Those Lil Japanese Mini Trucks... Conversion Prospects?

[MarxNutz]

I've been seeing some of those little Japanese mini trucks around these parts, mostly sitting on lots for sale... I'm curious whether one would make a good candidate for conversion to electric, as most of them are around 1400 lbs. (with engine) have sizable truck bed areas and manual transmissions. Anyone have an opinion on this and/or like to throw around ideas how to do a conversion?

 

[dogman dan]

Sounds real good for a conversion, but make sure it won't need an exotic part, like a suspension strut, or ball joint that can't be had. The weight is perfect though, and the bed makes carrying battery easy.

 

[TylerDurden]

1400lbs for a truck is not bad, other conversions of ICE cars weigh that much or more.

Alternatively, you might consider converting a dinky sedan and use a trailer for cargo... gets you a bigger bed that can be parked while the sedan is used at greater ranges.

 

[dogman dan]

I've learned the hard way, though many used cars, the part you can't get is the one you need. And on some pretty common vehicles too. A bad design will blow through all the spares ever made fast. So something pretty common can be a better choice. Over ten years old is a red flag for me, unless its a bug.

 

[pwbset]

A friend just drove by with a Suzuki mini truck and I checked it out. It was badass! Seemed very well constructed and was peppy to drive. There is tons of room for batts. There is also a guy only a few hundred miles from me that imports all models of these; Mits, Subaru, Daihatsu, Mazda etc. etc. Thinking about picking one up for the winter and getting a DC motor and wiring up a pack for it. If I do I'll post. I'm looking for something to commute with in the harsh winters where I live. The ebike ain't gonna cut it. Thinking about a KMX also... would be a LOT cheaper than a mini-truck. :wink:

 

[Gregory]

What do you consider a mini truck? At 1400lb thats only 650kg so pretty small I reckon!

Rod Dilkes here in West Australia (and a member here on ES, and owns evpower.com.au ) has done a Suzuki Mighty Boy, but it's a stretch calling it a truck!
http://www.evalbum.com/1257 maybe a itty bitty truck.

 

[pwbset]

What do you consider a mini truck? At 1400lb thats only 650kg so pretty small I reckon!

Yeah... here's my local source.

http://www.tomsminitrucks.com

 

[disadvantage]

Do these mini-trucks have VINs?

Are they easily licensed for on-road use?

 

[pwbset]

I have to assume so. I didn't actually check specifically, but I know the one I saw over the weekend has a license plate. It'll take a little getting used to driving from the ride side and shifting with the left hand.

 

[disadvantage]

Google & Wikipedia to the rescue:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei_truck

"Kei Truck" is what the Japanese call a "Mini-Truck."

While street legal in Japan, Kei trucks lack proof of conformance with US regulations. Nevertheless they are approved for use on local roads in several rural states, with a variety of limitations on their use. 2008 legislation in OK and LA is the most liberal, prohibiting their use on interstate highways only (IIHS.org 'Mini-truck state laws').

And finally, a website with US mini-truck laws, state-by-state:
http://www.iihs.org/laws/minitrucks.aspx
Last updated September 2008.

 

[swbluto]

I'd be concerned about the availability of replacement parts for repairs, which could potentially make a conversion a really expensive one(in the short-term and long-term).

 

[drewjet]

I really like the look and idea of this conversion. However the cheapest I am seeing for these is $5500 for a 1995 model. Anyone got a line on getting a glider for something like $1000?