EV Battery Boxes Explained
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2024
- In this episode we look a what goes into building a battery box. From fabrication through to connectors, we cover all the main bits and pieces. However, one caveat is that this is NOT a comprehensive video on how to build an electric car battery box, that would take a lot longer than a short TH-cam episode.
Thanks to Mouser for sponsoring this video. Check out their site for lots of EV components that we use in all of our builds.
Find out more about the newest products on Mouser.com : mou.sr/48HM85a
For the TE Connectivity Duetsch connectors: mou.sr/3tkcA4u
For Amphenol Connectors: mou.sr/3tsXgT2
Car manufacturers could learn a lot watching these videos 👍
Not really
@@vidznstuff1 Why is that then?
@@agentcooper2417 this is a custom adaptation, it is not the most efficient in terms of space and weight but it is more than good for the application, car manufacturers already know how to create an optimized platform also in terms of costs and weight balance
@@agentcooper2417they have their own agenda, safety, monopolies, planned obsolescence 😊
This guy is amazing ,these conversions are fantastic in many ways better than big manufacturers , the battery packs are dry and protected not hanging under the car and they are easy to service or replace...
And that's about the last thing the major manufacturers want ! I love my EV but I do worry about it's repair prospects if I keep it past warranty .
Thank you Moggy, an interesting & informative insight into what goes on inside the 'Black Magic Box' 👍🏻
Glad you liked it 👍😀
Thanks
Magic box is full of magic smoke!
DON'T LET IT OUT!! 😬🤣
Great video, and these conversions are worth every penny that they cost 👏👏👏👏
I always learn something with these videos.
I enjoyed hearing about all the engineering in these battery boxes. Back in the early, lead-acid days of battery boxes, the DIY people used wooden boxes and such to hold tonnes of batteries in them. Your containers (and batteries) are miles ahead of those 1970s installs I saw way back then. Electric car conversions are the most fascinating subject in the whole realm of automobiles. I never tire of learning about your conversions. Aloha.
Thank you Awsome video going over parts a lot of channels miss
Great video Moggy very informative, you and your team I have to say do a fabulous job there, as I keep saying just love your attention to detail.
Look forward to seeing the road test of 'the Beast'
*GREAT EXPLAINER* Appears that the battery box module is a significant component in both effort and cost relative to the total conversion. *THANK YOU ECC*
Welcome 👍👍
A fascinating video for me. A significant amount of engineering to get these conversions on the road. Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed it 👍👍
Brilliant. It's great see what goes on inside the battery boxes. The four parameters, space, weight, voltage and Amps, makes perfect sense. Cheers
This is an extremely valuable vid, most people but worse yet shops selling kits seem to completely miss this point, they want to sell you an empty box with nothing in it!! This is one of the most important and complex parts of the build! Great explanation as always!!!
Great video Richard showcasing the detail of the design that goes into your conversions, using high quality components such as Mouser. It is always a pleasure to watch your videos explaining how you build and manufacture your Better than OEM quality classic car conversions 👍🏴😎
Many thanks!
What always amazes me, as somebody who works in industrial controls, encountering large motors every day; is how small the motors (and indeed inverters) are. For example this week I’ve been wiring 250kw motors which weigh over 1 tonne each, are approx 1500mm long and 900mm diameter, with inverters which are 600kg, 2000mm tall enclosures! It’s insane that they get 2 or even 3 times the power density in EV tech.
Thank you for this detailed insight, really interesting. Well done 👍🍀Looking forward, how you will develop the design of your battery boxes.
Your builds are always so tidy and it’s very interesting to watch. I have a T5 transporter, have you ever done anything on one of these?
No, a T3 is the most modern VW camper we’ve done so far. th-cam.com/video/7bMlFTJLEXU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=_VL6Bxuxm4Xj0KQK
Easy to follow along about the design build of a battery box major components. At a later time, can you do something similar for battery management systems: cooling, heating, regular, fast and super fast charging, AI?
Yep. We plan to cover the basics of all the aspects of EVs like that. Then later we can do some deep dive episodes on the same. 👍
Hey Richard. Love your work 👍
Thanks 👍
Now that's how you do an ad in a YT video! 👏🏻
I understand that you cant offer the comprehensive breakdown on how to assemble a battery box like this, but is there a possibility that a video like that could be made available? Here in the states trying to convert an f100 and would like to create something like this in the engine bay rather than my current plan of welding together a utility box in the bed. You are by far the most consistent EV page on youtube and i thank you for the information!
Great video.
Going for a lay down now, you've given me a headache trying to take it all in. 😂👍
Very nice work. I imagine you use a lot of CAD and 3D print and mockups. Would like to see a tech talk on that if you have one?
Very nice video about the general layout of the batterybox.
The one big thing i'm missing in all this is the BMS and BMS wiring 😅
We covered that in a previous episode 👍😀
We thought we’d cover the basics in this episode. But we did do some stuff on BMS in this episode. th-cam.com/video/zMsb_cfnTGg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=l00C05Ryma1wVh6F
Very Educational.. This is why love watching your videos.. Kudos 🤘🇵🇭
Thanks! 😃
Your wiring really does look First Class, and that helps to inspire confidence in customers and potential customers. Thanks for the explanation, Richard. One question, and I might have missed it, but do your cars have an easily accessible emergency isolation connector?
Yes. They all have an accessible isolator. 👍
Thanks. That's reassuring. 🙂@@ElectricClassicCars
Very interesting to see how ECC goes about designing their battery boxes. While "just a box," good design takes a lot of attention to detail, a complex mechanical engineering job. It sure looks like ECC does a first-rate job with their design and build.
That was way so cool. Thank You 🙏
You're giving away all of your secrets! Thanks for sharing!
Sharing is caring. 😉👍
Again Moggy, Great stuff nice info. Can't wait for the Jenny update¬
Always interesting to see just how these battery Boxes perform their function. I doubt that the Battery Boxes would be mounted upon elastic-type engine mounts (at the front of the vehicle), and, (as such), the battery Box would help to serve some needed stiffening of the chassis - or monocoque construction, resulting in a vehicle that handles much better. This is one spin-off benefit, not mentioned here. There is no heavy Engine Lump that is rocking and rolling under your bonnet!
I and my wife object to you calling us heavy lumps.
If you're under the bonnet, you're sitting in the wrong bit of the car 😉
True 👍
Thanks for your explanations of the battery packs. Here’s something I wish you would explain. Why do things effect electric vehicles more an petroleum vehicle? You said with fantastic looking black truck that changing tires would increase mileage by 15%. Why so much? Yes it would effect an ICE vehicle, but not 15%. Pulling a trailer is another thing that seams to effect an electric more than an ICE vehicle. Please explain. Use the whiteboard if needed. Love all that you guys do!
The effect is the same whether it’s petrol or electric. It’s just a matter of energy, I.e. how much energy it takes to push something along the road.
I suspect it’s that nobody cares about efficiency in petroleum vehicles. Petrol is extremely energy dense. If you need more range put in a bigger fuel tank, it’s just a sheet metal box. Petrol is lighter then water so the weight of the tank even full is not much. Batteries however have a low power density compared to petrol, are expensive compared to a sheet metal box and are heavy. Finding ways to not run down the energy in the battery is easier then putting in a larger battery.
As a person considering doing an EV swap, I wish this video was about 30 mins longer and 10 times as detailed
Id love to do a more detailed longer vid. Maybe one for the future. 👍
Very informative. But what about the race car that you were building, we haven't seen any more videos about it since.
Coming soon 👍👍
There is a dood commenting on one of your latest 4wd video that electric motors cannot be run continuously at full rated power in racing conditions or they will melt or demagnetise. I suspect you are going to prove him wrong.
Enjoyed that a lot. Good explaining. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nice info.
Look at Stauff cable/pipe clamps. Might be more easy than Print. They got SA black .
Im facinated by the prospects that blade format cells might offer ..
I know they already come in different length formats but im wandering if slanting in either plane would be helpfull in custom packing of battery cases.
I see a Mini up on the shelf. Have you guys ever done a Mini Moke conversion?
Not a Moke, but plenty of Minis. 👍
Question... do you fit lifting lugs to your boxes and are there drain holes allowed on the mounting brackets.
Yes, lifting lugs are often on the boxes but not always, as some are bottom loaded. 👍
Super interesting, I really like that
Thank you! Cheers!
Thanks for such a great video!
Glad you enjoyed it 👍😀
How do decide what materials and thickness to use for the box? Also curious if you always place BMS and charger at or in the pack? Thank you for another excellent video!
BMS should always be inside the battery box. Charger is best to mount as close to it as possible to reduce your cable lengths . 👍
Just curious why fuses instead of breakers? Are breakers too slow to respond when something happens?
Great episode except for the audio tone in the background all the way through
It was the rain on the metal roof. Welcome to Wales 👍
Moggy say it with me teslarossa update is coming soon as in now or next week would be great. 😁
Seriously good stuff as usual mate. Any insights on the most valuable ev battery box building lesson you've learned since starting this journey?
As in from the shops first EVer conversion to now, what has been your biggest break through, aha moment or takeaway? 🤔
Really really cool👌
Fascinating
Hi Richard, Do you install a cut chord or switch to kill the power around the vehicle for an emergency event?
Yes, every vehicle has an isolator, also called a device disconnect.
Hello, from one Richard to another THANK YOU!! I really enjoy your videos as part of my research. One think that just came to mind watching this video is... With some projects having more than one box, do the electronics see it as 1 battery pack? Could you for example have a smaller pack for daily use and then add another battery box if you need to go on a long journey? I've seen the Chinese cars that swap packs out and you lease a larger one if needed? Just wondering if any of your customers have requested such a thing, Drop tanks on the wings :) LOL
That was interesting thank you. I would love to have such a kind of retrofitting. The limiting factor is range. It’s just not enough for my purposes. Why aren’t range extenders a thing? For me it would be the solution but I just don’t find anything.
Thanks, once more, very informative!
But, one follow up questions, what are the requirements on the box, itself?
I'm struck by the structural integrity and weight. Seems sturdier than necessary, or am I mistaken?
I now understand that it (sort of) serves as a pin board for various services and connections.
But could there be a heat sink opportunity here?
Or scope for weight savings?
Pain!
(sorry Dune refference, I had to)
Love this clear info
3:02 That is very pretty cable management! Can you do the back of my stereo? 🙂
Are all your battery boxes made of aluminium?
Not all, some are steel. 👍👍
@@spudproductions7606 what's the main determining criteria for using steel vs aluminium?
.Watching these videos makes me wish I'd continued my BTEC in mechanical and electrical engineering, instead of switching to IT.
It’s never too late b👍👍😀
@@spudproductions7606 true! 👍🏾
I did BTEC Mechatronics, and when I'm out repairing equipment in the dark and the snow, I wish I'd done IT!! 🙄🤣
@@anthonyrawsthorne656 🤣 I suppose I should appreciate my choices more 😅
Moggy, thanks for another video of great content. One question on the 3 terminal HV connector, what's the 3rd for? besides the positive/negative going to the motor... thanks.
Nice❤
Very cool😎
👍👍
Awesome video, interesting and informative.
Thank you!👍👍👍
No problem 👍👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Where is the G wagen kit for Germany.
It seems there is one deficiency in the cooling system. The modules are cooled in parallel, good, but the coolant from the first battery flows to the second battery. So, the second is operating at a higher temperature and therefore will have a shorter cycle life.
So yeah vibration should be put in consideration because it induces stress to joints in electronics making them weak …. Why aren’t you considering that and it it advisable to ignore that in my project?
Cardboard Aided Design 😁 thats a new one
Salute
Great info 👍
Is there any filter on the burst panel, vented to ground etc?
Power vs range, is the same for any vehicle! 😏
Yes. Where to source those?
….and not an empty washing-up liquid bottle or toilet-roll tube in sight!
Does the cooling circuit do the cabin heat or is that a separate heater?
It's seperate, unless you get into the very integrated world of Tesla heat boxes where can use a heat pump to transfer warmth from the batteries to the cabin. If it's cold and you want to heat the cabin, you may also want to actively warm the battery.
There's a fascinating youtube video from WeberAuto that goes into the Tesla heating & cooling system. Basically it can take heat or cold from any part of the car and transfer it to another part of the car for incredible thermal efficiency, but it requires absolute design integration from every part of the car. I think we're a fair way off being able to use such techniques in classic conversions...
Heat pumps are closer than you think. We’re testing now. 😉👍
Hello mate
What is the minimum voltage you can run a Tesla drive unit on?
With 400v and up to 1000A that’s a serious amount of risk, do you legally have to have an Electrical license to work on EVs?
Any 10-15 megawatts or GIGAWATTS
Miniaturized ???
Nitrogen coolant container, plus have it charge the batteries
As it is driving.
Maybe ELECTRIC MOTORS COMBINED WITH A THORIUM REACTOR ALSO MINITURIZED
I hope that converting a Morgan +8 is possible? It's a realwheel drive and it has not much space to put a battery into. But I would be happy to know that.
I’m sure it’s possible. 👍👍😀
Loads of space for batteries ... remember, you are removing that huge V8 under the bonnet ... and the fuel tank ... and exhaust ... and possibly clutch and gearbox (though ECC often retain those).
@@MrAdopado Hmm , as I can remember the V8 block was Aluminium. I guess not much weight to replace it with a battery. Maybe with all together 300- 350kg ?
Thank you!
Isen't 800 volt the new standard. Porsche is using it The higher voltage the less amps to get to the desired wattage
5:23 wait; wait wait... Is that soldering helmet made of carbon fiber? :p
Welding helmet. 👍😀
Can you tell s a bit more about how the water cools the battery and what temperature does the water have to be? How is the water cooled? Is it cooled or is it luke warm?
This was just covering the basics. We plan to do more deep dives in future episodes so stay tuned. 👍
I believe for Tesla it's approximately 30c to 50c. The water is cooled by a conventional radiator.
Have you ever investigated Basalt laminate sheeting as aeither seperators or casings.. its lighter than alloy and stronger... Its actually used as a replacement material for ceramic isolaters in main grid power pylon insulators for hanging the cables...its also highly chemical UV and temperature resistant...
Its also highly impact/ballistically resistant and maintains integrity from -250 - + 850 deg c actually.
over a 1000...
Its green to produce use and recycle. 😉🧙♂️ Cost should be a bit more than E glass but below or on par with S glass.
It doesnt fail like carbon
It can be easily and safely worked and doesn't polute in the environment... its natural rock spun into fibers and can be added to resins or moulded into castings..or pressed pannels.
If you wanted to add lightness you can use it with flax .. just a 👽 thought.
Interesting 👍
@@ElectricClassicCars one issue currently is supply but its worth looking into ..
Theres some interesting links on u tube. and articles on CW the Composite 🌍 materials site.
Its been used in boat hulls try Windelo but in Eastern Europe they developed a whole range of products using it..
Three layers can stop a screwdriver blade or scratching.. over foam core and backed with more layers a bunch of Aussies fired a magnum at a transom it bounced it off ... It only scratched the gell coat /top layer. 🤔
There was a company in Ireland
Called Mafic ... but its globally fairly widely available.
Just carbon fiber tends to be like expensive jewelry these days.. but its environmentally problematic ..my interest is as a geologist environmental scientist and aging spanner head.. I think we need to reduce our technology impact and reliance on fossil fuels.
🧙♂️🇬🇧 if you want external links ive got to get past U tube blocks.🙄
Very comprehensive presentation :)
But somehow i can hear a wining like electrical sound in the video..
It’s the rain on the steel roof. 👍👍
It’s Tim whining on that I’m talking for too long. 🤣😆👍
Some very good quality work and explanations.
There are some very real positives for taking gas guzzlers cars off the streets especially as GB does not have e85 from Biofuels which is probably closer to carbon neutral. This is not to say obviously that electrification is the complete solution as all heavy vehicles waste energy (anyone doubting this is welcome to borrow my push bike out with the panniers filled up a few hills just to check).
However, could you handle the burning subject of how to deal with fires involving EVs (should one have this misfortune). Is it best to just run for it or is it possible to find a fire extinguisher that can be integrated into the design? What type of extinguisher? Capacity ? Possible activation from a safe distance?
In addition, Lithium batteries are just a temporary fix as they are heavy and environmentally questionable. Are alternatives coming to market and will they be easy (in your opinion) to replace the dated technology from one of the US suppliers ?
E85 was available for a while, meaning the Street Eliminator turbo cars where turning the wick up, and making some serious power, but I don't believe it's available now, which I find strange....
You ain't putting a lithium fire out, I think the big fire blankets should be part of the electric car kit, it won't be about putting the fire out, just trying to prevent it spreading.
@@anthonyrawsthorne656 E85 is alive and kicking in France, it is half the price of petrol!
