It truly shocks me how little effort there has been in to drop-in replacement e-axles in common sizes. You'd think it'd be the most obvious and easiest answer for EV converting older vehicles. Good call with the D44, it and the Ford 9" are probably the best choices for a first offering.
The batteries are, and will be for a long time to come still be, the limiting factor in EV's and EV swaps. Even with the new 4680 batteries, power density still just isn't there yet
Add another in a trailer/camper, with connection through traction control and ABS - no more speed wobbles on the freeway, accelerometer measures the trailer starts to swing, swap the axle over to regen and the drag pulls it all back in line. Then when you're off road, it provides drive-assist, with torque sensor on the tow hitch, so it's never able to drive the 4x4 forward, but reduces the mass the 4x4 is pulling.
@sethmaltais2567 as a series hybrid the range on fuel would likely be no better than that of a conventional vehicle, because the efficency of a generator and motor in series (with their controllers) is lower than the efficency of a mechanical transmission, negating the benefits of continuously variable drive ratio and smoothing out demand with a battery.
I would love to put one of these in my 89 CRX SI and one in my Del Sol SI. Awesome work by the way. Love the fact that you’re making an affordable way around the giants. Keep it up. HUGE PROPS!!!
You should reach out to Edison Motors/Deboss Garage. They're working on conversion kits to take a standard pickup to electric, using e-axles and a smaller diesel powered generator to recharge the batteries. They're currently working on deals to import axles from China, but they've said they'd prefer to work with a North American supplier
@brianb-p6586 fair point, but if there's a possibility of a cost savings it might be attractive for certain customers. Billet components may not be cheap, but if enough people were interested, a casting process could be employed, which would bring costs down. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't 🤷♂️
I have been wondering when something like this would get built. Everything I have suggested it people have always responded with issues of unsprung weight. I guess time will tell. I'd stuff two of these under our 71 1-ton econline. :-)
Honestly, this looks perfect to sit in the center of an amphibious atv. Send the power to clutches for the left and right side drive wheels and get rid of the loud lump that sits there up till now. Its compact and quiet, more powerful than most current offerings. Its all about price point. But for one off builds, this can fit into almost anything. Removing drive shafts and forgetting about driveline angles and binding is huge for any applications that require wheels to droop and flex. There's a lot of things to do with this. Can you imagine a VW buggy with this? Total fun times.
Hell yeah!…i just did 12hr youtube crash course on evs..a few things need improvement I realised,already had a billit casing in mind during this study,then i come across this vid and i am blown away!..hot rodding will never die!..
I'm trying to imagine an application for this but aside from EV showcar I can't think of any. Could you imagine that 300+lb (?) axle bouncing around on washboards?? if it even keeps together... That motor wasn't meant to be on "that side" of the springs. The model 3 has IRS, and that motor is bolted to the frame, not rattling around. Speaking of which..... where would you buy spares??? I know tesla doesn't even sell spare parts to owners.... not even a lugnut. Sounds like a world of hurt for a "whopping" 280HP to me. Man O Man, is it shiny though! Purdiest dana44 i've ever seen! Are those tig'ed stainless steel axle tubes? :)
It will be interesting to see if the vibration resistance of a model 3 motor is sufficient for an unsprung application. These were originally designed for IRS.
This is the kind of thing I hope is available for my truck build. Hope to see options keep expanding. I've been more interested in hub motors for my front wheels but the more options and development on this tech the better
I have a 93 YJ I eventually want to convert. Not there yet as we just did my son's 98 TJ to Hemi conversion and need to recover from that. This is a great looking build. Congrats!
My 66 Falcon Wagon would be a perfect candidate. Lot’s of room for batteries under-hood and under rear floor. Already manual steering and manual disc brakes. Super easy conversion, comparitively. Or perhaps my MG YB as a short range ripper. Very cool axle. Will be looking forward to an offering.
It looks good but I'm sceptical about the unsprung weight. There will be flex and torsion on the cables and coolant hoses. Also a lot of movement and shock on the motor components.
A lot of traditional solid axles are quite heavy--for example heavily armored Dana 60's common on Jeeps, heavy duty truck axles--even Trophy Trucks have very heavy solid axles. Yes, there will inevitably be flex in the cables and hoses, but a lot of existing applications have already proven that obstacle can be overcome--for example the Tesla Semi Truck.
