[DRIVING] 1998 Nissan Frontier Minitruck - LEAF 40kwh

[EVSwap]

Very tidy install and great re-use factor!
Are you using the stock battery-to-drivestack cable as well?

Thanks! I am currently extending the battery-to-drivestack cable as we speak. It needs to be extended approximately 42 inches.

[EVSwap]

Got the wires extended and powered up the truck again. Everything works and the battery is happy too. Time to turn attention to the interior and get it buttoned back up.

[EVSwap]

Just a few small updates. Dave got the bumper finished up. Blocked off the grill and LED driving lights installed. Then he painted the whole thing in rubberized texture (it's upside down in picture). He also installed new headlights with LED bulbs and turn signals. Lastly, got the DNR buttons put in the dash.

[Manuebb]

Likewise, I'm pretty sure one of your videos was the spark that got me into this situation! Welcome!

[EVSwap]

Some more updates. Everything is starting to come together! Dave is beside himself, he's so excited about how it's looking. He ordered some wheels and tires yesterday; some cool looking 16" wheels with low rolling resistance tires.

[EVSwap]

Got the front end together. Dave did an awesome job making the flip-up charge port doors. One on the right for J1772 and the one on the left will be for Chademo (Chademo not installed yet).

The Nissan badge comes from the '19 LEAF and it lights up when the truck is on and also when it is charging

Wired the LED driving lights to come on with the high beams:

[EVSwap]

Welp ran into a snag. Right now it's not causing any issues but maybe will in the future. I noticed the last three cells #94, #95, and #96 are fluctuating quite a bit while charging or running the motor. I know those two BMS taps run really close to the HV main negative cable in the battery box. At idle they are perfectly balanced but the voltage spikes up and down with HV current. Really hoping I don't have to drop the battery but I may have no choice. I'm going to try some clamp on ferrite cores on the BMS wires where they go between boxes.

At idle:

While charging:

[Zieg]

Wow, that's interesting. Wonder if some copper shielding tape would also help?

Love the badge, nice that it works out being that it's all from the same brand!

[Jacobsmess]

Is this the same issue Janosch had with the 40kWh pack?

[EVSwap]

Wow, that's interesting. Wonder if some copper shielding tape would also help?

Love the badge, nice that it works out being that it's all from the same brand!

I'm going to try the ferrites because it's quick and dirty, but if that doesn't work I'll drop the boxes and try to re-route the cell taps. Possibly use some shielded cable. Luckily it's pretty easy to get the boxes in and out. I know exactly where it was because I spent a lot of time mulling over the cable routing. I chose poorly.

I think the badge came out awesome too! Yeah it's cool it's all Nissan. Dave is going to try and reach out to Nissan and see if we can show it off somewhere. Imagine if you could buy a bare-bones EV truck like this new.

Is this the same issue Janosch had with the 40kWh pack?

I did some searching and it does indeed look like a similar issue. Though he was having half of the cells thrown out of whack and I'm only having 2-3 cells affected.

Here is the thread for others: viewtopic.php?p=49395#p49395

[EVSwap]

Just a couple pics

[EVSwap]

I will be doing an interview with Dave, the owner of the truck, tomorrow. Post up any questions you have for him or about the truck in general. A couple facts about Dave: he is a retired high school shop teacher and wants to use the truck to get students interested in cars and EV conversions. He bought this truck in 2009 for $150 with the intentions of converting it to EV, it had no engine or other ICE parts when he bought it. Dave has an off-grid cabin that he built himself and lives at for half the year, he is building a blacksmithing shop and a hempcrete building extension as well.

[EVSwap]

Got some new alloy 16" wheels and Continental low rolling resistance tires. Happy to get some good rubber on there. The wheels look cool too and match the black and silver style of the truck.

Overall the truck just looks amazing and the EV specs have so much potential. I'm going to focus on getting the battery dropped and fixed this week so we can get this thing on the road. We have an appointment with the DMV on the 13th to get it inspected and registered.

[EVSwap]

Battery is fixed. I actually had one of the M6 bolts on the bus bar loose on cell #95! I also moved the BMS cell taps in the area just to be extra sure.

