I’ve been a diesel mechanic and have owned diesel Mercedes over the past 15 years.

I have a 1980 300cd that I’ve owned for a while but haven’t really driven much. I got interested in the idea of an electric conversion and used this car as the subject.

I pulled the non turbo inline 5 and all the ICE parts and now have a 400hp Tesla model s drive unit and two full chevy volt battery packs. I have to admit the completely silent 400hp and instant torque are quite a step up from the 87hp non turbo performance even though I no longer get 400 miles off a tank. It does really highlight the chassis and suspension design. Even with 18” amg monoblocks, it’s incredibly smooth and feels like a luxury vehicle.

If anyone is interested in how it was done I made a short YouTube series documenting the process. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW6pJF5U__K1Ss8j8O66XM2ZQ3vvslHeZ

Bracing for the negative comments about the diesel elimination.

Just checked out the first episode – looking forward to watching the series.

Ditching the ICE family is a thought I’ve had many times.
Not necessarily with my Mercedes, but with an otherwise beautiful but impractical vehicle like a Rolls-Royce silver shadow, or Jaguar xj12

Perhaps you get into it, but regarding range, wondering if the body weight was an issue? I know that people have been harvesting tesla batteries at auction for sometime now, I’m assuming that’s where you found the drive train?

Very cool!

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

I got the drive unit as a kit since you cannot control them without hacking the inverter. But it is a used salvage motor. The car is about 1000lbs lighter than a model s and just about the same weight as it was before stripping it, just a different front to rear ratio. A lighter car would yield more range but at around 3500lbs and the batteries it should be around 100 miles, but of course the fun factor will probably reduce that.

...

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84 300SD
85 380SE
83 528e
95 318ic

Yes! I love it. Like it or not, this is the likely future for anyone wanting to keep their favorite car on the road in due time. I'll take the instant torque and high HP and not cry one bit.

hear, hear.

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

I'll cry unless distance on a charge is good and keeping the drive train going doesn't require frequent tinkering.

I tend to keep my cars a long upwards of 10 years and am thinking that it would be a shame to get something expensive gas or diesel, get it to how I want it and have to give it up because fuel isn't available.

Doesn't matter. 1st order of business is to finish the cabin and SD, then the TD, then the boat then the Zcar then.... I'm hoping all don't get sold at a yard sale if I carp out first. Gotta hurry.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

I have the motor and transmission mostly complete sitting on a pallet. If anyone is looking for one I’m selling!

Just started watching your video series. This is nothing short of amazing!
It's almost unbelievable how you're able to manage the huge amounts of information required to complete this gargantuan "task"!
The fact that you're performing ALL aspects of this conversion is extremely impressive. Absolutely incredible! The mastery of the various skill sets required is mind boggling (my mind, anyway)!
Looking forward to the entire series and finished product.
This is, truly, the way of the future. ICE is dead. "They" just don't want us to know it, yet. Anyone that doesn't see it could be equated with the "horse and buggy" crowd when the automobile was invented.
As a multi-generation resident of southwestern PA and before I even noticed the license plates, when I saw the outside shots of the 300CD, I said: "hey, that looks like Pittsburgh!" Then, I saw the plates and the test drive. My hunch was confirmed...heh heh.
The spirit of PA's most famous denizen, one of the greatest American inventors and founding father of these great United States, Benjamin Franklin, lives large in you, sir.
Hopefully, everyone knows the "story" of Ben, flying a kite in a lightning storm, with the key tied to the string? He was a very early proponent of electricity. Ben is smiling down on his fellow Pennsylvanian, for sure!!
Roethlisberger would dig it, too...hahahahaha
And we absolutely cannot neglect to mention George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla. Fathers of the alternating current that powers the world. All started right here, in little old, previously smokey and dirty, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania!
I'm 100% positive Tesla and Westinghouse would be on board as well!
Incredible and amazing project, my friend! Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

This is a great idea. I gave my 14 year old keys to my 300TD for his birthday. He'll probably want to do this.

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CC: NSA

All things are burning, know this and be released.

82 Benz 240 D, Kuan Yin
12 Ford Escape 4wd

You're four times

It's hard to

more likely to

concentrate on

have an accident

two things

when you're on

at the same time.

a cell phone.

www.kiva.org It's not like there's anything wrong with feeling good, is there?

That's fantastic, looking forward to having time to watch the series.

My next daily driver will probably be an EV. Our recent 6 day power outage proved just how important it is to keep an ICE vehicle in the stable, though.

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617 swapped Toyota Pickup, 22-24 MPG, 50k miles on swap

What a well planned and well executed swap! Thanks for sharing the videos.

IMO I think it will be a very long time before electric becomes mainstream. By mainstream, I mean majority marketshare. Charging stations are still few and far between, and the time it takes to charge up is way too long to accommodate more than a few charging customers per day. Today's electric grid cannot handle the load of 100 million electric car owners. Not to mention the fact that in places like China, burning coal is the predominant source of electric power, so an electric car is really a coal powered car... not so clean after all.

The logistics around charging will improve with time, but the electric grid will take decades to catch up. Nothing besides nuclear power will be able to keep up with 100 million electric vehicles on the road, wimpy windmills need not apply. Gasoline is not going away any time soon, and Diesel will be around for even longer, as heavy equipment does not lend itself to being battery powered. Those of us with diesel engines will have ready access to fuel for many decades to come.

That said, this is still a super cool project, and a great use (re-use) for the EV parts that might otherwise get scrapped, well done!

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Current fleet:
1998 E300 turbodiesel
2008 E320 bluetec - leaky oil cooler seals replaced
2012 S350 bluetec
2015 GL350 bluetec

Sold:
1996 Passat TDI
1997 E300 diesel

Gasoline engines are a fad. Horse-drawn carriages are where it's at.

The newer heavy equipment earth movers run on electrical motors. Of course they have massive diesel power generators on board.

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Chris
84 280sl
82 300d euro

That was insane!!! You have some engineering skills. As an owner of two 300CDs, I love your car. (Need a better color though)