#3) Project ForkenSwift EV: first electric test drive

[jeepers2655]

too bad you can`t make a plastic motor to put under the hood,to cover the electric motor .....watch them freak out! LOL

[ftpmarco]

why is your car so quiet: It has a nuclear reactor

[crazybry79]

Love the idea! Glad to see you guys doing it.

Did you leave the muffler under there for stealth mode?? Pull up at the emissions testing facilities with that thing! Watch e'em be baffled! :P

[turbodudehere]

Awsome awsome awsome!!!! great job man

[unclesonnyonutube]

what did it start out as....you guys are calling it a swift which is suzuki but it has geo metro badges and a pontiac firefly hood...

awesome project with an identity crisis...easy to find replacement parts though.

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

The registration says "Geo Metro" - but it's got lots of parts from a Swift and Firefly in there. They're all the same (other than engine/trans options)!

[AxLstyle]

thats a nice stop....dunno why i'm saying this....i do'em the same

[JESUSSDAD]

that was funny .. every1 looking under hood ... like at a performance car meet.

[92mmm]

yo know this electric car is good but why on a rusted car lol

im sure you got that car because its light but still lol

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

For host cars, you have "light", "good" or "cheap". Choose any two! lol

[WorldStove]

o happy day. what a sweet little car

[atvking04032]

have u goys toped it out yet if u have what ahe top out at ?

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

Top speed is about 70 km/h, with a long run up. Doesn't accelerate well past about 40-50 km/h, so 50 km/h is more like it's "effective" top speed.

[sixmagpies]

Well done gentlemen.

It is only YOU guys who will eventually manage to shame the establishment ('OIL Co', GMC.etc ..and 'their' Government.) into offering appropriate products at a sensible cost ..... a technology which YOU have proven is quite possible as it's already here.

[odrareglegna]

buena tio te copiare =)

[mrcleanisin]

I'll bet you can't go very far before those batteries die.

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

We "upgraded" to a used set of golf cart batteries. Range is between 25-40 km in warm weather, depending on road/traffic/driving style.

[mskogly]

Loved that "backing out of the garage" shot, where you are wearing different clothes all of a sudden! :)

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

Congratulations! You win the dis-continuity award! First person to notice.

I realized I wanted that "backing out, from the side" shot after the rest of it had already been recorded, but didn't think about the shirt issue. :D

[Trelamenos88]

FUTURE!!!!!

[medinaaob]

Where is the electric motor from??

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

It's a hydraulic pump motor from an electric forklift.

[grandcarriage]

It looked like it had a Pontiac symbol on the hood: A Pontiac Firefly? Canadian?

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

It's a hybrid! Geo Metro with Suzuki Swift wheels, hatchback, and Pontiac Firefly hood. Yes, Canadian: the car is in eastern Ontario.

[SpeedMetal4635]

great work! how works the steering wheel without powerbelt? it´s hard? how cost all? and the speed, run fast? please

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

The car did not have power steering. Nothing removed, so it's no more difficult than before. Speed = slow. Around 50 km/h max.

[grndiesel]

I get restless to start my own conversion every time I see this video. There are some folks on DYI electric car forums that would love to pick your brain.

[toby6661]

hahaha. love the 'award winning' commercial voice over at the end. go the EV1!!!

[ripplesouth]

great. now build me one.

[creatingbliss]

awesome

[oliverburke]

Cool filming.

Unique to have a vid not be heavily narrated. I appreciated that (while waaaaiting to see if Ivan or the other were going to "yipeee!" or anything while pulling out). Nope. Just the quietness of the car. Thanks. (I love narration normally, but liked this a lot too).

[jomelmaldonado]

Liked the audio of the GM EV1 commercial at the end.

[Puabond]

I loved it and would like links to any resources you may have referenced in undertaking the conversion, in addition could you increase efficiency by tearing down the exhaust manifold and everything but the transmission, engines, batteries, and controllers, etc.?

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

All the exhaust & fuel system parts have since been removed from the car.

[bmiklavc]

the more volts you have the faster it goes the more amp you have the stornger motor is

[gryphonman]

this is a questioni have always had looking into converting a car, do you still have to use the clutch as if it were a gas powered car? and if so is it any more difficult?

