Electric Honda Beat Conversion - Episode 12 - The Plan

[@DuncanJimmy]

Incredibly exciting. Every step presents a new problem which requires a solution that may or may not create new problems. You'd almost be better off turning into a 3 wheeler with 2 in the front and the back end of the Energica in the rear. Can't wait until the next episode drops!

[@NewZeroland]

Haha I've seen that setup on a VW Bug and it looked wild. You're right though.. way easier than what I'm trying to do!

[@berttroubleyn3475]

From "enthousiastic tinkerer" to "almost an engineer" in just 12 months! If I accidentally made that sound sarcastic: I am truly in awe of what you're doing there, for real!

[@NewZeroland]

Thanks, Bert! I still have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm having a lot of fun 😁

[@audiencemember26008]

1:32 Don't underestimate the importance of spending a long time thinking about these problems, sleeping, and thinking some more. 2:38 Missed opportunity for a "going topless" joke! 5:31 Don't cut off your left foot. Instead, learn left foot braking. 8:21 I reckon your spot on about keeping the battery in the same orientation as on the bike. 8:49 Swapping the axles. There aren't any reversed threads on the wheel mounting section of those axles are there? Don't want any wheels or wheel components flying off under that electric acceleration. Top job! Enjoying the progress greatly.

[@NewZeroland]

Oooo! Good question about the axles, but they both seem to have the same threads. Hopefully everything fits in there. I'll find out soon 😂😳

[@therealcdnuser]

"Creating a plan is my way of telling chaos, 'Hold my coffee, I've got this.' Spoiler alert: Chaos usually spills the coffee."

[@NewZeroland]

🤣 hahaha I'm in danger

[@forexsniper1164]

That’s crazy man. Can’t believe we had the exact opposite ideas 😂 I had a Beat and wanted an Az1 to swap en electric motor, and you had an Az1 and wanted a Beat (same color as mine) to swap and electric motor. Funny coincidence haha. Best of luck man. Super excited to see how it goes

[@NewZeroland]

No way! I would've kept the AZ1 if I found a way to convert it. That engine bay is even smaller so it would be way more custom. Stealth EV in San Diego put a Tesla small drive unit in one and it looks insane. Thanks for watching and good luck!

[@evolv.e]

Hondbeatica! ⚡️ Kudos for your perseverance in completing this project Sam. Gonna be amazing when it’s done!

[@NewZeroland]

Cheers buddy!! It'll be a lot of work, but worth it in the end 😁 As long as I keep it upgradable, I can swap in newer Energica stuff in the future.

[@pinaero]

It is illegal to remove the cat from your exhaust!

[@NewZeroland]

I keep removing her and she keeps coming back

[@AntonyvanIersel]

I love the cradle mount. Thats a great idea, let's see if it works in real life. Cant wait.

[@NewZeroland]

Cheers man! I need to get a certified engineer to design and build it, but hopefully this idea can help them get started.

[@TheLrb12c]

You know the belt drive unit off a snowmobile would waist a little power on take off but as the torque shifts the adjustable pulley’s for optimal thrust the acceleration would be heart stopping !

[@NewZeroland]

I think you're right. A belt drive would be way cleaner and less maintenance. If I have to make custom sprockets anyway, might as well go belt!

[@pinaero]

05:17 that move was so clutch!

[@NewZeroland]

Now I can left foot brake for ultimate burnouts

[@eastpeak74]

Love it when a plan starts to come together! I did t cry when the clutch and shifter came out, it’s a necessary evil 😂😂 However when you started pulling the harnesses.. is all good!! Coming along nicely. Must be a Xmas roadtrip one coming up soon??

[@NewZeroland]

Cheers man! A short road trip is definitely a must. Nothing as epic as last year, but still getting out on the bikes. My plans have changed a lot with this car, but the goal is to go electric no matter what. How we get there is anybody's guess 😂

[@RedBatteryHead]

Give it a belt drive!

[@NewZeroland]

I'm thinking about it. That might be a good option.

