[WIP] 1964 VW Bus 4x4 Hybrid Camp Rig

[Zerobalance]

Hello all. I had this in getting started, but didn't get much traction, and some actual work is beginning to take place, so I guess I may as well start this

I am deep in the research phase of a pretty ambitious build. As a background, I have a background in ME, and understand the safety precautions, I have worked on 480v 3 phase equipment and retrofitted my fadal cnc mill with linux. So I'm not a rookie, but also can recognize dunning kruger and know I know nothing on this subject. I am fairly skilled with metal fabrication as well as experienced in suspension design, etc from the 4x4 world.

The vehicle is a derelict 1964 Vw bus that was abandoned in the woods of Minnesota and rescued by me in 2015. It was pretty toast to be a restoration candidate, so my original plan was to put a modern engine in it with a 4x4 drivetrain using a combination of jeep, toyota and jetta parts. So, I fabricated a full rectangular tube chassis and it became apparent that packaging was going to be an issue for my goal of actually using this as a camper. In the midst of this, I came to own a ford F150 hybrid for a while and fell in love with the off grid capabilities of the hybrid, especially when we were boondock camping.
I ran across https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/1996-l ... t.1268985/, and decided that leaf power was maybe the way to go, so I've spent the last 3 months taking notes, reading, and in general realizing I know nothing.

As of now I plan to mate a leaf motor to a transfer case doubler made from a complete toyota case and a planetary from a jeep 241 case for gear reduction. Combined with 4.10 gear ratio axles and my planned tire size, it should put me at around 6200rpm at cruising speed, which seems ideal for a leaf. I originally wanted to build a pack using LFP batts from Battery hookup, but now the idea to buy a complete salvage 2018 Leaf ( I have a dealer license and buy a lot of cars from auction ) to get the gen2 110kw motor and 40kwh pack.

Additionally, I want to build a range extender on a trailer, using a VW tdi engine converted to mechanical pump, driving a second 80kw leaf motor with a 2:1 overdrive. I'm hoping to get 400 miles of range out of this setup, but calculating miles per kw is tough as is knowing exactly how much energy the leaf genset will make. I'm optimistic that the bus will consume .5kwh/mile.

Summary

• 4x4 Vw bus with fully fabbed frame and toyota axles
• gen2 em57 leaf motor mated to doubled gear reduction transfer case
• 40kwh leaf pack, leaf bms, openinverter controls
• trailer mounted tdi range extender with second em57
• many hours of wiring and coding controllers

That's my idea thus far. A photo to whet the appetite...

[johu]

Great ground-up project!

Just one thing... I always discourage the use of fossil fuels
How much batteries would price of the generator trailer buy you in addition to the Leaf battery? And how much easier the integration? CCS rapid charging is solved as well https://openinverter.org/wiki/Foccci

[Scrappyjoe]

Howdy! Interesting project. I have thought about similar configurations in a fair amount of depth over the last few years. Some thoughts, in no particular order -

1. The cleanest transfer case solution I have seen is to use the Land Rover LT230 to drive front and rear axles. Bulletproof transfer case, many were made, ratios are good. You can look up how these guys created a divorced coupler for a Leaf to connect to an LT230. https://www.onlinegearboxparts.com/prod ... t-coupler/

2.Range extender - I think it’s good that you are thinking of this as a separate system. It’s not trivial to control the HV side of things, or the engine. I always thought the simplest approach would be to set a diesel motor spinning an electric motor at a fixed RPM, and then progressively setting regen on to control current flowing into the HV circuit.

3. TDI - why use a diesel with a turbo? To my mind, a turbo is something that exists to provide ‘spike’ power. For a genset you want continuous power. I’d go for a naturally aspirated engine. In general, I would encourage you to size your genset to meet your continuous power demands (probably in the order of 15-30kw) rather than your peak power demands (likely 60-80kw). The battery will meet the peak demand and it can recharge while you are cruising.

4. Range varies wildly depending on speed. If you want to travel at highway speeds continuously, you’ll consume 4x more than travelling at 1/2 the speed.

[Zerobalance]

Great ground-up project!

Just one thing... I always discourage the use of fossil fuels
How much batteries would price of the generator trailer buy you in addition to the Leaf battery? And how much easier the integration? CCS rapid charging is solved as well https://openinverter.org/wiki/Foccci

In my situation I will be traveling distances with no charging options other than if I carry solar (which I will). The cost of the trailer is negligible. I will need the additional cargo space regardless and already have several TDI engines. I also live in an area where power outages are not uncommon, so a generator to power my home would be nice.

