Twizy Stripdown - Taking Out The Battery

[@TurboElectricUK]

Appreciate the strip down and that you were working this out as you went. Just for others reading, the Twizy is designed for the pack to be replaced from the underside so removing anything from the top is not needed just to get it out. Might be worth adding to the description so saving others doing a strip down just to get the pack. Great video mate.

[@teodordas4506]

As a someone without a drive, I wonder how easy is it to reconfigure the vehicle so that the battery is taken out to charge in the house in the evening and slot it back in the morning

[@fredrikandersson3988]

@@teodordas4506 I really wonder that as well. Did you ever get any ideas how to solve that?

[@mcksysar8620]

Massive battery! Please, publish the weight of the LiPo and the FWG battery, when it's finished! It's really exciting! Thanks for sharing.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

will do mate

[@Buzzhumma]

I’ll say this ! Lucky you guys have the grits it takes to get this project to succeed . I do believe it will require tenacity that you have proven many times over to have but in saying that you may need support in some areas . Very exciting and I would be looking forward to many videos of each step of the FWG Twizzy development . Great content you guys ! Cheers

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I am sure we are going to need help mate - lol

[@appalachianamerican2075]

Watching this disassembly, I'm reminded of what Princess Lea said to Han Solo while escaping the Death Star: "You came in THAT thing?! You're braver than I thought!" I've driven everything from small motorcycles to semi trucks with 3 trailers... I don't think I'd be brave enough to drive that on an American interstate. But seriously, you've become a great inspiration to me. I'll be converting a spare bedroom into a lab this summer. Thank you for all the wonderful work you do, mate!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

that is awesome to hear mate - cheers

[@Jan-mu6vs]

loved the video! I was thinking of buying a second hand twizy w/o battery and you guys make it seem fun to work on it.

[@AdamWelchUK]

Interesting video. Looking forward to seeing how far you can go on a single charge. Can I also say good job on the audio - the lapel mic works well.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate - all Steve's doing

[@scantrain5007]

As far as I read an E-Car needs about 20 KWh for 100 Km by normal size. But I think with the tiny twisty it will be less - may be 10 KWh per 100 Km only. And ... a Battery with less weight causes even less energy.

[@reijerkok6136]

Indeed 50-80 km with the standard 6 kWh battery

[@obviouslytwo4u]

26miles looooool

[@Slider2732]

It's what I call a knee moment, where a project moves onto the next phase. Really exciting times there at FWG and for us watching ! Congrats on a very enjoyable teardown and battery removal.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@DoRC]

Seeing the process I kind of wonder if the interior needed to be removed at all. Did I miss fasteners that hold the pack from the inside?

[@rogerthomas7040]

Just to make a quick correction. The Twizy comes with a 6.1kWh battery pack, rather than a 40kWh battery that you mention in the video. What is amazing is that this small battery has a reported weight of around 100kg, which I guess comes from the amount of protection around the cells.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate - and yes it is heavy

[@Buzzhumma]

Will be interesting to see the final weights of the different battery packs ! What does it weigh before you strip it down?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

no idea mate - we have to go by maunfactuerer's spec as we don't have a scale that will weight that

[@ludoservigne6840]

100 kg for the 6 kWh Lithium-ion traction battery of the Twizy.

[@Thierryoutdoors]

Thank you for this, really good to know. No follow up?

[@sucre9995]

Twizy is the Goat of micro électrique car ✌️🇲🇫

[@tbrindan]

I would rather go with pouch cells than power blade as it takes too much of space. May be it can be implicated in future demos but for this one the world is watching. So save up some space and use as much as battery material as you can. I for one hope that you guys nail it. This world needs innovators like you guys and go down in the history books that changed the world entirely. Cheers mate and good luck.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate and maybe we will do just that

[@TonyGrant.]

Yes, I have been wondering how much energy density those yellow cases on the blades will cost you. I think the concept of the blades is a good idea, but I think you should use a much thinner case for each blade. I looks to me that they don't need to be that thick to be structurally sound.

[@stephaneislistening6103]

No risk of fire nor pouch cell inflating ?

[@TonyGrant.]

They don't heat up like li-ion and other chemical batteries.

[@markwilliams5654]

The Twizy is such a rare vehicle your struggle to find much information on KZbin and they did a battery lease which was very expensive so it killed the Twizy almost instantly otherwise they would have sold hundreds of thousands

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

indeed

[@That1ufo]

Ouch, this is bleeding £££ every month it sits "^Price excludes mandatory battery hire from £45 per month, based on 4500 miles per year, 100 excess miles £3.75 including VAT. You will not own the battery"

[@TonyGrant.]

Very poor business model if you ask me - which they didn't! Maybe they should have!

[@jamesx2703]

I would buy a used one if it wasnt for the battery lease

[@cyngaethlestan8859]

From memory the only place you could buy a Twizy outright was Norway for about £11k. If the Chinese near copies ever come here I'll buy one; the Chinese have even invented things called 'doors' which would be handy in the UK.

[@TonyGrant.]

Great stuff! I'm looking forward to seeing your blade config going into that battery box. Also, I commend you on upping your video production quality - clear video imagery and sound IS important.

[@TonyGrant.]

How many kilowatts can you get in there?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

dunno - we'll have to see

[@RWBHere]

They didn’t design it with ease of battery replacement in mind, did they! What a palaver for what could have been designed as a five minute job. At least nobody will be stealing Twizy batteries in a hurry. Thanks for the detailed video.

[@andrewwilson8317]

Of interest may be a set of plastic trim tools similar to those made by " Bojo". They very cheap on eBay and invaluable for stripping down without doing damage to trim. Can also get a fastener popper, like a pair of pliers with veg jaws that open when handles closed and they pop out fasteners without breaking them. There a whole science to stripping trim off without doing damage,worth learning as can get quite costly!

[@521wooley]

How do you release the orange high voltage cable from the rear of the battery as I can see a button you push in, a clip that looks like a tie wrap you push in & then the plas tourer cover slides to the rear but I can’t remove the Plug/connector Any information would be helpful. Regards peter Ps good videos bye the way 👍👍

[@Falney]

This looks like a wonderful little weekend project-hobby money maker idea. Pick up the Twizy cheap off auto trader. Replace the battery pack, give Renault theirs back and turn the Twizy around as a "No battery rental" I have seen a lot of people on forums say they would be interested in the Twizy if they could own the battery. Me being one of them. Yes, I understand if doing it as a business, they would likely send in the lawyers but if you are doing it as a hobby to a car you own, there isn't a lot they can actually do.

[@StefanHartmann-hartiberlin]

I wonder, if you ever will get all the parts together again... Lol... not like me, that will have 50 % of the screws left, if I rebuild the device again...lol..

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - we put them in little bags and label them as we go mate

[@eldoctorexxl]

hello nice video. when we can see the new batery pac??

[@alanh4471]

Great job guys. If i was in the UK - and had the financial ability not to work, I'd be there everyday helping out.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@bgdexter]

You could have read about how to get the battery out on the german Twizy forum (www.twizy-forum.de/), but you made a nice video along the way :) The bottom bars are actually an integral structural part of the battery case, they are designed to absorb energy in case of a crash. They are massive, some have replaced them by aluminium versions to save weight. For the standard replacement box Klaus is working on, he thinks we can achieve enough structural integrity also by another case design. As you're only risking your own battery I think you can omit them and use the space gained for cells (if you build your own case).

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

awesome mate - cheers

[@That1ufo]

Apart from the 4 seat bolts would you have been able to just drop it from below with 2 car trolley jacks? or would that earth wire stop that.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

it could mate - but we didn't know that until now lol

[@MAXimator70]

How did you manage to get the twizy on 4 ramps like on 14:48?

[@SpenserRoger]

I really hope to see how to modify a printer to use the ink to create the sheets for the cells. As well as how to assemble the cells with how to make the ingredients, wire up the cells into the battery, with balance if required and charging. I've been wondering how it's all done ever since before the scooter! Congrats on getting this far gentlemen the twizzy is looking hungry for a new heart. Love all the content lately as well. I can't wait to get me some ink!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

the printer mod is easy mate - take one printer - throw it in the bin and grab a paint brush lol

[@martinbraganca3032]

So the plan is to paint all the sheets for the twizy by hand? Just curious, but how many m2 would that be? lol

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

61 ish

[@TonyGrant.]

So the printer idea didn't work then?

[@mrdanforth3744]

I've been wondering why you don't use a paint roller especially when I see that big roll of paper and the poor sod flailing away with that tiny paint brush painting an inch at a time. Unroll that paper and you could do about 20 feet of it in half a minute with a roller.61 m sq that is less than 700 sq ft. If you had a flat space to lay it out and fasten it down you could do the lot in a couple of hours. Let it dry flip it over and do the other side next day. Or staple strips to the wall like wallpaper and let me go to town. Give me a good roller and a broom handle and it wouldn't take 2 hours.

[@mysticalsoulqc]

pround of you kids. big kids,with important innovation. you are doing the vision guys,well done....pioneers! at work...

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@Jonnyweareten]

Have you put the new batteries in yet? will there be another video?

[@radicalmj1633]

Hi Robert, excellent work. Keep doing it you are about to change the world! Just a small observation and I'm pretty sure you already thought about it. Are you not concerned about a fire on the batteries if using paper as the sepparator?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate and no - paper has been used as a battery separator for a 100 years or more

[@robertebanks5910]

I can’t wait to see part 2 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@adidasmanuk]

Did you find part 2 ? I can't see it :( ?

[@johnr2836]

Yes it is interesting, looking forward to the battery build

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

we are on with it mate

[@davidgardner3790]

Andy, your fan in the top corner of the bike box won't work at all, all fans need space on both the inlet and the outlet sides it is recommended that you leave at least one fan diameter of space for normal operation.

[@shaunrichter3735]

Outstanding Gentlemen, I can't wait for the follow up video

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

awesome

[@sailingmic9790]

Cant wait to see the next video! Good jobb! Thumbs up mate!

[@moodyone99]

Great to see you vaping Steve.

[@adidasmanuk]

Did you not do the battery strip down & rebuild ? I can't find it :(

[@BushImports]

I can't believe you had to take that much of the thing apart to get the battery out. It's a good thing you guys have the pallet jack, for that it is really the best thing to use. Hey, what is the volt and amp rating of 1 of the power blade cells and how fast do they charge from 0 to full, and how many amp hours are they good for? I can't wait to see the outcome of you guys efforts.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

i know it's silly isn't it - ah well lol - as for the specs on the blade i am reluctant to release specs mate - just in case i make an idiot out of myself lol

[@quadrant2005]

Hi there was this project never completed for some reason ? As i see this vehicle has not held an MOT since 2018, was there some issue with getting an MOT with the modified battery. Cheers regards Richard

[@50sventovit]

Very interesting and informative video. I hope the next video comes along soon.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

it comes when it comes mate - we are rather busy with stuff

[@scantrain5007]

Very intresting Video. Not so easy to get the Battery out - on purpose?! And when I see the ceap plasic material ... Ugh ... However - you did not gave up. Well done! Now I'm looking foreward about your Battery - difference of weight and dimensions.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@glauberdefreitaslima1064]

Have you opened the Twizy battery pack? How many modules are there inside of it?

[@AaronHarper]

Awesome mate! I am watching this with a lot of interest. :)

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

awesome mate

[@jburgess8318]

I can't wait to see it on the road :)

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

it's going to be pretty cool

[@NASIRUB1]

I'm wondering if you could increase the range by adding higher capacity batteries to that small battery box? Would that mean you have to change how you charge the batteries or what plug you can use with this car?

[@Davidlahall]

I'm sorry you were not able to meet your goal I only heard about it a few days a go and the same time I went to buy the kit but it was not available...i will definitely support the shop...again I am sorry.

[@damageben8325]

could you just replace this battery with an 60v 60ah lithium battery? with its own bms? so you only need to connect positive and negative? thinking of buying a twizzy. i already have the battery

[@salisbury1944]

May I recommend purchasing a trim removing kit - plastic tools (mini-crowbars and levers) sold on Amazon or eBay - perfect for helping to remove the clips and plugs on a modern vehicle without damaging anything... Regarding 'dropping' (lowering) the battery - do make a simple fixture to bridge the double frame and add lifting eyes to the battery box - then you can lower the battery with a simple winch mechanism... Both these operations are obviously going to occur several times - so it's worth a bit of expense/effort to make the job easy by making/buying simple tools... Regards, MartinB - Gothenburg, Sweden

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@jeffreyrood8755]

Great job guys! Can't wait to see more of it. Can you show the inside of it either before or after you've put in you new battery? Or is that top secret? Lol

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - we'll show the inside mate lol

[@RealButcher]

I see a pouch left and right in the foot-well. Looks exactly like my BMW C1-200 has. It looks serious the same kind of built as a BMW C1-200 .. The BMW C1-200 was made in Germany. Mayby there is a crossover somewhere.

[@nigeljohnson9820]

Seems to me that a smaller version of the power source for the Twizy would be ideal for an electric ride on lawn mower. A rechargeable carbon battery would appear to solve many of the problems of the current versions.

[@s.troper2642]

how much is the batterie?

[@Stuartrusty]

Exciting times! Great teamwork guys. Onward and upward. 🙂

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@mottabobo3217]

Way to go 'boys' and Godspeed. Cheers.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@rafailantoniou9341]

Can we upgrade the battery?? I want 400km per charge. Want to use it for delivery pizza

[@TelmoMonteiro]

Sound quality improved a lot since the old days! Thank you soo much for hearing the requests :) Most people will not notice "anything" and will not praise it because it is well done ;)

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

i always listen mate - sometimes it takes me time but that's only because we have so much to do - cheers

[@everlasting1154]

I was looking at all that heavy metal used to brace the battery and thinking it can be replaced by a stronger and lighter graphene plastic.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

yeah could be - but it also plays a part in the centre of gravity - the twixy is quite high it might make it a bit hard on cornering if you reduce the weight of the bars too much

[@wojciechmuras553]

How much does this battery weigh?

[@jamesguinness6209]

Please let Mr Smith borrow your lapel mic!

[@gr1f1th]

aww what a pain. I can't believe they designed the battery so buried under the trim in the chassis. Glad you got down to it.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@rompowertube]

1:25 Did you mean 40kWh? that would be enormous, the Twizy has a 6,8 kWh battery. Also, pleaaaase be careful and don't mix up: - kiloWatts [kW] - which is thousands of Watts, which is a unit measuring an amount of energy being used (or produced) by second => [kW] = [kJ/s] (or kiloJoules per second) - kiloWatthours [kWh] - which is thousands of Watthours, which is a unit measuring an amount of energy (because you multiply the power by time). => [kWh] = [kJ/s * 3'600s] = 3'600 [kJ] (or kiloJoules) because there are 3'600 seconds in one hour.

[@dft9786]

If I remember correctly you were about to install equipement to produce your batteries roll-to-roll. Why are you still doing it manually?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

wait for the update mate

[@TurboElectricUK]

Also... was this not able to be replaced under the lease agreement? Or was it a salvaged one or summat (wink, wink)

[@VinoVeritas_]

Steve got so carried away, he ended up painting his hoodie!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

he likes to put a bit of himself into every job mate

[@VinoVeritas_]

Robert Murray-Smith Well in that case, don't you think it's about time you took him of the YTS and started paying him minimum wage?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - i don't pay him anything mate - he's a co-founder

[@transdimensionalist]

fair play, my least favourite part of working on vehicles is the plastic parts, they are a struggle to get off, then bits snap off and they never go back as origional :o

[@transdimensionalist]

ps its not a proper job unless you have a few screws/nuts left over once youve finished ;)

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

we are hoping not lol

[@complex-information]

quick tip for your further sound technique: you can plug the mic with your smartphone and record sound parallel with your camera. Then put the sound file of your phone to the computer. There should be a mode in your video editing program where it automaticly synchronizes. (Better then having a long cable across the room)

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@iantheinventor8151]

What happened to the Twizy?

[@algirdaslazauskas2733]

Missed the train.. All solid-state hybrid batteries with carbonaceous materials are now of particular significance. This is the way to go and get funding. Keep up !

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@ianhill20101]

To take most modern cars apart we need more specialist tools than a snap on draw chest can take, I was impressed with the tizzy simplicity but it's quality shows in places, the main crash struture done OK in the ncap test so it's not a death trap and that's always a plus.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

indeed it is lol

[@lisakingscott7729]

Hey, great video, wonderful platform for playing with big batteries! I notice the treadmill in the background. With that connected to a generator, how long would it take to charge the Twizzy from it!!! ;)

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - for me - a year i don't run that fast lol

[@WileHeCoyote]

Awesome video guys! I really wanna dissect a twizy now! lol

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol

[@everlasting1154]

Does your battery need the heating and cooling systems that a Lithium battery needs? If not that can free up more space for more power blades as long as it does not screw up the computer.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

no thermal control required and we are going to have to rewrite the BMS mate

[@bobboo1319]

Robert Murray-Smith I was wondering that my self. On seeing that big aluminium bolcks..