[@andrewmorgan1819]

I'd fit the battery then charge it Sam, I mean, surely a charged battery would be heavier... with all those extra electrons crammed into it 😜😂 The Energicar is coming along nicely now 😎

[@NewZeroland]

😂 Yeah that'll happen soon I think. The 3D prints are too rough. I need to get the real things in there and see what I'm workin with!

[@elroynp]

changed my 2015 zero s belt from one of youre videos. Big thanks my dude!

[@NewZeroland]

Cheers man! Glad to help :)

[@aaronpitts2762]

This is great thanks. Something ive always thought about doing to a kei car

[@NewZeroland]

Cheers! Glad you're liking the series so far. A Cappuccino would probably be the easiest to convert. The Beat will be a challenge, but I'll get there eventually.

[@aaronpitts2762]

@@NewZeroland yeah it would. I seen in USA the fiat 500 has an ev version and parts are pretty cheap. Could be a good solution for fwd cars

[@DannyKim-bum]

Woah this is so inspiring! I so love that you've videod the bare engine bay of a beat, and then 3d printed out your critical components. It's like a howto for my beat project! This is a lot to ask, but would you be willing to share the scan of the engine bay with me? I've been scanning my beat with an Einstar, but haven't got the courage to rip out my engine yet. I've been modeling what a ZX14 would look like in a beat. :)

[@NewZeroland]

Oh whoa! My scanner isn't as good as your Einstar, but I posted the engine bay scan in the Beat owners Discord if you're on there. Otherwise send me an email: [e-mail]. A ZX14 powered Beat would be insane 😂

[@MrJoe988]

this is getting cooler every episode, I wished New Zealand wasn't this far, I would have loved to see this unfold in person.

[@NewZeroland]

Thanks bro! Making that mounting structure will be really difficult to pull off so I'm not sure when the next episode will be, but I'm excited to finally get all this stuff into the car. When it's all finished, you'll have another reason for a New Zealand trip!

[@MrJoe988]

❤@@NewZeroland

[@DoRC]

I'm a little confused about your differential plan. Doesn't that differential need to be in oil?

[@NewZeroland]

Plans changed again from this.. but the original idea was to make my own diff housing (imagine a coffee can with a sprocket bolted to it) and fill that full of oil. Now I'm going with an MX5 diff to make things look more professional and keep the maintenance down.

[@grahamoakley11]

It’s getting really interesting now Sam, the 3D stuff is excellent, can’t wait for next episode

[@NewZeroland]

Thanks man! Now the hard stuff begins.

[@CRPerformance1]

Very cool build. Interestingly, there is a beat for sale near me - in Iowa! I think your motor and battery mounts are a bit overkill. But I'm not an engineer... Good luck with it! Looking forward to the results.

[@NewZeroland]

Thanks man! Actually I had way less mounts designed for it but I was told they wouldn't be enough. Overkill sounds good to me XD

[@scubatrucker6806]

Cool

[@PaulWayper]

Mocking up parts with 3D prints - very nice! You glued them together? Or do you have a really big 3D printer?

[@NewZeroland]

Yeah I glued pieces together. They aren't exact, but close enough to get a rough idea of where to put stuff.

[@MatyasLemberTutorials]

Every time you measure some part on that bathroom scale I am waiting for the moment when it breaks the glass on it :D

[@NewZeroland]

😂 one of these days.. but the scale goes up to 250kg so even the engine wasn't heavy enough!

[@DavidNewmanDr]

Some electric cars have gears. Have you calculated whether you need a gearbox to match torque and power on a heavier vehicle?

[@NewZeroland]

Yeah a bigger rear sprocket would be awesome but I don't have space for it. No space for the transmission either haha. It'll still be way faster than it was though.

[@raymutch]

I didn't know that honda sent a cat out with every Beat 😂 nice looking battery and motor holder.

[@NewZeroland]

VTEC = very tiny electric cat

[@berttroubleyn3475]

@@NewZeroland That's a lie because that cat is anything but tiny. Very Tremendous Electric Cat?

