I did an electric conversion with an old Vespa, it was literally just a shell I got for about $300, packed it with a beefy BLDC motor and a driver (from a standup electric scooter) that let me change the speed based on the thumb throttle. I wanted to use the original throttle on the Vespa but that got kind of messy at the time. The LiFePO4 batteries were the most expensive thing here and I regret not getting larger capacity ones.
The neat thing about an electric motor vs an ICE, that you pointed out, is the torque curve is linear so no need for a transmission.
For 4-wheelers, I really want to see electric conversion kits get more popular, specifically ones where the electric motor mounts to the transmission spot - either transverse and have attachment points for two half shafts or conventional where it points to the rear. Then we can use the engine bay as a additional storage, assuming we put the batteries where the gas tank is. I really want to do this conversion with a older, rear-engine VW bug. I hate ripping out original parts but I can find so many shells now where they’ve taken the engine out.
The neat thing about an electric motor vs an ICE, that you pointed out, is the torque curve is linear so no need for a transmission.
For 4-wheelers, I really want to see electric conversion kits get more popular, specifically ones where the electric motor mounts to the transmission spot - either transverse and have attachment points for two half shafts or conventional where it points to the rear. Then we can use the engine bay as a additional storage, assuming we put the batteries where the gas tank is. I really want to do this conversion with a older, rear-engine VW bug. I hate ripping out original parts but I can find so many shells now where they’ve taken the engine out.