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BMW i3 or Nissan EM57 engine? Cheaper and easier?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 11:43 am
by easyandi
Hello, I made a post in the Nissan forum a while ago.
As a total newbie, I had to read up on it first.
I'm constantly hesitating between the Nissan and BMW engines when making my decision. I have the feeling that the parts from a BMW i3 are cheaper in Germany.
It's a hobby project and I don't want to spend unnecessary money on it. Can the i3 engine be easily integrated into another car?
I feel like there are more challenges in creating the Openinverter on the forum than there is with the Nissan motor. is that correct or is the effort comparable?
What parts can or should I take from an i3 to reduce the hassle? Do you prefer the REX or the normal i3 engine? The REX integration is probably a bit more complex.
Re: BMW i3 or Nissan EM57 engine? Cheaper and easier?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 12:47 pm
by arber333
easyandi wrote: ↑Sun Feb 20, 2022 11:43 am
Hello, I made a post in the Nissan forum a while ago.
As a total newbie, I had to read up on it first.
I'm constantly hesitating between the Nissan and BMW engines when making my decision. I have the feeling that the parts from a BMW i3 are cheaper in Germany.
It's a hobby project and I don't want to spend unnecessary money on it. Can the i3 engine be easily integrated into another car?
I feel like there are more challenges in creating the Openinverter on the forum than there is with the Nissan motor. is that correct or is the effort comparable?
What parts can or should I take from an i3 to reduce the hassle? Do you prefer the REX or the normal i3 engine? The REX integration is probably a bit more complex.
Why would you want to hassle with REX on your first build? Difficulty is proportional to number of parts in your build.
So your options... but not only
:
1. Nissan Leaf stack with CAN bus control
https://openinverter.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2081
2. BMW I3 motor with inverter and use Openinverter PCB to replace its brain.
https://openinverter.org/forum/viewtopi ... &start=100
3. Outlander rear motor and inverter with CAN bus control. I bet you can get a good price for a stack from Poland.
https://openinverter.org/forum/viewtopi ... =19&t=2167
Re: BMW i3 or Nissan EM57 engine? Cheaper and easier?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 4:12 pm
by Bratitude
Leaf parts are all very well tested and work great. We have a pretty healthy supply of options for controlling and adapting the motors and all the other leaf parts.
the there’s a replacement board for the i3 motor now, but it’s fairly new, compared to the leaf parts available.
Also if your not using the i3 gearbox, adapting the motor is a bit more tricky as it has a female output(from what I recall), instead of a male output shaft like the leaf motor.
Re: BMW i3 or Nissan EM57 engine? Cheaper and easier?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2022 3:50 pm
by easyandi
ok, thanks for your info.
So, as a beginner, would you recommend the leaf motor?
Re: BMW i3 or Nissan EM57 engine? Cheaper and easier?
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2022 6:22 am
by Scott166
I've got some videos up on YouTube about the i3, you get to see me remove the motor and rex then separate them.
You might find it interesting.
https://youtube.com/c/MiniLifeCrisis
Re: BMW i3 or Nissan EM57 engine? Cheaper and easier?
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2022 11:20 am
by SuperV8
How much power do you need for your project?
I checked Leaf motors on ebay (in the UK) and they seemed much more expensive than a year or two ago. I'm sure they were more like a couple hundred (pounds) but now over 1000 - nearly at Tesla motor levels!
Prius/Toyota trans-axle would be hard to beat if on a tight budget if it will generate enough power?
All this from a newbie as well - haha.