Mini updates

Small updates like I post on Instagram as @oudevolvo and on facebook.com/oldvolvoblog (so you can also follow/like me there).

Voltvo only
Wow, I'm so much behind with updating both here and on my blog. Just added a blogpost explaining....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Wow, I'm so much behind with updating both here and on my blog. Just added a blogpost explaining why a modified Tesla SDU and the Lexus L110 from a GS450h (all parts now available for sale) did not make it into my Volvo Amazon wagon. Link in bio. #evconversion #rebuild #voltvo #electricvolvo #Volvoamazon 1 Comments
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Picking up the Volvo 245 months after I bought it was great. And driving it around even better. ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Picking up the Volvo 245 months after I bought it was great. And driving it around even better. This brigde in Sveg is just so cool. I love the sound of the doors closing. And to be honest, the sound of the engine too. Though one day it will go out and I'll convert this one to full electric as well. #classicvolvo #volvo245 1 Comments
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Posted:
In May I bought a very nice Volvo 245 from the first owner in the north of Sweden 2500 km away f....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
In May I bought a very nice Volvo 245 from the first owner in the north of Sweden 2500 km away from me. Thanks to Tom (@zidektom) and Perra for going there and driving it 900 km south already. #volvo245 #classicvolvo
Posted:
The Volvo 123GT looks good in his natural habitat. Even got some night frost already. Safely del....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
The Volvo 123GT looks good in his natural habitat. Even got some night frost already. Safely delivered to it's new owner who will take good care of it and restore it to its former glory and originality. #volvoamazon #sweden #classicvolvo 1 Comments
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Posted:
Trip is going smooth. The Tezon is doing amazing towing the Volvo 123GT. Tom @zidektom and I mad....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Trip is going smooth. The Tezon is doing amazing towing the Volvo 123GT. Tom @zidektom and I made it to Sweden. Just a few 🙂 more kilometers to go. #volvoamazon #roadtrip #tesla #volvo123gt
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Yes, the 123GT is going back to Sweden where it was made back in 1969 and will be restored to it....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Yes, the 123GT is going back to Sweden where it was made back in 1969 and will be restored to its former glory. Charging at a V4 supercharger in Denmark was interesting and the GT could have become a convertible.
Posted:
Right after the Volvo fair on the next adventure with @zidektom to deliver the 123GT in style to....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Right after the Volvo fair on the next adventure with @zidektom to deliver the 123GT in style to the new owner.#tezon #volvoamazon #volvo123gt
Posted:
My son designed a Lego set of the electric Volvo Amazon wagon. We’re doing a lottery (lots are....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
My son designed a Lego set of the electric Volvo Amazon wagon. We’re doing a lottery (lots are 10 euro each) to raise funds for rebuilding Voltvo after the fire. You can win this limited edition Lego set. Price draw is 14:30 today.
#evconversion #voltvo #lego #rebuild #voltvo 1 Comments
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That was a great first day at the Volvo fair yesterday. So many people and great responses! Spec....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
That was a great first day at the Volvo fair yesterday. So many people and great responses! Special thanks to Tom @zidektom for driving the Tezon 1800km all the way from Sweden and be there. Looking forward to today. The weather is nice already. #evconversion #volvobeurs #voltvo #electricvolvo #volvoamazon #volvoamazonwagon #tezon #vintagevolts 2 Comments
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Posted:
Who will be there this weekend at the Volvo fair in Rosmalen? Currently my friend Tom @zidektom ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Who will be there this weekend at the Volvo fair in Rosmalen? Currently my friend Tom @zidektom from Vintage Volts is driving this Tezon all the way down from Sweden and will be there the whole weekend. In 2021 we visited him when Voltvo just had caught fire and his build of combining a Tesla Model S and a Volvo Amazon wagon was still in progress. Now his masterpiece is ready! Come by to see the car and meet Tom to learn more about this amazing achievement.
Furthermore my father will be there with his 1966 electric Volvo Amazon wagon. I will bring the work in progress of my speedo 2.0 and more! Looking forward to seeing you there. #evconversion #moderntechnologyinoldcars #classicvolvo #volvobeurs #volvokv #voltvo Thanks to the Volvo Klassieker Vereniging for organizing it again.
Posted:
OLED display alive! Also measured the current draw to be able to get the correct DC/DC converter....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
OLED display alive! Also measured the current draw to be able to get the correct DC/DC converter. I'll assume that if one display works that I'll be able to control four of them using the Chip Select (CS) pin. #volvoamazon #display #speedo #voltvo #rebuild #electricvolvo
