thanks for the replies and ideas. i can not do exotic experiments on my budget. i can do 'off the shelf' modifications with a few twists.
targeted pricing strategies with defacto subsidies generated by ever greater competition for limited resources will either bring out the best in us .... or continue to bring out the guns. we may make conversions / adaptations for our own benefit but the greater challenge is to organize pollitically for cooperative elimination of carbon fuels and major reconstrucion of infrastructure and economic structures. that there are still 'free market' snake oilers shearing sheep attests to the old stock traders' phrase .... 'nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the american public'. while that is too specific and narrow and rather overstated, the social and conceptual inertia is glacial, numbing and i think terminal.
that said ..... i'm still trying to walk through my mistakes rather than wasting thousands of dollars.
a decent electric conversion currently costs $5-15k plus labor. if it works, a hitch added power pack could reduce the labor significantly and there could be lower modification costs but these will probably be eaten up by the trailer drive hardware. the xr3 uses a similar configuration. a retro fit version could help.
weight is important but for short haul situations it is not the limiting factor. we metrophiles have safely lived among the 18 wheelers for a long time. electric vehicles are potentially rockets.
an efficient fuel engine is still important for long trips and backup. adding oxygen alone makes a lean mix and destroys longevity. a heat / carnot cycle engine is 30plus % efficient max.
keep those imaginations alive!