@@TorqueMountainEV-iw1xd Semi Truck inertia mass damping does not translate down to A or B body car. The roll and bounce of the axle as a whole is going to compromise the handling. Di Dion rear end version for the win.
I doubt it'll cause issues. Plenty of people run Ford 9" diffs, as an assembly they weigh about 90kg. A Model 3 drive unit w- inverter weighs 80kg. I don't know what the drive unit in this eAxle weighs, but it would be close to an M3 unit. That places the mass of the assembly about the same as a Ford 9", which have been used for decades without issue.
Thanks! We're going to throw it in the Jeep for initial testing! Can't wait to take the Jeep to the track once we get it installed. Look for an upcoming video on the install!
I’m building a 1986 Toyota pickup. I started with a 2wd but I am making it 4wd with a Dana 44 and an AMC 20 out of an ‘86 Wagoneer. I’m trying to make a Marty McFly lookalike from bttf. Eaxles would be the cherry on top of an iconic vehicle…
I've got a 66 and was thinking the same thing! I believe the diff housing will be too big but I bet there are options to get something smaller in the future.
Probably not much more than the original steel dana 44. A dana 44 rear weighs about 250 pounds. A Tesla model 3 drive unit is about 195 lbs. Add the weight of the billet, tubes, and brakes. I'm guessing about 280-300 lbs.
The complete axle assembly as shown in the video is 313 lbs. There's a few things we could do to reduce the weight some--for example using chromoly axle housing tubing instead of DOM 1020.
@TorqueMountainEV-iw1xd how big of a tire will it handle? Are there any options for lower gears or portals? Is it strong enough to bash across rocks? I've had this idea for a while now, and it is so awesome seeing it implemented!.
@@TorqueMountainEV-iw1xd That kind of unsprung weight is only suitable for a very heavy vehicle to begin with. It would be totally different, and much more useful, as a chassis-mounted transaxle format, with articulated driveshafts being the unsprung weight.
I picked up a 1952 Willys pickup to build a ratrod with my kids. We've been kicking around a few ideas, but building a diesel hybrid with this would be AWESOME!
Wow, this is sweet! Good choice for drive units. Might be controversial, but I'd like to see this in 00-06 Tahoe/Yukon/Suburbans. Look forward to seeing how these will be paired up with motor controllers.
I have a CJ3A that a pair of these would be so cool under. I could just turn the engine bay into a battery storage. Would be the coolest set up with no drive shafts. Mind is blown.
It is still too early for us to set a price. We are just beginning the testing phase. We still need to finalize the BOM and quote everything out. We will definitely publish the price for transparency once we have one.
This would be so perfect for a small, well-made, cheap pickup truck like a 1990's Nissan hardbody pickup. Also This would be a sick way to convert a Ford Fox-body car like a Lincoln Town Car or a Mercury Grand Marquis from the 90's/early 2000's. Also a lightweight, electric, RWD, tubular chassis, offroad buggy!
One mounted front and rear driving a a set of sno-cat tracks. Put Warn lock in hubs on the drivers on all four drivers so if you ever want to run just one axle the other can free wheel or if you lose a motor in one of the axles you can uncouple it
Yo, TorqueMountainEV coming in hot! This eAxle bringing that electric power and mean torque! 🔥⚡ Perfect for custom hybrid game with some serious style.
It's pretty cool and exciting, but I think some of the commenters are forgetting about 1060lb battery and control systems that will be have to integrated in order to build an E-Rod
Amazing idea. What's the GAWR? 3,500 lbs? Definitely think offering a front axle would be a great idea as well, as well as maybe some heavier duty axle options for trucks.
Was any analysis done to take a look at casing deflection under load? Its a big problem for gear and bearing alignment in commercial ebeam axles. There's a reason conventional axles have steel or iron trunions and the aluminum ebeams have lots of ribbing. Curious how this will hold up if someone builds one with a narrow spring span, might be a good idea to put a limit on GAWR and/or spring span. Super neat idea though, those tesla EDUs are becoming very affordable and are a good design.
I think this would work nicely under a K5 Blazer (4x4). Add a smallish battery and a diesel engine to recharge the batteries (i.e. Edison Motors) and you have a great farm vehicle!
I was considering just buying a whole subframe model 3/Y rearend and going through a long process of figuring out mounting points to an old project but this would be WAY easier. More expensive albeit though? I really want a shortened IRS setup though for most older cars that have shorter tracks. Also would LOVE to know what kind of power you can get out of these by leaning on them a bit and giving them more juice? Whats the breaking points or hot spots that can be upgraded?