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Check, controlling the 12V panel lights works! The N   fet to be used was on a EVcreate contactor ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Check, controlling the 12V panel lights works! The N-fet to be used was on a EVcreate contactor board with a design flaw so a good way to test with final components without having to order them. This will be used for the general warning light, the battery warning light, highbeam and the indicator. #proofofconcept #voltvo #evcreate #rebuild #electricvolvo
Posted:
Before I design and make the printed circuit board I want to test all the subfunctions. Luckily ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Before I design and make the printed circuit board I want to test all the subfunctions. Luckily my son wanted to help me with the fiddly job of building the circuit on a test board. #electricvolvo #voltvo #enconversion #rebuild #prototyping #arduino
Posted:
A consequence of installing OLEDs for the odometer and trip counter is that the plexiglass for t....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
A consequence of installing OLEDs for the odometer and trip counter is that the plexiglass for the speedo lighting does not fit anymore. After some research I found Noods, a flexible LED filament. Not only does this fit very nice in terms of length it also provides a nice color and glow. It should even be dimmable. #evconversion #upgrade #volvoamazon #rebuild #electricvolvo #voltvo
Posted:
In EV Peripherals 1.0 in the electric Volvo Amazon wagon I had one central printed circuit board....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
In EV Peripherals 1.0 in the electric Volvo Amazon wagon I had one central printed circuit board for controlling all peripherals including the displays in the counter (see last photo). Now I want to install the printed circuit board with microcontroller inside the speedo. The advantage is that the wiring is much simpler. Then only 12V and CAN-BUS need to go there. It is fiddly to get it in so 3D drawing and 3D printing are really a great solution. #evconversion #rebuild #voltvo #evperipherals #teensy #volvoamazon #3dprinting #electricvolvo
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While the speed is 'easy' to implement with a stepper motor, the odometer and tripmeter are more....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
While the speed is 'easy' to implement with a stepper motor, the odometer and tripmeter are more challenging as these require continuous rotation at the correct speed. Fitting four green OLEDs and some warning lights should just work out. #volvoamazon #modernizing #evconversion #electricvolvo #voltvo #rebuild
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After the necessary tweaks and adjustments such as a different stepper driver and lower motor vo....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
After the necessary tweaks and adjustments such as a different stepper driver and lower motor voltage it started to work out. In the end it took quite a lot of time. But hey, it is another step. Just as simple as possible without a stepper library. Microstepping also mastered. From here on, further refinement. With a nice acceleration and deceleration of the roller and of course displaying the correct speed. Altogether that will be quite a challenge for a non-programmer like me. #evconversion #volvoamazon #voltvo #upgrade #rebuild 3 Comments
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Posted:
First attempt was not very successful. The speedo sounded like an old matrix printer and it move....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
First attempt was not very successful. The speedo sounded like an old matrix printer and it moved like an Amazon with worn out speedo cable. So it needed improvement. Even ordered a 360 degrees servo as a backup plan. #voltvo #rebuild #arduino #evconversion #volvoamazon #electricvolvo #learningbydoing 1 Comments
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Posted:
After some research I found a nice and compact stepper motor that fits inside the speedo enclosu....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
After some research I found a nice and compact stepper motor that fits inside the speedo enclosure and could drive the speed indicator. I 3D printed an adapter and drill template and after ordering longer M2 bolts I could install it in the housing. #voltvo #custom #evconversion #speedo #volvoamazon #arduino #3dprinting 6 Comments
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Posted:
My electric Volvo Amazon wagon had a custom speedo cluster with two green OLED screens where the....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
My electric Volvo Amazon wagon had a custom speedo cluster with two green OLED screens where the temp. and tank meter used to be. The speed, odometer and tripmeter were still driven by the mechanical cable from the M400 gearbox.
In my rebuild I will drop the gearbox and need an alternative to drive the speedo. A Speedbox from Speedhut is an option. However I wanted to see if I could modify the speedo even further. I really like the original speedo so I do want to keep it. #evconversion #electriccar #voltvo #electricvolvo #custom #speedbox #speedhut #directdrive #volvoamazon
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Honored that the organization of Volvobeurs by the Volvo Klassieker Vereniging requested to use ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Honored that the organization of Volvobeurs by the Volvo Klassieker Vereniging requested to use my photos of Voltvo for their poster for the theme 'Modern technology and old Volvos' of the upcoming fair. Unfortunately as the rebuild of my electric Amazon wagon is still in progress the car will not be there. I will be there with some (I think) nice things. Some I will not reveal yet, of some I'll share the preparation progress. #voltvo #rebuild #volvobeurs #volvofair #volvoklassiekervereniging #inspiration #electricvolvo #volvoamazonwagon #classicvolvo
