Electric CV8?

[timmo]

I know this may cause some debate, but as I am restoring my CV8, and I want to be about to use it as much as possible, has anyone considered an electric conversion? I really am a purist at heart, but with the way things are going, it would be such a shame to have its use restricted in order to save the plant.

Just putting it out there....

[jglarkin]

Sorry Timmo, we are all too terrified to answer! (I am, so someone else will have to first.)

[ChrisP]

Hi Timmo
for me its Why not!
For as long as i can remember people have been sticking bits on cars
twin carbs turbo's even daft looking aluminum fins.
So why not move with the times and go electric.
i would love to do it to my Healey but here in France
i would never get it road legal
Have fun with it
Chris

[mojo]

I don't think the answer for a C-V8 is significantly different than for any other 60's car of a similar scale/design. The C-V8 was built in a way that meant that weight was no issue (because of the energy density of petrol).

Electric cars need to be designed completely differently, and any attempt to shoehorn batteries and motors into a body that was never designed for that type of propulsion will lead to bad compromises. Poor range, compromised weight distribution and excessive costs, unless you use secondhand parts.

I'm not in any respect anti-EV and I will probably own an EV myself sooner or later, but IMO a conversion of that type is a futile exercise.

However... I accept that others may not see it quite that way...

[Grant]

has anyone considered an electric conversion?

....

[ChrisP]

Hi Mojo
i take your point but if you consider the performance characteristics and range on a tank of a CV8
and the legal speed limits.As a daily drive it would never make sense petrol or electric.
But as a weekend / show car for me it would be OK.
provided that the conversion is done intelligently and not just stacking a load of batteries in the boot.

[Grant]

Power Station Fuel.jpg (84.55 KiB) Viewed 1175 times

[ChrisP]

Hi Grant
spot on with that one.
did you know they measure the efficiency of coal stations by the amount of nu-burned coal in the ash.
Last time i worked on one it was about 25%
so factor that waste into your Tesla and petrol is not so bad

[Grant]

Hi Grant
spot on with that one.
did you know they measure the efficiency of coal stations by the amount of nu-burned coal in the ash.
Last time i worked on one it was about 25%
so factor that waste into your Tesla and petrol is not so bad

Hi Chris.., I know Timmo is probably not looking to be greener, just more convenient, but, from what I have picked up there is nothing "Green" about Electric cars, we have to also take into consideration the mining of the Lithium which uses digging machinery that burns something like 500 litres of diesel an hour or something like that, I'm probably wrong about the amount, but a massive amount of fuel, and then when the batteries die 10 years later they have dispose of the lithium..I find it all such a scam that the Governments portray that EV's are "Greener"..but, as said I didn't get the feeling that Timmo was considering it to be "Greener" anyway, I just don't like the way the Governments try to Paint this Greener picture and most of the public have/will fall for it!

[ChrisP]

Again spot on.
If any government wanted to really go green its easy.
just ban the sale of any vehicle that can exceed the national speed limit.
And retro limit all existing vehicles at the next M.O.T. with a limiter.
Why do we have cars capable of 150 mph when we are not allowed to drive above 70 mph.
The big advantage for electric cars is that in a traffic jam they consume less. But stop starts almost
do the same thing. Finally your pic of the coal train is good but what about the fuel tankers buzzing up and down
to petrol stations.
Its a complicated question

[felixkk]

Just theoretically: wouldn't it make more sense to exchange the engine for a smaller, more efficient one? One with less power...

(say 10'000km per year, new engine uses 6 or 8l/100km?, you'd save around 1'000l per year). But the new engine would probably need to be a used one for it to have even a smaller footprint...

[RockyUSA]

A 50+ year old car may be one of the greenest vehicles ever, all the carbon & raw materials needed to produce the vehicle are “sunk costs”, and let’s say you have 100K miles on it, that’s only 2000 miles per year… (no matter what the m.p.g. is….).

Anyway - I would put it together just like you found it. If draconian rules prevent you from enjoying it, then there will always be buyers for an original example….

Who can say that anyone like us (the true car aficionados) would want a one-off EV Conversion? And do you want to sell your car to some one who isn’t into the cars for what they were, and are?

Plus…. I agree with the info posted above, some of this “greenery” is just “looksee-pidgin” like they used to say in China in the 30s…. (It’s all for show, doesn’t really make a difference). It feels good, though!

Rocky

[felixkk]

I use the C-V8 frequently in the inner city where I'm always surrounded by pedestrians/bicyclists (I'm one myself, I use a bicycle to go to work). I get thumbs up from them probably every time I use the car in the city. SUVs get hassled, the C-V8 never. But I don't use the C-V8 on a daily basis...

[AH1951]

In Germany, where I now live, you are constantly subjected to nonsensical messages about being klima-friendly.
The technically-illiterate brainwashed gullible masses in Western countries have for so long been bombarded by propaganda about Climate Change that most of them unquestioningly believe the lies they are told.
Electric cars make neither financial nor environmental sense, when the overall picture is examined and temporary financial subsidies are withdrawn.
Belief in (most) climate policies and their environmental benefit is a kind of mental illness.
Like believing you can change your gender.

I hope you keep your beautiful C-V8 as it is and do not mutilate it in the mistaken belief you are saving the planet.

I'm still annoyed that a lovely Gordon Keeble was destroyed in following this insane fad.

Adrian

[felixkk]

I don't think it's wrong or strange to try to reduce your footprint, but I agree that there's probably not much to be gained by converting the C-V8...