Thanks.

This is quite interesting. In my country, a used FL1 still costs $6000 or more! :D

Always wanted one of these and always heard about the mechanical issues with the few guys that have them around. Made the prefect candidate for EV for daily use here as this is a small country too ;)
 
Thanks.

This is quite interesting. In my country, a used FL1 still costs $6000 or more! :D

Wow. Maybe we should start buying here in the UK and ship them out. The very top price in the UK for an immaculate TD4 HSE would be £3500, and that would be at a dealer.

Private sales on a similar vehicle would be about £2500, so spending £800 on brakes would seem expensive.
 
The idea is to do the project in such a way that I can still drive the car as my daily and be able to do so over a 6 month period with minimal downtime.

The front and rear brake upgrades have cost me a total of $800 for parts, all labor is mine so basically free.

I understand Tesla parts are pricy but with some technical knowhow I will be able to get the entire initial conversion cost below $7000 for the first phase!
I got and ordered a small Front Drive unit, 10Kw charger and DCDC unit from a 2017 Tesla for $1900 from a US car breaker, Shipping to Kenya is $800 via sea freight. This takes about 3months to arrive (enough time and another reason to start other swaps)
I have also ordered the motor inverter controller and 10KW charger boards based off Damián's (EVBMW-open source Tesla controllers) designs for a total of $400 from JLCPCB fab in China. I will build them and install the firmware once they arrive.

So the Tesla bits will cost me about $3100 total to have ready to install including the subframe modifications. That isn't too much for what I am getting.
I have a budget of $3500 for batteries and BMS(open source) which should fit my phase 1 budget. So yea, I have done the math, have the complete parts list and may make changes based on what becomes available in terms of batteries and your ideas.

Lets see how it goes.
I like your thinking regarding the electric components and have to admit I'm surprised you can get the Tesla parts that cheap, but I don't like the idea of going FWD, when you try it you'll see why.
Now if you could fit the Tesla drive unit in the back, doing away with the rear diff and graft the drive shafts together then you could be onto a winner. With all the drive train at the back you have the full of the front for batteries, charger, Inverter/Converter etc to keep the weight balance correct. I guess the only issue would be ground clearance but if it's not to be an off roader then it won't matter.
There should be loads of space at the back for the drive unit when the fuel tank and exhaust are removed. If necessary you could even take away the wee cubby hole in the boot.
 
Always wanted one of these and always heard about the mechanical issues with the few guys that have them around.
I've had Freelanders for 10 years, and love them on the whole. The mechanical issues aren't anything like people will have you believe. The components are actually really robust, but do need a degree of user understanding of how to maintain the vehicle, tyres playing a particular part in this. The FL1 simply doesn't tolerate odd tyres, or new tyres put on the front. This action causes the VCU to transfer too much drive, which causes the IRD bearings to collapse. Other than this, the drive line is pretty robust, if looked after correctly.
Made the prefect candidate for EV for daily use here as this is a small country too

I do have a need for a small electric 4X4, which has a limited range, for local trips, so am considering an EV FL1 myself at some point in the future. I will be going the more conventional route of removing the ICE and using the Leaf motor assembly on to the TD4 gearbox. This way I keep the AWD capability, but keep complexities to a minimum, while allowing sufficient space batteries to take it 100 miles or so. Performance isn't an issue, as the body/ suspension isn't up to much more anyway, and the standard brakes are more than good enough too.
It'd be difficult to get a heavily modified body/subframe to pass any kind of road worthiness tests here anyway, which is why it's best to keep all the body structure / subframes and suspension as it left the factory.
 
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Fookin bloody el !!! .....

Max Current: Up to 1000 Amps
Rated Power: Up to 400kW
Input Voltage: 275-400 Volts

My L Series knocks out 72kw.

Not surprised its a tad pricey.

That's the large power unit, so the small power unit has less grunt.

Don't forget that these power units still need suitable batteries, which could cost the same again, if not more if a decent range is needed. This would make a FL1 EV conversion a non-starter, as it'd cheaper to simply buy a complete and running Tesla instead. ;)
 
That's the large power unit, so the small power unit has less grunt.

Don't forget that these power units still need suitable batteries, which could cost the same again, if not more if a decent range is needed. This would make a FL1 EV conversion a non-starter, as it'd cheaper to simply buy a complete and running Tesla instead. ;)
I wouldn't need a big battery pack - I'd crash it at the first corner :p

Horses for courses though, guy I work with is contemplating getting an i-Pace - that is eye wateringly expensive and at the end of the day its just a car. Depends what car you want to drive and where you want to spend your money.
 