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Back to the heater and airconditioning box. During my summer holiday I had the box lasercut and ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Back to the heater and airconditioning box. During my summer holiday I had the box lasercut and folded by 247lasersnijden. Great job again. Fits nicely under the dash (tight though). Next steps are to create the mount, attach to the top blower and add vent outlets. #evconversion #rebuild #hvac #heater #airconditioning #electricvolvo #evconversion #volvoamazon #voltvo 2 Comments
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For sale interlude: I have decided to sell my Volvo 123GT from 1969. For the time being I am sti....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
For sale interlude: I have decided to sell my Volvo 123GT from 1969. For the time being I am still busy rebuilding the electric Volvo Amazon wagon and I need all the resources (time and money) for that. I cannot keep all future restoration projects. All ins and outs and many photos are on my blog. Link in Bio.
#volvoamazon #forsale #restorationproject #rare #classiccar #123gt 1 Comments
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Posted:
Using the 3D scan and after making 3D models of the Volkswagen PTC heater and the modern evapora....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Using the 3D scan and after making 3D models of the Volkswagen PTC heater and the modern evaporator designing the new heater box became much easier. From the design back to a cardboard mockup to validate fitment. Some more room needed to attach the two Spal blowers. #evconversion #rebuild #volvoamazon #3Dscanning #electricvolvo #voltvo 2 Comments
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Posted:
3D scanning now comes in handy! Much more convenient than crawling under the dash and balancing ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
3D scanning now comes in handy! Much more convenient than crawling under the dash and balancing the evaporator and PTC heater. Should have adopted this way earlier! Only challenge is that I need to learn to work in Fusion 360 instead of Onshape as the latter cannot import and process this type of scans. #3dscanning #shining3d #autodesk #fusion360 #onshape #volvoamazon #evconversion #voltvo #electricvolvo 4 Comments
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Posted:
Test fitting the modern plate airconditioning evaporator and the Volkswagen air PTC heater under....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Test fitting the modern plate airconditioning evaporator and the Volkswagen air PTC heater under the dashboard of the Volvo Amazon. It is tight but should fit without having to modify the firewall again. Best chance is with the PTC high voltage connector towards the steering column. #evconversion #volvoamazon #electricvolvo #amazonwagon #voltvo #rebuild
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In June I worked on the new HVAC box by cutting up the old one. The heating element was damaged ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
In June I worked on the new HVAC box by cutting up the old one. The heating element was damaged and I want to upgrade to the Volkswagen PTC heater I reverse engineered. I will keep the top blower including it's mount. Maybe I can also repair and retain the original Frigiking F500 airconditioning front. #evconversion #rebuild #hvac #heater #airconditioning #frigiking #voltvo #volvoamazon
Posted:
Last idea in April was to just make beams straight to the front and prototyped that in wood. Mad....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Last idea in April was to just make beams straight to the front and prototyped that in wood. Made them from steel in May and installed then towards the end of June. Slowly some progress on my own car in busy EVcreate times. #voltvo #electricvolvo #evcreate #motormounts #rebuilding
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In April I've also worked on the motor mounts. The Engiro motor only has mounting points at the ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
In April I've also worked on the motor mounts. The Engiro motor only has mounting points at the back and in the middle on both sides. For the middle the car does not really have a convenient spot to mount to. Bought MG motor rubbers and explored some options in CAD as well as in the car. Work in progress and evolving as I go along.
#evconversion #voltvo #engiro #onshape #design #electricvolvo #rebuild
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Exploring alternative locations for the inverter. Unfortunately it is too big to be installed on....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Exploring alternative locations for the inverter. Unfortunately it is too big to be installed on the firewall. That would require modifying it again and would take up too much interior space. So the best option in the end is all the way down on the subframe.
#evconversion #voltvo #engiro #design #electricvolvo #leadrive #rebuild 4 Comments
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From CAD to car. Then it took until mid April when I worked on the car again and checked the int....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
From CAD to car. Then it took until mid April when I worked on the car again and checked the intended position of the inverter. Not ideal since the premade cables from the Leadrive inverter to the Engiro motor are a bit too short.
