ForkenSwift: Electric car conversion on a beer budget
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, GM
Don't know where these guys are located (their Web site isn't up yet) but their first two videos covering the electric conversion of Geo Metro are worth watching. The project is called ForkenSwift and the crew is using a hydraulic motor salvaged from a forklift. The first video showed a quick power-up using one battery. Now the team has added two more batteries and a controller from a 48-volt golf cart. They seem to know what they're doing and it looks like they've got a hit series out of their garage. Can't wait to see more of the conversion.
[Source: YouTube]
[Source: YouTube]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-13-2007 @ 11:29AM
brad said...
thanks for this informtion
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1-13-2007 @ 1:05PM
LaughingTooHard said...
Ah another crazy garage effort that will boost prices of the maligned metro/swift. With Koni struts and Jackson Racing bars, it was quite a decent handling car. Hmmm, it was 1600lbs with a 55bhp combustion engine. Should be closer to 1300-1400 without it. And the idea of mating a torque heavy low rpm motor to the 5-speed might be a good combo. How much motor is the electric good for 25bhp? Now where are the lithium ion batteries so it can go 100 miles between charges?!? Sounds like a fun time and can't wait to see the finished project.
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1-13-2007 @ 2:02PM
Darin said...
Location? Ontario, Canada.
My buddy and I have been tinkering on this project for not quite a year now. (Beer budgets require patience and resourcefulness ;-) )
It's basically a fun project to make a grocery getter / commuter EV (live in a very small city). From the outset, our goals were: 1) low cost, 2) low cost, and 3) low cost. Which means we'll end up with a "Metro NEV", not a garage-built Tesla.
Putting up the ForkenSwift web site is pretty far down the to-do list, but if you want ALL the gory details NOW - from the day the proverbial light bulb went on, to the present - there's a (long) running thread on our progress, at GasSavers.org:
http://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=386
As for boosting the prices of the Metro/Swift variants? More likely we're boosting scrap metal prices! Everything we've used has been snatched from the jaws of the crusher and given a new lease on life.
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1-28-2007 @ 10:07PM
MetroMPG.com said...
(Just adding this comment so I can keep keep tabs on this page with the new "E-mail me when someone replies to this comment" feature. Nice option to have, ABG.)
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4-15-2007 @ 10:06PM
MetroMPG.com said...
ForkenSwift update: first electric test drive vid posted at YouTube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDERyAILOak
Yes, to appropriately mark the occasion, beer was drunk afterwards.
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9-10-2007 @ 4:04PM
rbgrn said...
We host a forum for those converting their cars to electric. It's at http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/ See you there!
Reply
3-05-2008 @ 9:01PM
Delores Dougan said...
I am full agreement on not using the fork truck EV-1 drive panal,as it will be too costly in amp draw,and repairs.Question? Why not use a battery condition meter for your fuel guage?I also recall that most gulf carts have a reverse on them,and that would drop the need for a trans.What are the batterys on the front floor for?
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