As a petrol head with a long record of engine conversions and other modifications to ICE cars, Andy B Powell was well prepared to tackle the challenges of an EV conversion.
Living in the coastal city of Southend in the UK he decided to convert his 1999 BMW Z3 Roadster. And so he did.
He used a motor and inverter from a Nissan Leaf and batteries from a BMW 530e. But then he had second thoughts:
“Having done 500 electric miles in the car I’ve never been quite happy with keeping the standard gearbox. It has 120 odd thousand miles on it and had no oil in it when I checked it shortly after buying the car. The electric motor tops out at just over 10,000 rpm at which point the gearbox is screaming. Also, I wasn’t 100% happy with the coupling that I made. I could fix both of these things relatively easily, but I like a challenge so I’m replacing it all with a lexus is300h hybrid transmission.”
So, he started all over again even if his wife suggested he “may have mental health issues”.
In the ongoing second conversion process a fellow member of the openinverter forum commented:
“By now you probably have turned every single rock on the gravel road to EV conversions. Twice.”
Well, read for yourself. Visit Andy’s project at:
