SeLectric

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

BiKenG

Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2012
Messages
32
Car
SL500
This is going to horrify some of you, but I also see elsewhere some discussion about electric cars/conversions, so others may have seen the light. I'm really not looking here for a discussion about the rights/wrongs/desirability or otherwise of the push to electric power. It's all been said before and we all have our own opinions. But please don't voice them in this thread, that's not what it's about.

I love my (R230) SL500. Apart from when needing to tow etc, it is almost the perfect car for me. Beautifully comfortable and quiet, hard and secure top when needed and wonderful 'wind in the hair' motoring when the weather's nice and hot, and it always looks great. But…

Petrol is not cheap and despite my minimal actual mileage, the UK government want to charge £600 pa just for the pleasure of it being mostly parked in my garage, while a smaller engined car can make use of 100K or more miles of road per year at no cost. This is nonsense. It doesn't even address the problem they claim they're trying to address.

Then a year or so ago I had a special test drive in a Jaguar I-Pace and decided there and then, I wanted electric power. So I have a conundrum. I love the SL, but want electric power. What to do?

Well, there's lots of work being done on electric conversions and so it occurs to me that an electric SL would actually satisfy all my requirements. An SL that would perform even better, with all the desirable features of the SL, but basically free to run. What's not to like.

So I made some enquiries, but the response was not encouraging. Basically the problem is, the R230 is too new. Its electrical and electronic systems are so complex that pulling out that V8 and dropping in the electric motor(s) with some batteries and interfacing it all to the rest of the car is more than even the experienced conversion companies want to take on. :(

However, it occurs to me that this is probably surmountable if there's more than one SL up for conversion, so the cost of working it all out can be amortised amongst all the donors involved in the conversion project. This might make it worthwhile for owners and conversion companies alike.

So the big question is, has anyone else considered this and/or would be willing to look into some sort of joint project to enable such a conversion?
 
I wouldnt even own a r230 if money was ever a issue
 
Has any one made an EV with a power roof?
 
TBH I don't ever see there being enough of a market for it. It's a tiny handful of diehards that would be willing to sink the sort of money required for an EV powertrain of suitable quality, especially given the value of the donor R230 (although that may not be a bad thing as it is more likely to have a catastrophic effect on the saleability of the car, if not the market value).

That money could buy into a newer SL - in 2017 flat rate VED was introduced so in another 2 years the first examples will cease to pay the higher £40k+ band. You'll still need to top up the battery after it's been sat doing nothing the garage too.
 
At the likely cost of conversion, I would prefer to buy from an established manufacturer, with proven safety, a warranty and a "built in" approach. I would be interested to know how the standard suspension and brakes would cope with the very different vehicle dynamics post conversion
 
Small scale production bespoke model economics is one of these--if you have to ask the price you can't afford it- questions I'm afraid.
Large scale car manufacturers do seem to be adopting a similar approach however by incorporation of an EV model as a powertrain option in any new model range . By doing this at the body design stage to acccomodate a battery pack rather than a fuel tank it appears then a simpler task to replace an ICE engine and gearbox with a power inverter and electric motor in the engine compartment. This ability to produce both IC and EV models on the same production line offers great flexibility and economies of scale compared to the somewhat" purer "concept of a complete unique EV design.
Corsa and Mini come to mind
 
What will probably happen is by the time you get the job done..2030 most of us will be in EV's and the government (feeling the pinch from loss of fossil fuel tax) Will tax the hell out of EV cars.....and then ban conversions from the road for good measure :p.

I would like to see a project like this , I just would not like to have to pay for it.
 
I applaud the thought of making such a conversion but suspect the cost would be astronomic and would ruin the experience of what makes the SL so enjoyable at the moment.

A friend of mine with a custom built engine in his car has a saying that it is 'smiles per gallon' that counts the most.

