Zero emissions jimny replacement

Lifetime CO2 emissions are 70-80% from the tailpipe (the rest is split between manufacture and fuel extraction/transport/refining/supply), so the "payback" period for a zero emission car is shorter than you might think.

Of course, it depends how much you drive.  My MX-5 does 1000-1500 miles per year so is absolutely not worth replacing with something newer.

Which is entirely reasonable but as I said I would need 3 battery vehicles to replace my jimny which is a lot of lithium mining. If there was a single battery vehicle that matched the dynamics of the jimny I would have to seriously consider it but it would need to be a lot of things that battery cars currently aren't, light weight, compact, extreme off highway mobility, capable of towing it's own weight, enough range to cope with the currently available charging infrastructure and or a fast enough recharge time to compensate on limited range especially when towing at full train weight and possibly most importantly be around 20k including taxes. Oh and have a battery service life measured in decades.

Having very recently replaced my old 68 plate Jimny with a new one that features old technology (no EV) - a few thoughts. EV's are a non-starter for those who live in the third-world with next to zero EV infrastructure in place. I had a visitor this week who needs 5 charging apps on their phone to drive around Scotland and the North of England and suffers constantly from 'range anxiety' - suddenly the reality of investing in an EV is dawning! Even when the find a charging point there is always a question regarding how long to charge. how much to charge and will the charger even be working?. Many 'green' people appear well intentioned but curiously detached from the realities of life. As I drive my Jimny through the former Ayrshire coalfields I marvel at the poverty and lack of investment in the new green technologies. Maybe one day the new technologies will work, be accessible and affordable?

Here in Norway the charging points are everywhere. A little fewer and further between in the north of course, but still fully possible to get around everywhere. And with an EV with a bit of range like most second gen they have 300-400km minimum range and they can drive anywhere.
High season during summer there can be some waiting in line for charging.
in rural areas in the North of Norway the gas stations is further between as well.


But pulling a horse box, or any trailer, the distance between chargers soon get shorter. Very few and expensive EV's can pull any usable weight and when doing so the range of the EV is allmost half. Also during winter the range is way less.

My pulling vehicle is a large '06 VW T5 caravelle. Old and "cheap" it still would cost me approx 15000 € now and a new EV capable of the same volume inside and trailer weight at the back is not yet invented.

For me the simple calculation stops at us not driving enough distance to support the financial investment to buy any new car. It just do not add up and I can service my old and fully functional car for way less money than the drop in the value of a new car. EV or not.

If you have no need for pulling a trailer and just need a daily driver to get around, an EV is the best choice here. Also if you have some distance to drive like many have 30-50km to drive to get to work, then the EV is the obvious choice. No doubt. It is way cheaper to buy and way cheaper to drive. (in Norway)

My anxiety now is where to buy petrol when everybody else drive an EV..

The other alternative that I might consider would be retrofitting the jimny with a tesla rear drive unit in the middle feeding each axle and some batteries where the fuel tank was and some more and the controller under the bonnet replacing the engine. Which if you say it fast enough sounds a cheaper and easier than it probably is but it is an option?

Thar's the obvious layout, and you can save weight for batteries (as well as losing the petrol engine) by losing the gearbox, transfer box, and propshaft.  No need to connect the front and rear any more, and a low range is pretty pointless with an electric motor.

The difficulty is controlling it all.  For simplicity, probably best to set it up as a normal Jimny with RWD most of the time and the front axle with the same power characteristics when you want 4WD.  Somehow you have to stop the front motor acting as a generator in RWD mode, though.  There could be a spectacular flashover if you disengage 4WD in motion!