Index
Quick way of finding pages based on categories and subjects.
Legalities
Basics
There's a variety of methods of repurposing these OEM components. Methods here are generally chosen with future proofing in mind , reducing chances of firmware or software updates from the manufacture "bricking" or blocking the open source control efforts. such efforts include:
- Mainboard/brain replacement
- CANBUS/LINBUS
- Sync serial
- FlexRay
- PWM
Glossary of Terms
It is recommended you read the Glossary of Terms before you begin. Often you'll find TLAs (three letter acronyms) peppered through the support forum and on this wiki, take the time to familiarise yourself with them before hand, remember this exists, or bookmark/favourite it so you can referent back to it.
EV conversions Parts
- Motors
- Inverter
- (Note: ZombieVerter projects MAY require a matched pair of Inverter and Motor as they would have come out of a vehicle)
- Batteries
- Chargers / Charge Controllers
- DC/DC Converters
- HV Junction Box
- Cooling System Components
- Heaters
- HVAC
- Brake Assist
- Vacuum Pumps
- Electronic Brake Boosters
- Power Steering
- Rapid Charging
- VCU Comparison
- Gear Selector
Existing information on these items can be found on the EV Conversion Parts page.
A collection of various connector part numbers can be found here: Connector Part Numbers
OEM Parts
A variety of OEM parts members of the community have reversed engineered for custom use cases:
- BMW
- Chevrolet
- Ford
- Hyundai
- Isabellenhütte Heusler
- Land Rover/Jaguar
- Mercedes-Benz
- MG
- Mitsubishi
- Nissan
- Opel/Vauxhall
- Peugeot
- Renault
- Tesla
- Toyota/Lexus
- VAG (VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Porsche, ...)
- Volvo
FAQ
- Common Inverter FAQ - questions common to all hardware variants
- Tesla Inverter FAQ - questions regarding Tesla Large Drive Units and Small Drive Units
- Electronics Basics - general advice for troubleshooting electronic circuits
- cheap EV conversions - this entry point for the penny pinchers
- performant EV conversions - where torque trumps money
Mechanical Design Database
Open Inverter Projects
Open Inverter (Core Project/s)
| Description / Notes | |
|---|---|
| ZombieVerter VCU | Designed around a matched pair of Inverter and Motor taken from the original OEM vehicle the ZombieVerter is there to make those two components believe they are still in the original vehicle and are fed necessary commands to act as if they still are and interpret and responses back from the equipment for feedback (regen / rpm / etc) |
Open Inverter Hardware
|
Quite flexible in its application. The Open Inverter can be used to build a custom inverter itself where you supply the high power and high voltage components to create your own inverter, or to be used as the basis to take over control of OEM inverters so that they can drive nearly any attached motor to that inverter. |
| Open Inverter Software | Two of the more important software aspects to master are below. |
| CAN communication
Common across boards is the ability to communicate with a CAN Bus, which is a 'control area network' or a technical way of saying how various components, sensors, controls, etc communicate with one another within the car. Read more about CAN Communication There is also a project to standardise the messages across the various control boards, read more | |
| Parameters
The openinverter firmware uses a set of about 70 parameters to adapt it to different inverter power stages, motors and position feedback systems. Also it lets you calibrate the throttle pedal, change regenerative braking settings and so on.
|
Open Inverter Related Projects (Control Boards/VCUs)
| Project | Description / Notes |
|---|---|
| Tesla Small Drive and Large Drive Units: | Commonly there is a large drive unit and small drive unit available from the Model S.
These combine the inverter and motor into a single package. The control boards for these replace the existing control board within them. |
| Lexus GS450h Drivetrain: | The GS450h contains a gearbox (where the motors are located).
Using the ZombieVerter VCU, the inverter and the gearbox itself provide a powerful set up suitable for rear wheel drive set ups, replacing the existing longitudinally mounted gearbox. |
| Prius Generation 3 Inverter: | A cheap available inverter from the popular Prius hybrid, this
board goes inside that inverter and allows you to control the features of it. |
| Auris/Yaris Inverter: | Similar to the Prius board, there's subtle differences between them
and therefore the need for a separate board. |
| Nissan Leaf Gen2 Board | Replaces the nissan OEM logic board with a rev 3 openiverter main board |
| Ford ranger ev board | openinverter kit for the ford ranger ev |
| All Control Boards / OEM Inverters | |