FORKENSWIFT.COM is where Project ForkenSwift will eventually be documented in full, glorious, beer budget detail. In case you're not familiar, the ForkenSwift is an electric car built from used forklift parts (electric motor, etc.), used golf cart batteries (and a golf cart PWM motor controller) and a pair of near-dead "host" cars.
Until the site is fully fleshed out, here are some brief updates...
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Get the scoop: Read about how we built this electric runabout for under $1000 and get far more detailed information at our EcoModder build thread.
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Update: Oct 21/08 - new YouTube video: #7) Project ForkenSwift electric car: battery pack swap! Just for fun...
Q: how long does it take to swap out the car's 8 batteries with a fresh set?
A: a lot less time than it takes to recharge them!
Watch the time lapse video.
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Update: May 8/08 - new YouTube video: #6) Project ForkenSwift electric car: LED battery gauge. One of the challenges of driving an EV with an old or mismatched battery pack is that you'll murder the weaker batteries if you don't keep an eye on them. This "new to us" LED battery pack gauge will help to ensure we don't do that.
Note that a parts list and schematic for this gauge is available at EV Convert.
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Update: March 15/08 - new YouTube video: #5) Project ForkenSwift electric car: shifting gears. Since the car has no clutch, one of the most common questions people ask is how I change gears. Take a ride in the car to see how it's done.
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Update: Dec 6/07 - 500 electric kilometers! That's right - as of last week, the ForkenSwift has travelled over 500 km since pulling the ICE. This and other regular updates about the vehicle can be found in Project ForkenSwift's progress thread, at Ecomodder.com. I will continue to update regularly at Ecomodder for the foreseeable future because I'm unfortunately still too busy with other projects to flesh out this web site. It will happen eventually, but I'm not making any timeline promises. So until then, head to Ecomodder for your ForkenSwift fix!
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Update: Oct 28/07 - It's legal, and on the road! To mark the occasion of its official transition to EV status, I put together a new YouTube video showing the car in action. Of course the it's not completely finished - there are still lots of small details to take care of. But we're having a blast driving the car - minus the threat of getting busted - while sorting them out.
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Update: Oct 4/07 - bureaucratic hurdles. The car is ready for the road. The challenge is finding an insurer in Ontario that will offer EV coverage (I've been refused by 2 companies so far because the car has been converted from OEM condition). The hunt continues. Following that, provincial registration is the next hoop needing jumping through. The permit needs to be changed from "G" (gasoline power) to "E" to exempt the emissions test requirement prior to licensing. This, I am told, can be accomplished fairly easily with a letter from a licensed mechanic, which we'll be obtaining tomorrow.
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Update: Aug 24/07 - rack & roll. The project continues, despite the snail's pace. Working on the battery racks - front are finished, rear is nearly done. Next on the list is sorting out proper cabling. For all the latest, check the ForkenSwift progress thread at Ecomodder.com. Click the image to zoom in.
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Update: April 20/07 - virtual body work. It was too crappy outside to do any actual work on the car last weekend, so it got a digital paintjob in Photoshop instead. The stripe (same as the one on the original VW GTI) will serve to hide some of the rust repairs to be done on the bottom of the doors. Also a racing stripe on a car that can't quite reach 30 mph (yet) is inherently funny. Click the image to zoom in.
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Update: April 15/07 - Well, it's official now. The ForkenSwift has an EV Album entry, a rite of passage for any home-brew EV. And surely earned after its first electric test drive.
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Update: April 12/07 - Motor for sale! [Update August/07: there's a deal pending on this motor.] We've decided to part with the 12 inch drive motor from the forklift. (Actually it's more like 11.75 inches.) Originally we had planned to use this 230+ lb torque monster in the car, but its diameter was too big for the car's transaxle (it would have interfered with the right axle). This motor would probably be better suited for a RWD conversion (more space, plus more torque to move a bigger vehicle) or a really big FWD transmission. More information here. Interested? Contact darin (.at.) forkenswift.com.
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Update: April 2/07 - a combination of spring fever and a lack of better judgment saw us pile 6 batteries inside the car (on the floor) on Friday and hook everything up. The result: the ForkenSwift's first electric test drive. Documented in pixellated technicolour on YouTube.
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January 13/07 - the attention from AutoblogGreen prompted me to put up this page in place of the "coming soon" placeholder that was here yesterday.
Until the full site is up (no promises, but likely sometime in the spring/summer 2007), here's where you can find more information:
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I've posted a LONG thread at Ecomodder.com which documents the project, from the day the proverbial light bulb went on, to the present, in excessive detail: Electric conversion: Project Forkenswift.
If you want to comment or ask questions about the car, Ecomodder.com is the place to do it - I post there regularly.
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Now 3 YouTube videos showing the first tests of the motor installed in the car:
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Jerry from EVconvert.com posted a description of Project ForkenSwift in its earliest stages, when we weren't even convinced we were going to go through with it. (EVconvert.com is a hugely informative, amusing, and inspirational site - recommended reading for anyone considering a conversion.)
- I periodically update a much abridged version of the Ecomodder ForkenSwift thread at TeamSwift. (Teamswift.net is *the* forum for Suzukiclone owners of all stripes - a great resource.)
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Jan 13/07: ABG picks up on the YouTube videos and posts a brief item about Project ForkenSwift
My other project is squeezing as much efficiency as possible out of my ICE car:
www.MetroMPG.com.
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