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July 2004
Initially a search of the web and various ev lists was performed to see the various vehicles which have been converted to electric.
This list was then matched against the requirements and design constraints for our project.
This boiled the selection of a donor vehicle down to a few cars.
Here is a list of popular EV vehicles which have been considered:
Candidate Vehicles
| VW Rabbit | great candidate, but no longer made |
| VW Golf | this is a good possibility, meets all all the requirements |
| Chevy S10 Pickup | Popular conversion |
| Honda CRX | Potential candidate, but a bit small for requirements |
| Small mini van | Pretty heavy, may take a lot of energy to move for a bunch of space not needed |
| Geo Metro | Popular conversion, suitable - will it take the weight? |
| Honda Civic | ???? |
| VW New Beetle | Expensive, but distinctive design |
It looks like (at first analysis) that the VW Golf or Geo Metro may be good candidates for conversion to electric.
Specific Measurements Obtained from the Donor Vehicles
To ensure the vehicle was capable of being converted, the following measurements were taken:
- Vehicle GVWR
- Vehicle curb weight
- Volume of rear and front for batteries, motor, etc.
- OEM Front/rear weight distribution
Specific Vehicle Calculations
From the above list of measurements, a few quick calculations were performed:
- Preliminary vehicle weight compared against the GVWR
- Motor power required for various speeds
- Available volume for placement of batteries
- Weight Distribution compared or OEM
Vehicle Selection
The VW New Beetle was selected as the donor vehicle.
It has the weight capacity and the volume available to support electric conversion, plus it has the distinctive new styling which
will make it an excellent demonstration vehicle.
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