[@stephaneislistening6103]

I have a dream :-) Driving a T6 California Beach running on Rob's battery !

[@topaciot]

Great video, can’t wait for the second episode ;D

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@free_spirit1]

How does it work with the Twizy battery? I thought you have to rent the battery from renault. How are you getting around that?

[@StefanHartmann-hartiberlin]

Well done ! Amazing work ! ;)

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@glauberdefreitaslima1064]

Well done man! I wanted toave some information about the battery pack (I didn't trust the Wikipedia's one). The driver’s handbook says that the battery voltage is 58 V. However it does not tell some other specifications: Brand of the battery. Limits of voltages ( if SOC is low, there is a maximum voltage that is required, if SOC is high, there is a nominal value (probably 58 V) Capacity (Ah) Energy( KWh) Internal resistance Cycle of life. Weight (100 Kg according to Wikipedia?) Is it possible to purchase comercially this battery pack? Yeah, I know I'm asking too much information, but I might get these information from forums and the battery's manufacturer.

[@eddieeddie7715]

Do you still have the old battery cells? I would interested buying them :)

[@showme360]

Why did they not go for a battery swop design with its own wheels!

[@fusion8484]

Could have saved a lot of work by just dropping the pack as intended through the floor of the car. Still interesting to see how it is built.

[@dandi5998]

NSW university here has also made paint on solar cells. Coming into the market soon.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

awesome

[@wowzow]

You should paint the twizzy in same colors as the c6 power blade! Too bad it's leased. :(

[@ArbitraryOnslaught]

Great work lads

[@Candyman97]

Hey interesting question, are you going to have to put some weight in it after you put your battery in? Because I'm thinking your battery is going to weigh next to nothing.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

no mate - our battery will still weigh a fair bit

[@Allwestconstruction]

How many bolts-nuts did you have left over after you put it back together?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

none lol - but then we do put them in little bags - label them and attach them to the part they came off

[@chazM6116]

why are you removing the battery?

[@DeliciousDeBlair]

Now waiting for parts 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on until you drive it and test it out... ~( 'w')/

[@jeffburford]

Delicious DeBlair Yes, what happened?

[@joeferreira657]

great job,thank you

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@markwilliams5654]

Nice and clear video thanks

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@staceystory7175]

Nice job I wish you were in US get rid of that big battery so she can go fast.

[@cooltroops8182]

Looks fun mate

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

it was a bit all hands on deck mate

[@jameswoll]

Can't wait to see you open it!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

next vid mate

[@20122017]

when will you show the next video of new battteries?

[@bridgendesar]

Does the weight of the battery give the Twizzy it's stability, I'm thinking your blades might not be heavy enough?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

awesome mate

[@tv-strategies]

Does the new battery need a balancing system for the cells?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

yes

[@tv-strategies]

Robert Murray-Smith are you using existing systems or did you design your own around your cells voltage?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

we need to re write the BMS mate

[@tv-strategies]

Robert Murray-Smith good luck! This is why I haven't tried making your cell yet. I was worried about balancing issues

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

fair play mate

[@Candyman97]

It wasn't till I was almost in my twenties, that I realized that you weren't suppose to have bits left over. lol

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

your not! - lol

[@c.n.crowther438]

Honestly I'd have just tipped it on its side. Or is there a specific reason you're not supposed to do that?

[@Tony-ti7wk]

indiegogo link is broken in the description to this video. Please fix it

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

fixed - thanks for letting me know mate

[@ElGatoLoco698]

now that you don't need that old battery, feel free to send it this way.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

we do need it mate - we are going to put it back in and resell the twizy when we have done

[@DavidLeeMenefee]

Darn, it ended too soon. Thumbs up...PEACE

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - cheers mate

[@batmanbegins72]

May i take the battery pack if you dont need it anymore? :)

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

no mate - sorry - we are going to resell the twizy when we have finished with it so we will need to re-install it

[@keithlatty]

Great job!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate