Has anyone done a conversion to electric for a bombi or other snow machine?

[kiamori]

I was thinking of buying a 3rd sw48 and converting it to electric. With the large tub it has plenty of space for batteries and running a small heater to keep the packs above freezing while it's not in use. I imagine someone else has already done this?

Anyways, just hoping someone has already done something like this and created a walkthrough of what they did to save me some headache on my project.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Sounds interesting...
What drive motor system are you planning to use ???
Are you going to re-purpose a drive train from an electric car ????

 

[chowderman]

there are kits and "a fad" of converting VWs to electric - links below.
obviously the kits are engineered to bolt up to the VW transmission & chassis - which isn't in the cards for the Bombardier -
for background info:

Converting a Volkswagon VW Beetle Into an Electric Car

The process of converting a Volkswagon VW Beetle into an electric car via a Do It Yourself (DIY) project from home.

cbelectriccar.com

Converting VW Buses to Electric Vehicles - Buslifers - The VW Bus Network

As electric vehicles are becoming more accessible, we take a look at how and why you should consider converting your VW Bus to an EV

www.buslifers.com

 

[m1west]

The issue I see is range, new Ford lighting has around a 300 mile range until you pull a trailer. Then its 80 miles. So in a snow cat you likely won't go far unless you have a oh my god battery bank that will be very heavy and expensive, not to mention will take a long time to charge.

 

[Melensdad]

The issue I see is range, new Ford lighting has around a 300 mile range until you pull a trailer. Then its 80 miles. So in a snow cat you likely won't go far unless you have a oh my god battery bank that will be very heavy and expensive, not to mention will take a long time to charge.

This is my thought too.

Battery cars work pretty well because they offer minimal rolling resistance and advanced aerodynamics.

The Active Snow Trac is a low horsepower track machine, and they are light weight too. That might be a better platform than the Bombi. Replace the floor with a battery bank floor like Tesla or Canoo have and you might be able to pull it off. A Kristi KT-3 is similarly a low power machine, but the body shape would not be very conducive to a battery floor like the Snow Trac.

 

[kiamori]

Sounds interesting...
What drive motor system are you planning to use ???
Are you going to re-purpose a drive train from an electric car ????

I was perhaps looking to get a totaled tesla with an intact battery and motor and see if I can't take parts from it but am not entirely sure yet.

 

[kiamori]

This is my thought too.

Battery cars work pretty well because they offer minimal rolling resistance and advanced aerodynamics.

The Active Snow Trac is a low horsepower track machine, and they are light weight too. That might be a better platform than the Bombi. Replace the floor with a battery bank floor like Tesla or Canoo have and you might be able to pull it off. A Kristi KT-3 is similarly a low power machine, but the body shape would not be very conducive to a battery floor like the Snow Trac.

I was thinking of buying a tesla model x that had been totaled from an accident that has an intact battery and motor still. They have a 348 mile range. I would be happy to see it get 30 miles in the bombi pushing snow and pulling things. Charge time is 15 minutes to 50% with those packs if I can make it compatible with a supercharger, otherwise I imagine it might take an hour or so on a dual 240 plug.

My SW48 is 6k lbs with the snow plow on. I imagine I will be stripping it down and removing most of the weight other than the tub and wheels and redoing the cab. Drop the battery into the tub, turn the back into a flat bed. Not sure yet, that's why I'm looking to see if anyone else has done a conversion on one before.

Ford cut a lot of corners on the battery tech to get their trucks out the door quick.

 

[m1west]

I was thinking of buying a tesla model x that had been totaled from an accident that has an intact battery and motor still. They have a 348 mile range. I would be happy to see it get 30 miles in the bombi pushing snow and pulling things. Charge time is 15 minutes to 50% with those packs if I can make it compatible with a supercharger, otherwise I imagine it might take an hour or so on a dual 240 plug.

My SW48 is 6k lbs with the snow plow on. I imagine I will be stripping it down and removing most of the weight other than the tub and wheels and redoing the cab. Drop the battery into the tub, turn the back into a flat bed. Not sure yet, that's why I'm looking to see if anyone else has done a conversion on one before.

Ford cut a lot of corners on the battery tech to get their trucks out the door quick.

I looked at building an electric truck using Tesla parts. Ebay you can buy the power train for around 5k. There are companies that are now making controllers to unlock the Tesla controls and a wiring harness. thats around 4k then the battery cost. It does sound like you are being realistic about the range. I think getting around 10% of what the car get is a fair guess in my opinion. Even though you are removing the original drive and engine, it will still add weight, also in the cold batteries drain faster. You will have more power than likely the machine can handle so I would be careful there.

 

[m1west]

Look into Nissan Leaf power train, they are cheaper and the power level may be more appropriate.

 

[Track Addict]

Working on a Tucker prototype that runs on hydrogen. It takes the Sno and melts it separates and burns the hydrogen releasing clean O2 while collecting carbon credits.

Does about 8 mph and 8 mpg. Solar heater with wind powered defroster.

Free smiles per mile!

 

[m1west]

 

[kiamori]

Working on a Tucker prototype that runs on hydrogen. It takes the Sno and melts it separates and burns the hydrogen releasing clean O2 while collecting carbon credits.

Does about 8 mph and 8 mpg. Solar heater with wind powered defroster.

Free smiles per mile!

sarcasm I know, but you could use a battery and electrolysis to make the hydrogen on the fly.

I have thought about this but not sure how confident I am with hydrogen; I'd prefer not to blow myself up.
Also, efficiency would only be like 20% I think.

You could do hydrogen FuelCell with electric motor like Plug Power does with forklifts I suppose but again... not sure how confident I am with hydrogen.

 

[redsqwrl]

What does a tesla battery pack weigh?

 

[m1west]

What does a tesla battery pack weigh?

1183#

 

[kiamori]

What does a tesla battery pack weigh?

lightest ones are just under 1000 lbs, and the biggest ones are over 1300 lbs.

motor weights very from 100 lbs to about 200 lbs. vs the 600 lbs ford i-6 that's in it, plus all of the extras. I figure when all said and done after removing some things I might be adding 300 lbs with the battery.

 

[redsqwrl]

so this is as good a place as any to drop this nuttiness. I have a 3 phase ac electric motor drive controller and charger for a solectria force. When Yellow stone waged their zero emissions plan I intended to electrify a tucker kitten. batteries in the pontoons, out with the 10HP anglia motor, in with the driver, motor and charger. ( this plan was plan B for I doubted I could save the engine ) every one discusses the distance travelled as MILES, but the answer is Ah. energy conversion is not a new principle. I could travel 40 miles at 70 MPH or 70 miles at 40 MPH on valve regulated lead acid batteries. ( 12 KW ) the multicell packs of today have some advantages, but cold is not one of them. the large cats using the diesel electric propulsion systems have some merit with the application of high immediate torque at low rpm. but energy is energy. the more times you convert it the more parisitic loss you create.
I felt carrying the charger was not needed.
I determined I did not need heat
I started designing modular battery banks
I fit up the motor including the necessary reduction gears
I felt the regenerative braking energy could be used for heat or simply recharging the pack.

I did an analysis on the demand and realized there was very little places I could take the rig where I could have the support to get back.

think this part through. to charge at camp, I had PV, Converting dc to ac. AC ran the charger to convert back to DC, The absorbtion phase of the charge cycle has to be reduced to not bake the batteries- as they would be cold while trying to initialize
I looked at a DC series parallel arrangement where maybe I could stay DC, but the motor came free about then. I put the effort into saving the anglia 10HP motor. the electric components just sit.


I did not abandon this idea. I just came to the realization that like Henry fords wife, ( she drove and electric car ) I was not over coming the scarsity of fuel. I am not reducing emissions to a significant extent. the carbon burden to the earth is another debate.