Howdy! Interesting project. I have thought about similar configurations in a fair amount of depth over the last few years. Some thoughts, in no particular order -

1. The cleanest transfer case solution I have seen is to use the Land Rover LT230 to drive front and rear axles. Bulletproof transfer case, many were made, ratios are good. You can look up how these guys created a divorced coupler for a Leaf to connect to an LT230. https://www.onlinegearboxparts.com/prod ... t-coupler/

2.Range extender - I think it’s good that you are thinking of this as a separate system. It’s not trivial to control the HV side of things, or the engine. I always thought the simplest approach would be to set a diesel motor spinning an electric motor at a fixed RPM, and then progressively setting regen on to control current flowing into the HV circuit.

3. TDI - why use a diesel with a turbo? To my mind, a turbo is something that exists to provide ‘spike’ power. For a genset you want continuous power. I’d go for a naturally aspirated engine. In general, I would encourage you to size your genset to meet your continuous power demands (probably in the order of 15-30kw) rather than your peak power demands (likely 60-80kw). The battery will meet the peak demand and it can recharge while you are cruising.

4. Range varies wildly depending on speed. If you want to travel at highway speeds continuously, you’ll consume 4x more than travelling at 1/2 the speed.

Transfer case: I am needing to use a gear reducing setup, so I'm using just a planetary unit off of a transfer case, mated to a second transfer case. The toyota VF1A (actual transfer case) and the Jeep 241 are both pretty tough, cheap and readily available in the states. Rover stuff not so much.

Range Extender: I still have a whole lot to learn on this so I can't comment a lot.

TDI engine: The turbo diesel are used a lot as industrial engines. Under continuous boost, there is no spike. My reasoning behind the TDI is that with a mechanical pump they are stone simple, will run on several fuel options, and I have knowledge on what makes them tick.

[Bratitude]

gen set wise, have you thought about your continual power need?

Leaf is oversized perhaps, same with the tdi,

A kabota 3cylinder is a lot smaller and lighter..

Ambitious first project, definitely focus on getting the ev system up and running first, it’s a lot bigger of a project that you might think, especially your first time round

[Jacobsmess]

Kubota and mg2 from a prius would make a nice sense but agree with Brat, EV first, hybrid later.

[Zerobalance]

gen set wise, have you thought about your continual power need?

Leaf is oversized perhaps, same with the tdi,

A kabota 3cylinder is a lot smaller and lighter..

Ambitious first project, definitely focus on getting the ev system up and running first, it’s a lot bigger of a project that you might think, especially your first time round

I have. I estimate consuming 25kw cruising at 55 mph. That may be way off but the best comparable I can find weight and aero wise in SUVs put it around that or possibly more. The leaf motor can put out 80kw as a generator in a perfect world, but what do we think is a reasonable amount of power to expect it to feed back into the batteries/drive motor? The genset fits longterm into some other plans I have, one being completely off grid and being able to run my shop off my own power on my own terms and not be lacking.

I will admit to the TDI being portly, say 340 pounds estimated with no accessories, but including intercooler and radiator. I picked this setup partially because I know the tdi inside out, have several that I have zero money in, and the leaf motor is pretty inexpensive as well. I also can make the tdi into a naturally aspirated engine and loose a good bit of weight and complexity. It still should put out around 35-40 kw worth of energy in that configuration. It's all a big experiment at this point.

I certainly can be called ambitious, but I typically see this stuff through. I built the house we live in pretty much by myself, and every vehicle I own was a derelict I brought back from the dead. I have no delusions about how much goes into this and I am certain that even with the 100s of hours I've already spent taking notes and refining ideas, I am overlooking so many things. That's why I posted up her for you good people to burst my bubble.

[Bratitude]

You do you, but posting in a forum about diesel gen sets to power your house while we actively work on off grid/grid ties battery systems…..we might say “your doing it wrong “

Regardless I think diesel hybrids are the future of off road builds so get it driving!

[Zerobalance]

You do you, but posting in a forum about diesel gen sets to power your house while we actively work on off grid/grid ties battery systems…..we might say “your doing it wrong “

Regardless I think diesel hybrids are the future of off road builds so get it driving!

I hope to be able to power 90% of the house thing with solar, wind, etc, just have the big gen for operating power hungry tools. Just another tool available in the tool box. It is off the topic, just giving part of my rationale and explaining my reasoning for the choices I make

[Bratitude]

Awesome, projects are always sacrifices of choices so it’s all starting to make sense of your reasoning:)

looking forward to your progress and photos of the build.

been think about transfercase motor interfaces for awhile so more is definitely welcome !