[As part of France's energy transition it is very popular as it is made from agri waste (not maize as in US etc). It is simply crazy that the Cons disregard this. It would be a good solution for sugar beet contaminated with some of the awful pesticides put down (and which are unsafe)]
I agree that Lithium is not easy to manage, and this is why I would genuinely like to know if the pros have a solution other than making heavy boxes.
Here’s an episode we did on battery fires a few weeks back. 👍 th-cam.com/video/9kNIyTQ2jeM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=npVwWXmpAV__wRJf
@Andrew-vx2ls I think it's something in the region, of a year of the average persons consumption of corn/maize, to produce enough ethanol to fill large tank full of E85, which is probably why its not available in the UK tbh, although even at the current 10% ethanol content, potential food is taken out of the food chain.
Blue Peter Fashion here in Norway = her jukse mann litt(here we cheat a little)😅
I like it 👍👍
What do you think of tge video on TH-cam;
Prof PAUL CHRISTENSEN Electric Vehicle Battery Fires?
So why dont manufacturers use Battery boxes of this type of construction ?. i.e. The Range Rover hybrid which just took out 1000+ cars at Luton. That thing was going like a blowtorch under the car.
Because they are now designing the cars around the battery pack (mostly roller skate frame where the battery pack is so tightly fitting it actually provides structural rigidity). Remember, ECC are converting classic cars in a way that allows the cars to be returned to ICE, to ensure owners don't lose value if they decide to sell back into the classic car market.
NB: The above is my opinion, I am not associated with ECC or with the car industry. But I love classic and future classic cars.
Why does everyone think it was a hybrid that started the Luton car park fire. Who starts these lies? It was a 2014 diesel Range Rover, numberplate and as E10 EFL. Not a hybrid.
@@ElectricClassicCars AutoExpert has already confirmed it was the Hybrid model.
All seems very complicated to me lol
The complicated made simple 😂
What's in the box? Incipient fire bombs.
Seriously why does he talk funny? 🤣
With EV battery fires being quite common lately, how exactly do you manage thermal runaway should a pack combust? How do you minimise risk etc?
Which EV fires are quite common lately? I try to keep a close eye on such things and other than batteries in cheap Chinese scooters we seem to have had remarkably few. "Thermal runaway" is the term used for a battery that is beyond help ... as you would see in the video they make sure there is an escape route for gases in such an event.
EV battery fires are not common. th-cam.com/video/9kNIyTQ2jeM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=MiobDSnsHhw3nPKu
@@MrAdopado so you missed the news about the fire at Luton Airport from a Range Rover Evoque hybrid that took down the entire arrivals car park? It now has to be demolished as a result. As for the escape hatch, well that just let’s the fire vent. Is there anything within these battery boxes that acts as an extinguisher to control the fire risk?
@MrAdopado over the years, there's been hundreds of lithium fires in tech , but as such, more and more safety devices are in place (balance charging, low volt cut offs, over voltage protection, Tesla not allowing fast charging of any car that's had a decent G shock etc). Still not 100% safe, but getting better as time rolls on. Storing that much energy in a small place, os always going to be, challenging , be it Hydrozine, nuclear or electricity.
@barryamorris bigger questions need raised tbh, like why when there's a serious recall, (Believe the Range Rovers where being recalled, due to an issue with the high voltage line?), are the cars still driving about.
Although the % risk is low atm, as more and more EV's are on our roads /car parks, we'll see /hear more, maths says that, but also more and more will be aging with batteries coming to the end of their working life.
I know IC cars have fires (classic car scene is awash with fuel lines rotting with modern ethanol fuel), I've got an OMP system for under the bonnet suppression for my project, so not sure if a similar systems can be fitted to these battery boxes.
Great video - thanks. Are the boxes aluminium or steel (stainless?). Are the boxes permanently sealed (looks like a large amount of gooey sealant is applied as well as a number of fasteners) to stop customers getting inside and having a fiddle? Lastly, Mike Brewer, you must tell us all about your amazing weight-loss scheme. You are looking grand!
Hold out your hand 👍👍
Is there another season coming? Also, can you get the episodes on American Motortrend?
We did 2 seasons of Vintage Voltage. Not sure where you can watch it in which country. No more planned. Having too much fun doing TH-cam stuff now. 👍
@@ElectricClassicCars US, and found most episodes of season two online
If it were true Blue Peter fashion they’d be made out of a couple of loo rolls and some double-sided sticky tape. 😂
And I’ve had a dog jumping up on the workbench all the time. 😉👍