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

This car has no clutch. See video #5 for the clutchless shifting demo.

[GeoMetroMan91]

nice car. how fast will that go??

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

Not fast. Absolute max is about 70 km/h with a VERY long run up. 45-50 km/h is a more often seen "top speed" in regular driving. Which is fast enough, since it's only used as a sub/urban runabout.

[mco5e]

Looks great, I'm looking to build something in England, as the cars that are for sale over here don't look like cars. Great work. Thanks for the inspiration

[lgrca]

Very inspiring. I would like to build one - just got to do it I guess.

[spootyrat]

Excellent work, kudos. If you were to convert another car in the future, would you use the Metro/Swift? Again, great job.

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

You know, for this purpose (low speed city EV), it's a good host vehicle: really lightweight, enough room for batteries. The hatchback makes it practical, and it can actually carry people & stuff. I often use it to carry bulky items, and I took my nephews snowboarding at a local hill a bunch of times this winter.

But it has ZERO curb appeal! A Miata or old MR2 would be much more interesting.

[0WildBill0]

Great job there.

Bill

[cleanupisle4]

If its effecient at low speeds why not add 200 pounds of combustion engine to powertrain for higher speed ability with a clutch and connected by chain.Just seems like you could have best of both worlds don't you think?

[theoneagain]

we should all rip our engines out and do the same great video

[madmodder]

so it would be quite possible for the frugally challenged to buy some junker with no engine and convert it to an electric car...

[rjcuk]

We need more determined people like you in this world.

[djvartan]

Great job.

[thelastminuteblog]

nice!

[pdxjules]

Way to go! Proof that an EV Conversion can cost under $900. (will you do one for me?)

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

Not for under $900! Between my friend and I, we probably put at least 200 hours into the conversion.

(Do you count your time spent as part of the total cost when it's a hobby project?  That's a subject for the accountants to debate.)

[landongendur]

Hmm lets see: $900 + 200 hours @ $50 an hour equals...

$10,900 :)

[maloneTDI]

Learning experience and reward from this EV hobby: Priceless.

A dedicated EV guy may complete this conversion much more quickly. The guys who built the ForkenSwift may be able to build a second one in just a weekend if all the conversion parts on hand are ready to go.

[rickk628]

That is soo cool! Good job!

[testacorsa150]

I know your car is beer budget, and my hat of for that, but do you know any light batteries, that hold a lot of power, and dont cost a fortune?

I am a petrolhead, but your idea is just perfect for a new project for me, so I want to lean stuff - and quickly too :-)

Nice job guys, and thanks for posting these amazing videos - they where very informative, interesting, and funny as h**l.

Best regards

Brian.

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

Hey Brian - thanks for the comments.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any batteries that are: cheap, powerful & small. If they ever arrive, you'll see a lot more hybrids & electrics on the road.

[waynebw]

A123 Systems are close to having much better batteries soon.

[testacorsa150]

Thats just unbeliable gyus, you made my jaw drop (off almost:)

What a nice hobby - my mind filles up with ideas, as i write this. I want one - thats for sure!!

I´m thingking about the carchassis most of all. A lighter chassis (I come from Denmark - cars are expensive, so we have many small ones.), in form of a fiat 126 could be a good option, but I would definately have used the clutch, to be able to let it run downhill, with out the motor engaged - among other things.

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

As it turns out, it's pretty easy to get the transmission into neutral for coasting when the drivetrain isn't under load. Getting back into gear (without stopping) requires you to rev-match the motor though.

[athlonz2007]

-bullshit

-realy

-awsome XD

[xxhaloxx12]

nerd

[isi2isi67]

we need more nerds like this in the world

[tsport100]

10 points for having a go.

I was going to say buy a TIG, if you can solder you can TIG, it's easy, but I see you bought a 'small welder'.

Check out my channel to see a few EVs do 0-60 in 3 sec.

[adric22]

Very nice.. Any idea yet what kind of range you will be getting?

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

We're getting 20-25 km to a charge, draining the pack approximately 50%. That's in warm weather, driving conservatively (granny style).

[buddchiefer]

At 50% drain you get about 400 recharges?

[ncrowevolvo]

Awesome video ForkenSwift! I think NEVs and then rental ICE-powered vehicles for longer trips should be our next step toward energy independance! How did you get/make the adapter plate for the motor. Did you keep the clutch? Did you replace the springs or change the running gear, or wish you did? What an awesome vehicle!

