Edison Motors announces their pickup truck kit

[sean donato]

It's all in the eyes of the inspector. We are supposed to make sure it is safe but can't poke it. I don't really get too fussy but you see trucks come in that have frames cut to lower them and such. Our 1 hour pay doesn't really give much time to inspect everything. Especially when you have to beat the brake drums off or take rear rotors off to check e brake linings.

We're allowed to take up to two hours, but no less then one hour. Funny bit, is it doesn't matter if it a compact car or semi or pusher rv or buss same times frame for all of them. You can take longer then 2 hours, but you "cant" charge the customer.

 

[farmhard]

We also could not refuse to do an inspection but I could be very busy and have a backlog of appointments. We sold cars so it didn't make sense to certify other peoples junk and almost every time led to a catastrophe where the seller said the vehicle was "well maintained". It's hard to get paid when the customer overpays very clean price for stuff that needs control arms and a gas tank after they blew their budget. We had a customer that needed a 4.9 in a Caddy who worked part time at 7-11 if you get my point.....

 

[blades]

i am i the salt belt, besides the main rust the electrical systems get trashed also by corrosion by the atmosphere. never buy a used car from a coastal state/ area. sea air is as bad as the salt belt maybe worse.

 

[GenXer]

 

[Sidecarflip]

Just a bit of duct tape and baling wire is all that is needed................

View attachment 1135684

Damn good plow truck. I want one as well....lol

 

[Bill G]

Damn good plow truck. I want one as well....lol

I have seen a ton of trucks here that look like crap but the owners are top notch mechanics and keep them in great mechanical condition.

 

[Sidecarflip]

Kind of reminds me of my 97 F350 but mine is rust free because it sleeps in a heated garage all winter on a battery tender. That 'Edison' conversion would be just right for it actually. Already 4 wd so the suspension is already in place and I bet the 7.3 Navistar Turbo diesel would power a genny, no issue too.

Why none of my ag tractors are computer controlled or have all that emissions crap on them. All high pressure mechanical injection with Bosch designed fuel rail pumps. I don't anything to do with computer controlled Can Bus crap and never did. Bad enough it's in my car as it is.

I don't give two hoots about clean exhaust stack emissions in reality. If they are blowing smoke, it means they are working hard and to me that is what farm tractors are all about anyway. None of my tractors smoke unless I'm working them hard. If hey aren't, all you can see is heat coming out of the exhaust stacks. Diesels are heat engines, not EPA toys.

 

[farmhard]

Already 4 wd so the suspension is already in place and I bet the 7.3 Navistar Turbo diesel would power a genny, no issue to

A 7.3 is way too much motor. A 3 cyl Kubota or Deutz would suffice but IMO a diesel makes no sense as the duty cycle will be too short to run the engine properly. A 2.5 gas engine would be plenty unless towing a trailer.
The suspension gets tossed, the front springs at the very least will need to be changed to get your camber right.

 

[sean donato]

A 7.3 is way too much motor. A 3 cyl Kubota or Deutz would suffice but IMO a diesel makes no sense as the duty cycle will be too short to run the engine properly. A 2.5 gas engine would be plenty unless towing a trailer.
The suspension gets tossed, the front springs at the very least will need to be changed to get your camber right.

He's got a solid axle in his truck with leaf springs, unless they go fully independent it wouldn't be an issue.

 

[farmhard]

He's got a solid axle in his truck with leaf springs, unless they go fully independent it wouldn't be an issue.

Yeah, it's been awhile since I saw an F350. I have an E350 here is why I said that.

 

[GenXer]

I bet the 7.3 Navistar Turbo diesel would power a genny, no issue too.

I think the idea is to burn less fuel.

But it would power it without a problem.

 

[farmhard]

I think the idea is to burn less fuel.

But it would power it without a problem.

I run a 2023 Rav 4 hybrid 2.5L, it burns 30% of the fuel my Windstar did and 15-20% of my E150

 

[GenXer]

Yeah, it's been awhile since I saw an F350. I have an E350 here is why I said that.

I have an 07 F-350. Dana 60's front and rear. Front has springs back is leafs.