I love the idea, but the billet case really seems like overkill... I guess depends on the market. I just see that CNC machined case not providing much function, but making it cost an additional $10k. Sure looks nice though! Is there any chance of a making some parts for us "mere mortals"?
Thanks! All the manufacturing is done in Southern California--allowing us to control quality as well as innovate very quickly/iterate the designs very quickly. There are a lot of very critical dimensions on the housing--mostly not visible from the outside of the housing--that would always require at least finishing on a cnc machine. The billet construction also ensures consistent material properties. We don't currently have any plans to offer a cast version, but potentially down the road, we might be open to offering a cast version. And yes, also the style.
Best idea I've seen for my 1980 Shay Model A Super Deluxe roadster. No power equipment to consider, just heater and 12v lights. So would the Model 3 batteries and controllers, etc. be installed with it.
The center section looks a bit big and fragile for off roading but good for street use. Being unsprung it is going to take some abuse and be a bit heavy on the suspension. Once again nice for on road use.
They are answering zero questions, probably an indicator of how often they will answer the phone when something breaks. Cool product, poor communication.
Good point about unsprung weight. Maybe not a big deal on a 4x4 with large tires (already really heavy) but on a car, depends. What is it using for the differential?
We are confident we can make it handle fairly well for a solid axle--keeping in mind no solid axle car is ever going to be an F1 car. It has the stock Model 3 differential. We will likely swap in an aftermarket Model 3 limited slip differential for testing.
I have been looking for something like this to go into my restoration project, I am completing a 1984 Pontiac Trans Am over here in Australia but I am trying to make it a *all electric* KITT from Knight Rider. I may have to check out the website and see what you guys are doing, cheers for the video
It's really cool and I hope it works out, but one must also consider the downsides like increased unsprung weight and the inability to use a locker or limited slip. The Tesla unit alone weighs much more than a complete D44. We also don't know if the internals will hold up to all the bouncing around that a live axle does or the shock loading that it'll experience in off-road use. With big off-road tires it'll be under more stress being that it'll be over-geared and turning slowly with a high load so it's probably going to make more heat than it would in normal car use.
I would be looking at something similar for a GM 14 bolt, dually in my case, rear axle. I have been toying around with the idea of a De Dion axle to counter the unsprung weight. I just lack the resources to execute my ideas.
Out of curiosity , why not a 9" ford end , not that it really matters. We've talked about doing an electric track nose 23 t in the past. Would make a fun autocross car
It truly shocks me how little effort there has been in to drop-in replacement e-axles in common sizes. You'd think it'd be the most obvious and easiest answer for EV converting older vehicles. Good call with the D44, it and the Ford 9" are probably the best choices for a first offering.
The batteries are, and will be for a long time to come still be, the limiting factor in EV's and EV swaps.
Even with the new 4680 batteries, power density still just isn't there yet
The goal isn't to save the environment
They only want to make money on a new tech sector. This is why Right to Repair is being talked about more and more.
Power to weight ratio lol this is a waste of time lmfao
@@blanksender7808 ... it says 5 days ago on your post .... 15 years ago I would agree.
Two of these under a 4x4, with 4 cylinder diesel genset under the hood. That would make an awesome hybrid with extreme capability, and range!
Add another in a trailer/camper, with connection through traction control and ABS - no more speed wobbles on the freeway, accelerometer measures the trailer starts to swing, swap the axle over to regen and the drag pulls it all back in line. Then when you're off road, it provides drive-assist, with torque sensor on the tow hitch, so it's never able to drive the 4x4 forward, but reduces the mass the 4x4 is pulling.
too low for that. For 4x4 its still the traditional front engine/tranfer case layout that provides the best clearance and packaging
Hahaha. Two of those under a 4x4.😂 🤡🌎. Those would snap in a heartbeat
@sethmaltais2567 as a series hybrid the range on fuel would likely be no better than that of a conventional vehicle, because the efficency of a generator and motor in series (with their controllers) is lower than the efficency of a mechanical transmission, negating the benefits of continuously variable drive ratio and smoothing out demand with a battery.
Edison motors
I would love to put one of these in my 89 CRX SI and one in my Del Sol SI.
Awesome work by the way. Love the fact that you’re making an affordable way around the giants. Keep it up. HUGE PROPS!!!
Exactly what I was thinking 🤔
I'd love to do that with my Element SC... but the swapping to a solid axle from the current setup requires a bit more engineering.
You should reach out to Edison Motors/Deboss Garage. They're working on conversion kits to take a standard pickup to electric, using e-axles and a smaller diesel powered generator to recharge the batteries. They're currently working on deals to import axles from China, but they've said they'd prefer to work with a North American supplier
I don't think Edison Motors wants to use a salvaged drive unit, and would prefer only new components.
@brianb-p6586 fair point, but if there's a possibility of a cost savings it might be attractive for certain customers. Billet components may not be cheap, but if enough people were interested, a casting process could be employed, which would bring costs down. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't 🤷♂️
There hacks up north.
I have been wondering when something like this would get built. Everything I have suggested it people have always responded with issues of unsprung weight. I guess time will tell.
I'd stuff two of these under our 71 1-ton econline. :-)
@@Patriot3
It only took you four words (5 if you count the improper conjugation) to show your a 🤡 lmao
Wholly hell!!! Portals or center section for modular independent suspension!!! Absolutely badass!
That's what I was thinking.
Me too. Selectable locking, very sweet.
PORTALS for sure
Definitely need to do the front version as well as independent variations too.
I’d be tempted to put one of these in my old S-10 pickup.
Honestly, this looks perfect to sit in the center of an amphibious atv. Send the power to clutches for the left and right side drive wheels and get rid of the loud lump that sits there up till now. Its compact and quiet, more powerful than most current offerings. Its all about price point. But for one off builds, this can fit into almost anything. Removing drive shafts and forgetting about driveline angles and binding is huge for any applications that require wheels to droop and flex. There's a lot of things to do with this. Can you imagine a VW buggy with this? Total fun times.
holy unsprung weight batman!
@@Mp-jw1qg woulda thought some cv joints and independent axles would have occurred to somebody😁
That's exactly my first thought. Holy crap.
@@gerryatrix74 That's the original Tesla setup. Most people just find a way to attach the Tesla subframe unit to a vehicle.
@@gerryatrix74 Perfect for a de-dion build if you want to keep the solid axle suspension type rather than making provisions and clearance for A-arms.
It's a car, not a dirt bike
Hell yeah!…i just did 12hr youtube crash course on evs..a few things need improvement I realised,already had a billit casing in mind during this study,then i come across this vid and i am blown away!..hot rodding will never die!..
I love that in the first minute you say "it's just like a small block Chevy" 😸
I have a 32 Ford pickup that I want to convert to an EV, swapping out the rear axle for something like this would be perfect!! Keep posting more 😀
Thanks! That would be an awesome build to see!
I'm trying to imagine an application for this but aside from EV showcar I can't think of any. Could you imagine that 300+lb (?) axle bouncing around on washboards?? if it even keeps together... That motor wasn't meant to be on "that side" of the springs. The model 3 has IRS, and that motor is bolted to the frame, not rattling around. Speaking of which..... where would you buy spares??? I know tesla doesn't even sell spare parts to owners.... not even a lugnut. Sounds like a world of hurt for a "whopping" 280HP to me. Man O Man, is it shiny though! Purdiest dana44 i've ever seen! Are those tig'ed stainless steel axle tubes? :)
@@tshackelton 280HP would do really well in lots of applications. I own 8 vehicles, most of them have less than 280 hp :)
@tshackelton use one front and rear and it's all the sudden 560 horsepower and awd, then it'll rip.
Very cool. Amazing fabrication. Well done. Hope to one day get these in my country.
Great job guy's! Ignore the negative comments...
It will be interesting to see if the vibration resistance of a model 3 motor is sufficient for an unsprung application. These were originally designed for IRS.
interesting,
I had those concerns as well
0:04 Good luck catching me on the golf course now
This is the kind of thing I hope is available for my truck build. Hope to see options keep expanding.
I've been more interested in hub motors for my front wheels but the more options and development on this tech the better
This is a work of art!
That's absolutely stunning!
'91 Honda Accord coupe - could be a perfect "hybrid". Wonderful daily driver in beautiful shape with 321,000 miles; ready for its third paint job.
91' Accord Wagon, going strong at 301,000mi, og green paint(now matte greenish), 1 engine rebuild, 1 manual transmission rebuild. Would be sweet.
Wouldn’t the vibration and shock loads be substantial on the axle? I wonder how the motor mounted there would hold up over time.
This is beautiful! Need for my 91 Toyota pickup!
I've got a 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge restomod ready to go!
Sounds like a cool car!
That is awesome, surprised no one has done this before. I used to own a '59 TR-3A, I'd love to convert one of those to electric.
Looks amazing, love how the tubes connect to the, er, pumpkin? Seeing two of those under a jeep would be pretty cool.
Thanks! ...haha! e-pumpkin or pumpkin-e maybe?
I have a 93 YJ I eventually want to convert. Not there yet as we just did my son's 98 TJ to Hemi conversion and need to recover from that.
This is a great looking build. Congrats!
@@lajeeplife4170 Thanks! ... A Hemi TJ sounds amazing! The jeep this is going in actually has YJ springs on it.
@@TorqueMountainEV-iw1xd The TJ Hemi is awesome to be honest. The motor it should have originally. Well I guess it would have been the Magnum in 98.
@@TorqueMountainEV-iw1xd pEmpkin
My 66 Falcon Wagon would be a perfect candidate. Lot’s of room for batteries under-hood and under rear floor. Already manual steering and manual disc brakes. Super easy conversion, comparitively. Or perhaps my MG YB as a short range ripper. Very cool axle. Will be looking forward to an offering.
Can you mount longitudinally with front and rear differentials for 4WD?
this would be outstanding for my '68 f100 !
Thats awesome. The Toyota will look nice. The craftsmanship very well built definitely be contacting when I need to put the build together
It looks good but I'm sceptical about the unsprung weight. There will be flex and torsion on the cables and coolant hoses. Also a lot of movement and shock on the motor components.
Interesting thought. Makes me think of my rear hub drive e-bike: deffo fun but it hits obstacles like WHAM.
A lot of traditional solid axles are quite heavy--for example heavily armored Dana 60's common on Jeeps, heavy duty truck axles--even Trophy Trucks have very heavy solid axles. Yes, there will inevitably be flex in the cables and hoses, but a lot of existing applications have already proven that obstacle can be overcome--for example the Tesla Semi Truck.
@@TorqueMountainEV-iw1xd he's thinking about the centrifugal force effect.
@@TorqueMountainEV-iw1xd Semi Truck inertia mass damping does not translate down to A or B body car. The roll and bounce of the axle as a whole is going to compromise the handling. Di Dion rear end version for the win.
I doubt it'll cause issues.
Plenty of people run Ford 9" diffs, as an assembly they weigh about 90kg.
A Model 3 drive unit w- inverter weighs 80kg. I don't know what the drive unit in this eAxle weighs, but it would be close to an M3 unit.
That places the mass of the assembly about the same as a Ford 9", which have been used for decades without issue.
You guys are awesome just what I would need for my dream build… The Factory 5 1935 Hot Rod truck
That sounds epic!
4wd diesel electric hybrid. No fancy billet design work. Pipeline welding truck. Pipeline mechanic truck. Deep Alaskan mechanic truck.
I would like to see a front axle. It would be easy to convert a 2WD truck to 4x4/AWD hybrid EV.
Wow that ended up being so clean. Looks like an easy drop-in! Do you have any upcoming projects/vehicles to test this out on?
Thanks! We're going to throw it in the Jeep for initial testing! Can't wait to take the Jeep to the track once we get it installed. Look for an upcoming video on the install!
I’m building a 1986 Toyota pickup. I started with a 2wd but I am making it 4wd with a Dana 44 and an AMC 20 out of an ‘86 Wagoneer. I’m trying to make a Marty McFly lookalike from bttf. Eaxles would be the cherry on top of an iconic vehicle…
can you put yokes on the ends instead of axle shafts i have an independent rear an what do you use to control it
Very cool! Love drop in units
This would be phenomenal for my 69 Datsun roadster
I've got a 66 and was thinking the same thing! I believe the diff housing will be too big but I bet there are options to get something smaller in the future.
Tig welding for the win !
Definitely a very cool idea! What does that unit weigh?
Probably not much more than the original steel dana 44. A dana 44 rear weighs about 250 pounds. A Tesla model 3 drive unit is about 195 lbs. Add the weight of the billet, tubes, and brakes. I'm guessing about 280-300 lbs.
@@allterrainrandy2587 Much less than I expected! About the same as a Dana60, which is heavy but totally manageable. Thanks -
The complete axle assembly as shown in the video is 313 lbs. There's a few things we could do to reduce the weight some--for example using chromoly axle housing tubing instead of DOM 1020.
@TorqueMountainEV-iw1xd how big of a tire will it handle? Are there any options for lower gears or portals? Is it strong enough to bash across rocks? I've had this idea for a while now, and it is so awesome seeing it implemented!.
@@TorqueMountainEV-iw1xd That kind of unsprung weight is only suitable for a very heavy vehicle to begin with. It would be totally different, and much more useful, as a chassis-mounted transaxle format, with articulated driveshafts being the unsprung weight.
I picked up a 1952 Willys pickup to build a ratrod with my kids. We've been kicking around a few ideas, but building a diesel hybrid with this would be AWESOME!
That makes a crazy heavy axle.
Is it submersible?
Would love to see something like this with the cascadia/borgwarner motors. Still pretty awesome!
Where does the driveshaft hook up?
Wow, this is sweet! Good choice for drive units. Might be controversial, but I'd like to see this in 00-06 Tahoe/Yukon/Suburbans. Look forward to seeing how these will be paired up with motor controllers.
I have a CJ3A that a pair of these would be so cool under. I could just turn the engine bay into a battery storage. Would be the coolest set up with no drive shafts. Mind is blown.
Hybrid tech is really coming into its own.
It is not sexy enough for the media, but this is how progress is made. Incrementally.
Great job !
Wheres the inverter and how do you interface to it?
THIS WOULD BE INSANE WITH UNIMOG PORTAL AXLES FOR 4X4
Put it in an RC Kei Truck with a wheelie bar!
Cool. How big is the battery now?
I want this, looking at installing on a 73 El camino.............Please let me know when available!
Definitely need a setup for 4x4. What is the WMS to WMS measurement. How much battery real estate is required to run those?
Looks interesting, price as shown? Why leave out an answer to an obvious question?
It is still too early for us to set a price. We are just beginning the testing phase. We still need to finalize the BOM and quote everything out. We will definitely publish the price for transparency once we have one.
If you need to know the price or price isn't listed you probably can't afford it, that's how everyone else does it lmao
This would be so perfect for a small, well-made, cheap pickup truck like a 1990's Nissan hardbody pickup. Also This would be a sick way to convert a Ford Fox-body car like a Lincoln Town Car or a Mercury Grand Marquis from the 90's/early 2000's. Also a lightweight, electric, RWD, tubular chassis, offroad buggy!
One mounted front and rear driving a a set of sno-cat tracks. Put Warn lock in hubs on the drivers on all four drivers so if you ever want to run just one axle the other can free wheel or if you lose a motor in one of the axles you can uncouple it
Yo, TorqueMountainEV coming in hot! This eAxle bringing that electric power and mean torque! 🔥⚡ Perfect for custom hybrid game with some serious style.
It's pretty cool and exciting, but I think some of the commenters are forgetting about 1060lb battery and control systems that will be have to integrated in order to build an E-Rod
How do I buy 1
Do a side by side for size comparison, also what's the weight?
Nice! Would love this setup on a 1 ton axle
They should adapt to a corporate 14 bolt axel or dana 70.
Put a couple portal drop boxes on and then you have a crazy 4x4 axle
Amazing idea. What's the GAWR? 3,500 lbs? Definitely think offering a front axle would be a great idea as well, as well as maybe some heavier duty axle options for trucks.
Have you done any durability testing?
We're just moving into the testing phase now.
@@TorqueMountainEV-iw1xd Huh?? So you're here telling people to buy it but you haven't even tested it's durability?? That makes no sense.
Please share your calculations on the unsprung mass. Is the Tesla motor able to withstand being unsprung?
This makes a lot of sense for conversions. Is there price yet?
Was any analysis done to take a look at casing deflection under load? Its a big problem for gear and bearing alignment in commercial ebeam axles. There's a reason conventional axles have steel or iron trunions and the aluminum ebeams have lots of ribbing. Curious how this will hold up if someone builds one with a narrow spring span, might be a good idea to put a limit on GAWR and/or spring span. Super neat idea though, those tesla EDUs are becoming very affordable and are a good design.
Reminds me of the aluminum D44 center used on grand cherokees for a time.
Do You have an IRS Version? I need 3 of Them.
