Nissan Frontier EV Conversion

[J1000]

This thread will be about my next EV conversion, a 1998 Nissan Frontier minitruck! This is my first customer conversion! I am really excited to get started on this little truck. It should end up being a really fun and totally practical conversion. The truck is owned by my friend Dave who has wanted to convert this to EV since 2010. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get anywhere with it...until now. Dave is a retired high school shop class teacher and wants to use this truck to inspire kids to get interested in cars and mechanical stuff as well as solar energy and the possibilities of upcycling. Back in 2010 he had the automotive ed class repaint the truck and make the bed a tilt-bed. They also pulled the engine and all gas related parts.

That's where I come in. The truck is a perfect starting point, all the dirty work has already been done! Now I just need to make it electric.

His goals are 100 miles range and the end result to be a usable and practical vehicle that he can use to carry loads to maintain his mountain property and drive into town as well as show off and motivate kids to get into STEM.

So far we have acquired a 2019 Nissan LEAF donor vehicle. The LEAF we picked up has a 40kwh battery and 110kw drive unit, or 150 HP. It's going to haul ass with 150 HP! You have to remember that EV horsepower is totally different than gasoline HP. A gas engine makes it's power only for a few hundred RPM at the top of the rev range and below that it makes substantially less HP. An electric motor will make the full power basically from 0 to top speed. This truck will have 50 more HP than my 80 series! and weigh maybe 2000lbs lighter! It should easily get 100+ miles of range.

The plan is to use Nissan LEAF guts attached to the 5-speed manual transmission and the battery under the bed in the rear. Did I mention it's my FIRST CUSTOMER?!

 

[On the RX]

Interested to see how this turns out! Curious if you plan to build another battery box or fab up something to keep the original and make it easy to remove and replace if needed for Dave. I'm thinking of of cost and time savings if you keep the original components as designed. I imagine you'll have the doubler and custom shaft to the Trans to add in the drive train. Interested to see what else will be added or deleted from your original design for the 80 and what you think would be good for a mini truck vs a full size rig.

 

[J1000]

Interested to see how this turns out! Curious if you plan to build another battery box or fab up something to keep the original and make it easy to remove and replace if needed for Dave. I'm thinking of of cost and time savings if you keep the original components as designed. I imagine you'll have the doubler and custom shaft to the Trans to add in the drive train. Interested to see what else will be added or deleted from your original design for the 80 and what you think would be good for a mini truck vs a full size rig.

Yes I will need to build a battery box, there is just no way to keep the original LEAF packaging and also maintain the pickup bed. The battery should last a decade or two and doesn't require any maintenance. The biggest concern is safety and keeping all the high voltage inside.

This truck won't need a doubler like my 80 does. Since we are keeping the 5-speed manual we will have more than enough ratios to choose from. Probably 2nd and 4th will be the only gears used for most driving but the others available if needed and the ability to shift on the fly.

This truck should be a lot simpler than my 80 in multiple ways.

 

[DanS]

Very cool! Space for a second battery on the other side of the driveshaft in the future?

Dan

 

[J1000]

Very cool! Space for a second battery on the other side of the driveshaft in the future?

Dan

Actually I think the one battery may take up all the space in both sides of the driveshaft. In a small truck like this is should easily get over 100 miles. Maybe even 120.

I started a video series on the truck here is the first episode:

 

[J1000]

Here are some updates on the truck. Dashboard is stripped and HVAC is removed. Running wires and setting up electric heater. The transmission had a problem where it was locked up. Took it to a transmission guy and he got it working, said that while stored vertically it slipped into two gears at once. Installed new bearings and seals.

I got an adapter made with the help of @aprosise who machined the parts then pressed and welded them together. The adapter plates for the motor are off the shelf from a company in Canada. Then mounted up the motor and the inverter and PDM on top. Looks like it was supposed to be there.

Now starting on the battery

 

[KC Masterpiece]

Jimmy all of your work is so far beyond my understanding but it never ceases to impress. It all looks factory!

 

[On the RX]

Keep the vids coming!

 

[brettf]

Keep the info flowing - very much enjoying this!

 

[LARGEONE]

This is so bad ass!

 

[J1000]

Wow thanks guys I didn't realize people would be so interested. Here are some more updated photos. Dave the owner repainted the front end parts and we started mocking them up. Need to get some plastic clips and stuff like that and he will probably get new headlights.

The battery is going to take up all the space behind the cab. There will be 12 modules on either side of the driveshaft for a total of 24 modules. Total capacity is 40kwh.

The battery box is going to be a tight fit but it should at least fit.

I am also really pleased with how factory looking the motor stack looks now in the engine bay.

Has torsion bar front suspension so I will be able to easily lower the ride height once everything is sitting in its final spot.

We are going to block off some of the grill openings for better aero.

I have been doing updates every week on my youtube channel on this truck so don't forget to check the channel!

 

[rover67]

I dig it, nice work Jimmy! Super clean!

 

[brettf]

squeaky clean under hood! love it!

 

[J1000]

Thanks guys!

I powered up the truck and everything works! The wheels spin and the battery charges. Just have the battery set next to it on the floor so the next steps will be dissembling the battery and designing a battery box to fit in the truck itself.

 

[On the RX]

So just the easy part is left to do🫣

 

[J1000]

Spin up video:

 

[J1000]

Since I test fired the truck, we have been making steady progress!

I used a buddy's plasma table to cut panels for the two battery boxes. Material is 1/4" and 1/8" 5052 aluminum.

Each box will hold the same number of battery modules but the driver's side will also house the BMS, contactor box, connectors, and fuse which is why it's wider.

Battery stack 1

Battery stack 2

Also got the cooling system fully finished out and was able to re-use the cooling fan from the donor LEAF

Dave is putting some time into the bumper and got some LED driving lights installed really nicely using angle brackets and plastic weld. We will be blocking off 90% of the holes in the front bumper for better aero.

 

[On the RX]

Did you use a brake to bend the aluminum tabs down to weld or just hand tools?

 

[rover67]

Looks awesome! How do you handle cold weather charging or do the batteries have heaters in them?

 

[J1000]

Did you use a brake to bend the aluminum tabs down to weld or just hand tools?

I have a cheap Harbor Freight brake that I can do most of the bends with then fine tune with a hammer.

Looks awesome! How do you handle cold weather charging or do the batteries have heaters in them?

The software slows the charge rate down at very cold temperatures. There are no heaters but the internal resistance of the cells will warm the battery whenever it's charged or driven.