I wouldn't need a big battery pack - I'd crash it at the first corner
LOL.:D
Horses for courses though, guy I work with is contemplating getting an i-Pace - that is eye wateringly expensive and at the end of the day its just a car.
If someone is in the position to by a new car, then spending 50% more on an EV can make a lot of sense, if the plan is to keep it for a long period.

A premium EV will hold its value much better than an equivalent ICE vehicle.

A good example would be a BMW 3 series, VS a Tesla model 3, if keeping it for 10 years. In that time a £35k BMW would loose 90% of its value, so would be worth about £3500. A £50 Tesla Model 3 on the other hand should retain 50% of its value, so should still be worth around £25k after 10 years. This doesn't include running costs, so things like fuel (most EVs cost under 1/3rd per mile), servicing costs, repairs and the like, the savings add up.

It's pretty easy to dismiss a new EV as an expensive extravagance, but if bought with the intention of long term ownership, then they actually make huge financial sense, once all factors are considered ;)
 
I like your thinking regarding the electric components and have to admit I'm surprised you can get the Tesla parts that cheap, but I don't like the idea of going FWD, when you try it you'll see why.
Now if you could fit the Tesla drive unit in the back, doing away with the rear diff and graft the drive shafts together then you could be onto a winner. With all the drive train at the back you have the full of the front for batteries, charger, Inverter/Converter etc to keep the weight balance correct. I guess the only issue would be ground clearance but if it's not to be an off roader then it won't matter.
There should be loads of space at the back for the drive unit when the fuel tank and exhaust are removed. If necessary you could even take away the wee cubby hole in the boot.

Most FL1s here are converted to FWD due to issues with engines, gearboxes and transmissions that are too expensive to replace. They are swapped to FWD Toyota engines and gearboxes with all the rear diff parts removed. So I have driven quite a number of FWD FL1s and they are perfectly fine.

Again, this is a two step conversion and the FWD bit is the first part as its easier to do. I will install a rear motor down the road.

That's the large power unit, so the small power unit has less grunt.

Don't forget that these power units still need suitable batteries, which could cost the same again, if not more if a decent range is needed. This would make a FL1 EV conversion a non-starter, as it'd cheaper to simply buy a complete and running Tesla instead. ;)

Just to put costs in perspective here in Kenya where I live;

A 2016 used Tesla imported to Kenya will cost no less than $65,000 .
We don't have any incentives for EVs, so a new Tesla costs upwards of $120,000

I can (and plan) to convert the FL1 to dual Tesla (small) motors for under $15000 with a respectable 200Km of range within a year.
Each of the motors can do 220kW so I target 400kW when this is done.

As for the topic of batteries, it makes no sense to dump over $5,000 for batteries that will cost a quarter the price in a year( battery prices are plunging at an absurd rate). I reason I can get away with 150km of range for the first 1 year, the increase this as battery prices drop.
 
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Update on Front Brake upgrade
Got the parts(just in case someone else wants to do the same):
1. Acura 2007 TL-S Front Brembo 4 -piston calipers
2. Acura 2007 TL-S Front Rotors
3. Acura 2007 TL-S Front Ceramic brake pads.
4. 38mm spacers to get wheel clearance with my current stock rims.

20200820_205802.jpg
20200821_081118.jpg


I was so anxious and excited I wanted to do a test fit as this was all theoretic since no one has done this conversion on a FL1. Don't mind the upside down caliper mount - its just a test fit. ;)

20200821_083352.jpg


Everything fits bolt on!! Just need to widen the hub caliper mount holes to 14mm for the Brembo bolts. Everything else is spec on!!

20200821_083411.jpg


Now on to rebuilding and repainting the Brembo calipers before installation.
I will also replace the stock brake lines with steel ones just for peace of mind. Will update once that is done.
 
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Most FL1s here are converted to FWD due to issues with engines, gearboxes and transmissions that are too expensive to replace. They are swapped to FWD Toyota engines and gearboxes with all the rear diff parts removed. So I have driven quite a number of FWD FL1s and they are perfectly fine.

Again, this is a two step conversion and the FWD bit is the first part as its easier to do. I will install a rear motor down the road.



Just to put costs in perspective here in Kenya where I live;

A 2016 used Tesla imported to Kenya will cost no less than $65,000 .
We don't have any incentives for EVs, so a new Tesla costs upwards of $120,000

I can (and plan) to convert the FL1 to dual Tesla (small) motors for under $15000 with a respectable 200Km of range within a year.
Each of the motors can do 220kW so I target 400kW when this is done.

As for the topic of batteries, it makes no sense to dump over $5,000 for batteries that will cost a quarter the price in a year( battery prices are plunging at an absurd rate). I reason I can get away with 150km of range for the first 1 year, the increase this as battery prices drop.

I'm really looking forward to seeing this. Please keep us updated.
 
I admire your abilities and vision for this project..

However a 60mi range for the outlay seems quite poor?

Where do the batteries go in the Freelander?

Not being a party pooper just wonderiing! :D
 
LOL.:D

If someone is in the position to by a new car, then spending 50% more on an EV can make a lot of sense, if the plan is to keep it for a long period.

A premium EV will hold its value much better than an equivalent ICE vehicle.

A good example would be a BMW 3 series, VS a Tesla model 3, if keeping it for 10 years. In that time a £35k BMW would loose 90% of its value, so would be worth about £3500. A £50 Tesla Model 3 on the other hand should retain 50% of its value, so should still be worth around £25k after 10 years. This doesn't include running costs, so things like fuel (most EVs cost under 1/3rd per mile), servicing costs, repairs and the like, the savings add up.

It's pretty easy to dismiss a new EV as an expensive extravagance, but if bought with the intention of long term ownership, then they actually make huge financial sense, once all factors are considered ;)

I agree 100% but the average joe even if bought outright doesn't keep their vehicles for long periods.

And the market holding 50% of it's value i'd be inclined to disagree with a 2014 Model s on the trader is asking 31k so 7rs old is worth less than half what it was worth new which was around £77k with 65k miles on it.

Not arguing with you..

Just looking..
 
Nice brakes. :)
You might want to check out @Diesel Do 's thread here.
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/diesel-dos-l-series.285116/
I'm pretty sure he upgraded front and rear brakes too.
Plus he sells bits and pieces from his web site MuddyMods.com

Thanks. I did look through his thread during my research phase of the project, however, I wanted a sort of drop in front brake upgrade as I didnt want to install brackets or put in too much effort(restoring the calipers is more work than I need) ;).
I actually found out that the Acura TL-S 2005-2007 and Honda Civic Type S 2004-2005 share a lot in terms of platform bits with the FL1. Has something to do with Honda being part of the RnD for the three cars.

So to make most of my conversions easy, the uprated parts will be either from a Honda Civic Type S 2004 or an Acura TL-S 2007. I have ordered a Honda Type S Electric steering rack for the hydraulic steering delete that is coming up.

The FL1 has the same front knuckles as the Acura TL-S and Honda Type S so the brake parts are near drop in replacements from the stock bits.

I admire your abilities and vision for this project..

However a 60mi range for the outlay seems quite poor?

Where do the batteries go in the Freelander?

Not being a party pooper just wonderiing! :D

60miles is within round trip range of everything I need to access within the capital city of Nairobi. That's pretty much what my daily driving covers (or less).

I plan to have about 32KWh of batteries where the current fuel tank is.
This is enough space to pack in the batteries, charge controller and DC-DC converter just to make it compact.
I intend to provide access to the converter and charge controller from the rear seats (which thankfully on the FL1 can be lifted up easily for access to that part of the car). Plan is to have a final 60KWh pack in this space through to the transmission space for a low COG. This should be good for 200km of spirited driving range ;).

NOTE: Technically the FL1 5dr has about 54,000 cubic inches in the engine bay area and about 9,200 cubic inches where the fuel tank is. A quarter of this is enough space to pack about 80KWh of battery based on a second life EV battery with about 250Wh/L of energy density. Most new EV batteries have about 500-650Wh/L but I am not using new batteries for cost reasons.
 
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Thanks. I did look through his thread during my research phase of the project, however, I wanted a sort of drop in front brake upgrade as I didnt want to install brackets or put in too much effort(restoring the calipers is more work than I need) ;).
I actually found out that the Acura TL-S 2005-2007 and Honda Civic Type S 2004-2005 share a lot in terms of platform bits with the FL1. Has something to do with Honda being part of the RnD for the three cars.

So to make most of my conversions easy, the uprated parts will be either from a Honda Civic Type S 2004 or an Acura TL-S 2007. I have ordered a Honda Type S Electric steering rack for the hydraulic steering delete that is coming up.

The FL1 has the same front knuckles as the Acura TL-S and Honda Type S so the brake parts are near drop in replacements from the stock bits.



I plan to have about 32KWh of batteries where the current fuel tank is.
This is enough space to pack in the batteries, charge controller and DC-DC converter just to make it compact.
I intend to provide access to the converter and charge controller from the rear seats (which thankfully on the FL1 can be lifted up easily for access to that part of the car). Plan is to have a final 60KWh pack in this space through to the transmission space for a low COG. This should be good for 200km of spirited driving range ;).

NOTE: Technically the FL1 has about 54,000 cubic inches in the engine bay area and about 9,200 cubic inches where the fuel tank is. A quarter of this is enough space to pack about 80KWh of battery based on a second life EV battery with about 250Wh/L of energy density. Most new EV batteries have about 500-650Wh/L but I am not using new batteries for cost reasons.

That sounds quite good!

More power to ya "ha" ;) :)
 
Thanks. I did look through his thread during my research phase of the project, however, I wanted a sort of drop in front brake upgrade as I didnt want to install brackets or put in too much effort(restoring the calipers is more work than I need) ;).
I actually found out that the Acura TL-S 2005-2007 and Honda Civic Type S 2004-2005 share a lot in terms of platform bits with the FL1. Has something to do with Honda being part of the RnD for the three cars.

So to make most of my conversions easy, the uprated parts will be either from a Honda Civic Type S 2004 or an Acura TL-S 2007. I have ordered a Honda Type S Electric steering rack for the hydraulic steering delete that is coming up.

The FL1 has the same front knuckles as the Acura TL-S and Honda Type S so the brake parts are near drop in replacements from the stock bits.



60miles is within round trip range of everything I need to access within the capital city of Nairobi. That's pretty much what my daily driving covers (or less).

I plan to have about 32KWh of batteries where the current fuel tank is.
This is enough space to pack in the batteries, charge controller and DC-DC converter just to make it compact.
I intend to provide access to the converter and charge controller from the rear seats (which thankfully on the FL1 can be lifted up easily for access to that part of the car). Plan is to have a final 60KWh pack in this space through to the transmission space for a low COG. This should be good for 200km of spirited driving range ;).

NOTE: Technically the FL1 5dr has about 54,000 cubic inches in the engine bay area and about 9,200 cubic inches where the fuel tank is. A quarter of this is enough space to pack about 80KWh of battery based on a second life EV battery with about 250Wh/L of energy density. Most new EV batteries have about 500-650Wh/L but I am not using new batteries for cost reasons.
A 24kWh pack will give a nissan Leaf around 75 to 85 miles range so a 32kWh pack should give a Freelander a lot more than 60 miles. I haven't done the maths but I would like to think 100 miles would be achievable with 32kWh
 
A 24kWh pack will give a nissan Leaf around 75 to 85 miles range so a 32kWh pack should give a Freelander a lot more than 60 miles. I haven't done the maths but I would like to think 100 miles would be achievable with 32kWh

You are right to an extent.

Here is the simple math:

If you want the APPROXIMATE range (miles) a battery pack will cover, just multiply the battery capacity by 3.

An EV will consume between 200-650W/km depending on throttle mapping, motor efficiency, electric accessories and general road driving conditions aside from the obvious aerodynamic considerations. The Nissan Leaf is on the lower end of this scale for the sake of range so its motor is not programmed for spirited 0-60 or 60-120 "pulls" hence its 6.7ish seconds 0-60 times and more range.

With the small Tesla drive unit I will be going for full beans aka 220kW for those traffic light pulls etc :D so the 32kWh pack will be depleted faster. My daily workday circuit is about 40miles so that's plenty of sleeper goodness for a day.
 
You are right to an extent.

Here is the simple math:

If you want the APPROXIMATE range (miles) a battery pack will cover, just multiply the battery capacity by 3.

An EV will consume between 200-650W/km depending on throttle mapping, motor efficiency, electric accessories and general road driving conditions aside from the obvious aerodynamic considerations. The Nissan Leaf is on the lower end of this scale for the sake of range so its motor is not programmed for spirited 0-60 or 60-120 "pulls" hence its 6.7ish seconds 0-60 times and more range.

With the small Tesla drive unit I will be going for full beans aka 220kW for those traffic light pulls etc :D so the 32kWh pack will be depleted faster. My daily workday circuit is about 40miles so that's plenty of sleeper goodness for a day.
I see, so what your saying is when driven by an auld fart like me 100 miles is easily do-able but when driven like a hooligan by you, maybe not. :p
I'd recommend you put lots of batteries up front if you plan to play at the stop lights drag race.
 
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