Can this be made into all electric and really fast too?
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Hello Electrfied Miata fans! It's been a year since I dreamed up a four motor Electrified Miata. That's what people with ADD do, dream. This isn't my first dream either. I remember when I found out about DeTomaso Pantera's. It seemed like a poor man's Ferriari to me. I dreamed and with the help of a lot of people, made the Pantera a very exciting reality. A year ago, I dreamed up a poor man's Rimac Concept C2. Join us on the journey as we move from the world of ethereal dreams to creating a new reality.
My ADD brain needs a high level of stimulation to function, just ask my wife! My Pantera was great when it was running. However, it was needing maintenance just to keep it running and was going to take a *lot* more money to get to the next level, say 1000 Hp. Even then, would it compete the new electric car offerings? The newer all-wheel-drive vehicles were very impressive, even in the gasoline form. So what could I make that would be affordable to learn on and still exciting? A lot of research on the internet about available components and a small budget, led me to the concept of 4 Leaf motors in small car like a Miata. Step 1, get 4 motors and see what I can make! Who's with me?!?! A team makes all the difference. One of the downsides to my ADD mind is anything that is remotely boring is hard to do. This leads to many unfinished projects, since the excitement is gone once I discover how to do it. So I require a dream team to have any but the most trivial projects see the light of day. Please meet five members of my dream team. I ask them to write "paragraph or a few sentences about what you enjoy about this project?" Here's what they wrote. Joe writes: " I enjoy creating something with other people. It is more fun when you have others you can talk to, bounce ideas off of. It also helps you come up with new ways of thinking about things when you have to see other people’s view of a problem that may be different than yours. Even though this project (BMS boards) are similar to what I might do at a job, this is something that I like working on, and I get to do it my way and not worry about any marketing or sales requirements, or artificially imposed deadlines or unreasonable requirements. This year I really miss the in-person work. I am really looking forward to next year when we can all be back in the shop together without worrying. And really looking forward to the first time that Miata rolls out of the driveway under its own self contained electrical power." Doug writes: " I have enjoyed this project more from a spectator's point of view than participant, although I have been able to make a few minor contributions. I know the other team members are disappointed they have not been able to work in person as much as they would like, and I definitely sympathize! Living in Illinois pretty much forces me into “working remotely” when it comes to a Texas project! I’ve enjoyed watching how the team has worked together to approach and solve problems. Any project this big will encounter a variety of problems, some anticipated, and many more not (like catching batteries on fire!). When I realized it has only been a year since this project started, I was surprised – partly because it felt like it had been going on longer, but more because the amount of progress made in just one year is amazing! It shows what a dedicated team can do! " Bruce writes: " Over the past year I have enjoyed working in a team of friends and family with loads of skills and talent! Each project has moments of frustration and joy. There are the gotchas, the parts that don't quite fit and have to be made again, the smell of something burning and disappointments of things that don't work. But these moments are "always" followed by a better moment, when the cart rolls, the battery pack is charged, the motor spins, or the surprise when it works better than imagined! For me, there is something special about working on a project that physically changes in this world, built together with a group of friends! " Eric writes: " This project is special to me because it's my first time doing anything like this. I've always been interested in cars and the process of modifying a car, so being able to work on something like an electrification of a gasoline car and see the process to get from a non-running car to one that is updated to completely new technology is really cool. The innovation that I get to be a part of, as well as the feeling that I really did something to create this new machine are really what make this project special to me." Teresa writes: "What a blessing it has been to watch my husband giddy as a 6 year old about the eMiata. Last year started as we took writing classes together with the Writer's League of Texas (link) turning them into to date days. Finding the guest room transformed into a work-bench with Bill's assorted electronic equipment and the ousting of my Mazda from the garage has stretched my wifely understanding. However the Pantera deck-lid was in the bedroom when we dated, so it's okay. I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing the project progress through editing the weekly blogs." There some common threads that run through the people that are my dream team. They like to solve problems. They like to learn new things. They can handle my ADD brain and the way I get super intense/giddy in those precious few minutes of focus. Thank you so much for making dreams come true. I'll write y'all next in 2021 as most of the team is taking some time off for the holidays. That doesn't mean that we won't be working just a little bit here and there, or ordering parts so they get here soon after Christmas. Merry Christmas y'all. See you in the new year. Hope everyone is healthy and having as much fun as we are. Thanks for reading!
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AuthorBill likes cars that understand the 'go fast now' pedal. Archives
May 2022
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