Hello out there

Introduction and miscellaneous that we haven't created categories for, yet
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DIYMicha
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Hello out there

Post by DIYMicha »

Hey there, my name is Micha, and I'd like to introduce me in this forum.

I'm 46 yrs old from southern germany. I already converted a Golf 2 with 96V components and 180Ah CALB batterys. The car was a nice everyday ride for me for one and a half years. Then someone rear ended me in rush hour. No injuries, nothing was wrecked in means of the electric components, but the Golf lost it's road worthy. Now all the EV components are stored in my garage. I think I will convert another Golf in the future. But that has to wait.

My next project will be something bigger: I want to convert my VW T4 camper bus to EV with a large solar array. To get it almost fully self-sufficient. This time the vehicle should also be CCS fast rechargeable. My first thoughts where to use components from a first gen LEAF, but the missing active cooling of the batterys don't seem to be practical with fast charging.
So my next thoughts are Tesla components. That's why it seems that in the next weeks I will spend a lot of time reading in this forum :) . I never thought that so many people did this conversion already.
Right now I'm sitting on the CAD program to see if, and how the components will fit roughly into the T4. Maybe someone can tell me the approx. width of the Teslas S/X rear motor with the inverter and differential attached to it? And the diameter of the motor itself?

For the solar part, I want to fit an array consisting of 18 panels with 300W on the roof. Retractable. Much like the "Route del Sol" project on YT. The goal is, to create a mobile workspace driven by electric power. So it does'nt matter if I stay put for some days to wait for the battery to recharge.

For now, it's in a very, very early stage. So things might change a lot while I go along.

I don't know if this is the right board. I haven't found an "introduction" board so far.

Regards, Micha
Built a 1989 VW Golf 2 EV, next project convert a 1992 VW t4 camper to EV with solar :)
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muehlpower
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Re: Hello out there

Post by muehlpower »

i don't know where you live, but south germany is not far from me. I have a tesla s motor in my project and of course all dimensions. There is a 3D model here in the forum
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Bratitude
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Re: Hello out there

Post by Bratitude »

Hello welcome! sorry to hear about your golf.

a lot of the info your looking for is all posted in the wiki, have a look there as well as the different sections of the forum.


chademo fast charging is easy to implement
damien and other folks are working on ccs atm.

some of the Prius inverter development might be if interest. the buck boost modules might be useful for a solar based battery charger
https://bratindustries.net/ leaf motor couplers, adapter plates, custom drive train components
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SuperV8
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Re: Hello out there

Post by SuperV8 »

DIYMicha wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 9:59 am Hey there, my name is Micha, and I'd like to introduce me in this forum.

I'm 46 yrs old from southern germany. I already converted a Golf 2 with 96V components and 180Ah CALB batterys. The car was a nice everyday ride for me for one and a half years. Then someone rear ended me in rush hour. No injuries, nothing was wrecked in means of the electric components, but the Golf lost it's road worthy. Now all the EV components are stored in my garage. I think I will convert another Golf in the future. But that has to wait.

My next project will be something bigger: I want to convert my VW T4 camper bus to EV with a large solar array. To get it almost fully self-sufficient. This time the vehicle should also be CCS fast rechargeable. My first thoughts where to use components from a first gen LEAF, but the missing active cooling of the batterys don't seem to be practical with fast charging.
So my next thoughts are Tesla components. That's why it seems that in the next weeks I will spend a lot of time reading in this forum :) . I never thought that so many people did this conversion already.
Right now I'm sitting on the CAD program to see if, and how the components will fit roughly into the T4. Maybe someone can tell me the approx. width of the Teslas S/X rear motor with the inverter and differential attached to it? And the diameter of the motor itself?

For the solar part, I want to fit an array consisting of 18 panels with 300W on the roof. Retractable. Much like the "Route del Sol" project on YT. The goal is, to create a mobile workspace driven by electric power. So it does'nt matter if I stay put for some days to wait for the battery to recharge.

For now, it's in a very, very early stage. So things might change a lot while I go along.

I don't know if this is the right board. I haven't found an "introduction" board so far.

Regards, Micha
Hi Micha,
I have seen CAD models of various Tesla motors on here - have a search, can't remember exactly which area.

I did some 'quick' calculations on the solar panels on the roof of a van idea - and basically the output would have been worthless for trying to charge the main HV battery (i'm in UK) - Probably ok (but expensive) to keep the 12V battery topped up.
Might be slightly more worthwhile if you lived nearer the equator.
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DIYMicha
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Re: Hello out there

Post by DIYMicha »

SuperV8 wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 3:30 pm Hi Micha,
I have seen CAD models of various Tesla motors on here - have a search, can't remember exactly which area.

I did some 'quick' calculations on the solar panels on the roof of a van idea - and basically the output would have been worthless for trying to charge the main HV battery (i'm in UK) - Probably ok (but expensive) to keep the 12V battery topped up.
Might be slightly more worthwhile if you lived nearer the equator.
Calculating with the peak performance of the modules of 5,4kW it should be worth for some kilometers per day. I'm fine when the batteries will be recharged within two days. But the panels are mainly for off grid charging. I'll also include a regular charger for AC and CCS DC when I'm in the civilisation. I'll give it a try. :)
Built a 1989 VW Golf 2 EV, next project convert a 1992 VW t4 camper to EV with solar :)
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SuperV8
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Re: Hello out there

Post by SuperV8 »

DIYMicha wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2021 6:04 pm
SuperV8 wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 3:30 pm Hi Micha,
I have seen CAD models of various Tesla motors on here - have a search, can't remember exactly which area.

I did some 'quick' calculations on the solar panels on the roof of a van idea - and basically the output would have been worthless for trying to charge the main HV battery (i'm in UK) - Probably ok (but expensive) to keep the 12V battery topped up.
Might be slightly more worthwhile if you lived nearer the equator.
Calculating with the peak performance of the modules of 5,4kW it should be worth for some kilometers per day. I'm fine when the batteries will be recharged within two days. But the panels are mainly for off grid charging. I'll also include a regular charger for AC and CCS DC when I'm in the civilisation. I'll give it a try. :)
The trouble is you would seldom see any where near peak performance - maybe midday in the height of summer using the most optimum tilt angle and azimuth for your latitude - another issue is mounting them to a flat roof you don't get the optimum tilt angle reducing the performance.
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DIYMicha
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Re: Hello out there

Post by DIYMicha »

SuperV8 wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 8:00 am The trouble is you would seldom see any where near peak performance - maybe midday in the height of summer using the most optimum tilt angle and azimuth for your latitude - another issue is mounting them to a flat roof you don't get the optimum tilt angle reducing the performance.
Yes, you're right. Therefore the panels get mounted on the tilting campers roof. ;) Solar recharging will only happen while standing on a parking lot for some time anyways. And to point the panels directly to the sun, I'm moving the whole camper bus every other hour or so. We'll see what happens.
Built a 1989 VW Golf 2 EV, next project convert a 1992 VW t4 camper to EV with solar :)
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muehlpower
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Re: Hello out there

Post by muehlpower »

my 33kW peak system on the house generates over 200kWh on a sunny day. A 5kWp system should generate 30kWh per day, good for 150km a day
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celeron55
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Re: Hello out there

Post by celeron55 »

18x 300W panels on a tilting camper roof sounds like a lot of weight it wasn't designed to support. Interesting to see what the final version will look like.

Anyway, generally a folding setup will give enough charging power for a vehicle, while a non-folding one won't, so that is the right choice if one insists on integrated solar charging.
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