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

Thanks! The adapter plate was cut on a band saw from 3/4 inch aluminum plate. We had a local machinist drill the motor mounting holes on it though, so its shaft would align perfectly with the transmission input shaft.

No clutch - direct connection between the motor & transmission.  We're shifting clutchless (mostly use 1st & 2nd gears).

It's still got the stock springs - the car is only about 250 lbs over stock.

[Gewels8787]

any news on how is the work going on? welder arrived?

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

Yup work's going well - bought a small welder. The battery racks are made & installed. A pile of other small details are done too - so we're going for inspection next week and should have it legally on the road shortly thereafter. A new video will follow (not promising any ETA though...)

[applesmere56]

Hi! Did u say that u actually made this electric car!? Cool. Im doing a driving film soon. I am only 12 years old. check it out.

[terrorist420x]

Also, you should consider building your own wind turbine, to mount on your garage and charge the car with. That's doable on a beer budget, and I've built one. Depending on the wind speeds in your area, it may be feasible where you live. Imagine getting ~2 kWh a day or more to charge your car with; that would be around 15 miles range a day at NEV speeds.

[terrorist420x]

What's cool about this video is the inclusion of a sound byte from a GM EV1 commercial. If you need any help with DC-DC converter design, a basic charge setup, let me know. I've been designing a modified Bonn charger for the GT6, they're dirt cheap to build. I also have a few ideas for a simple SCR control system that might allow perhaps 30 kW, and will upgrade to a Zilla when financing permits. You might want a BMS as well; zener diode and load across each battery will do for now.

[terrorist420x]

Darin, I love how you did this car for so damned cheap. It's motivating me to get my GT6 going, finally, since I'm out of college. I'll be returning to gassavers soon, but my top priorities have been finding a job and having fun. I'm impressed with what you did for the budget, and 5 years from now when gas may not be available, having an NEV will be a lot better than having nothing at all. That, and you can upgrade it as financing permits; Metros are excellent conversions.

[baerfoot1]

Nice job. Are parts between a Swift and a Metro interchangable? BTW check out my WVO powered Mercedes.

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

Pretty much. The driveline components varied between models, with the Swifts usually having 4-cyl and the Metro the 3-cyl engines (plus different axles/mounts, etc). Most of the other stuff is directly swappable though.

Cool veggie car!

[coquivagabundo]

what is the average price for the electric motor?

can I go to a forklift repair shop and get one, I mean will they sell it to anyone?

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

I'd say between $100 - $500 for a used motor, depending on size & condition. Can't hurt to ask your local shops. I called our local forklift co out of the blue and they sold us a whole forklift for $500 (+delivery).

[x90drift]

Vreey, verry, verry cool!

[coquivagabundo]

what makes the car go faster? is it the voltage or is it the amperage of the batteries? or something else?

I know the more Batts the better but heavier.

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

Depends on what you mean by "faster".

Feed the motor more amps and it will *accelerate* faster at a given voltage. (How much amps/current you can feed the the motor is a limitation of the motor controller, practically speaking.)

But if we wanted more *top speed* (we don't), we could add more voltage to the system (add more batteries in series with the existing ones).  But we'd also need a controller that's rated for the new higher voltage (the golf cart controller is rated 48v max).

[Solartruck]

My name is Bob, I love the video of the forkenswift. Great job, good humor with the comments. I know how cool the first drive is, I built an electric s-10 and drive it daily. see solartruck I have 2 videos of the truck. Thanks.

[Dilekz]

LoL .. HEY! why is your car so quiet?? "its electric"

BULLSHIT!!. :D

[terry1919]

just in parts alone[not counting labor] was the conversion less than $3,000.00??

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

In parts alone, it's less than $800 (US). Keep in mind that *everything* was bought used, or made by us.

That amount is also "net" and factors in the sale of extra parts from the forklift (we sold an extra motor, and the chassis alone was worth a couple of hundred just for the scrap metal), as well as good ICE-related parts from the 2 donor/host cars (engine, gas tank, radiator etc).

[youtubupete]

How fast is it?

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

It's slow. And also fast enough to get a speeding ticket on the roads where it will be used (max speed seen so far is just north of 55 km/h - limit is 50).

[shrado]

cool beans!

[crazyqaz]

Nice project, keep up the good work.

[BlkSerialKilla]

no power steering?

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

No - the gas car didn't have it. It's very light, and not missed.

[BlkSerialKilla]

awesome

[cikenciken]

Guys total respect ... we are trying something similar right now. You are doing great stuff.

[jmoyet]

the ending theme was from the Saturn EV-1 Commercial..... i think.

oh and good job with the Electric Geo Metro

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

You got it - only the 2nd person who has figured that out (or said so). :)

[cant7think7clearly]

I knew that! But I was too shy to say it, I missed my 15 seconds of fame. (sniff)

[DeLorean4]

It's great that a couple of guys are building a beer budget electric car in Ontario. I'm starting to get tired of hearing about all of these California Evs. Barely anything Canadian... Ever. Gav's EV Conversion (on YouTube) in New Zealand is also a breath of fresh air. Keep up the good work.

[cant7think7clearly]

Hey I'm honoured! Thanks mate! :)

Gav

[Redwoodloon]

Has anyone offered to donate money to you for batteries? Maybe you should ask for donations and just keep an account of it on your video....Keep up your save the earth tour.

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

Well... it's not a question of being able to *afford* new batteries. More of the challenge of trying to keep the overall project cost down. If we can get away with the used batteries (15 km minimum range), we'll stick with them. Too early to tell yet...

[halo7]

nice project i love electric cars. can u tell me somethen. if i buy a 76volt motor, 12 batts, and a cheap car. will someone put it all together for me. for less then 1000 U.S. dollars? and how fast will it go?

[tooomp]

It seems a bit ironic to hear you say the electric car is here. I did a google on history automobile electric and found that in the 1890's EVs outsold gasoline powered vehicles 10 to 1. Apparently, electricity was an urban only feature and the electric automobile wasn't practical elsewhere. I think battery technology holds the key to EVs future. Great Job!!!

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

Hi tooomp -

Blame the irony on General Motors - I borrowed that "the electric car is here" sound clip from their famous EV1 commercial. :)

[cant7think7clearly]

What's the Forkenswift budget up to so far?

I'm at about $2400 US so far and only a quarter of the way through...

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

We're at about $900 US. The big question mark in terms of remaining expenditures is batteries. While we've got a line on a supply of free, used batts, the ones we have received so far have been REALLY used, so we may not be able meet our *absolute minimum* goal of 15 km per charge with them.

[Kuessemir]

cool, thanks for the information everyone. Keep up the awsome work on your ForkenSwift!

[kickflipjr]

The moment we have all been waiting for!

[cant7think7clearly]

Brilliant mate, just brilliant. That guy shouting out "why's your car so quiet" would have made my year! I still have a long way to go...

[abcdefghiklmnop12345]

Now you gota start doin some burnouts and racing with that baby, and see what it can do!, let me say agian cool project!

[abcdefghiklmnop12345]

Awesome an update, Cool Project!

[Kuessemir]

do you know how fast it can go, its acceleration, and length of battery life? potentially? and are you using electric golf cart parts?

[terrorist420x]

From what I've gathered, it will be able to do about 35 mph or so.

It is possible to make an electric car much faster than that, even 130 mph or more, but that takes about $10,000 or more in parts, much larger than a beer budget.

Given how little money has been spent, I'm very impressed with the Forkenswift.

[crankspanker2]

Small world. I recognize that street. Beecher St. right? Lived in the big blue house across the street. I'll have to keep a lookout for the car. It's a great idea.

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

You got it - shot on Beecher St! The car won't really be on the road for a while longer - still some work to do. This summer probably.

[landongendur]

I can't believe how quiet it is! So jealous. I wonder if the battery range would be extended if you linked the batteries in parallel circuit (however voltage would stay the same as with one battery)? BTW, what a quiant little neighbourhood :)

[ForkenSwiftDotCom]

Parallel would give us more range, but to parallel 36v, we'd have to have 12 batts in the car. Not impossible, but it would technically put us over the gross vehicle weight limit for this car. Each batt weighs around 63 lbs! 8 batts @ 48v is the goal.

[coreymon77]

nice!