project this year. Very similar though, as I am putting the running gear out of a 2014 Leaf into a Holden Rodeo trayback ute. Mine Is only 2wd, but has the same ground clearance as the 4wd model. Like you I am mating the full leaf stack to the 5 speed manual gearbox. I am hoping to be able to fit it in without modification, but clearance of the pdm back to the firewall is very tight. About 5mm, so I may have to do something similar to what you hav3 done (looks very neat btw).
As to your current problem with the charging I am not much help to you yet. I am planning to test run the leaf stack out of the car this week, so I will betesting the granny charger then. I wont be able to test the chademo though, which fron your screenshots is the one you are having problems with.
Also out of interest, are you using the leaf contactors in the battery pack?

Regards - Andrew