Build an Electric Car

Is converting to an Electric Car Cost Effective?

2008-08-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

So, during EV (Electric Vehicle)my research, one question was bugging me; Can I really save any money?

At first glance - the outlay of cash upfront is intimidating. Looking at laying out

about $12,000 -figure $10,500 for a kit delivered & $1500 for a donor - (this can be done much more cheaply,but as a beginner, I think I would start with a kit) to convert, for example, an old VW rabbit to run on electricity seems like an AWFUL lot of dough - especially because for that price, you can get a relatively new used car that will get 30 mpg.

So I did some math. (not my forte, corrections gladly accepted)

"Someone please tell me
that I am wrong!"

Lets say you get 30 mpg in your current vehicle. If you drive 10 miles to work each way, and gas costs $3.65 and you work 261 days a year (365-104 days for weekends)you spend... (20 miles X 261 days)/30mpg X $3.65 per gallon - your commute fuel cost is $635.10 per year. Figure $140 for quarterly oil changes and now you are talking $775.10/year. Assuming the batteries for your EV will last 3 years - your total fuel cost for this period is $2325.30.

So, if your commute is 10 miles each way, there is no savings. So much for sticking it to the man.

Where is the break even? You would need a commute of about 50 miles each way, by my math (requiring a place to recharge at work).

Now lets say you push your EV to the max - lets call that 60 miles per day, every day for a year. That's $8413.50 for gas & oil changes for 3 years. Still not enough.

Keep in mind, that this does not include weekend use, dropping the kids off at soccer practice and other short trips that may or may not impact your usage, therfore impacting the value to you. Conversion can also be completed for a lot less money if you are a knowledgeble mechanic or electrician, it just so happens that I am not - so my numbers to convert may be very high in comparison.

Someone please tell me that my math is wrong, hopefully completely wrong - so I can convince my wife that this is a worthwhile project!

Until then, I guess I'll work on an electric bike (that she already let me know I won't be able to ride on the street)

Determining Best EV Donor Cars (Electric Vehicle Conversion)

2008-07-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

After you have considered what exactly you will need from your EV, (# passengers, cargo capacity, distance per charge, etc.) it appears that the curb weight of the vehicle is one of the most important aspects to consider. You are going to be adding nearly 3/4 of a ton of batteries to this puppy (in some cases), so the lighter you start, the better. MPG is stated here as it generally relates to the overall aerodynamic performance/ efficiency of the car or truck. The sample below are simply for comparison, and as the numbers have been culled from the internet - I can not guarentee accuracy. Not necessarily the absolute best choices. That has yet to be determined.

Year Vehicle Style Curb Weight MPG

1990 Geo Metro 2dr hatch 1650 lbs 38

1999 Hyundai Accent 2 dr hatch 2088 lbs 28/37

2000 Chevy s10 2 dr, 2wd, short 3,040 lbs. 23/29

2000 Chevy Camaro 2 dr coupe 3,306 19/30

2000 Jeep Cherokee 2 dr 2 wd 3,014 lbs. 20/24

Keep in mind that Curb weight is the weight of the vehicle, including all fluids without passengers or any cargo. Vehicles with a larger gasoline capacity will have a larger amout of weight attributed to the fuel. Example, the 1990 Geo Metro has a 10.6 gallon tank or holds approximately 84 lbs of gas, while the 2000 S10, with a 19 gallon capacity holds about. Keep this in mind when choosing a donor.

While I was compiling this list - I found someone else had already done the same, and with a little more detail. Check i t out at DIY Electric Car.

Other tips I keep coming across are;

1. Don't reinvent the wheel with your first conversion

Find something that has been done before. It means the parts exist, and potentially someone to ask for guidance should you hit a snag.

2. Use a car less that 10 years old.

As cars get older, parts are harder to locate. Factor in that you may not need replacement manufacturer parts until years in the future - so this seems like a darn good tip.

EV Inspirational Video - Run your Electric Car on Sunlight

2008-07-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

(Sorry, you have to scroll down to see the
Electric Car Video - I'm not sure why)

Meet Richard. This dude is my hero.

See similar videos at Youtube.com by typing in "EV", "Electric
Vehicle" "Electric Vehical Conversion", or "electric
car" in the search provided on their website.

As soon as I have more solid research together, I'll put it up -
hopefully this will hold you over and ill that electric car craving
you have.

Electric Cars ... EV Conversion - Everybody's Doing it!

2008-07-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

So, you want to build an electric car? Me too. Still reading my first book on the subject, and heavily surfing the internet for more electric car information.

One thing that really gets my juices flowing is looking at all of the conversions that have been around since before I even considered doing one myself.

If you are like me, you are going to love looking at the electric vehicle conversions that others have completed, and be itching to start your own.

First, I like to look at the electric cars for sale, and I always start here:
Austin EV A.K.A The E.V. Tradin' Post

But even better, there are lots of EV enthusiast that have complete project diaries of thier conversions - compoleted as well as ongoing.

Its fascinating to see the choices these folks have made regarding their conversions.

Here are a few to whet your whistle...
1988 Jeep Cherokee1999 & Mazda b2000
1995 ford probe
Saturn
1996 Honda Civic
Porshe 914
Dodge Daytona

(this is the "short-list" if you have favorites, please let me know about them by adding a comment - I can't wait to see thm!)

To me, there is nothing more satisfying than the hope and inspiration offered by these brave souls who have gone before me. Enjoy. (I have to go, I'm tearing up)

Start Here: Convert It! by Michael P. Brown

2008-07-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Upon the recommendation of many other EV (Electric Vehicle) websites and blogs, I purchased theis book - Convert It! by Michael P. Brown with Shari Prange.

Thank you!

It is easy to see why this is the book to start with. A very straight forward 125 or so page. Just what I needed at this stage of the game.

The subtitle is "A Step-by-Step Manual for Converting an Internal Combustion Vehicle to Electric Power" ... (somehow I didn't notice this when I was shopping)...and that is exactly how what it is!

From the removal of the original gas engine, to maintaining your electric vehicle ... its all there.

I started out trying to read it cover to cover ... but I got so excited that I began skipping around ... batteries, suspension, wiring .. etc. I will soon settle down and read it from one end to the other.

I was initially concerned that the info would be outdated - as it was originally published in 1989, and my copy was published in 1993 - but it is all there. The one thing I believe to be different is the the fact that over the past 15 years parts have become more readily available and very possibly cheaper.

Get it. Get Started. Enjoy!

This is exciting. Very, very exciting.

Daydreaming about EV Donor Cars - and more Questions

2008-07-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

As I wait for my first Electric Vehicle book to come in (Convert It!), I have spent a lot of time cruising Craigs List for possible donor cars...and daydreaming. Keeping in mind that I have no clue what I am doing (ignorance is bliss, right?) lots of crazy ideas run through my head.

Ideally I want a 4 passenger vehicle with a 50 mile range and enough oomph to hit the highway, at least occassionally. If money were no object, then hey sure - why not a Hummer ... but I am trying desperately to keep my fantasies in the real word. (Not easy for an Aquarius)

The perfect car would weigh as much as a toaster and have the capacity to haul around the entire New England Patriots team ... as I haven't seen that yet - here are the ideas that bang around in my head.

If the Ford Ranger is such a good vehicle for conversion, why not the Bronco II? Pretty much the same vehicle with a back seat and a roof, right? Not the most aerodynamic of vehicles, I admit. OK, so the back seat and roof add extra weight. How much? I don't really know. Wouldn't the small cargo area in the back be perfect for battery storage, considering its size and proximity above the rear axel? Would a 4x4 come "stock" with enough extra suspension to fill my weight/ battery needs? Is it easy enough to just dump the 4x4 portion of the transmission and go 2wd? Again, Im not a mechanic. The big clue here is that I haven't seen one done as a home conversion online ... so I am guessing the other enthusiasts have ruled it out.

How about a mini van? A 7 passenger van should have a decent suspension, right? Remove the far back seat and theres plenty of room for batteries and 4 people, isn't there?

What about a Camaro or Firebird? I don't know about the suspension - but there is a ton of room under that hood isn't there? Even if the back seat is almost useless to begin with - heck - we aren't going too far on any given trip anyway - and it IS a backseat (read 4 passengers)

I realize, even if one of these is possible, I have a sneaking suspicion that my research will result in a smaller, more aerodynamic vehicle or a pickup truck - at least for my first conversion - leaving me with just a 2 seater. I can live with that. The VW bug is pretty easy to get ahold of - same with an S10 or similar small truck. I have secretly wanted a bug since before I ever had my drivers license anyway.

Whos knows? Really....Who Knows? I would love for others to weigh in. I'm actually trying to beg for insight ... without sounding like I am begging. Is it working?

Electric Car Conversion - Where to Begin ... Books

2008-07-01T08:26:00.001-07:00

Electric Car Conversion Books

OK, I have been hopping around from site to blog trying to get my head around this whole electric car conversion thing. Due to the homegrown, grassroots nature of the electric car movement there are some really great sites out there, with a lot of information.

Which, for a guy like me, just make the process that much more confusing. I need an overview, then some really great specifics.

Looks like I need a book or 2 ... or 10.

Of course, the one book I saw that I really wanted won't be published until October. Not a whole lot of help there, but considering how "green" I am I'm thinking almost any book will do.

Oddly, many of the (what seem to be, anyway) most popular books on the subject are over 15 years old. Part of me feels that they will be somewhat outdated due to the pace at which technology moves ... the other part of me knows that any information I can get my hands on at this point will helpful.

Below are a handful of the books I keep coming across in my search. Has anyone out there read them? Any reviews? Does anyone out there who has done a home conversion have anything that they can recommend? Please.

I want to Build / Convert an Electric Car - The Dream Begins

2008-06-30T14:43:00.000-07:00

OK, so I am all hepped up on this dream of building an electric car.

I am not an engineer. I am not a mechanic. I am very possibly in over my head.

I need a place to gather and store my research as I go, seeing as I truely don't know what I am doing. (I like to think I'm a pretty smart guy, but that remains to be seen.) A blog seemed like a good place to do so, as it may attract folks to help me out

Gas is at an average of $4.25 today in Las Vegas. Who wouldn't want an electric car, huh?

Again, I am at the tip of my research. Let's talk about some of the things I want to accomplish...

Four Passenger Vehicle

Range of 50 miles per charge

Top Speed of 65

$10,000 all inclusive budget

I really want to do a Ford Bronco II

Lofty goals? At this point I am unsure.

What I do know is that my current vehicle averages 17.6 miles per gallon and as an 18 gallon tank- That's 316.8 miles for about $76. If I used a tank of gas per week, that's 45 miles per day - about what I'm looking for in an EV. If I'm correct - thats about $4000/ year - just in gasoline. Never mind all of the other maintenence/repairs in an older gas engine.

Ford Bronco II photo courtesy of The Ranger Station