[@IIARROWS]

You could have set the shifter as a way to engage reverse. And are you really removing the roof? I would keep it.. it can always rain.

[@NewZeroland]

Nahh Energicas have reverse built into the start button. I'll keep the roof for sure. This car will be parked outside once it's finished.

[@IIARROWS]

I know, I use it every time I park it in the garage XD But you could wire like a button that activates brake+power and spring back a little. It would look cool. I asked for the roof because you weighted it, I thought it was on the total. How much does it weight now?

[@NewZeroland]

@@IIARROWS oh right! I wasn't sure if that was possible, but it might be. I'll ask the Energica gurus. I don't wanna learn how to code and get an arduino to trigger a reverse light 😂

[@audiencemember26008]

Leaving the shifter in will make a very heavy reverse button though. You don't have much wiggle room for weight savings right?

[@ricefield]

yippeee

[@NewZeroland]

🤣

[@PaulWayper]

"Shift linkages, cat..." - probably need to remove both from the car eventually 🙂

[@NewZeroland]

The cat loves this car so it's gonna be hard to keep her away from it 😂

[@TheRealAlpha2]

6:34 I See a man with a giant power cord jammed in his large mouth and I can't unsee it. Are you gonna learn to weld or will someone else do that? I feel like welding becomes something you want someone else to do for a big project rather than something you do for the first time on an important things like the battery cage. Heck I started looking into how to build a Raspberry Pi "cyberdeck" computer and the second I saw anything about soldering wires (which is kinda like low heat welding) I nope'd out and started looking for the best plug and play solutions. I'll learn it some day but that day's not today.

[@NewZeroland]

Haha yeah I hate soldering, and as much as I'd love to eventually learn welding, this job is too important and deserves a pro. I'll get as far as I can with 3D printing and PVC pipe and hand it over to a fabricator to make it out of metal. The welds will be inspected by the certifier so they have to be perfect!

[@pinaero]

I can small the marshmallows cooking on my campfire.

[@NewZeroland]

I'm ready for smore!

[@1MrBryn]

Do you have any interest in the Kawasaki Ninja Hybrid? Obviously not an EV but its a unique electrified offering

[@NewZeroland]

No interest whatsoever 😂 It's underpowered and overcomplicated. Kudos to Kawasaki for trying something different, but I don't know why they did that.

[@roodick85]

Make a cradle for your drivetrain itll make everything much easier

[@NewZeroland]

Drivetrain? Like the diff?

[@dustinbrown6753]

jiggle

[@NewZeroland]

Couldn't help myself lol

[@dustinbrown6753]

Some say that a jiggle is helping yourself.@@NewZeroland

[@ZoneKei]

Bye bye manual bits!

[@NewZeroland]

#noshiftgang

[@moestrei]

Instead of noisy chain I would go belt drive.

[@NewZeroland]

It's still gonna be noisy, but I think you're right. Way less mess with a belt, and I have to make a custom sprocket anyway.

[@SonOfAnakin]

Hay Sam. I’ve always wanted to strip a car apart. Living vicariously through you. Wondering why you don’t leave the Energica plugged in with LPR enabled. Not enough power outlets? Also, what mods are you thinking about for the exterior to symbolize the conversion? I saw an old Chevy pickup that was converted very nicely. Entire truck had a faux rust patina, but where Chevrolet was across the truck tailgate, the ‘ev’ letters were nicely painted. Thought that was slick. Need something subtle for the Beat. Maybe the e in beat is the Energica e with the lightning bolt??

[@NewZeroland]

Ohhhhh an Energica E in Beat is freakin genius. I'm totally using that! I don't think I'll change much else though. Maybe a clear cover over the battery so people can see all the high voltage cables. I thought about doing LPR but I only have one charging cable and need to charge our other 2 bikes.

[@pinaero]

First! Beat YA!

[@stevesanelli90]

Nothing like stripping a car naked😉I’m guessing you’re selling stuff you don’t need?🤙

[@NewZeroland]

Yep, for sure. Making room and making money!