 

[farmhard]

I have an 07 F-350. Dana 60's front and rear. Front has springs back is leafs.

True that, like I said I haven't been under one of those in 15 years or so. My E350 is the 5.4L so it's twin I beams but I thought all the 7.3's were solid axles. Having said that if the genset is half the weight of the engine, trans, transfer and drive shafts the front leafs or coils may be too heavy. I have seen reports of newer trucks (5 years or less) with slide in campers (with correct weight rating) flexing the frames and breaking them. We might also see an issue in the vintage truck frames (that had 30% sandblasted off as oxides and stress fractures).
In my early 20's I built some car frames for hotrods, then go and see somebody's project where they boxed a rail in on a 50 year old frame with a 110V welder and I would shake my head.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Edison's current plan is to replace the existing engine with a 3.6L diesel genset.

If someone wants to keep their existing motor they certainly can, it'd be between them and the installer to figure out how to get their existing motor to power a generator. In my eyes, that negates a big part of the advantage of the swap, which is a lighter + more fuel efficient engine. An engine tuned to be optimally efficient at one RPM, as a generator can be, is quite a different animal from an engine with compromises made to have a usable powerband across a wide range of RPMs. Again, negating another advantage of the swap.

I also see people wanting to put an electric motor on their transfer case, keeping the xfer case, driveshafts, and factory axles. Seems like the worst of both worlds to me, all the pita of a swap while keeping the weight, maintenance, parasitic losses, and failure points of the normal drivetrain. When Edison pulled that tank on the trailer, one of the coolest parts of it to me was how the whole truck frame didn't twist when torque was applied, because all the power was coming from right on the axle. You'd lose that with the electric motor on the transfer case.

Edison Motors is talking about introducing axles with different gear ratios in the future, one that'll give more speed at the expense of reduced torque. I'd love to put something like that in a 67 Chevelle with a 4 cylinder diesel under the hood, and use it as my daily driver commuter.

 

[farmhard]

We used to mod the generators out of welders to a std bell housing just like if you were doing an engine swap like Jag 3.8 to Borg Warner or V12 to Richmond for full electric. Adding a genny to the back of a motor is no big deal. Guys were doing this in Vettes 25+ years ago but we didn't have electric final drives back then so we had to use the tranny and rear axles.

 

[sean donato]

I have an 07 F-350. Dana 60's front and rear. Front has springs back is leafs.

It's has a 10.5 sterling or a Dana 80 in the rear. Ford stopped using Dana 60s for rear axles in most of the f series line up in the 80's. The e250/350 vans got them up into the 2000's. I don't quite know when or if they stopped using the Dana 60 in the vans, as the newest e-350 van I've had any great deal of time on is my old man's 02. However his 08 f-250 has a 10.5 rear in it. And my cousins dually f-350 had a Dana 80 in it. These changes pretty much coincide with Ford bumping their combination weight to 26k lbs in the early 2000's body style.

 

[farmhard]

Where did Edison say they were reusing the old axles? The semis had them stripped out.

 

[stillhunter]

https://www.edisonmotors.ca/edison-pickup-kit
Kit to convert solid axle pickups to diesel electric hybrid, kind of a universal kit that will be up to the installer to retrofit to a person's specific truck. Includes a diesel generator, front and rear E-axles for 4wd, batteries, and control doodads. 500hp for 4wd, 350hp for 2wd. Supposed to cost ~1/3rd the cost of a new pickup, but he doesn't say if that includes installation or not. $250 to reserve a kit right now, projected availability September 2024. Sounds like for now the kits will only be available to certified installers, not for DIYers.

Chace says the batteries go in a toolbox in the bed, but where they actually go would be up to individual installers and owners to decide.

I'm definitely interested, probably going to reserve a kit.

I'm not lying, that pic of that old Ford 4 door 4wd truck gave a woody! I will never drive a battery truck !

 

[farmhard]

I'm not lying, that pic of that old Ford 4 door 4wd truck gave a woody! I will never drive a battery truck !You should try an EV or hybrid before you say that, My Rav with 8spd transmission will give you whiplash