Tech Talk - Electric Car heating, power steering, brakes, etc

This video covers all the things that get removed along with the petrol/diesel engine but still need to be replaced with electric versions when converting a car to electric. These include:
Heating
Air conditioning
12v battery charging
Brake assist
Power steering
www.electricclassiccars.com
/ electricclassiccars
/ electricclassiccars
/ elecclassiccars

[@Yaaayishere]

Sunday afternoon, cup of tea and Moggy Explains

[@ElectricClassicCars]

What, no biscuits? 😁👍

[@Pats-Shed]

I'm a refrigeration engineer and always wondered why electric car manufacturers have not adopted the 4 - way valve setup that has been in use for years in the domestic and commercial air-conditioning industry. In fact I've often wondered why ICE cars don't use this to speed up cabin heating in winter . With A/C in an EV, setup with a reverse cycle the electrical load would be only around a third of a resistance heater thus increasing the range of the vehicle without extra batteries .

[@ElectricClassicCars]

They have started to use this in the latest generation of EVs. For instance the latest Tesla HVAC system has a very cool octovalve arrangement. I may well do a tech talk on it in the future once I've covered more of the basics of EVs. 👍

[@dixonsindorset]

Not just the newer generation EVs use the aircon for heating the cabin. The Zoe has been doing this since its release in 2013. This is because the battery is also air conditioned with its own heat exchanger on the A/C system. But this has the added benefit of much improved efficiency for cabin heating in winter.

[@KimCJorgensen]

And most importantly especially for you during conversions: As the replacement items are all electrical, as opposed to belt driven, you have much more flexibility as to where you can install these items. Basically any void space will do.

[@insAneTunA]

And much less parasitic losses as they only draw power when it's needed instead of all the time when they are hooked up to a belt.

[@davog1946]

@@insAneTunA apart from clutched alternators and air con, also most modern cars have electric fuel pumps….

[@insAneTunA]

@@davog1946 But they still sling a belt or a V snare around, and it takes a ton of bearings to do that, not just one or two. So even if everything was clutched it would still cause a substantial amount of parasitic losses. And the clutches itself including their housing ads extra weight to the car and they need to be maintained as well. The belt or snare can snap. And if it doesn't snap it is still an expensive replacement if it needs to be replaced. And the list goes on and on as to why a belt or snare driven system is so inefficient compared to all electrical driven stand alone components from an electric car. In the Netherlands there is a company that is founded by some former world champions from the solar challenge, who are designing an electric car where every single component is as efficient as possible. It will also have voltaic cells embedded in the roof and other flat body panels. But it doesn't stop there, they are taking it to the extreme. It is called the Lightyear one. It is a car that is designed for a specific purpose, not for off road racing. Keep that in mind.

[@seeharvester]

Well, my old 69 FJ40 never had power steering, power brake or AC, so all I'd need is heat. It did use vacuum to switch the transfer case, but that could be easily changed to manual. That only leaves the PTO winch. Even with just that, I feel the juice necessary to run an electric winch will further shorten an already limited range. And there aren't any charge stations out in the middle of nowhere. So I think I'll stick to gas.

[@johnwoolf66]

Funny that you said "like a hair dryer" to describe a heater, as I have connected a pair of 12v travel hair dryers to the windscreen demisters in my Beetle conversion! 😁

[@tomnekuda3818]

Good thinking outside the box.

[@dddpetarddd]

if you don't succeed in this business, you will make a great teacher. very good explanations!

[@philtucker1224]

That power steering assistant on your bus was very impressive. (Also your smart rear view mirror caught my eye?)

[@jessehummer]

Me too!! Hehehe

[@d.beaumont9157]

Same here. Imagine turning up to run for the sun weekend with Richards bus, that would have blown you away.

[@timw1971]

These tech talks are just brilliant. Stuff works the way I assumed it did, but it's great to get it confirmed and better still to see the actual kit.

[@arjuckes]

Great stuff very clear explanations, cant wait for the T3 Syncro conversion...notice the spelling!

