Hemank Dabhade, an EV specialist based in Pune has transformed his unassuming daily-drive Chevrolet Beat diesel into a full electric product. Hemank has made seven ‘EV swaps’ so far at his own workshop, with the help of a friend, and is currently busy with a Maruti 800 EV build that can touch 300 km in range.
Electrified Chevrolet Beat is fitted with an electric motor of 15 kW, and uses the same manual transmission with the diesel engine. It is said that the electric motor generates a peak torque of 75 Nm and a continuous torque of 26 Nm.
The transmission was modified in such a way that it has only the first and second gears. Remove the rest of the gears and cover them with light weight blank sleeves. The clutch was gone, too. The Motor Control Unit (MCU) was programmed to match rpm of the motor to rpm of the input shaft. The owner claims the car is capable of cruising at 100 kmph.
A 15 kW battery pack draws power from the electric motor. It is placed in place of the fuel tank under the seat, and in the boot instead of the spare wheel. The car is alleged to have a range of 115 km (without AC and light) and 95 km switched on with the AC and lights. Recharging the battery at home takes 6 hours, and only 45 minutes with a fast charger.
To read more on Chevrolet Beat, Click here
Also see: GM India unveiled Chevrolet Beat Battery Electric Vehicle
Source: Team-BHP