My 70 hemicuda has a dana 60..wishing you made it hybrid able! I'd plug it in for silent mode!
I think this would work nicely under a K5 Blazer (4x4). Add a smallish battery and a diesel engine to recharge the batteries (i.e. Edison Motors) and you have a great farm vehicle!
I was considering just buying a whole subframe model 3/Y rearend and going through a long process of figuring out mounting points to an old project but this would be WAY easier. More expensive albeit though? I really want a shortened IRS setup though for most older cars that have shorter tracks.
Also would LOVE to know what kind of power you can get out of these by leaning on them a bit and giving them more juice? Whats the breaking points or hot spots that can be upgraded?
Slap it in my 1987 Mazda B2000
I love the idea, but the billet case really seems like overkill... I guess depends on the market. I just see that CNC machined case not providing much function, but making it cost an additional $10k. Sure looks nice though! Is there any chance of a making some parts for us "mere mortals"?
Thanks! All the manufacturing is done in Southern California--allowing us to control quality as well as innovate very quickly/iterate the designs very quickly. There are a lot of very critical dimensions on the housing--mostly not visible from the outside of the housing--that would always require at least finishing on a cnc machine. The billet construction also ensures consistent material properties. We don't currently have any plans to offer a cast version, but potentially down the road, we might be open to offering a cast version. And yes, also the style.
Best idea I've seen for my 1980 Shay Model A Super Deluxe roadster. No power equipment to consider, just heater and 12v lights. So would the Model 3 batteries and controllers, etc. be installed with it.
Run that axle front and rear with Portal boxes. get the clearance with low gears. Throttle control switchable front rear or both.
If they made this independent rear it would be great for drift applications
Woaaaaah! love this. Killer job.
Someone needs to make a smaller version of this, something with a reasonable amount of power for a 4WD application.
There is Deboss garage has a few a videos on it
Beautiful!
The center section looks a bit big and fragile for off roading but good for street use. Being unsprung it is going to take some abuse and be a bit heavy on the suspension. Once again nice for on road use.
Wondering how this would do submerged? Can you back a boat into a lake or ocean with it?
Well, there’s gonna be a shark on one side….
im toying with the idea of making an EV buggy rockcrawler and this would be a total game changer
Good work guys .... So much better than sticking with an ancient trans. ... How much does it weigh, as its unsprung weight ?
They are answering zero questions, probably an indicator of how often they will answer the phone when something breaks. Cool product, poor communication.
Would be cool to have a small motor upfront for stock accessories.
And charging. Like what Edison Motors is doing with big trucks.
Good point about unsprung weight. Maybe not a big deal on a 4x4 with large tires (already really heavy) but on a car, depends.
What is it using for the differential?
We are confident we can make it handle fairly well for a solid axle--keeping in mind no solid axle car is ever going to be an F1 car. It has the stock Model 3 differential. We will likely swap in an aftermarket Model 3 limited slip differential for testing.
I have been looking for something like this to go into my restoration project, I am completing a 1984 Pontiac Trans Am over here in Australia but I am trying to make it a *all electric* KITT from Knight Rider. I may have to check out the website and see what you guys are doing, cheers for the video
This would be amazing in an old Volvo 245.
That would be awesome! Seems like there would be a lot of room for batteries as well.
Love it great idea
Estimated price ?
What is the gear gear ratio? Also, what torque is it capable of putting to the ground?
What would the weight of the batteries and anything else that would be needed for this ?
It's really cool and I hope it works out, but one must also consider the downsides like increased unsprung weight and the inability to use a locker or limited slip. The Tesla unit alone weighs much more than a complete D44. We also don't know if the internals will hold up to all the bouncing around that a live axle does or the shock loading that it'll experience in off-road use. With big off-road tires it'll be under more stress being that it'll be over-geared and turning slowly with a high load so it's probably going to make more heat than it would in normal car use.
I would be looking at something similar for a GM 14 bolt, dually in my case, rear axle. I have been toying around with the idea of a De Dion axle to counter the unsprung weight. I just lack the resources to execute my ideas.
Out of curiosity , why not a 9" ford end , not that it really matters. We've talked about doing an electric track nose 23 t in the past. Would make a fun autocross car
this shit is so cool
Great idea. I’ve considered turning my 36 ford sedan delivery into an EV
Add a BBC range extender and it's a winner!
This is awesome.
How much?
Have you considered building a Corvette Dana 44 with IRS?