[@loswilko]

Another great vid, i love the tech talks. You are actually helping me understand what's going on under the bonnet so to speak in my own EV (Renault Zoe). Keep up the great work dude.

[@insAneTunA]

Another great episode. Don't worry about the outdoor footage, every episode has been a joy to watch. 👍🙂

[@daniilvolkov8790]

I was breathing in through my mouth while the outro was going on. Felt uncomfortable. I left a like for that....because this is what art is :D

[@philtucker1224]

Great episode (again 😊) - and I loved the part where you said “ filling the canister back up with a vacuum” 😊( just joking buddy, your tech talks are really brilliant)

[@IDann1]

Thank you for another informative video, I have a family of mostly naysayers in anything electric... They think I'm crazy

[@ginggur17]

The steering is especially impressive 👍👍🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@georgedaville4662]

Great video Richard. You have an excellent and relaxing style of presenting a technical subject with the visual aids of actual components for direct reference into your commentary. Brilliant 🤩

[@bfelten1]

I can't understand why it took KZbin years to point me in your direction after I have followed electric conversions for years. Your channel is simply outstanding. And I do hope that you will not revert to doing videos about burn-outs and the like, we have plenty of that already on the Tube. Please keep on the exceptional Tech Talk videos. I hope that you'll be able to ramp up your production. Now that almost all new cars look alike, we old car lovers want to see more of the classics (not just nostalgia attempts like the new Mini, Fiat 500 or Beetle) but the real deal on the road. Can you convert my 1977 M-B 450 SL? Is that classic enough? 😁

[@DopeSauceBenevolence]

THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS!!! I’ve been scratching my head for a year trying to figure out the brakes for the Firebird!!!

[@wolfgangezeh2221]

If more electric car makers did this type of talk-throughs, more people would be educated about electric cars and make informed decisions on buying them. I am more informed now and will definitely buy an electric car if I can afford it.

[@fetchstixRHD]

To be fair, cost probably is the biggest difficulty in getting an electric car (with the traction batteries being the largest part of that cost). Other than that, most people probably wouldn’t mind or would be happy to get one, of course not everyone but a lot of people!

[@WanderlustVanlife]

I am really enjoying this series. Thank you very much!

[@darrenflounders2803]

Loving these short videos explaining the difference between old and new

[@CrazyFrank]

What you're doing here is iconic, you are a pioneer of electric cars and there are so many of us who want to follow in your footsteps with doing our own conversions, thank you so much and keep the videos coming

[@bmwalker89]

A seriously good set of videos, really interesting and deserves a wider audience!!

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Thanks. Spread the word. 😜👍

[@rushja]

Thanks, great content! Lets talk about your 4g connected rearview mirror in the bus!

[@TiagoFernandes-ro6ck]

Love your work. Just liked the "it fills the vacuum chamber with vacuum again"

[@ThomasC951]

More Porsche 944 content please Cheers!

[@joeabad5908]

Thank you for this video. It covers all bases newbies sometimes neglect to include in the conversion project.

[@danieltucker9971]

Really great video, enjoyed seeing what is possible in a conversion. Thank you!

[@fill7t1]

The items you don't think of! Very well explained, so not only space for batteries and motor, it's all the others that we need. 👍

[@shakejones]

great video+explanation! well done mate! thanks for sharing 🙏🏻

[@genestatler2514]

Thanks a bunch. That sure cleared up a lot of questions that I had about conversions.

[@michaellittler2616]

Thanks for the video in lay men terms so people like me who are not technically minded can understand what you are explaining 👍learning so much not just about Ev but piston engine’s how things work thank you

[@tonytibbetts1272]

Another brilliant and informative video. Keep them coming. 👌🎥🎥👌

[@barchetta06]

loved the Series 2a build on Quest Channel this week! (Vintage Voltage) could you say who did the reconditioning work? it was mentioned it was sent to Manchester to get done.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

I think they were called Carriage Services. They did a cracking job. 👍

[@Yodaandhislightsabre]

Awesome series you have here. Really helping me figure out how I want to do my old Jeep Wrangler.

