02-07-2020, 08:12 PM
It seems that most of the ideas here center on the nature of electric cars but not on our 7's. I managed to get steered onto this forum due to the electric car connection. I saw a thread on Jalopnik about an imported small Chinese car in the USA and searched into the possibility of using such a car's front axle on my car. From there, it is but a small leap to consider the entire electric drivetrain. The car in question arrived and the boys loaded it in the back of a half ton pickup and that is just about the size of my Ruby. Now these Chinese cars are very slow, they top out at under 30 mph,and are not allowed on the freeway but can be seen going about town. They are mostly driven by older folks, and when I look in the mirror I see one of them! I found a listing for the drivetrain on Alibaba for $1200 and it had all the electrical hardware, steering, brakes, suspension,and even the wheels and tires. The electric motor is coupled directly to the differential. The only thing I found that could cause a problem was the size of the wheels. These have 10" wheels where my Ruby has 18" wheels. How much torque does that electric motor produce? I wouldn't need to concern myself with the charging system, cooling system, or fuel systems. If all you do is the occasional short drive, what more do you need? My brother in law drives a Nissan Leaf and lives on an island. The car never leaves the island so distance travel has never been an issue and all he does its plug it in at night. Not saying that I intend on going electric but it is a viable alternative.