Nissan EV truck conversion questions

I was an early adopter and got one of the first Nissan Leafs in 2011. Car now has about 48K and I think it has about 8 bars. It's no longer sufficient for me and my wife drives it to work and winters are getting more difficult.

I am in the researching phase for an EV conversion I'd like to do. I have an 85 Nissan 720 pickup that I want to convert to a quick little street truck ev. My thoughts were originally toward getting a Leaf pack, or two Leaf packs, and installing them under the bed of the truck. For simplicity's sake I thought I'd just leave the batteries in the complete, sealed case. Through research it's appearing increasingly doubtful that will be the case (pun intended).

So I've been thinking, can I get a new pack for my Leaf, and reuse the old pack, plus add more batteries bought online, to make a pack for the truck?

And this leads down to many roads of possibilities. Is the battery chemistry/pack build the same across the gen 1 (24kWh), gen 2 (30 kWh) and gen 3 (40kWh) battery packs? I've seen so much discussion about Nissan saying they wouldn't replace aging gen 1 packs with higher range gen 2 packs, but has any backyard mechanic swapped in a 30 kWh unit into a 2011-2012 Leaf? Did the 30 kWh unit just add more packs, or did they change the battery chemistry to increase range? Meaning, will the 30kwh case fit into a 2011 Leaf?

I was considering one way to obtain a Leaf pack would be to buy a wrecked Leaf from an auto insurance auction. Should I be focusing on 2013-2015 Leafs, 2016-2017 Leafs, or 2018 and newer? My goal for the EV truck is 48 to 60 kWh, or 100-150 mile range. Should I forget trying to reuse my 2011 Leaf battery, upgrading that car at the same time? I mean, I probably won't bother if it isn't possible to add kWh to the Leaf to expand range.

I thought that if I got a totaled Leaf from an auto auction, I could possibly reuse the entire drivetrain and electronics (motor, controller, charger, dash display, wiring, etc) but then I realized doing the motor might not work because it's intended to drive the front wheels not the rear. I'm considering just going with a dual AC35 motor system of a warP9 motor or maybe something even more.

When did Nissan switch to the 6kWh charger? That alone might be the deciding factor as to which year Leaf I target.

In an ideal world I'd land a 2015 or 2016 Leaf with low miles (under 30k) at an auction for a couple thousand dollars, swap the pack into my 2011 Leaf, take out the old case and remove all the individual cases and build them into a new custom box for my truck. The old Leaf would stay on the road with a bit larger range, and the truck would be well on its way to having the battery side of the build addressed.

Thanks in advance for your ideas/opinions.

Short answer from someone who just got up: if money is no object you may be able buy a new 30, 40 or even 62kwh pack for the truck. The chemistry from April of 2013 through 2014 is the same, and the "Lizard" pack made 2015 through half of 2016 (24kwh only) is considered by us to be the best pack Nissan has made to date. It is possible to put larger packs in older Leafs: you need a device invented by a forum member to allow communication with the car.

It doesn't sound like a simple swap but if your goal is 48kWh - 60kWh, I think the easiest way to go would be to source a 62kWh pack from a 2018-2019 Leaf Plus. There have been a few users here who purchased just the packs from some salvage yard in TN that is supposed to be close the factory and seems to be able to source them. Of course, you'll need the all the other electronics too, so it might be better to find a wrecked 2018/19 Leaf Plus. I'm sure there are some available but it's probably a small population at this point.

Search around this site and you'll find cases of battery pack swaps being done although I don't know of any true conversions being posted here.

In short, I think that your idea is naive and only a teenager's fantasy.

You might as well build your own car from bicycle parts...

Sorry.. Stay realistic man...

Wow powersurge, completely unhelpful. I recall an old adage, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything."

I fully realize that what my ideal build is a bit of a pipe dream. It's not quite a fully cooked egg yet, which is why I'm discussing it, not trying to hatch it yet. I hope someone said the same thing to John Wayland before he built White Zombie. I don't see what's such a pipe dream about pulling a gas engine, installing an electric motor, bms, controller, charger and some batteries from a totaled Nissan Leaf.

If this guy can do it, why can't I?

https://hackaday.com/2016/03/05/nissan-leaf-batteries-upgrade-old-truck-conversion/

Or these kids in BC:

https://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/18/canadian-teens-convert-1989-toyota-truck-into-electric-dragster/

I am sorry to sound like a balloon popper... But you asked, and I will say something because you asked.

I know enough about mechanics that even taking out an engine and replacing it with the same make and model engine is a big project. Even installing a somewhat bigger engine (on the same brand) into a car can be a nightmare of problem solving, fabricating, and welding..

So when someone talks about pulling out all the Leaf components - not just under the hood but all the wiring boxes and harnesses in the car, I hear, "This is a naive teenager that is talking BS". I really do not like to have to waste time reading posts of impossible fantasies.

I have built electric bicycles from parts and know that it took me a more than a month of evenings to solve all the problems and do the fabrication. Pulling the parts off the Leaf, without damaging the parts alone will take you weeks.

If you are a mechanic who has has a shop, a lift, a place to work (For months), has replaced engines, and knows the electronics of the Leaf, then I will take you seriously.

Otherwise, my response is to keep on dreaming..

You might consider using Tesla rather than LEAF components. The Tesla drive system is a modular electric axle that is supposed to be relatively easy to mount, and is already rear-drive. A salvaged Tesla battery pack should make it easier (and probably less expensive) to achieve your desired capacity.

You might check out EV West in California. They have a large stock of conversion items and are experts at transplanting EV powertrains.

https://evwest.com/catalog/

If you want to stick with LEAF components for your conversion, you might have a look at this converted Mercedes 280se using a LEAF powertrain and a single LEAF 24 kWh pack. I suspect the final product is front-wheel-drive, although the old Merc originally wasn't. If you use a LEAF drive system, you may want to make your conversion front-wheel-drive as well.

https://seloceng.com/

Although it might be a wait, Electric GT is developing an electric "crate motor" that can be bolted in place of a longitudinal engine, mated to the original transmission, and connected to the battery pack and controller of your choice.

https://www.electricgt.com/

I also came across some conversions on Youtube of Jeeps and Samurais that use motors like the Warp 9 bolted to the original transmission, collections of lithium batteries (usually split between front and back enclosures), and various controllers and chargers. These are usually shorter-range conversions, though.

Have you come across the "Teslonda?"

Good luck! I bet a 720 pickup would be a very stylish EV conversion! It's crossed my mind for the '85 4runner.