I tend to think DC traction motors are the way to propel a snow cat. no regenerative braking, but the reduction in energy conversions, and not needing gear reduction unit might yield a less carbon infused build.
You mentioned fuel cell and SW48
The fuel cell is a great activity in physics as well. most folks dismiss the inputs on this process as well. it takes a lot of energy to split water apart. Wood gas is more volatile than hydrogen in a given state. ( don't be scared )
sw48 is a through the snow not over the snow cat. find something lighter and not planetary driven. snow tracs and tuckers have the most direct drives, go light as possible.

 

[kiamori]

so this is as good a place as any to drop this nuttiness. I have a 3 phase ac electric motor drive controller and charger for a solectria force. When Yellow stone waged their zero emissions plan I intended to electrify a tucker kitten. batteries in the pontoons, out with the 10HP anglia motor, in with the driver, motor and charger. ( this plan was plan B for I doubted I could save the engine ) every one discusses the distance travelled as MILES, but the answer is Ah. energy conversion is not a new principle. I could travel 40 miles at 70 MPH or 70 miles at 40 MPH on valve regulated lead acid batteries. ( 12 KW ) the multicell packs of today have some advantages, but cold is not one of them. the large cats using the diesel electric propulsion systems have some merit with the application of high immediate torque at low rpm. but energy is energy. the more times you convert it the more parisitic loss you create.
I felt carrying the charger was not needed.
I determined I did not need heat
I started designing modular battery banks
I fit up the motor including the necessary reduction gears
I felt the regenerative braking energy could be used for heat or simply recharging the pack.

I did an analysis on the demand and realized there was very little places I could take the rig where I could have the support to get back.

think this part through. to charge at camp, I had PV, Converting dc to ac. AC ran the charger to convert back to DC, The absorbtion phase of the charge cycle has to be reduced to not bake the batteries- as they would be cold while trying to initialize
I looked at a DC series parallel arrangement where maybe I could stay DC, but the motor came free about then. I put the effort into saving the anglia 10HP motor. the electric components just sit.


I did not abandon this idea. I just came to the realization that like Henry fords wife, ( she drove and electric car ) I was not over coming the scarsity of fuel. I am not reducing emissions to a significant extent. the carbon burden to the earth is another debate.

I tend to think DC traction motors are the way to propel a snow cat. no regenerative braking, but the reduction in energy conversions, and not needing gear reduction unit might yield a less carbon infused build.
You mentioned fuel cell and SW48
The fuel cell is a great activity in physics as well. most folks dismiss the inputs on this process as well. it takes a lot of energy to split water apart. Wood gas is more volatile than hydrogen in a given state. ( don't be scared )
sw48 is a through the snow not over the snow cat. find something lighter and not planetary driven. snow tracs and tuckers have the most direct drives, go light as possible.

Thanks for the writeup, so I use the SW48s all year around, I like them because they are narrow enough to clear trails in the woods, pull logs out of the woods to the sawmill and I can clear the 1.5mil road fairly quickly with it. I have two of them right now, a 78 & 88 that I use, one for the woods(gets beat up pretty bad) and one for the drive/plow. My idea for the electric one is it would be a fun project, less fumes and I can charge it at home over night, bonus is it saves me driving 30 minutes to go get gas for it(yes, I'm out in nowhere land).

 

[redsqwrl]

Thanks for the writeup, so I use the SW48s all year around, I like them because they are narrow enough to clear trails in the woods, pull logs out of the woods to the sawmill and I can clear the 1.5mil road fairly quickly with it. I have two of them right now, a 78 & 88 that I use, one for the woods(gets beat up pretty bad) and one for the drive/plow. My idea for the electric one is it would be a fun project, less fumes and I can charge it at home over night, bonus is it saves me driving 30 minutes to go get gas for it(yes, I'm out in nowhere land).

absolutely a great fit for the project.

Step two is the servos that will actuate the brakes.

once upon a time I fit servos to a simple 4 channel Remote control for a remote control snow blower.
Once you have that working GPS tracking system could make your rig go get the wood or plow your road, while you are consuming coffee by the fire place.