battery powered aerostar.
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Tuned
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 455
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battery powered aerostar.
ive recently come into some money and im thinking of converting my 91 3.0 5 speed shorty van to electric.it has a blown head gasket so its not usable as it is.it looks like things are going that way.id like to get maybe 50 mile range.ill keep my extended 91 3.3 liter van for trips.anyone know any good links?
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 7,018
Likes: 210
From: SoCal
There are many places online that talk about how to convert your gasoline automobile into electric. Just do a simple search and you should be able to find dozens. But be aware that it can cost you a lot more than buying a new engine. You can try shopping for old parts scavenged from wrecked EVs to save some money, but you will have to make adapters to fit them to your van.
This site looks interesting:
https://diyev.com/
I don't know anything about its veracity, but its one of the few places that target trucks (instead of VW Golf) for conversion. According to their site, their Class 1 parts are appropriate for a minivan.
As for range, I once made some calculations for my Aerostar. Assuming I get 20 MPG using gasoline, and the gasoline engine has 25% conversion efficiency, I come up with the van needing about 450 WHr of energy to drive 1 mile. If you want 50 miles of range, that would be 22.5 KWHr of energy, and assuming 90% efficiency from motor and controller, you will need a battery that can give you 25 KWHr of energy. Add another 10% of capacity so you don't go totally flat after driving 50 miles. These are very rough calculations, so your mileage may vary.
This site looks interesting:
https://diyev.com/
I don't know anything about its veracity, but its one of the few places that target trucks (instead of VW Golf) for conversion. According to their site, their Class 1 parts are appropriate for a minivan.
As for range, I once made some calculations for my Aerostar. Assuming I get 20 MPG using gasoline, and the gasoline engine has 25% conversion efficiency, I come up with the van needing about 450 WHr of energy to drive 1 mile. If you want 50 miles of range, that would be 22.5 KWHr of energy, and assuming 90% efficiency from motor and controller, you will need a battery that can give you 25 KWHr of energy. Add another 10% of capacity so you don't go totally flat after driving 50 miles. These are very rough calculations, so your mileage may vary.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 7,018
Likes: 210
From: SoCal
Yes, but would you be able to get a used EV with the utility of the Aerostar?
If I were to do my conversion, it would be so I can keep using the old van as a utility vehicle. At this time, I think the only company that you can get a minivan from (ie, one that can fit into a typical garage) is from Chrysler, or whatever company it has become. And I just don't want to pay money for Chrysler's reliability.
If I were to do my conversion, it would be so I can keep using the old van as a utility vehicle. At this time, I think the only company that you can get a minivan from (ie, one that can fit into a typical garage) is from Chrysler, or whatever company it has become. And I just don't want to pay money for Chrysler's reliability.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,529
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From: Kansas
I wouldn't stop anybody from doing an electric conversion, although I suspect the total cost would completely outweigh the benefits of having an electric vehicle, but perhaps with used/surplus parts, I could be wrong.
But where would you put the batteries in an Aerostar? The electric drive motor would probably be put under the hood area, so the batteries would be put in the rear of the vehicle in the cargo area.
I guess you could put a layer of batteries on the floor of the Aerostar and somehow put another floor on top of the batteries to haul....something. Definitely doable, but a lot of the original carrying capacity would be gone.
Still, I'd like to see it. Just not on my dime.
But where would you put the batteries in an Aerostar? The electric drive motor would probably be put under the hood area, so the batteries would be put in the rear of the vehicle in the cargo area.
I guess you could put a layer of batteries on the floor of the Aerostar and somehow put another floor on top of the batteries to haul....something. Definitely doable, but a lot of the original carrying capacity would be gone.
Still, I'd like to see it. Just not on my dime.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 7,018
Likes: 210
From: SoCal
Based on what I've found so far, it will cost about as much as a new minivan to do an electric conversion, so the initial investment will be high. It's unlikely that the costs will ever be recouped from savings obtained from not running an ICE (gas, oil and all the other maintenance that go with a gasoline engine), so it will be personal desire.
As you say, the battery weight will effectively take up all the load carrying capacity of the stock suspension, so it will also require stiffer springs and dampers all around. I would try to use the space currently taken by the gas tank and exhaust system to store the batteries.
As you say, the battery weight will effectively take up all the load carrying capacity of the stock suspension, so it will also require stiffer springs and dampers all around. I would try to use the space currently taken by the gas tank and exhaust system to store the batteries.
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1st Gear
Joined: Sep 2022
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Fix the current engine
I tore down my 3.0 to the short block in a couple of days, for simple in frame rebuild. The overhead valve design makes it super simple to tear into without having to taking most of the front cover/accessories off.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 7,018
Likes: 210
From: SoCal
I guess you don't need to resurface the block?
I have a 4.0, and I think it's starting to develop a leak in the head gasket; I'm losing coolant. I'm patching it now with those sealant goops that you dump into the cooling system, and it seems to be holding for now. Eventually I'll have to pull the heads and have them rebuilt. But in my case, the exhaust manifolds seem to be right up against the body, so I may need to pull the engine just a little to get to the bolts.
I have a 4.0, and I think it's starting to develop a leak in the head gasket; I'm losing coolant. I'm patching it now with those sealant goops that you dump into the cooling system, and it seems to be holding for now. Eventually I'll have to pull the heads and have them rebuilt. But in my case, the exhaust manifolds seem to be right up against the body, so I may need to pull the engine just a little to get to the bolts.
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