No more voltage spikes when charging or revving the motor. Glad I caught that!

[EVSwap]

Opening and closing the bed. Used a pair of pneumatic struts.

[EVSwap]

She's alive!!! Wow it drives amazing!!! 4th gear is functional. 3rd gear is fun. 2nd gear is a riot. 1st gear is tractionless.

I only drove it for a few laps around the private warehouse area. Done maybe 40 or 45 MPH maximum. Speedometer isn't working. We missed our DMV appointment this week but are scheduled next week.

[EVSwap]

I just realized it literally has a larger bed than the Cybertruck

[Bigpie]

Congrats. Awesome job. There's nothing quite like that first drive buzz

[ianlighting]

She's alive!!! Wow it drives amazing!!! 4th gear is functional. 3rd gear is fun. 2nd gear is a riot. 1st gear is tractionless.

I only drove it for a few laps around the private warehouse area. Done maybe 40 or 45 MPH maximum. Speedometer isn't working. We missed our DMV appointment this week but are scheduled next week.

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Can’t wait for the video update on YT! Would love to see it flying.

I’m interested in the gears aspect. In your tests are changing while moving? Is it ok? Or is just whilst stationary? Thanks.

[EVSwap]

Can’t wait for the video update on YT! Would love to see it flying.

I’m interested in the gears aspect. In your tests are changing while moving? Is it ok? Or is just whilst stationary? Thanks.

Good timing! The video just went live and includes me talking Dave through a gear shift at around 7:20. Basically you can shift just like normal as long as you do it a bit slower and use the throttle to "float" the motor so it can go into the next gear. You can shift an ICE vehicle the same way without a clutch but it's easier with an electric motor.

[Zieg]

Oh I love that. Very cool how you can press the D button to cycle through regen settings.

[johu]

Good job

One things I noticed, the vacuum pump comes on often and could use some turn-off hysteresis. How is it controlled?

[EVSwap]

Good job

One things I noticed, the vacuum pump comes on often and could use some turn-off hysteresis. How is it controlled?

Yes the brake pump is obnoxious but it is not as loud as the video makes it seem. There really is no control except for a mechanical vacuum switch controlling a relay. I am adding a delay-relay to the circuit right now actually. Also since the video I mounted the pump and relay box on rubber isolators and added some sound deadening material. It is mounted to the firewall which makes it reverberate and its much better now already.

[Iceman96]

Hey Jimmy - love your work mate. I have been following you on YT for a while now, and great to see you here on the OI forum. This conversion was partly the inspiration for me to start my conversion of a similar vehicle. I did my first project post yesterday ( 2006 Holden Rodeo - Gen 2 LeF). I like that you were able to keep the whole Leaf stack together - did you have to move the transmission forward to achieve that? Also , did that truck have power steering, and if so, what pump did you use. I am looking forward to seeing how the truck goes once you get it registered and out on the highway. In particular I am interested in what sort of range you get out of that 40 kwh pack. Keep up your great work mate. I will be following you with interest on your future projects!

[EVSwap]

Hey Jimmy - love your work mate. I have been following you on YT for a while now, and great to see you here on the OI forum. This conversion was partly the inspiration for me to start my conversion of a similar vehicle. I did my first project post yesterday ( 2006 Holden Rodeo - Gen 2 LeF). I like that you were able to keep the whole Leaf stack together - did you have to move the transmission forward to achieve that? Also , did that truck have power steering, and if so, what pump did you use. I am looking forward to seeing how the truck goes once you get it registered and out on the highway. In particular I am interested in what sort of range you get out of that 40 kwh pack. Keep up your great work mate. I will be following you with interest on your future projects!

Thanks for the nice comments and following the channel. Small pickups are great for conversions!

This truck is kind of a unique case because it was purchased without an engine or transmission. The owner purchased a trans to use sometime in the last 10 years or so. The trans is actually from a Nissan 240SX so I had to make custom mounts anyway.

I'm assuming it should get around the same range as the same battery gets in a LEAF. The Frontier is smaller in every dimension and a good bit lighter. We'll definitely be doing a range test with it!