#evconversion #voltvo #engiro #onshape #design #electricvolvo #leadrive
Posted:
Still in the last Christmas holidays in January I explored the battery box possibilities since i....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Still in the last Christmas holidays in January I explored the battery box possibilities since it had become clear how much the Engiro motor could go into the tunnel. Two MEB modules next to each other was tight but would fit ending up with 5 in the front. Inverter on top is visually nice but not easy to achieve. Good news: much lower center of gravity than with the Siemens motor and Tesla battery modules.
#evconversion #voltvo #volkswagen #mebmodules #engiro #onshape #design #electricvolvo 2 Comments
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Posted:
Upgraded my Cembre crimping tool from a hydraulic to an electrical one. Also bought the special ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Upgraded my Cembre crimping tool from a hydraulic to an electrical one. Also bought the special indent die set for the Engiro motor lugs. #evconversion #voltvo #tools #cembre #engiro
Posted:
Time between cutting into the Volvo Amazon tunnel from the parts car and cutting into Voltvo was....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Time between cutting into the Volvo Amazon tunnel from the parts car and cutting into Voltvo was about 4 months. Since I'm so busy with @@evcreate R&D and supporting others doing conversion it took until the Christmas holidays before I found time working on my own car again.
But the dummy Engiro motor was in in January this year.
#voltvo #evcreate #evconversion #rebuild #engiro #directdrive #electricvolvo
Posted:
Some June 30th flashbacks.2018 = Received my first 3D designed parts for mounting the Tesla modu....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Some June 30th flashbacks.
2018 = Received my first 3D designed parts for mounting the Tesla modules
2019 = Fabricating the custom heater and airconditioning box
2020 = Assembling the painted car
2021 = Spontaneously caught fire when parked
2022 = Disassembling and prepare for cleaning
Now in 2024 making some progress again. Will post some further updates soon!
#voltvo #evconversion 3 Comments
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Quickly added an original throttle pedal. Not bad at all! I will modify the throttle to create s....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Quickly added an original throttle pedal. Not bad at all! I will modify the throttle to create some more space. But overall I'm quite happy with how the motor fits. The tunnel needs to be widened a bit on each side but not too much. Now having the motor where the M400 gearbox used to be will make a huge difference. #evconversion #rebuild #voltvo #powertrain #directdrive #evpower 1 Comments
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Posted:
After placing the gearbox support and adding some reinforcements, I was able to partially cut ou....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
After placing the gearbox support and adding some reinforcements, I was able to partially cut out the tunnel and it was time to fit my dummy Engiro motor. The most important questions are: is there enough space left around the accelerator pedal? And: How far can/should the motor go back? #evconversion #voltvo #rebuild #makingisknowing
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To squeeze in the Engiro motor I need to cut the tunnel of my Volvo Amazon wagon. Since it was f....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
To squeeze in the Engiro motor I need to cut the tunnel of my Volvo Amazon wagon. Since it was flame galvanized I want to do this first time right. So last summer I bought a middle section of a Volvo Amazon that was cut up already from DinkyCorgiToys. Thanks guys! Now I have a nice test bed. #volvoamazon #evconversion #rebuild #engiro #flamegalvanizing
Posted:
To make the motor connection cables for my Engiro motor I need a fairly specific crimp. This is ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
To make the motor connection cables for my Engiro motor I need a fairly specific crimp. This is a 70 mm2 DIN 46234 indent crimp. After some research, a Cembre HT61 turned out to be the best tool in combination with a specific die set for this type of crimping. #goodtoolsisthehalfwork #rebuilding #voltvo #electricvolvo #evconversion 3 Comments
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Posted:
Nine years ago on April 10th 2015 I met Anne from @newelectric. It was at the very beginning of ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Nine years ago on April 10th 2015 I met Anne from @newelectric. It was at the very beginning of my Volvo Amazon EV conversion journey. I really liked the engineering and pioneering atmosphere. Thanks Anne for inspiring me! Still very happy that I bought my first parts with you and the adventure that started back then. #evconversion #flashback #innovation #pioneer #thanks
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Still a lot of work and a long way to go but Voltvo will be back on the road even 'greener' ;) a....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Still a lot of work and a long way to go but Voltvo will be back on the road even 'greener' 😉 and better. To be continued. #voltvo #evconversion #electricvolvo #rebuild 4 Comments
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The motor is indeed a very powerful Engiro motor. It is tuned with a six phase Leadrive inverter....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
The motor is indeed a very powerful Engiro motor. It is tuned with a six phase Leadrive inverter. Peak torque is 670 Nm and peak power is 227 kW. Enough for a direct drive implementation. So dropping the gearbox and it's noises! Only downside is the weight. It is almost as heavy as my previous Siemens / DMOC setup, but more than twice as powerful. #evconversion #electricvolvo #voltvo #rebuild #classicelectriccar #leadrive #engiro 2 Comments
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Posted:
Thanks to
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Thanks to "a little help from some friends", I unloaded the new motor for Voltvo with my sons on a beautiful summer day last year. Who recognizes this motor? Further details and information will follow. #evconversion #voltvo #electricvolvo #rebuild 1 Comments
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Posted:
I ordered two sets from the lasercutter. One out of aluminum to practice my TIG welding skills a....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
I ordered two sets from the lasercutter. One out of aluminum to practice my TIG welding skills and one out of steel to assemble quickly. Won't fit easily in the narrow tunnel of the Volvo Amazon but does not seem impossible. With a bit of luck it could perhaps be squeezed into the tunnel almost completely. In this setup there would not be a gearbox anymore. #evconversion #volvoamazon #electricvolvo #evconversion #rebuild #voltvo 1 Comments
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Time to catch up with some updates. In my blogpost 'Rear wheel drive EV conversion motor options....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Time to catch up with some updates. In my blogpost 'Rear wheel drive EV conversion motor options' (link in bio) I wrote an Engiro motor would be the ideal way forward (after a Tesla small drive unit directly powering the wheels). I could not let go that idea so in Februari last year I made a dummy to see if it would fit at all. #evconversion #electricvolvo #engiro
Posted:
My website has been renewed! The English version is now accessible at www.oldvolvo.com (link in ....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
My website has been renewed! The English version is now accessible at www.oldvolvo.com (link in bio) and more translations will be added. I completed my conversion blog as I stopped bloggin in 2019. Furthermore the electric/Voltvo section has been expanded with the former Voltvo website (the result) and a section about the fire as well as the rebuild. Stay tuned for more news about thats soon. #oldvolvo #volvoamazon #evconversion #electricvolvo #classicvolvo #volvo 1 Comments
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That was a nice first day of the Volvo fair of the @volvo.klassieker.vereniging. Under the impre....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
That was a nice first day of the Volvo fair of the @volvo.klassieker.vereniging. Under the impression it was less busy than other years. Nice conversations and seeing nice people (again). Great positive open attitude regarding conversion to electric. Also sold some parts together with my son. Tomorrow is another day. Shoutout to Alain from @volvo_lotte for (in my opinion) the stand that really created the best atmosphere at the fair.
It was a beautiful day (the day of the autumn equinox, by the way)! See you tomorrow. #evconversion #volvobeurs #classicvolvo #volvoparts #evconversion #evcreate
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Preparations for the Volvo fair by the @volvo.klassieker.vereniging in Rosmalen tomorrow. You ca....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Preparations for the Volvo fair by the @volvo.klassieker.vereniging in Rosmalen tomorrow. You can find me at H.12. I'll be selling some parts I collected over the years and will not be using anymore and of course as @EVcreate for all ins and outs for converting to electric. #volvobeurs #vkv #volvokv #evconversion #pars 1 Comments
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New insights in the cause of my electric car fire! Building on responses I received after publis....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
New insights in the cause of my electric car fire! Building on responses I received after publishing my blog post I was able to link events that I had not identified as being relevant before. Now the fire seems to be less 'sudden' and perhaps even better explained. Read the addendum on my website, link in bio.
#evconversion #electriccarfire #evfire #electricvolvo #rebuild #voltvo #classicelectriccar 1 Comments
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Posted:
Today it's been exactly two years since our electric Volvo Amazon wagon spontaneously caught fir....
oudevolvo
oudevolvo
Today it's been exactly two years since our electric Volvo Amazon wagon spontaneously caught fire during our travels in Sweden. Now it's time to share my thoughts on what might have caused the fire in a blogpost on voltvo.nl. Link in bio. It has become quite an extensive analysis. I'm curious what you think. #evconversion #electricvolvo #elektrischevolvo #volvoamazon #volvoamazoncombi #carfire #voltvo #rebuild #classicelectriccar #diyelectriccar #tesla #batteryfire
Posted:
OldVolvo

OldVolvo is a classic Volvo hobby blog by Lars Rengersen.

Topics

Electric

Support rebuilding Voltvo

123GT

Amazon convertible

Contact

lars@oudevolvo.nl

Also electric?

Do you also want to convert your car (Volvo or another brand) to full electric? As a spin-off of my own EV conversion project I started EVcreate for 'enabling EV conversions'

More info www.evcreate.com

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