The government will not miss an opportunity to extract further monies from motorists despite already taking the largest slice out of any fuel. If they did away with the outdated road tax (or whatever they choose to call it) and instead added 1p to a litre it would become a tax on the amount of fuel used then become based on road usage for miles driven. QED.

Just my opinion and ramblings on the thorny subject but do start a thread on the conversion if you decide to proceed... :cool:
 
How does the (£600?) VED compare to the cost of insurance and maintenance?
 
I would predict that in todays regulated world of motoring that if you were ever to manage to overcome any major technical problems your next hurdle would issues of type approval ,safety and insurance. Want to insure the car=engineers report, want to get emissions exemption= engineers report , MOT = engineers report, vehicle taxation class = engineers report
If the spannering expense doesn't get you the paperwork expense will. :(
 
Well, there's lots of work being done on electric conversions and so it occurs to me that an electric SL would actually satisfy all my requirements. An SL that would perform even better, with all the desirable features of the SL, but basically free to run. What's not to like.

Given half of your 'free to run' is in losing VED - there's no guarantee that DVLA will reclassify taxation class. This is very hit or miss. If they do agree to it - it will be after presenting hoops to jump through as suggested by Grober.

So I made some enquiries, but the response was not encouraging. Basically the problem is, the R230 is too new. Its electrical and electronic systems are so complex that pulling out that V8 and dropping in the electric motor(s) with some batteries and interfacing it all to the rest of the car is more than even the experienced conversion companies want to take on. :(

They won't be lying and turning business away.
Keeping a standard electronic laden car serviceable is hard enough. Integrating another drivetrain into it something else again. When experts say 'no' and know their stuff - listening and believing is what is required. The only other option is prove them wrong by going it alone.

However, it occurs to me that this is probably surmountable if there's more than one SL up for conversion, so the cost of working it all out can be amortised amongst all the donors involved in the conversion project. This might make it worthwhile for owners and conversion companies alike.

So the big question is, has anyone else considered this and/or would be willing to look into some sort of joint project to enable such a conversion?

The sums involved here really require that anyone participating pay up front - or you risk being left with all the costs.


I get that you want electric in a package similar to the SL. Surely, it won't be long before this is offered by the big players. The first EV to get attention was a two-seater sportster - the original Tesla. Worth tracking one down?
 
You may find , at some point , that some of the specialists , like Mechatronic , will do the hard work and then offer this as an option on a number of models ; much as they currently do with modern drivetrains and suspensions grafted into classic models .

Jaguar are already doing it with the E Type ; take your existing car in and they will convert it , giving you back your original XK engine which can be put back as the conversion is reversible .

Sure , it might be easier in a W113 or a R107 , maybe even an R129 , but someone will work it out .
 
But with older cars its so much easier as there is only like 10 sensors compared to like 50 today, also the dash isint operated via the vehicles ecu, so no warning lights also everything today is linked to 1 another, it would be a nightmare.
A couple of years ago i put a highly modified engine (original rebuilt) back into an ibiza and it would not run right so ran a link ecu so the engine at least would run right, none of the dash worked except all the warning light, no abs or no airbags, i even seem to remember something on the back lights not working and that is in no way a highly technical car, got it in the end but there was hours on it and and aftermarket race dash and aftermarket fuel sender, just as well the owner wanted that race car look

so what your contemplating..........................good luck but i certainly wouldnt even attempt that
 
A few years back the E TYPE conversion was conservatively priced at £60K if you supplied the E type base . For a completely restored electrified model it was £300K off the shelf= built to order.
 
