No grants for EV kits

[Stiggy]

IVA applications for electric vehicles will not be validated unless compliance with R100 is proven. This involves a cost of around £6000 assuming the car is compliant. Testing is carried out by MIRA with VCA overseeing the work. So basically if you are thinking EV then stick to a maximum of 48V to avoid the R100 compliance requirement.

It makes sense as even the waste of time battery in a Prius is 350V which is DC and not forgiving.

Pity our Gov do not recognise the opportunity for the kit car industry to develop realistic, lightweight, efficient alternatives to the heavy consumption of a 2 ton Tesla et al.

[skyquake]

Hi Stuart,

This sucks, and is typical of the industry blindly applying a piece of legislation without realising the implications.

The level of testing and need for Conformity of Production madated by ECE R100 mean that it is only ever going to be achievable for manufacturers of a size appropriate for small series and full blown type approval. It completely prevents the very low volume / individual builder from being compliant.

Cheers,

Mike

[carlyd]

Does this spell the end of the kit car then? By that I mean the ability to buy a new kit and register it?

[skyquake]

No, you can still work with a 48V system or less, but the problem is the majority of modern EVs are working on 300-800V systems, leaving the kit car builder with few options.

This requirement for example would completely prevent you from using a Nissan leaf (or ay other production EV) as a donor vehicle, because you would invalidate the type approval of that system by removing it from the Leaf, and be unable to get it through IVA with conducting the full ECE R100 assessment / test.

This is the main reason I find this legislation frustrating, because is is very different to internal combustion engined vehicles.

Why the IVA inspector cannot conduct a visual inspection to determine that the electrical modules have been appropriately transplanted and are safe (in the same way that they do currently for fuel systems), I don't understand.

[wishful4444]

Petrol and diesel cars and vans constructed from 2030 will be banned in the UK.

If a kit car is constructed using the engine from a donor car will that continue to be legal i.e. it is not a new engine but it is a new car?

[phaeton]

Nov 25, 2020 12:14:11 GMT wishful4444 said:

Petrol and diesel cars and vans constructed from 2030 will be banned in the UK.

If a kit car is constructed using the engine from a donor car will that continue to be legal i.e. it is not a new engine but it is a new car?

But all you have a to do is get a V8 engine with a generator which charges a PP9 battery & call it a Hybrid, bit like BMW have done with the I8

[wishful4444]

Most will not want to fit a V8 with generator.

My question remains.

[skyquake]

It's a good question, but unfortunately I think it's way too early to tell. The legislation hasn't been published yet, and even when it is, I doubt it'll go to the level of kit cars.

My guess is (and it's a big guess, because this is 10 years away), if the legislation remains how it currently sits, then the situation for age related plates (kit converted vehicles) will probably remain the same, as you are still relying on an old vehicle for the registration. Current registration numbers (kit build with ALL new parts) are likely to cease to be an option, as this is quite clearly a new build, and would (in my mind at least) fall within the remit of the new prohibition legislation. But it really is impossible to tell. Q plates = anyone's guess!

It could equally be argued that even those vehicles on age related plates are 'new vehicles' when they are registered, and hence may be included in the ban. If that's the case, then kit builders will be 48V electric or nothing from 2030 onwards, as the situation stands.