[@rossgebert9422]

Thanks for another great Tech Talk.

[@hevendranarayansamy2793]

Thank you for answering my question. Love your work BTW. Wish there was an ECC in South Africa.

[@georgemcinnes8668]

What a very informative video. I love to see the great progress in electric vehicles . Keep up your great videos.

[@robertgreig9936]

Another great video Moggy and team. I love these tech talks. You are actually helping me understand what's going on under the bonnet so to speak! I been watching " you tube " and noticed more and more videos about OEM's12V batteries going flat so they can not start their cars! Could you do a tech talk about this?

[@deltajohnny]

Awesome presentation, and very easy to understand for "normal" people! 👏👏👏😁😁😁

[@silvergold5726]

What incredible videos! I learn alot of information on the different tech involved. Thanks!

[@FirstDan2000]

Great video. Very informative. Thanks

[@trevorberridge6079]

I imagine that because the drive in the various devices shown is independent of the engine it makes it easier to place them as required by different vehicles. They don't need to be in the original location or orientation. Another informative and entertaining video Richard.

[@vladx2]

Brilliant tech talks, I find them very clear and informative. A bit of feedback about the editing: the sound effects in the intro were a bit loud compared to the rest of the video. There’s also a bit of whine picked up on the mic, but not too bad. Thanks again!

[@garethparkin9498]

Thanks Richard that was a really interesting video

[@mrmawson2438]

Great video mate

[@GalleryBones]

Very informative thank you

[@joeg3950]

This gave me a quick down and dirty on auxiliaries. I understand the powertrain and battery systems, but this gave me a good look at what I wanted to know about. Growing up, we rebuilt two fiat spyders, 76 Cadillac Eldo, 76 T-bird, and an 84 Eldo. I would have loved to convert that 1984 Cadillac Eldorado to electric - a beautiful care with a terrible engine. Thanks for the video!

[@homood_h]

I promise you I will convert my land cruiser to electric just upload couple more videos and I think I will have the knowledge 😂😅

[@leewheeldon262]

Loved this one. Thank you 😊

[@charlesoliver2838]

Very interesting good channel.

[@Evolution189]

Great talk. Thank you.

[@keyelectric91]

Gold mine of ev conversion amenities!

[@scotta1725]

Love the comment, ‘motor pumps and fills the vacuum canister back up with vacuum’ ;-)

[@beinghappy1312]

Surprisingly enjoyable

[@jessehummer]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! It is really helpful - thanks to you I'm going to start piecing my Land Cruiser (biodiesel for now) with an electric assisted power steering to go little by little into electric! Would it be possible to share about how do you control and manage the Tesla motors and batteries? Do you have to use a something like "central computer" to set everything up? Thanks su much!

[@samurai-capybara]

The fart makes me smile every time. I'm 45.

[@teslaejj2290]

Thanks for video - always interesting. Would be good to understand how a heat pump helps range and how they work (and how much they cost). Also, loved the rear view mirror - nice way to add some tech in an old car!

[@Pugjamin]

Heat pumps are by far the best way to heat the vehicle (or anything for that matter) as they are between 300 and 400% efficient. They aren’t a separate item in vehicles equipped with them, it is a function of the air con system, it just requires a few extra valves and control system.

[@hughmarcus1]

There’s plenty of KZbin videos on heat pumps. The ones for vehicles are just a small version of the ones used to heat buildings.

[@vincentoconnell2560]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJ-tkqCKqNWGg5I here is a good comparsion they are very efficent

[@DELTIC55007]

Excellent Video 😊

[@zoppp621]

I love these videos. Can you also list the components you use? I would like to use them in my own projects.

[@jossentjens7154]

Another enjoyable one…. Does your VW bus have a camera rearview mirror? Maybe an idea for a future episode, fitting (modern) gadgets… parking camera, camera door mirrors, etc, etc. Is that something you do on classic cars? In the similar vein, driver aids, things like traction control, torque vectoring, electronic stability control, ABS. Are those easy to integrate in an EV, or a bridge too far? I guess, ESC and ABS are a bit difficult, because they tie in with the (existing) breaking, but traction control and torque vectoring require some sensor and tie in to the motor/diff, don’t they?

[@zoomosis]

At the most basic level it should be possible to alter the firmware mapping between the accelerator pedal and the motor, so moving from stationary doesn't cause sudden wheelspin due to high torque. Traction control should also be possible if there's speed sensors on both left and right wheels (assuming a 2WD car) as well as a sensor measuring the motor RPM. Though it might work better if there are also sensors on the non-driven wheels. Retrofitting a reversing camera to a car is a pretty common thing to do. I added one to my Ford Falcon Ute recently.

[@Yaaayishere]

Alternators only work while petrol is being burned (expensive electricity), DC2DC's can work all the time keeping your 12v systems running. No Classic battery conditioners required.

[@fetchstixRHD]

Alternators/generators also aren’t the best if you don’t need a lot of energy/power, e.g. for heating/air conditioning

[@chrisbailey1966]

Don't forget that the 12v is needed to turn on the connection to the traction battery and they are totally disconnected when the car is 'off'. Some system also stop DC2DC at low levels of traction battery power so both could go flat - in real life you would not go that far, but I have seen it under extreme testing - fixed with a 12v jump pack to get the car to take a charge.

[@stophdoggy6625]

Loving this series 👏 My upcoming challenge is powering the hydro pneumatic system on a soon too be converted Citroen 😁

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Use an electric pump off a more modern Citroen. 👍

[@tremaynemurphy5827]

Brilliant explanations, thanks

[@jeremyreynolds3574]

Very informative.

[@lewisclark5694]

Very under intelligent video…..thank you

[@paulpobsanderson6219]

So interesting, love it.

[@GT6Time]

Love the converted heater boxes. Would you be able to share the make/model of some of heater matrixes you use?

[@simonyoung4722]

Another great vid, do you have any details on the rear view mirror, that looked way cool?

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

😎👍🏼.... Interesting add on for you...one of the light electric utility pick ups in Germany thats just come to market only has small batteries so rather than have to draw a lot of juice keeping the cab warm out on the farm and to heat water for a small hand wash bowl system which would add a lot more wt. battery cost and copper etc. They use a remote liquid fueled heater ... half the year you dont need it and it weighs and costs a fraction of what the bigger electrical system would. It can provide instant heated water and heats the cab up when needed. Aircon.... nope, a fan and windows if you want to go mad fit a sun roof.😉

[@neilwilliams2770]

Brilliant talk and explanation can I ask how much range you would lose by running all these systems I mean if you started with a vehicle with say 150 mile range then use the heater to clear windscreen and heat car ect and the servos for steering and brakes ect how efficient would that be regards and again awesome video

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Depends on the size and ratings of those items but I'd say around 10%. 👍

[@Tufet.]

awesome guy 🔥

[@ian-lg6vu]

Hi Another great video on the technical bits behind an ev conversion 👍🏻 In your crew cab I noticed the rear view mirror turn on is it linked to a camera at the rear and is it constantly on when driving Cheers Ian 😃👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Yes, it has a front facing camera and reversing camera and switches off the display if not used after around 10 seconds. 👍

[@24staples]

Could you please do a video on that rear vision mirror and other advanced technology you can put into older cars

[@TheStobb50]

I’ve always interested in the idea of particularly a BMC A60 Cambridge/ Oxford I remember working on my Cambridge years ago and there was just loads of space round the engine you could almost climb in next to the engine to do any work.You could put the electric motor where the gearbox was you would have all that huge space plus a big boot for batteries one of these days and I tried

[@micheltebraake7915]

Look, this is useful. Show what has changed in parts.

[@authentic4225]

Interesting stuff!

[@marcosdesousaribeiro3698]

Amigo,o seu trabalho é ótimo parabéns. Um dia eu quero ser igual a vc, sou teu fã.

[@oilstovesandmore]

Hi Richard, Very interesting stuff! Can you tell me what type of pedalbox, booster and master cylinder is fitted to the Land Rover? I'm doing a defender axle swap on a series and i want to upgrade my brake cyl. and booster and i like the setup on yours. Thanks!

[@alibro7512]

Good one Moggy! I recognise the hydraulic GM PS pump but aren't they very noisy? Is this a the Corsa B EPAS. But where did the vacuum pump come from? Cheers mate, keep up the good work

[@MrRossi1805]

I would like to see more about AC installing on old vehicles

[@karlgt9989]

Awesome stuff, where does regenerative braking come in to the equation?

[@ElectricClassicCars]

We'll answer that in our next video. 👍

[@peterbradley4916]

love it!

[@DucDeLamballe]

that digital mirror is cool!

[@agnesofglassstudiogalleryl8921]

Hi, I just saw your channel and I subscribed I love what you did with the vanagon.. how do I get you guys to do the same to my 1980 air cooled vanagon??

[@TC-V8]

If your fitting an air con compressor why don't you also fit a simple heat pump reversing valve to turn it into a more efficient heater?

[@alexjohnward]

much more efficient

[@John_Smythe-Cruickshank]

Very good videos! Thanks you very much. One question that comes into mind: aren’t those electrically driven airco and heating units taking too much power off the battery? In other words don’t they diminish the range too much?

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Not by much. 👍

[@ChickyRx]

GREAT INFO.

[@JonnySmith107]

Hi Moggy. When you’ve done a conversion, do you still use a lead acid battery for the 12V system? I know someone talked me through why Pb-acid batteries are still used on ICE cars (but I’ve forgotten) so would be useful to talk through this & whether you then go to a 12V Li-ion / LiPol battery once converted. Cheers 😊

[@zoomosis]

I assume it's down to cost and convenience. Lead acid 12V batteries are fairly cheap compared to the Li-ion equivalent and can be bought at any automotive shop. Also for most old cars the biggest current draw on the 12V system would be the headlights, so I'm not sure you'd gain much by switching to a Li-ion battery. Plus it's possible lead acid batteries might be more suited to continuous charging compared to Li-ion.

[@SuperChaser]

Another very nice video of you :) Where is that vacuum pump from?

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Hella

[@golf-n-guns]

Fascinating!

[@daviddenley3512]

Question; That SWB Land Rover you've just shown on tv, did you consider fitting the batteries on a sliding tray under the back end between the chassis rails ? If you could have done that the room inside the vehicle would have been intact. Should you ever do the conversion on a LWB there is loads of room under the Bach end, that's where the LPG tanks are often fitted.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Yep, that's what we do on LWB, but on a SWB there's precious little space under there.

[@mcmotors100]

Great video. A couple of questions could I fit that electric heater to my classic mini, or would it draw too much power - if I can what part is it please? It’d be lovely to be warm. Where did you get the power steering for your camper? Thanks 👍

[@ElectricClassicCars]

The Mini heater has a heater element that is 400v, so I'm afraid it wouldn't run off a 12v system. Sorry I can't remember the supplier of the electric steering system for the VW, it was about 5 years ago since I installed it. 👍

[@goosegog]

Great video Richard. How many amps do heating elements tend to draw?

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Typically anything from 1kW to 3kW max

[@thefirstdutchguy]

I like the mirror in your bus.

[@JRJetMan]

Thank you very interesting "but" were are the numbers? How much do these items cost and how much power do they use up?

[@pritambissonauth2181]

Nice & very informative video. You could have gone a little further, by adding a few figures for the amount of power these alternative assistance, heating and cooling really required. Viewers will be amazed by how efficient they really are. Even ICE vehicles are going this route rather than being a drag on the crankshaft of the engine.

[@MrRossi1805]

Very interesting

[@TKomoski]

Does all these ancillaries cause a drain on the main battery or secondary battery

[@paulstaf]

Can you tell us about that cool rear view mirror in the BUS?

[@marcbee1234]

Great informative video! Do you foresee noticeable development gains with key components in the next few years? Thanks in advance.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Definitely. Technology is moving at pace. 👍