How does the (£600?) VED compare to the cost of insurance and maintenance?
In my case the order of magnitude, highest to lowest, is:
1. Maintenance
2. VED
3. Insurance (though it’s close to the VED cost)
 
Thanks for all the replies, but in answer to some of them:-

Yes of course the government will eventually have to figure a way to tax EV road usage as there's no way they will simply forget all the money they currently get from VED and petrol. But it will almost certainly have to be mileage based, which also suits me. I have long thought that dropping VED and replacing that with additional fuel taxation was the way to go as it ensured payment was genuinely for the road usage - and NO way to avoid it, unlike the current methodology. But that all fails with EVs in the mix. I did once read a tongue-in-cheek suggestion to add the tax onto tyres instead, but when I stopped laughing I realised it was actually a genius idea. It would guarantee payment based on mileage, weight of vehicle (relevant as the heavier the vehicle the more wear/damage it causes to the roads) and also fancy/expensive/luxury vehicles would likely end up paying more as they tend to use more expensive tyres. Oh and like a fuel tax, unavoidable. As I said, overall it was actually a very clever suggestion.

As to costs and any savings thereof, I can add up as well as the next bloke and am quite aware that the cost of such a conversion would likely exceed any savings, but I truly desire the electric powertrain as in my opinion now it is way superior to ICE. I love the idea of always starting from home with a full tank (metaphorically speaking) and basically never having to go to a filling station ever again. I simply never drive further these days than a decent EV can manage on a single charge. I also like the lack of required maintenance, well, much reduced anyway. All in all, I find the idea of an EV very attractive and if I found myself in a position to pay for the conversion, it would be worth it to me even if there were no actual savings involved.

If money was no object and the cost of running my existing SL was insignificant to me (which is far from reality), I would still be interested in such a project. Even more so perhaps. I enjoy constructing something just to suit me. I've been doing it with motorcycles for years and I quite fancy an electric car project. Plus I have an SL that I love and putting 2 and 2 together…

i still believe it is doable, but it will require a lot of preparation and is therefore impractical as a one-off. Hence my question here. But I guess the actual answer is "no". No-one else is interested in investigating the possibilities of such a conversion. Oh well. :( I have some other ideas though. ;)
 
Thanks for all the replies, but in answer to some of them:-

Yes of course the government will eventually have to figure a way to tax EV road usage as there's no way they will simply forget all the money they currently get from VED and petrol. But it will almost certainly have to be mileage based, which also suits me. I have long thought that dropping VED and replacing that with additional fuel taxation was the way to go as it ensured payment was genuinely for the road usage - and NO way to avoid it, unlike the current methodology. But that all fails with EVs in the mix. I did once read a tongue-in-cheek suggestion to add the tax onto tyres instead, but when I stopped laughing I realised it was actually a genius idea. It would guarantee payment based on mileage, weight of vehicle (relevant as the heavier the vehicle the more wear/damage it causes to the roads) and also fancy/expensive/luxury vehicles would likely end up paying more as they tend to use more expensive tyres. Oh and like a fuel tax, unavoidable. As I said, overall it was actually a very clever suggestion.

As to costs and any savings thereof, I can add up as well as the next bloke and am quite aware that the cost of such a conversion would likely exceed any savings, but I truly desire the electric powertrain as in my opinion now it is way superior to ICE. I love the idea of always starting from home with a full tank (metaphorically speaking) and basically never having to go to a filling station ever again. I simply never drive further these days than a decent EV can manage on a single charge. I also like the lack of required maintenance, well, much reduced anyway. All in all, I find the idea of an EV very attractive and if I found myself in a position to pay for the conversion, it would be worth it to me even if there were no actual savings involved.

If money was no object and the cost of running my existing SL was insignificant to me (which is far from reality), I would still be interested in such a project. Even more so perhaps. I enjoy constructing something just to suit me. I've been doing it with motorcycles for years and I quite fancy an electric car project. Plus I have an SL that I love and putting 2 and 2 together…

i still believe it is doable, but it will require a lot of preparation and is therefore impractical as a one-off. Hence my question here. But I guess the actual answer is "no". No-one else is interested in investigating the possibilities of such a conversion. Oh well. :( I have some other ideas though. ;)

I think most people responded that they aren’t interested due to unknown costs and other implications.

Have you researched the other issues mentioned such as type approval, insurance, impact on ride and handling?

What were your findings?
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom