http://www.geocities.com/mideaa/links.html#EV%20Club%20Web
Last Updated: 09/14/2008
= New Link
= Updated Link
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EV and Related Web Pages
EV Club Web Pages
EV Photo Albums
EV Videos
Personal EV Web Pages
High School and University EVs
EV Racing Sites and Organizations
EV Manufacturers and Converters
EV Dealers and Rental Agencies
EV Parts Suppliers
EV Component Manufacturers
EV Battery Manufacturers
EV Plans Sources
EV Test/Research Projects
Surplus Parts and Electronics Sources
Used EVs For Sale
EV Magazines and Newsletters
Misc. EV Information Sites
EV Discussion List Sites
EV Technical Reference Sources
Non-Electric, but Interesting
EV Books
EV Promotion Organizations
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EV Club/Organization Web Pages
ASNE: the Dutch section of the Association of Electric Road Vehicles of Europe
Australian Electric Vehicle Association
Durham Electric Vehicle Association: Bowmanville, Ontario
Elec-Trak Owner's Club: dedicated to the GE, Wheel Horse, and New Idea Electric Tractors
Electric Auto Association: National EAA web site, includes numerous chapters, see thier website for nearest group
Electric Drive Transportation Association: (formerly Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas)
Electric Vehicle Association of Finland
Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa
EV-1 Owners Club
Grassroots Electric Vehicle Club: Florida
Honda EV+ Electric Vehicle Drivers
Japan Electric Vehicle Club Aichi
Japan Electric Vehicle Club Matsumoto
National Electric Drag Racing Association
Solectria Owners Website
UK Battery Vehicle Society
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EV Photo Albums
The EV Discussion List Photo Album
The Triangle EAA Picture Gallery
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EV Videos
EVCO Electrathon:
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Personal EV Web Pages
Bedford: Electric van in the UK
Chevrolet Blazer: Bruce "EVangel" Parmenter, the EV discussion list guru.
Chevrolet S-10: Brian has a new and very nice conversion.
Chevrolet S-10: Jim Coate's very clean conversion
Chevrolet S-10: Mark Brueggemann's neat project, and more.
Citicar: John Buckman has sold his Citicar but he still has some great info on Citicar parts.
Citicar: Paul is restoring a 1976 Citicar
Citroen 2CV: A 2CV becomes 2EV.
Comutacar: Scott Hull's C-cars and upgrades
Daihatsu Fellow Van: Interesting Japanese conversion.
Datsun Kingcab Pickup: Nice conversion
Dodge Ram 50 Pickup: Brian has retired his nice conversion.
Dodge TEVan: factory made Caravan EV
Ebike: Carl Chatfield's Electric Wedgie
Elec-Trak: Dwight Hazen's nice tractors
Electric Bike: Rob Cameron's Hybrid Electric Recumbent
Electric Bike: JB Straubel's electric bike
Electric Motorcycle: John Fairstein's Electric Motorcycle
Electric Motorcycle: Jerry Bowden's slick project
EV Microtruck: a slick little EV from Thailand
Fiat X-1/9: Don McGrath's EV in progress
Ford Escort: Tim Nichols conversion diary
Ford Escort: Kim and Jenny's "Buzz" a Jet Electrica Escort.
Ford Express: Svein Medhus has the first EV conversion in Norway.
Ford Fiesta: Interesting English conversion.
Ford Festiva: Brian has a new project going
GM/Saturn EV-1: EV1 owner
GM/Saturn EV-1: Dave and Jean's Chronicles.
GM/Saturn EV-1: Join Kris Trexler on his "Charge Across America"
GM/Saturn EV-1: Peter Ohlers new EV.
Honda Accord: Bob Taylor's conversion.
Honda Civic: Mike Chancey's conversion.
Honda CRX: Chris sold his CRX and got an EV-1.
Honda EV+: Life with the new Honda EV.
Hyundai Excel: a very creative conversion
Kawasaki: V4 Ken Norwick's conversion Diary
Killa-Cycle: Bill Dube's latest project.
Jeep: Nick Viera's Cherokee conversion project.
Lectra: Matt's sweet electric motorcycle
Mazda 626: Jerry Halstead's conversion diary.
Mazda B-2600: a nice pickup conversion
Mazda Miata: Bill Theeringer project
Manx Dunebuggy: Scott's buggy, bike, and Comutacars
Maxion: Max Hall's Commutamatic II leaning 3 wheeler
Mercury Capri: Uve has a great EV design calculator on his page. (No pictures of his car yet though.)
Mini: Hans Hochwald "unique" conversion
Mini: Kaptain Kleaver's Mini Pickup
Nissan: Bill and Sharon Hoopes EVs
Plymouth Horizon: Mike Chancey's former EV, a Jet Electrica 007.
Plymouth Horizon: RLewit's Home Page, car was for sale but he sold it.
Pontiac Fiero: recharged with solar array.
Porsche 911T: D. M. Brockman's electric Porsche
Porsche 914: Bill and Sharon Hoopes EVs
Porsche 944: JB's cool project and pusher trailer
Renault 12: Darryl McMahon's Electric Vehicles, nice EV history page.
Saturn: Ken Norwick's online conversion diary
Saturn: conversion diary
Solectria E-10: Tom Huson's new project
Solectria Force: Tom Hudson doesn't let cold weather stop him.
Solectria Force: Gordon Stallings' EV
Sparrow: No pictures but a day to day diary of life with an EV
Subaru Micro Van: Jon Eidson's Jet Electra Van 600
Subaru Sherpa: Neat little EV in Queensland
Toyota Paseo: Peter Ohler's very nice conversion has been replaced with an EV-1.
Tropica:Brad Waddell's gorgeous EV.
Volkswagen Rabbit: Zig's Amazing Electric Vehicle
Volkswagen Rabbit: Bill Dube's Wild Electwik Wabbit
Volkswagen Rabbit: yduJ drives an electric car!
Volkswagen Rabbit: Mr.Sharkey's EV
Volkswagen Scirocco: Paul's clean project
Volkswagen Synchro (Stretch): Otmar's Hybrid Madness
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High School and University EVs
Electrathon Cars
Kennedy High School: Cedar rapids, Iowa
Topsail High School: Hampstead, North Carolina
Indy and Open Wheel Type Cars
Kettering University: Formula Lightning Race Team.
West Virginia University: Formula Lightning
Solar Cars
Clarkson University: Solar Knights
Kansas State University: Apollo
University of Quebec: Eclipse II
University of Toronto: Blue Sky
Queen's University: Dawn Treader
Street Cars
Central Shenandoah Valley Regional Governor's School: Datsun 240Z conversion.
Cortez High School: Plymouth Laser, Dodge Rampage and Pontiac Fiero
Kearny High School: Porsche 924
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EV Racing Sites and Organizations
Carolina EV Challenge: High school EVs
Demsey's World Record Associates: electric streamliner "White Lightning" did 245.524 mph.
The Electric Barstool Racers: You have to see these in action to believe them.
Electrified Motor Sports: Dennis "Kilowatt" Berube's EV Dragster
EVCO Electrathon: from the Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa
National Electric Drag Racing Association
Plasma Boy Racing: John Wayland and company blow it up so you won't have to!
Suck Amps EV Racing: The home of Gone Postal as seen on the Discovery Channel!
The 2001 NESEA American Tour de Sol
The Winston Solar Challenge
World Solar Challenge: solar cars across Australia
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EV Manufacturers and Converters
AC Propulsion Inc.
Ampmobile Conversions: EV conversions in South Carolina
AVT: EV, conversions and hybrids
Canadian Electric Vehicles LTD. EV conversions in Canada
Commuter Cars: Builders of the "Tango" tandem EV
Currie Technologies: Home of US ProDrive Electric Scooters and Electric Bicycles.
Dynasty Motor Car: LSV/NEV manufacturer
Electric Auto Corporation: Silver Volt II
Electric Blue: EV conversions in Newton, Kansas
Electric Vehicle Systems: EV conversions in Wocester, Massachusetts
Feel Good Cars: Slick little Zenn electrics
Frazer-Nash
Freakin Sports: Electric scooters
GEM: a unique NEV
Gorilla Vehicles: Handy single seat electric utility vehicles
Horlacher.AG: Custom light EV prototypes
ISE Corporation: Heavy hybrid and EV trucks
Midget Motors: a new NEV based on the classic King Midget microcar
REVA: India's first electric car
Taylor-Dunn: Industrial EVs
Tesla Motors: awesome new electric vehicles
TWIKE: human-electric hybrid
World Class Exotics: truely exotic conversions in West Palm Beach, Florida
ZAP: EV, electric bikes and power assist kits
Zortch:electric scooters
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EV Dealers and Rental Agencies
Electric Scooters are Fun: electric scooter retailer
EV Rental: They used to rent an EV1, EV Plus, RAV-EV, and Ranger EVs, now the only options are hybrids and CNG.
Groov-E-Skootz: electric scooter and bicycle retailer
Midget Motors: Gizmo distributor
SD Scooters: Electric Scooters
Sun Valley Ford: They sold the Ford Ranger EV, now canceled. See what you missed.
UrbanScooters.com: Electric scooter and bicycle retailer.
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EV Parts Suppliers
Canadian Electric Vehicles Ltd.
Electric Vehicles of America, Inc.
Electro Automotive
EVs North West
EVParts: formerly Wilde EVolutions
EV Proud: Chrome "Electric" logos
EV Source: Zilla controllers and Manzinta Micro chargers
KTA Services Inc. Nice folks.
Largo Scooters: Stealth Hub ebike conversion kits
Metric Mind: Siemens AC drive motors and controlers
Nu-Kar Electric Vehicles: Citicar and Comutacar Parts
SD Scooters: Electric scooter parts
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EV Component Manufacturers
Analytic Systems: manufacture Inverters, Chargers and DC Converters for mobile
and Electric Vehicle applications
AVT: "SuperMotor"
4QD: Controllers and indicators
Advanced DC Motors: EV motors
Adlee Powertronic Co., LTD: Brushless DC Motors for driving Electric Vehicle
Anderson Power Products: Heavy duty connectors
AVCON: EV charging stations and receptacles
BRUSA Electronic: AC drive systems
Cafe' Electric: Home of 'Zilla (awesome controllers)
Coherent Power, LTD.: Battery chargers and DC/DC converters.
Curtis Instruments: Controllers and more.
DC Power Systems: Mega-controller and battery regulators.
D&D Motor Systems, Inc.: DC electric motors and controllers
DE HAARDT: controllers and remote control equip. for go-karts and small EVs
Flight Systems Industrial Products: forklift parts and GE controller service
General Electric: Motors and controls
Guest: Battery chargers
Kilovac: Contactors
LEMCO: Motors
Manzanita Micro: Mega-battery chargers and battery regulators.
Net-Gain: Awesome DC drive motors
Piktronik: battery chargers, PM DC drive controllers, sensorless AC drive controllers, DC/DC converters
Prestolite: Motors and chargers
Power Designers: Charge controllers, equalizers, and battery monitors
Russco: battery chargers
SRE Controls: electric vehicles components
Solartech: Can-Pulse battery maintenance system
Watermaster: Battery watering system.
Xantrex: (formerly Cruisng Equipment) Makers of the famous E-meter, now known as the Link 10
ZAPI: controllers and chargers
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EV Battery Manufacturers
C&D Technologies: (formerly Dynasty Johnson Controls)
Concorde: (Specs on a dealer website)
Discover:
Douglas:
Exide
Hawker Energy
Optima
Trojan: Homepage, also nice battery maintenance tips at http://www.trojanbattery.com/customercare_batterymaint.html
U.S. Battery
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EV Plans Sources
Built For Fun Electric Vehicles: DIY plans for karts and buggys
Drive Electric: EV3 Tri-Electric
Electric Bicycle (Slipstream): DIY plans and parts for the Slipstream electric bike
Robert Q. Riley Enterprises: Electric and hybrid DIY plans.
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EV Test/Research Projects
Acterra: MG Midget conversion, and operating manual.
Florida Solar Energy Center: Alternative Energy Vehicle Program
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Surplus Parts and Electronics Sources
All Electronics Corp.
Alltronics
American Science & Surplus
B.G. Micro: Electronics, Kits, Surplus, Online Catalog
C and H Sales Co.:
Fair Radio Sales Co.:
Grainger: Online catalog
Marlin P Jones & Assoc. Inc.
Mendelson's Electronics Co. MECI
McMaster-Carr: Online catalog
Northern Hydraulics Online
Science Stuff: Supplier of science products and lab equipment.
The Surplus Center:
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Used EVs For Sale
EV Finder
The EV Tradin' Post: EVs & parts wanted and for sale
Triangle EAA List
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EV Magazines and Newsletters
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Group
ElectricCars.Com: Net-zine
Electrifying Times: Cool magazine!
EV Circuit Newsletter
EV Online: an online history of electric vehicles
EV WORLD -- The Future In Motion: An EV Net-zine.
Home Power Magazine: While not an EV magazine, they do have a regular EV section.
Nuts & Volts Magazine: For the serious gadgeteer.
V is for Voltage: electric scooters
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Misc. EV Information Sites
Darryl McMahon's EV History Page: You name it, its here.
ev-data.com: Electric vehicle market research and consultancy
EV Emission Analysis: per-mile power plant emissions for EVs.
The EV Discussion List: This is a fantastic source of information. If you have questions about EVs, these are the folks with the answers.
Ford Ranger EV Drivers Page: great info on a great EV
Megawatt Motorworks: An electric vehicle information center with links to hundreds of electric vehicle websites, an online store for educational material, and more. Discover the potential!
Power Brakes/Vacuum Pumps: A nice website with information on the GM 12 volt vacuum pump
Why Wait for Detroit?: links and commentary on the current EV situation
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EV and Hybrid Discussion List Sites
EV-Archive: This is the the history of electric vehicles site.
EV Discussion List: THE international EV email discussion group
EV Mailing List: This is the EV Discussion List archive.
Electric Vehicle List: (EVDL) ftp site (old site, apparently no longer maintatined)
groups.yahoo.com/group/c-car/: Citicar and Comutacar discussion group
groups.yahoo.com/group/ev/: a searchable archive of the EV Discussion List.(digest form ges back to July 2005)
groups.yahoo.com/group/ETList/: Electrifying Times discussions, a magazine about electric vehicles and energy technology
groups.yahoo.com/group/honda-insight: Honda Insight hybrid discussion group
groups.yahoo.com/group/solectria_ev/: Solectria discussion group
groups.yahoo.com/group/Tevan/: Dodge TEVan discussion group
groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius: Toyota Prius hybrid discussion group
groups.yahoo.com/group/uselectricar/ US Electricar discussion group
groups.yahoo.com/group/zappy: Zappy scooter discussion group
Voltage Forum: an online EV community
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EV Technical Reference Sources
Battery Percent Discharge: Comparison between various EV batteries.
Car Weights: a database of car weights for many models and years
Comutacar Bumper Upgrade: What to do when the rubber bumpers fall off.
Deep Cycle Battery FAQ: Everything you need to know.
EV Technical Files: Some handy info on the EV Album website
EPA Fuel Economy: complete list of the EPA fuel economy results for recent years
Motor Performance Data: Graphs and drawings of Baldor, GE, and Prestolite EV motors.
So You want To Build an Electric Car: Where to begin.
Uve Rick's EV Calculator: Just the thing to try out various conversion set-ups
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Non-Electric, but Interesting
Automite: Minature gas 3 wheel car plans
Concept Car: Concept automotive design
Honda Insight: Insightman with all there is to know about this Hybrid
WindCheetah: 3 wheel recumbant bicycle
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EV Books
Convert It: by Mike Brown. An excellent "dirty hands turning the wrenches" kind of guide to building and maintaing a reliable electric car.
Build Your Own Electric Vehicle: By Bob Bryant. Lots of technical information, including details on how all the components actually work.
The New Electric Vehicles: By Michael Hackleman. Wonderful and inspirational pictures, with great details on specific conversions and custom EVs, including solar cars, boats and even airplanes.
The Complete Book of Electric Vehicles: by Sheldon R. Schacket. A little bit dated, but an excellent history of electric vehicles up to 1980. Includes an interesting look at several older conversions.
How to Convert to an Electric Car: by Ted Lucas. This is an older book, now out of print, which details a Renault Caravelle conversion, using a surplus generator as a drive motor. Included is information on building an SCR type controller, and a 72 volt battery charger. It is a good look at what EV conversions used to be like.
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EV Promotion Organizations
EVUK: Electric vehicles in the UK
If you have any problems with any of these links, or know of any that should be added, please e-mail:
2009년 9월 10일 목요일
So You Want to Build an Electric Car
http://www.evalbum.com/build
Last Updated: 12/29/07
Okay, you think you are ready for the big plunge, building an electric car. So, of course, you have a few questions. I collected a list of questions I have been asked. I think this about covers it all, but if I missed one, just ask.
(click on the question to go to the answer)
What is the best car to convert?
What kind of motor should I use?
What kind of batteries do I use?
Where can I buy the parts?
Are there any books on how to do a conversion?
How far can I go on a charge?
How fast will it go?
How much will it cost?
Is there anyway to make it recharge itself while driving?
How about solar panels?
How about adding a generator?
What is the best car to convert?
There is no "best car" to convert. The vehicle of choice depends on what you want it to do. Porsche 914 conversions tend to be quick and have excellent range, but they aren't much good for hauling a couple of kids to school. Volkswagen Rabbits have room for passengers, but can lack pizzazz. (Not all though, check out Bill Dube's Wabbit) Mini pickups can handle a lot of battery weight, but tend to be rather heavy. Basically, what works for me may not work for you. There are a few general rules. Look for something lightweight with plenty of room inside. Try to avoid anything over 10 years old, because parts availability starts to drop off. Just because a vehicle is free or inexpensive, doesn't make it an ideal conversion. If it was a junky gas car it will be a junky EV too. If you check out the EV Discussion List Photo Album, you will find over 1300 of the most more varied conversions you can imagine.
What kind of motor should I use?
The most commonly used motors in EV conversions are series wound DC motors. Most new parts suppliers carry the Advanced DC or Warp lines of motors. There are also quite a few folks using older General Electric, Baldor, and Prestolite motors. Many older conversions were based on surplus starter/generators. While these are still available, they are difficult to mount, inefficient, and generally incompatible with modern controllers. A conversion based on one of these might be functional, but it would ultimately be disappointing. There are a few decent surplus motors available from time to time. Forklift and elevator motors are usually much to heavy to use, while golf cart motors are too small. Recently, AC drive motors have become available, and it is likely that more conversions will be using them. One current source for AC drive systems is Metric Mind.
What kind of batteries should I use?
At the moment there are really only a few choices for EV batteries.
The first is flooded lead acid batteries, such as golf cart and trolling motor type batteries. While these are reasonably priced, they do require periodic water level checks and cleaning. Dollar for dollar they are the least expensive way to power an EV. For high performance EVs however, they are a poor choice, because of the weight, and inability to handle high current loads (over 600 amps) without losing service life.
A second choice is VRLA, (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat). These are often used in computer backup (UPS) power systems. They are considered sealed, so there is no fluid level to check, and they stay clean, because they don't vent under normal charging. They are able to deliver astonishingly high currents without failing. They do tend to be a bit more expensive, and require more sophisticated charging systems than the flooded batteries. They also usually have a shorter service life.
Another choice is gel cell batteries. These are lead-acid batteries with the electrolyte in a gell format. Due to the methods used in manufacturing them they tend to be very consistent battery to battery within production lot. This reduces the need for the battery management systems used on AGM batteries, though many folks still recommend them on gells as well.
Yet another choice is nickel-cadmium batteries. These have become less available due to regulatory changes in Europe. They tend to be considerably more expensive than conventional lead-acid batteries, but their extraordinarily long service life make them actually less expensive over the life of the vehicle.
Lithium based batteries are finally starting to trickle though to the individual user, but so far not in large numbers. Their long term life span is still a bit of an unknown, though it is quite promissing.
You may have heard about other types of batteries, such as nickel-metal, zinc-air, and many others. When they become available to the general public I will add them here, however, at the moment they are not available outside of test programs.
This link will take you to the MAEAA Links page, where you will find a section called EV Battery Manufacturers.
Where can I buy the parts?
There are a number of EV parts suppliers listed on the MAEAA Links page. Just follow this link to EV Parts Suppliers. Batteries are usually available locally almost anywhere.
Are there any books on how to do a conversion?
Yes, I have several favorites. They include:
"Convert It"
by Mike P. Brown
(Future Books 1993) An excellent "dirty hands turning the wrenches" kind of guide to building and maintaining a reliable electric car.
"Build Your Own Electric Vehicle"
by Bob Brant
(TAB Books 1995) Lots of technical information, including details on how all the components actually work.
"The New Electric Vehicles"
by Michael Hackleman
(Home Power Publishing 1996) Wonderful and inspirational pictures, with great details on specific conversions and custom EVs, including solar cars, boats and even airplanes.
"The Complete Book of Electric Vehicles"
by Sheldon R Shacket
(Domus Books 1981) A little bit dated, but an excellent history of electric vehicles up to 1980. Includes an interesting look at several older conversions.
"How To Convert To An Electric Car"
by Ted Lucas This is an older book, now out of print, which details a Renault Caravelle conversion, using a surplus generator as a drive motor. Included is information on building an SCR type controller, and a 72 volt battery charger. It is a good look at what EV conversions used to be like.
Clicking on these books will take you to Amazon.com, with a direct link to the book, or you can click here.
You can also find these at your local library or book seller.
How far can I go on a charge?
This depends on many many factors including terrain, speed, temperature, driving style, and of course the design of the car. Most conversions average around 50 miles, with some less and some much more. A recent pickup conversion was able to handle over 120 miles of highway driving on one charge. You can see it at: Red Beastie.,
How fast will it go?
Again this depends a lot on the design. Most conversions are fast enough to get a speeding ticket on any highway in the U.S. Acceleration does tend to be slower than the average gas car, with few conversions able to reach 60 in less than 20 seconds, kind of like driving a mini van. On the other hand, some conversions are wickedly quick, and have far more horsepower than they did as gas cars. An electric drag car recently managed 8.100 seconds and 153.6 mph in the quarter mile! That is quick! If your curious about high performance EVs, check out the National Electric Drag Racing Association.
How much will it cost?
The least expensive conversion I know of was done for $1,500. This was a 72 volt, 12 horsepower, Yugo conversion, and many would say, a poor example. While it is certainly a reasonable commuter car, it would never be considered a performance car. Most conversions are done for $8,000 to $12,000. When more "goodies" are added, the more the cost goes up. It also depends on how much repair work the donor car needs.
Is there anyway to make it recharge itself while driving?
In a word, NO. Driving generators off the wheels, adding a windmill on top and similar ideas are often suggested. The problem is the increased drag from such items would be several times greater than the added power they would generate. It is a nice idea, but it won't work. There have been some folks working with pusher trailers to allow the EV to become a hybrid for highway use. You can find some info on one on JB's webpage.
How about solar panels?
Solar panels will work, but are unlikely to supply enough power for a full charge in only one day. The problem is the very small amount of power they generate. If the top of a car were covered with solar panels, and it were parked in direct sunlight for 8 hours, it would only generate enough power to go only a few miles. There have been some folks who have built truck conversions with large solar arrays who have reported being able to cover ten miles or more per day on the power from the solar panels. A scratch built, very light EV with a large solar array might be able to do even better. At the moment the cost of solar panels might make this a fairly expensive project.
How about adding a generator?
This would make it a series hybrid electric. Yes it will work, but there are some issues. One possiblity is a small generator that provides a portion of the power required to drive the EV. For example, if it provided half of the power required, it would double the range of the vehicle. A larger generator, capable of providing 100% of the power needed would make the vehicle only limited by the fuel in the fuel tank. The main problem with both of these concepts is the engines used in small generators. These engines are not subject to the same EPA regulations as automobile engines, so in general they tend to produce several times as much pollution per horsepower-hour as an automobile engine. They also tend to be far less fuel effcient. As a result, most attempts to extend the range of an elecctric vehicle this way creates something that actually causes more air pollution than a conventional car and gets poorer fuel economy. Basically, the advances that have been added to the modern gasoline car, such as electroninc fuel injection, closed loop emission controls, and cayalytic converters all have made the modern gas car a pretty hard act to follow. If one were able to apply that same technology to a small engine driving a generator then one could almost certainly build a range extending generator for an EV that would be cleaner and more fuel efficent than a gas car. The challenge would be in doing that. A number of folks have put together range extending trailers using small car engines to drive large generators. In most cases these seem to work quite well, but the fuel economy is not dramatically better than a conventional gas car. Several universities have built hybrid cars. You can check them out on the MAEAA Links page, just look for High School and University EVs, and then go to the Hybrid section.
If you have any more questions, feel free to email me.
Thanks.
Last Updated: 12/29/07
Okay, you think you are ready for the big plunge, building an electric car. So, of course, you have a few questions. I collected a list of questions I have been asked. I think this about covers it all, but if I missed one, just ask.
(click on the question to go to the answer)
What is the best car to convert?
What kind of motor should I use?
What kind of batteries do I use?
Where can I buy the parts?
Are there any books on how to do a conversion?
How far can I go on a charge?
How fast will it go?
How much will it cost?
Is there anyway to make it recharge itself while driving?
How about solar panels?
How about adding a generator?
What is the best car to convert?
There is no "best car" to convert. The vehicle of choice depends on what you want it to do. Porsche 914 conversions tend to be quick and have excellent range, but they aren't much good for hauling a couple of kids to school. Volkswagen Rabbits have room for passengers, but can lack pizzazz. (Not all though, check out Bill Dube's Wabbit) Mini pickups can handle a lot of battery weight, but tend to be rather heavy. Basically, what works for me may not work for you. There are a few general rules. Look for something lightweight with plenty of room inside. Try to avoid anything over 10 years old, because parts availability starts to drop off. Just because a vehicle is free or inexpensive, doesn't make it an ideal conversion. If it was a junky gas car it will be a junky EV too. If you check out the EV Discussion List Photo Album, you will find over 1300 of the most more varied conversions you can imagine.
What kind of motor should I use?
The most commonly used motors in EV conversions are series wound DC motors. Most new parts suppliers carry the Advanced DC or Warp lines of motors. There are also quite a few folks using older General Electric, Baldor, and Prestolite motors. Many older conversions were based on surplus starter/generators. While these are still available, they are difficult to mount, inefficient, and generally incompatible with modern controllers. A conversion based on one of these might be functional, but it would ultimately be disappointing. There are a few decent surplus motors available from time to time. Forklift and elevator motors are usually much to heavy to use, while golf cart motors are too small. Recently, AC drive motors have become available, and it is likely that more conversions will be using them. One current source for AC drive systems is Metric Mind.
What kind of batteries should I use?
At the moment there are really only a few choices for EV batteries.
The first is flooded lead acid batteries, such as golf cart and trolling motor type batteries. While these are reasonably priced, they do require periodic water level checks and cleaning. Dollar for dollar they are the least expensive way to power an EV. For high performance EVs however, they are a poor choice, because of the weight, and inability to handle high current loads (over 600 amps) without losing service life.
A second choice is VRLA, (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat). These are often used in computer backup (UPS) power systems. They are considered sealed, so there is no fluid level to check, and they stay clean, because they don't vent under normal charging. They are able to deliver astonishingly high currents without failing. They do tend to be a bit more expensive, and require more sophisticated charging systems than the flooded batteries. They also usually have a shorter service life.
Another choice is gel cell batteries. These are lead-acid batteries with the electrolyte in a gell format. Due to the methods used in manufacturing them they tend to be very consistent battery to battery within production lot. This reduces the need for the battery management systems used on AGM batteries, though many folks still recommend them on gells as well.
Yet another choice is nickel-cadmium batteries. These have become less available due to regulatory changes in Europe. They tend to be considerably more expensive than conventional lead-acid batteries, but their extraordinarily long service life make them actually less expensive over the life of the vehicle.
Lithium based batteries are finally starting to trickle though to the individual user, but so far not in large numbers. Their long term life span is still a bit of an unknown, though it is quite promissing.
You may have heard about other types of batteries, such as nickel-metal, zinc-air, and many others. When they become available to the general public I will add them here, however, at the moment they are not available outside of test programs.
This link will take you to the MAEAA Links page, where you will find a section called EV Battery Manufacturers.
Where can I buy the parts?
There are a number of EV parts suppliers listed on the MAEAA Links page. Just follow this link to EV Parts Suppliers. Batteries are usually available locally almost anywhere.
Are there any books on how to do a conversion?
Yes, I have several favorites. They include:
"Convert It"
by Mike P. Brown
(Future Books 1993) An excellent "dirty hands turning the wrenches" kind of guide to building and maintaining a reliable electric car.
"Build Your Own Electric Vehicle"
by Bob Brant
(TAB Books 1995) Lots of technical information, including details on how all the components actually work.
"The New Electric Vehicles"
by Michael Hackleman
(Home Power Publishing 1996) Wonderful and inspirational pictures, with great details on specific conversions and custom EVs, including solar cars, boats and even airplanes.
"The Complete Book of Electric Vehicles"
by Sheldon R Shacket
(Domus Books 1981) A little bit dated, but an excellent history of electric vehicles up to 1980. Includes an interesting look at several older conversions.
"How To Convert To An Electric Car"
by Ted Lucas This is an older book, now out of print, which details a Renault Caravelle conversion, using a surplus generator as a drive motor. Included is information on building an SCR type controller, and a 72 volt battery charger. It is a good look at what EV conversions used to be like.
Clicking on these books will take you to Amazon.com, with a direct link to the book, or you can click here.
You can also find these at your local library or book seller.
How far can I go on a charge?
This depends on many many factors including terrain, speed, temperature, driving style, and of course the design of the car. Most conversions average around 50 miles, with some less and some much more. A recent pickup conversion was able to handle over 120 miles of highway driving on one charge. You can see it at: Red Beastie.,
How fast will it go?
Again this depends a lot on the design. Most conversions are fast enough to get a speeding ticket on any highway in the U.S. Acceleration does tend to be slower than the average gas car, with few conversions able to reach 60 in less than 20 seconds, kind of like driving a mini van. On the other hand, some conversions are wickedly quick, and have far more horsepower than they did as gas cars. An electric drag car recently managed 8.100 seconds and 153.6 mph in the quarter mile! That is quick! If your curious about high performance EVs, check out the National Electric Drag Racing Association.
How much will it cost?
The least expensive conversion I know of was done for $1,500. This was a 72 volt, 12 horsepower, Yugo conversion, and many would say, a poor example. While it is certainly a reasonable commuter car, it would never be considered a performance car. Most conversions are done for $8,000 to $12,000. When more "goodies" are added, the more the cost goes up. It also depends on how much repair work the donor car needs.
Is there anyway to make it recharge itself while driving?
In a word, NO. Driving generators off the wheels, adding a windmill on top and similar ideas are often suggested. The problem is the increased drag from such items would be several times greater than the added power they would generate. It is a nice idea, but it won't work. There have been some folks working with pusher trailers to allow the EV to become a hybrid for highway use. You can find some info on one on JB's webpage.
How about solar panels?
Solar panels will work, but are unlikely to supply enough power for a full charge in only one day. The problem is the very small amount of power they generate. If the top of a car were covered with solar panels, and it were parked in direct sunlight for 8 hours, it would only generate enough power to go only a few miles. There have been some folks who have built truck conversions with large solar arrays who have reported being able to cover ten miles or more per day on the power from the solar panels. A scratch built, very light EV with a large solar array might be able to do even better. At the moment the cost of solar panels might make this a fairly expensive project.
How about adding a generator?
This would make it a series hybrid electric. Yes it will work, but there are some issues. One possiblity is a small generator that provides a portion of the power required to drive the EV. For example, if it provided half of the power required, it would double the range of the vehicle. A larger generator, capable of providing 100% of the power needed would make the vehicle only limited by the fuel in the fuel tank. The main problem with both of these concepts is the engines used in small generators. These engines are not subject to the same EPA regulations as automobile engines, so in general they tend to produce several times as much pollution per horsepower-hour as an automobile engine. They also tend to be far less fuel effcient. As a result, most attempts to extend the range of an elecctric vehicle this way creates something that actually causes more air pollution than a conventional car and gets poorer fuel economy. Basically, the advances that have been added to the modern gasoline car, such as electroninc fuel injection, closed loop emission controls, and cayalytic converters all have made the modern gas car a pretty hard act to follow. If one were able to apply that same technology to a small engine driving a generator then one could almost certainly build a range extending generator for an EV that would be cleaner and more fuel efficent than a gas car. The challenge would be in doing that. A number of folks have put together range extending trailers using small car engines to drive large generators. In most cases these seem to work quite well, but the fuel economy is not dramatically better than a conventional gas car. Several universities have built hybrid cars. You can check them out on the MAEAA Links page, just look for High School and University EVs, and then go to the Hybrid section.
If you have any more questions, feel free to email me.
Thanks.
2009년 9월 5일 토요일
Ecomodder’s Dirt Cheap DIY Electric Cars
http://www.zoomilife.com/2009/01/26/ecomodders-dirt-cheap-diy-electric-cars/
Ecomodder’s Dirt Cheap DIY Electric Cars
Jan
26
Written by: Aaron Turpen 1,117 views
Published on January 26th, 2009 in Electric Cars, Featured
Buzz up! ShareThis
One of our favorite websites is ecomodder.com, which features a lot of awesome, green, do-it-yourself stuff for modifying existing automobiles to make them more efficient. The site now has a great 5-part series on some DIY electric cars that people have built.
Most of the cars are converted using small/compact vehicles like Geo Metros and Volkswagen Bugs and used forklift parts. That and some ingenuity and a set of wrenches. I love this kind of stuff.
Two Geo Metros were converted, one for about $1,200 and another for just under $1,000. A 1971 VW Beetle was converted for $2,200. As ecomodder puts it, you only have to be a “motivated tinkerer” to get this done.
The first article in the series features a nice comparison chart that breaks down the Tesla Roadster (at $109,000) in terms of cost-per-mph and per range in miles. The sums are pretty hefty. Averaging their DIY cars, the cost per mph and mile/range are much more realistic at well under $100/each.
Of course, none of these DIY cars will beat the Tesla on the track (or the road) and none of them will be making any cross-country trips anytime soon either. But they were less than a tenth the cost too.
America is full of do-it-yourselfers and not all of us are Tim the Toolman either. Some can actually make stuff that works. For me, I need better range (it’s 45 miles each way to the nearest Wal-Mart) and performance (those are freeway miles). On the other hand, if you can get a hold of an old car that isn’t running for cheap or free, it would make a great around-towner or just a fun project.
At any rate, we applaud ecomodder for the great article series and hope to see more of this kind of thing in the future.
Here’s a great video about the Electric VW Bug conversion
Ecomodder’s Dirt Cheap DIY Electric Cars
Jan
26
Written by: Aaron Turpen 1,117 views
Published on January 26th, 2009 in Electric Cars, Featured
Buzz up! ShareThis
One of our favorite websites is ecomodder.com, which features a lot of awesome, green, do-it-yourself stuff for modifying existing automobiles to make them more efficient. The site now has a great 5-part series on some DIY electric cars that people have built.
Most of the cars are converted using small/compact vehicles like Geo Metros and Volkswagen Bugs and used forklift parts. That and some ingenuity and a set of wrenches. I love this kind of stuff.
Two Geo Metros were converted, one for about $1,200 and another for just under $1,000. A 1971 VW Beetle was converted for $2,200. As ecomodder puts it, you only have to be a “motivated tinkerer” to get this done.
The first article in the series features a nice comparison chart that breaks down the Tesla Roadster (at $109,000) in terms of cost-per-mph and per range in miles. The sums are pretty hefty. Averaging their DIY cars, the cost per mph and mile/range are much more realistic at well under $100/each.
Of course, none of these DIY cars will beat the Tesla on the track (or the road) and none of them will be making any cross-country trips anytime soon either. But they were less than a tenth the cost too.
America is full of do-it-yourselfers and not all of us are Tim the Toolman either. Some can actually make stuff that works. For me, I need better range (it’s 45 miles each way to the nearest Wal-Mart) and performance (those are freeway miles). On the other hand, if you can get a hold of an old car that isn’t running for cheap or free, it would make a great around-towner or just a fun project.
At any rate, we applaud ecomodder for the great article series and hope to see more of this kind of thing in the future.
Here’s a great video about the Electric VW Bug conversion
2002 Toyota Echo
I’ve got to admit we’ve pushed it to a new level. I’ve worked day and night to make this EV a reality. I would like to thank Mr. Mark Taylor and my electronics wizard Mr. JD for the time and effort they have put in, pure magic boys.
The weigh in.
The clients dropped off the Echo. They drove her down all the way from Qld. Quite a drive which I’ll tell you about later. It was a clean 2002 echo witch I checked out from stem to stern and found a present “boxy type” sub frame with tones of potential. Its so simple when you have a square sub frame. You can see where everything will go and as for room! There’s lots to be had in a vehicle such as this.
After a talk, coffee and showing them around I drove the clients to the airport in the Echo and wished them well. I’ve got to admit the Toyota Echo is lacking a little in power. Its nimble but has nothing in the acceleration department. You have to literary have your foot to the floor to get some decent response from it all the time and I’m going to fix that.
So to the weighbridge! With half a tank of gas she weighed in at 900kg precisely. With 560kg over the front axel and 340kg over the rear. So most of the weight is in the front, which is normal for a FWD vehicle. When it comes to balance you have to know where your weights are because the manufacturer sets up the suspension to do the job assuming even weight distribution and when it comes to putting everything together I suggest keeping it relative.
The evil
Lets tear her up.
Mr. Taylor came to the party with a bunch of tools and a mission “remove the ice and all its evil” and he did just that. This man can tare out an engine and anything to do with it in a matter of hours, nothing gets in his way. Mark had the engine hanging from a hoist, the exhaust removed, radiator drained and leaning up against its engine, and a bunch of nuts and bolts in an ice-cream container in time for morning tea.
no more evil
The coupling
I’ve got a motor and a transmission for the machinist and she’s got to go together so lets talk about the differences. The original ice is a 4-cylinder fuel injected DOHC engine capable of 63kW at 6000rpm and 122Nm of torque at 4400rpm. We’re replacing it with an 8 inch Advanced DC motor capable of 62kW at 120V and well over 150Nm of torque with a Curtis controller. The question is can the transmission take it?
Rear battery box
Battery Installation
The rear sub frame is all straight lines so it’s a pleasure to cut out the tire well. This was done with in minutes with an angle grinder using the appropriate disk. In its place we installed a 1.2mm thick stainless steel battery box containing 22 of the 38 Thundersky lithium ion batteries as well as the zivan charging systems and relays for the charging sequence. It’s a tidy package that’s compact and protected via a reinforced steel bar welded in place behind the bumper and lined with melamine. The compartment is complemented by the same 1.2mm thick stainless lid incorporating an easy access inspection hatch. It’s also ventilated not only while running but while charging too. The zivan really kicks out some heat when it’s at full bore. Why are we ventilated while running when we have a bank of lions? Qld is a sub tropical environment and I want to make sure the compartment is cooled at all times.
mount up
Here where the fun starts, I decided to do the entire front section in stainless steel. But before that we have to mount the new motor. The easy way to build an electric vehicle is to use what you have so we did. The motor is mounted using the original engine mounts with one minor modification. The front or drivers side mount is complemented via a 3mm plate that incorporates the aircon pump welded to a 50×50x5mm angle directly bolted to the original mount. This is about as strong as it gets so the motor will probably give out long before the mount does (did I mention electric motors don’t need servicing for about 8 years?).
The compact
So with the motor in place we need to trim back that pesky wiring harness. People, be careful when doing this and take your time. When dealing with a wiring harness you have to respect the maker and only cut one wire at a time while checking constantly. Ask yourself every time you cut a wire “does the instrument cluster still light up? Does it still do what it did when it had and ice? Did I buy that service manual with the wiring diagram?” Take care and you’ll get it right.
My bigest fan
This vehicle is keeping its aircon system so we need to make a few mods to the existing setup. Firstly we need the motor/aircon condenser cooling fan however it’s mounted directly to the radiator, which is mounted to the frame of the vehicle. I make up a few mounts and installed it as close to the condenser as possible directly on the subframe. We had to rewire the aircon system so that not only did the aircon pump clutch engage the fan came on as well when you pressed the original AC button.
What a lovely box
Mounting the forward battery box brought forth an interesting problem. In order to keep the batteries in one place and have enough room for adequate clearance so the bonnet shuts we lowered the motor and transmission by about 20mm or about ¾ of an inch. This gave us a really clean install as we could simply weld the rear battery box support to the subframe. We bolted the forward support in place as it makes for an easy removal.
So with the framework and battery box in place we turn to the installation of the various components. We need to mount these to something so I lined the gap that was left with a stainless deck. It’s a simple process of getting some cardboard and cutting it to size. Once your happy with the fit cut out the stainless to match and there you have it. I made the deck in sections as it can now be removed independently if the need arises.
Drivers side setup
Where does everything go?
So now our deck is in place we have to figure out where to mount everything. The vac pump is going as close to the booster as possible. Next to that we have the water pump, pot box and of course the controller. After the controller we have the contactor, next to that the shunt and the dc-to-dc converter. Finally we need to leave space for the new compact 12v battery. This leaves us with very little room to move however every part has adequate space around it for inspection. The controllers setting ports are accessible and we can adjust everything. The breaker is going to be mounted on the battery box so its 1, clear of everything elce 2, highly accessible and 3, right under the high voltage sticker.
Passenger side
Many hours of work later we have the client back for a test drive. I made a few connections and took them around the block. For a first drive she responded nicely and surprisingly most EV’s I’ve seen or brought into existence do exactly that. It had more power than the original and it responded nicely. It was smooth and not heavy on the steering. When she cornered she felt nimble and well balanced. So its time to call the engineer for a primary inspection.
Before he came however I had a chance to turn the Curtis up full. The standard factory settings for a Curtis are as follows. The power output is full while the acceleration curve is set to about ¾. This means that when you put your foot flat to the floor it takes time to ramp the motor up to full power. This makes for a smoother acceleration however I feel it’s a little sluggish. At full tilt however everything feels a little sharper. Don’t get me wrong, I like to have the full power of the motor at my control but (and this is the wonderful thing about the ev) learner drivers and people who are not as confident with driving as others can tune the vehicle down to suit their style. This is a simple adjustment and can be done in minutes.
All wired up
The engineer came over and took her for a spin. He took her around the block and tried all the gears commenting on how light it was. Then he tried first from a standing start. The wheels spun as the car lurched forward at a great rate of knots. He backed off immediately as the transmission in these things probably isn’t built to take much more than the original motor. In layman’s terms its like dropping the clutch at the ice’s peek power output. He liked what he saw and gave us a big tick! So at this point we have to do the hard yards and wire everything up to work, as it should when it should.
So while that happens I want to talk further about the components that went into this vehicle. I tried a few experiments and new technologies that worked out nicely. The vacuum pump is from MES-DEA in Sweden. Unlike most of the other vac pumps I’ve seen it’s meant to be in a vehicle attached to the booster. It has an onboard vac switch that shuts it off when the appropriate amount of vacuum is achieved. Its got its own one way valve and because of the fact that in Australia its law that if the engine fails in a vehicle you still need to get two full pumps out of the booster before it fails we don’t need a reservoir.
Heater experiment
One of my little experiments included the use of a micro boiler and water pump to circulate hot water through the existing heater core of the vehicle. Not only is it seamless and fully integrated it draws the same amount of amps as an electric heater core while producing many times more heat. The heater I used was a zero start engine warmer. It takes around the same time as an internal combustion engine to heat up but its pure magic. Basically it works and works well and this is how Convert Ur Car is going to do it from now on.
The final little piece of equipment is a prototype instrument cluster interface. In a nutshell JD built a computer that takes all the information from the various sensors we placed around the vehicle and plugs it into the cluster. The fuel gauge and tacho read as normal for the moment however we are working to install other features and safeties for our future vehicles such as motor rpm and temperature limiting.
The finished product
As you can see we’ve put in even more additional bells and whistles. The forward battery box is covered in Perspex with twin ventilation fans and blue flashing LED’s on the BMS that go out as each battery is balanced while charging. The fuse box is mounted above the dc-to-dc converter. The water reservoir is mounted nicely above the engine mount. Indecently you can pick these up at super cheap auto. The controller is mounted on a heat sink right in the front so it gets maximum ventilation. The old battery fuse box has been integrated and some of its old function has been retained. The dc to dc converted is connected in place of the alternator.
Inside
As you can see we ran out of room in the fuse box and had to plant a relay outside. Another interesting feature is the fact that I installed a relay that prevents the negative cable from the charger from being active unless the vehicle is actually charging. This doesn’t mean that it’s always active while the vehicle is plugged in either. This system only engages when the BMS engages the charger. So when the BMS system shuts down the charger the line goes open circuit and therefore safe.
Rear battery compartment
Well that’s about it for the build side. The engineer passed her with out a hassle, we shipped it up the QLD and I deserve a break. Complications? Yeah there were a few, nothings perfect and things don’t always work first time. The tacho sender for example was loose and I had to pull half the vehicle apart to tighten it up. When I did I broke it and had to order a new one that took a week to get to us. The batteries took eternity to get to us as well as the bms system and its controller.(we have found a new supplier, so this is one issue out of the way). This and a few other niggling things that took a little thought and patience to make happen.
I bet your all asking how much does it weigh now she’s an EV? The echo now weighs in at 1040kg with 620kg and 420kg over the front the rear axles respectively. She gained 140kg in total with 60kg and 80kg once again front and rear making her a 4 seater. We think this is in keeping with the original design. The only other thing we could have done to keep the front rear ratios more even would have been shifting two batteries to the front. However the weighbridge we has a resolution of 20kg so it may be the case of a single battery moving forward to tip the scale.
Projects, Toyota Echo | admin0 | May 16, 2009 12:58 pm
4 Comments
By Rob, July 12, 2009 @ 8:30 pm
Im interested in converting my Echo as well. Since you’ve worked out how to convert the echo’s. How much to convert mine?
By nathan, July 17, 2009 @ 10:32 pm
Hi rob,
Cost depends on how much range you need per charge and the level of sophistication.
nathan
By Alex, August 10, 2009 @ 9:00 pm
Hi Nathan
I would like to buy a ute double cabin and converted to electric, drive around 60K per charge and be able to do around 90 - 100 km in a freeway or I would like to be able to go to Wollongong.
How much would it cost. and how much you charge for helping and advising?
Alex
By nathan, August 13, 2009 @ 11:11 am
Hi Alex,
A Ute capable of 100kmph is no problem I do 110kmph in sparky all the time. With a Ute you have plenty of space for batteries so a 60km range is easy.
Take a look at the parts section and see what you need. For a basic EV you should look at a controller, motor, and contactor.
Our consultation services vary depending on the level of service. Give me a call and let me know what you need.
The weigh in.
The clients dropped off the Echo. They drove her down all the way from Qld. Quite a drive which I’ll tell you about later. It was a clean 2002 echo witch I checked out from stem to stern and found a present “boxy type” sub frame with tones of potential. Its so simple when you have a square sub frame. You can see where everything will go and as for room! There’s lots to be had in a vehicle such as this.
After a talk, coffee and showing them around I drove the clients to the airport in the Echo and wished them well. I’ve got to admit the Toyota Echo is lacking a little in power. Its nimble but has nothing in the acceleration department. You have to literary have your foot to the floor to get some decent response from it all the time and I’m going to fix that.
So to the weighbridge! With half a tank of gas she weighed in at 900kg precisely. With 560kg over the front axel and 340kg over the rear. So most of the weight is in the front, which is normal for a FWD vehicle. When it comes to balance you have to know where your weights are because the manufacturer sets up the suspension to do the job assuming even weight distribution and when it comes to putting everything together I suggest keeping it relative.
The evil
Lets tear her up.
Mr. Taylor came to the party with a bunch of tools and a mission “remove the ice and all its evil” and he did just that. This man can tare out an engine and anything to do with it in a matter of hours, nothing gets in his way. Mark had the engine hanging from a hoist, the exhaust removed, radiator drained and leaning up against its engine, and a bunch of nuts and bolts in an ice-cream container in time for morning tea.
no more evil
The coupling
I’ve got a motor and a transmission for the machinist and she’s got to go together so lets talk about the differences. The original ice is a 4-cylinder fuel injected DOHC engine capable of 63kW at 6000rpm and 122Nm of torque at 4400rpm. We’re replacing it with an 8 inch Advanced DC motor capable of 62kW at 120V and well over 150Nm of torque with a Curtis controller. The question is can the transmission take it?
Rear battery box
Battery Installation
The rear sub frame is all straight lines so it’s a pleasure to cut out the tire well. This was done with in minutes with an angle grinder using the appropriate disk. In its place we installed a 1.2mm thick stainless steel battery box containing 22 of the 38 Thundersky lithium ion batteries as well as the zivan charging systems and relays for the charging sequence. It’s a tidy package that’s compact and protected via a reinforced steel bar welded in place behind the bumper and lined with melamine. The compartment is complemented by the same 1.2mm thick stainless lid incorporating an easy access inspection hatch. It’s also ventilated not only while running but while charging too. The zivan really kicks out some heat when it’s at full bore. Why are we ventilated while running when we have a bank of lions? Qld is a sub tropical environment and I want to make sure the compartment is cooled at all times.
mount up
Here where the fun starts, I decided to do the entire front section in stainless steel. But before that we have to mount the new motor. The easy way to build an electric vehicle is to use what you have so we did. The motor is mounted using the original engine mounts with one minor modification. The front or drivers side mount is complemented via a 3mm plate that incorporates the aircon pump welded to a 50×50x5mm angle directly bolted to the original mount. This is about as strong as it gets so the motor will probably give out long before the mount does (did I mention electric motors don’t need servicing for about 8 years?).
The compact
So with the motor in place we need to trim back that pesky wiring harness. People, be careful when doing this and take your time. When dealing with a wiring harness you have to respect the maker and only cut one wire at a time while checking constantly. Ask yourself every time you cut a wire “does the instrument cluster still light up? Does it still do what it did when it had and ice? Did I buy that service manual with the wiring diagram?” Take care and you’ll get it right.
My bigest fan
This vehicle is keeping its aircon system so we need to make a few mods to the existing setup. Firstly we need the motor/aircon condenser cooling fan however it’s mounted directly to the radiator, which is mounted to the frame of the vehicle. I make up a few mounts and installed it as close to the condenser as possible directly on the subframe. We had to rewire the aircon system so that not only did the aircon pump clutch engage the fan came on as well when you pressed the original AC button.
What a lovely box
Mounting the forward battery box brought forth an interesting problem. In order to keep the batteries in one place and have enough room for adequate clearance so the bonnet shuts we lowered the motor and transmission by about 20mm or about ¾ of an inch. This gave us a really clean install as we could simply weld the rear battery box support to the subframe. We bolted the forward support in place as it makes for an easy removal.
So with the framework and battery box in place we turn to the installation of the various components. We need to mount these to something so I lined the gap that was left with a stainless deck. It’s a simple process of getting some cardboard and cutting it to size. Once your happy with the fit cut out the stainless to match and there you have it. I made the deck in sections as it can now be removed independently if the need arises.
Drivers side setup
Where does everything go?
So now our deck is in place we have to figure out where to mount everything. The vac pump is going as close to the booster as possible. Next to that we have the water pump, pot box and of course the controller. After the controller we have the contactor, next to that the shunt and the dc-to-dc converter. Finally we need to leave space for the new compact 12v battery. This leaves us with very little room to move however every part has adequate space around it for inspection. The controllers setting ports are accessible and we can adjust everything. The breaker is going to be mounted on the battery box so its 1, clear of everything elce 2, highly accessible and 3, right under the high voltage sticker.
Passenger side
Many hours of work later we have the client back for a test drive. I made a few connections and took them around the block. For a first drive she responded nicely and surprisingly most EV’s I’ve seen or brought into existence do exactly that. It had more power than the original and it responded nicely. It was smooth and not heavy on the steering. When she cornered she felt nimble and well balanced. So its time to call the engineer for a primary inspection.
Before he came however I had a chance to turn the Curtis up full. The standard factory settings for a Curtis are as follows. The power output is full while the acceleration curve is set to about ¾. This means that when you put your foot flat to the floor it takes time to ramp the motor up to full power. This makes for a smoother acceleration however I feel it’s a little sluggish. At full tilt however everything feels a little sharper. Don’t get me wrong, I like to have the full power of the motor at my control but (and this is the wonderful thing about the ev) learner drivers and people who are not as confident with driving as others can tune the vehicle down to suit their style. This is a simple adjustment and can be done in minutes.
All wired up
The engineer came over and took her for a spin. He took her around the block and tried all the gears commenting on how light it was. Then he tried first from a standing start. The wheels spun as the car lurched forward at a great rate of knots. He backed off immediately as the transmission in these things probably isn’t built to take much more than the original motor. In layman’s terms its like dropping the clutch at the ice’s peek power output. He liked what he saw and gave us a big tick! So at this point we have to do the hard yards and wire everything up to work, as it should when it should.
So while that happens I want to talk further about the components that went into this vehicle. I tried a few experiments and new technologies that worked out nicely. The vacuum pump is from MES-DEA in Sweden. Unlike most of the other vac pumps I’ve seen it’s meant to be in a vehicle attached to the booster. It has an onboard vac switch that shuts it off when the appropriate amount of vacuum is achieved. Its got its own one way valve and because of the fact that in Australia its law that if the engine fails in a vehicle you still need to get two full pumps out of the booster before it fails we don’t need a reservoir.
Heater experiment
One of my little experiments included the use of a micro boiler and water pump to circulate hot water through the existing heater core of the vehicle. Not only is it seamless and fully integrated it draws the same amount of amps as an electric heater core while producing many times more heat. The heater I used was a zero start engine warmer. It takes around the same time as an internal combustion engine to heat up but its pure magic. Basically it works and works well and this is how Convert Ur Car is going to do it from now on.
The final little piece of equipment is a prototype instrument cluster interface. In a nutshell JD built a computer that takes all the information from the various sensors we placed around the vehicle and plugs it into the cluster. The fuel gauge and tacho read as normal for the moment however we are working to install other features and safeties for our future vehicles such as motor rpm and temperature limiting.
The finished product
As you can see we’ve put in even more additional bells and whistles. The forward battery box is covered in Perspex with twin ventilation fans and blue flashing LED’s on the BMS that go out as each battery is balanced while charging. The fuse box is mounted above the dc-to-dc converter. The water reservoir is mounted nicely above the engine mount. Indecently you can pick these up at super cheap auto. The controller is mounted on a heat sink right in the front so it gets maximum ventilation. The old battery fuse box has been integrated and some of its old function has been retained. The dc to dc converted is connected in place of the alternator.
Inside
As you can see we ran out of room in the fuse box and had to plant a relay outside. Another interesting feature is the fact that I installed a relay that prevents the negative cable from the charger from being active unless the vehicle is actually charging. This doesn’t mean that it’s always active while the vehicle is plugged in either. This system only engages when the BMS engages the charger. So when the BMS system shuts down the charger the line goes open circuit and therefore safe.
Rear battery compartment
Well that’s about it for the build side. The engineer passed her with out a hassle, we shipped it up the QLD and I deserve a break. Complications? Yeah there were a few, nothings perfect and things don’t always work first time. The tacho sender for example was loose and I had to pull half the vehicle apart to tighten it up. When I did I broke it and had to order a new one that took a week to get to us. The batteries took eternity to get to us as well as the bms system and its controller.(we have found a new supplier, so this is one issue out of the way). This and a few other niggling things that took a little thought and patience to make happen.
I bet your all asking how much does it weigh now she’s an EV? The echo now weighs in at 1040kg with 620kg and 420kg over the front the rear axles respectively. She gained 140kg in total with 60kg and 80kg once again front and rear making her a 4 seater. We think this is in keeping with the original design. The only other thing we could have done to keep the front rear ratios more even would have been shifting two batteries to the front. However the weighbridge we has a resolution of 20kg so it may be the case of a single battery moving forward to tip the scale.
Projects, Toyota Echo | admin0 | May 16, 2009 12:58 pm
4 Comments
By Rob, July 12, 2009 @ 8:30 pm
Im interested in converting my Echo as well. Since you’ve worked out how to convert the echo’s. How much to convert mine?
By nathan, July 17, 2009 @ 10:32 pm
Hi rob,
Cost depends on how much range you need per charge and the level of sophistication.
nathan
By Alex, August 10, 2009 @ 9:00 pm
Hi Nathan
I would like to buy a ute double cabin and converted to electric, drive around 60K per charge and be able to do around 90 - 100 km in a freeway or I would like to be able to go to Wollongong.
How much would it cost. and how much you charge for helping and advising?
Alex
By nathan, August 13, 2009 @ 11:11 am
Hi Alex,
A Ute capable of 100kmph is no problem I do 110kmph in sparky all the time. With a Ute you have plenty of space for batteries so a 60km range is easy.
Take a look at the parts section and see what you need. For a basic EV you should look at a controller, motor, and contactor.
Our consultation services vary depending on the level of service. Give me a call and let me know what you need.
1982 Mitsubushi Starion 전기차 개조
The doner car
The Mitsubishi Starion is an interesting vehicle indeed. You can find a detailed history on wikipedia by clicking here.
We had been in talks with the owner for a while about the specs of the vehicle. They decided that a 144v 9 inch advanced DC was the way to go until this came up.
It’s a 10.7 inch Kostov capable of 90kw or 130hp at 144v. It may not look like much now but cleaned up and re-sprayed it’s going to be nice. Amazingly enough we were told the motor was hardly used and a quick
10.7 inch Kostov
check of the brushes confirmed this, they hadn’t even been warn in. Were hooking it up to a 144v Curtis controller at the moment and leaving room for a possible upgrade in controller and batteries later. Rumor has it that the Kostov is capable of much more power at higher voltages. Information about this is hard to come by so if we do up the voltage later we’ll take the Starion to the dyno for testing and post the results.
Hardly used
We picked up the vehicle and went straight to the local weighbridge for the mandatory weigh in. With a ¼ of a tank the total kerb weight was 1220kg, which for an EV is in the medium range. The vehicle is well balanced with 660kg in the front and 560kg over the rear axel.
Just a reminder to anyone converting your own car. The kerb weight for this vehicle is meant to be 1256kg so the moral is, before you start dismantling anything weight your car and measure the ride height front and back.
Taking the engine out
Before we dismantled the car I had to take it for a quick spin. For a 26year old she still pulls hard and did 0 to 60kmph in less than 3 seconds. The brilliant thing about DC motors is that all the torque is at zero rpm and the higher the voltage the more power you get. So if the Kostov can’t do it the same time at 144v maybe it will at a higher voltage.
Pulling the motor was a fairly simple task and only took about an hour. Being an older vehicle there’s no messy add-on’s you see in vehicles today however with the motor out you can see what it left behind. Oil, lots of built up caked on oil, just take a look at the transmission. Now take a look after we went to work with degreaser. This is much better and when the cars converted to electric it will stay this way.
The transmission before
So the next day the Kostov and transmission went to our machinist to be adapted. It won’t be back for a week so its time to look at the rest of the vehicle.
and after
The fuel lines and tank have to go so we can start work removing them. In their place we will install a new battery compartment including charging systems and battery management. While under the vehicle I took the time to strip any excess weight. Bolts, nuts and brackets that no longer serve a function have to go. It may seem trivial at first but 10 brackets weighing 100grams equals 1 extra kg we can do without.
The offending bolt
Take this for example, somewhere along the line a tow bar setup was installed. Not only did it block access to the final bolt holding in the fuel tank it weighs 8kg so that can go. Indecently EV’s are rather strong vehicles because of the amount of torque the motors produce so they can tow large loads but it will affect range considerably.
Next we have to start cutting out the tire well so we can install the new battery compartment. Don’t worry we’ll keep everyone posted and update soon!
The Mitsubishi Starion is an interesting vehicle indeed. You can find a detailed history on wikipedia by clicking here.
We had been in talks with the owner for a while about the specs of the vehicle. They decided that a 144v 9 inch advanced DC was the way to go until this came up.
It’s a 10.7 inch Kostov capable of 90kw or 130hp at 144v. It may not look like much now but cleaned up and re-sprayed it’s going to be nice. Amazingly enough we were told the motor was hardly used and a quick
10.7 inch Kostov
check of the brushes confirmed this, they hadn’t even been warn in. Were hooking it up to a 144v Curtis controller at the moment and leaving room for a possible upgrade in controller and batteries later. Rumor has it that the Kostov is capable of much more power at higher voltages. Information about this is hard to come by so if we do up the voltage later we’ll take the Starion to the dyno for testing and post the results.
Hardly used
We picked up the vehicle and went straight to the local weighbridge for the mandatory weigh in. With a ¼ of a tank the total kerb weight was 1220kg, which for an EV is in the medium range. The vehicle is well balanced with 660kg in the front and 560kg over the rear axel.
Just a reminder to anyone converting your own car. The kerb weight for this vehicle is meant to be 1256kg so the moral is, before you start dismantling anything weight your car and measure the ride height front and back.
Taking the engine out
Before we dismantled the car I had to take it for a quick spin. For a 26year old she still pulls hard and did 0 to 60kmph in less than 3 seconds. The brilliant thing about DC motors is that all the torque is at zero rpm and the higher the voltage the more power you get. So if the Kostov can’t do it the same time at 144v maybe it will at a higher voltage.
Pulling the motor was a fairly simple task and only took about an hour. Being an older vehicle there’s no messy add-on’s you see in vehicles today however with the motor out you can see what it left behind. Oil, lots of built up caked on oil, just take a look at the transmission. Now take a look after we went to work with degreaser. This is much better and when the cars converted to electric it will stay this way.
The transmission before
So the next day the Kostov and transmission went to our machinist to be adapted. It won’t be back for a week so its time to look at the rest of the vehicle.
and after
The fuel lines and tank have to go so we can start work removing them. In their place we will install a new battery compartment including charging systems and battery management. While under the vehicle I took the time to strip any excess weight. Bolts, nuts and brackets that no longer serve a function have to go. It may seem trivial at first but 10 brackets weighing 100grams equals 1 extra kg we can do without.
The offending bolt
Take this for example, somewhere along the line a tow bar setup was installed. Not only did it block access to the final bolt holding in the fuel tank it weighs 8kg so that can go. Indecently EV’s are rather strong vehicles because of the amount of torque the motors produce so they can tow large loads but it will affect range considerably.
Next we have to start cutting out the tire well so we can install the new battery compartment. Don’t worry we’ll keep everyone posted and update soon!
호주 AEVA 현대엑셀 전기차 개조
http://www.converturcar.com.au/archives/80#more-80
Sparky
Sparkey at the Kenthurst fair
When I first had the idea to build an EV I started by looking for a car that had a light frame and was cheap. In essence if the idea was a waste of time in the end I could cut my losses and sell it for scrap. After looking around for virtually no time I came across an ad in the trading post for a 92’ Hyundai excel sprint for $500. It was close by so I went for a look with my next-door neighbour for a second opinion. What the owner showed me was a perfect for the job.
The paintwork was a little faded, but we concluded that the body was around 95% with one or two minor dents and no rust. The engine was ok but needed minor work and blew smoke. The interior needed a little love but it wasn’t bad for a 15-year-old car. When took my friend aside for a chat he said, “Your not going to do any better than that mate” we decided I’d buy it then and there.
Getting it home was fun. The car was fuel injected, had a non-functioning alternator and the battery was dead. After a jumpstart I drove it for about 150 meters and the engine stopped so I got a tow.
After making plans to obtain a motor, batteries and a controller I began by removing the engine and all its peripherals (radiator, exhaust system, fuel tank ext.). After this I started work on cutting out the tire well for the rear battery compartment. So I made a rather large hole in-between the rear sub frame structure and reinforced everything with 5×25x25 angle iron, which I welded in place. Sparky’s a little over engineered, but at the time considering this was all new territory to me I thought to myself make this indestructible.
By the time I had completed the battery compartment frame I received my motor. I promptly began adapting to the transmission to the new motor. I used a 25mm aluminium plate and had the coupling made by my local machinist. When I had completed the mating I bolted everything together and started the process of retrofitting the completed engine/transmission unit into the engine bay. I used the two old engine mount points on the chassis and flipped the top mount and welded up a bracket that attached to the front of the motor. With that I place I decided to have a little test. With nothing but a 12 volt battery connected directly to the motor the car happily reversed and moved forward.
With the motor installation completed and checked I went about finishing the rear battery compartment because I had received the 15×8 volt Trojans I had to install.
Tags: Sparky
Gallery, Projects, Sparky | admin0 | May 29, 2009 10:04 am
6 Comments
By T. Mark Jenkins, July 17, 2009 @ 1:57 pm
I have just clocked 300,00klms on my 93 Excel. It has been a great car since new. It is now time to convert to Electric. Are you able to help with the process? ie information and adaptor platesetc. Even cost for your company to complete the entire job.I would be able to do the conversion over many many weekends. Although I would need some clues.
Mark Jenkins
By nathan, July 17, 2009 @ 10:28 pm
Hi mark,
We can do the adaptor plate for you, supply you with all the parts and information you need to convert the vehicle your self.
We also do complete or partial conversions and if your doing the job and need assistance with something we can come to you.
Nathan
By Rodger Kroon, July 21, 2009 @ 3:28 pm
G-R-E-A-T website Nathan.
I’ve seen your work and without a word of exaggeration, it is FANTASTIC! Your conversions are precise and built to go on and on and on. Your work is a credit to you and I wish you well in ALL your endeavours/conversions.
By Kevin, August 10, 2009 @ 1:12 am
I am wondering why you need a transmission on this type of conversion? I am thinking of converting my 83 280zx. I know you may need the drive shaft and trans axles but do you actually shift gears with an electric DC motor? I am curious since I don’t know much about these types of engines.
By nathan, August 13, 2009 @ 11:03 am
Hi Kevin,
With sparky I drive around is 2nd gear most of the time as the speed limit where I am is mostly 60 and at times 70. The advanced dc motor is generally more efficient at 4500rpm as it uses the horse power generated by the pack voltage rather than raw amps to maintain torque. To be honest I’m not sure how many rpm I’m doing at this speed however sparky draws around 55-65amps at 120v (6.6-7.8kW or 8.8-10.4hp) to maintain 60kmph.
From second gear sparky is capable of 0 to 60 in about 10 seconds which is not bad for a 1220kg vehicle sporting an 8 inch advanced dc motor. In 3rd gear it’s more like 25 to 30 seconds. You can take off in 4th gear which I’d consider direct drive but it’s really sluggish.
My advice is to keep the transmission as it’s a torque converter. If it’s around town and you’ve got a 9 or 11 inch motor with a zilla controller you’ll find you’re in third gear all the way. however if you wish to get rid of the transmission go with an 11 inch motor coupled with a zilla controller at 170v+, the car will move.
By Kevin, August 14, 2009 @ 12:28 pm
Nathan,
Thanks for the advice, I am just starting to research this area, as I don’t have a clue on the motors and controllers as of yet, however I find a lot of information on this and other forums.
Sparky
Sparkey at the Kenthurst fair
When I first had the idea to build an EV I started by looking for a car that had a light frame and was cheap. In essence if the idea was a waste of time in the end I could cut my losses and sell it for scrap. After looking around for virtually no time I came across an ad in the trading post for a 92’ Hyundai excel sprint for $500. It was close by so I went for a look with my next-door neighbour for a second opinion. What the owner showed me was a perfect for the job.
The paintwork was a little faded, but we concluded that the body was around 95% with one or two minor dents and no rust. The engine was ok but needed minor work and blew smoke. The interior needed a little love but it wasn’t bad for a 15-year-old car. When took my friend aside for a chat he said, “Your not going to do any better than that mate” we decided I’d buy it then and there.
Getting it home was fun. The car was fuel injected, had a non-functioning alternator and the battery was dead. After a jumpstart I drove it for about 150 meters and the engine stopped so I got a tow.
After making plans to obtain a motor, batteries and a controller I began by removing the engine and all its peripherals (radiator, exhaust system, fuel tank ext.). After this I started work on cutting out the tire well for the rear battery compartment. So I made a rather large hole in-between the rear sub frame structure and reinforced everything with 5×25x25 angle iron, which I welded in place. Sparky’s a little over engineered, but at the time considering this was all new territory to me I thought to myself make this indestructible.
By the time I had completed the battery compartment frame I received my motor. I promptly began adapting to the transmission to the new motor. I used a 25mm aluminium plate and had the coupling made by my local machinist. When I had completed the mating I bolted everything together and started the process of retrofitting the completed engine/transmission unit into the engine bay. I used the two old engine mount points on the chassis and flipped the top mount and welded up a bracket that attached to the front of the motor. With that I place I decided to have a little test. With nothing but a 12 volt battery connected directly to the motor the car happily reversed and moved forward.
With the motor installation completed and checked I went about finishing the rear battery compartment because I had received the 15×8 volt Trojans I had to install.
Tags: Sparky
Gallery, Projects, Sparky | admin0 | May 29, 2009 10:04 am
6 Comments
By T. Mark Jenkins, July 17, 2009 @ 1:57 pm
I have just clocked 300,00klms on my 93 Excel. It has been a great car since new. It is now time to convert to Electric. Are you able to help with the process? ie information and adaptor platesetc. Even cost for your company to complete the entire job.I would be able to do the conversion over many many weekends. Although I would need some clues.
Mark Jenkins
By nathan, July 17, 2009 @ 10:28 pm
Hi mark,
We can do the adaptor plate for you, supply you with all the parts and information you need to convert the vehicle your self.
We also do complete or partial conversions and if your doing the job and need assistance with something we can come to you.
Nathan
By Rodger Kroon, July 21, 2009 @ 3:28 pm
G-R-E-A-T website Nathan.
I’ve seen your work and without a word of exaggeration, it is FANTASTIC! Your conversions are precise and built to go on and on and on. Your work is a credit to you and I wish you well in ALL your endeavours/conversions.
By Kevin, August 10, 2009 @ 1:12 am
I am wondering why you need a transmission on this type of conversion? I am thinking of converting my 83 280zx. I know you may need the drive shaft and trans axles but do you actually shift gears with an electric DC motor? I am curious since I don’t know much about these types of engines.
By nathan, August 13, 2009 @ 11:03 am
Hi Kevin,
With sparky I drive around is 2nd gear most of the time as the speed limit where I am is mostly 60 and at times 70. The advanced dc motor is generally more efficient at 4500rpm as it uses the horse power generated by the pack voltage rather than raw amps to maintain torque. To be honest I’m not sure how many rpm I’m doing at this speed however sparky draws around 55-65amps at 120v (6.6-7.8kW or 8.8-10.4hp) to maintain 60kmph.
From second gear sparky is capable of 0 to 60 in about 10 seconds which is not bad for a 1220kg vehicle sporting an 8 inch advanced dc motor. In 3rd gear it’s more like 25 to 30 seconds. You can take off in 4th gear which I’d consider direct drive but it’s really sluggish.
My advice is to keep the transmission as it’s a torque converter. If it’s around town and you’ve got a 9 or 11 inch motor with a zilla controller you’ll find you’re in third gear all the way. however if you wish to get rid of the transmission go with an 11 inch motor coupled with a zilla controller at 170v+, the car will move.
By Kevin, August 14, 2009 @ 12:28 pm
Nathan,
Thanks for the advice, I am just starting to research this area, as I don’t have a clue on the motors and controllers as of yet, however I find a lot of information on this and other forums.
2009년 9월 4일 금요일
Building a Homemade Electric Car With Less Than 300 Dollars in Parts
Browse: Home / car modification kits / Building a Homemade Electric Car With Less Than 300 Dollars in Parts
Building a Homemade Electric Car With Less Than 300 Dollars in Parts
By administrator on August 23, 2009
If you decide to build an electric car on your own, you made a good decision and it is not diffiuclt at all. Owning a lightweight, economy coupe that has been converted to electricity is not only efficient, but it is an excellent choice! You should note, that if everything is done correctly in the conversion process and the selection and placement of components is OK, than you can expect your new electric car to alst even longer than with a gasoline engine. Electric car conversion kits are easily obtained, especially for those lightweight models whose motor is located in the rear such as the Volkswagen Beetle.
Converting lightweight vehicles to build your own electric car allows the owner to utilize a smaller electric motor, which is less expensive and weighs less. By having a lighter overall weight, the electric car will need less power to start and also need less power to take off and to accelerate. In the same way the miles you can drive before you have to recharge your electric car is increased enormously in many common driving conditions.
Owners who need more load capacity or more room to place the batteries will find that a compact sedan is more suited to their preferences. Some of the most commonly sold EV Conversions, such as the latest Ford Ranger EV, are made using this size vehicle. A great example for an electric car conversion is the Honda Civic, the back seat has been retained, nine lead-acid flooded batteries have been placed deep inside the trunk and an additional nine batteries have been placed in the engine area. By replacing the nickel-metal hydride variety of batteries and by putting in another system to manage batteries this feat is accomplished.
Before attempting to build your own electric car, check with state and local authorities. Please note tha in some locations in the US there is a law that the gross vehicle weight rating has to be a certain level. You should note that driving such a car could be illegal, if the conversion causes the total car weight to exceed the recommended, orginal design weight. You should note that under certain circumstances such a vehicle may get insurance cancelled. In order to avoid such catastrophes, hobbyists are advised to increase the spring rating, increase the shock length, make suspension modifications, and to use the smallest and lightest sized batteries and motor to suit their needs.
It is not real hard to turn your car into an electric car in some easy steps. You can now discover how to convert your car into electric for under $300 by reading Peter’s detailed, step-by-step manual! Go to Electricity4Gas
Help answer the question about car modification kits
About Author
I recommend having a look at Peter’s detailed, step-by-step manual that will teach you how to convert your car into electric for under $300}! Go to Electricity4Gas
Posted in car modification kits | Tagged Asiya, Cafe, Jazz, Kobe, New, Scirocco, Volkswagen, VW
65 Comments
1stgenLXTurbo
August 26, 2009 at 6:19 am | Permalink
just go to youtubeDOTcomSLASHgroupSLASHsftuning
bondlovis
http://www.bondlovis.co.uk 020 8478 1812
performance direct
http://www.performancedirect.co.uk/max 0800 916 9822
http://www.performanceinsurance.co.uk 08700 466 577
Building a Homemade Electric Car With Less Than 300 Dollars in Parts
By administrator on August 23, 2009
If you decide to build an electric car on your own, you made a good decision and it is not diffiuclt at all. Owning a lightweight, economy coupe that has been converted to electricity is not only efficient, but it is an excellent choice! You should note, that if everything is done correctly in the conversion process and the selection and placement of components is OK, than you can expect your new electric car to alst even longer than with a gasoline engine. Electric car conversion kits are easily obtained, especially for those lightweight models whose motor is located in the rear such as the Volkswagen Beetle.
Converting lightweight vehicles to build your own electric car allows the owner to utilize a smaller electric motor, which is less expensive and weighs less. By having a lighter overall weight, the electric car will need less power to start and also need less power to take off and to accelerate. In the same way the miles you can drive before you have to recharge your electric car is increased enormously in many common driving conditions.
Owners who need more load capacity or more room to place the batteries will find that a compact sedan is more suited to their preferences. Some of the most commonly sold EV Conversions, such as the latest Ford Ranger EV, are made using this size vehicle. A great example for an electric car conversion is the Honda Civic, the back seat has been retained, nine lead-acid flooded batteries have been placed deep inside the trunk and an additional nine batteries have been placed in the engine area. By replacing the nickel-metal hydride variety of batteries and by putting in another system to manage batteries this feat is accomplished.
Before attempting to build your own electric car, check with state and local authorities. Please note tha in some locations in the US there is a law that the gross vehicle weight rating has to be a certain level. You should note that driving such a car could be illegal, if the conversion causes the total car weight to exceed the recommended, orginal design weight. You should note that under certain circumstances such a vehicle may get insurance cancelled. In order to avoid such catastrophes, hobbyists are advised to increase the spring rating, increase the shock length, make suspension modifications, and to use the smallest and lightest sized batteries and motor to suit their needs.
It is not real hard to turn your car into an electric car in some easy steps. You can now discover how to convert your car into electric for under $300 by reading Peter’s detailed, step-by-step manual! Go to Electricity4Gas
Help answer the question about car modification kits
About Author
I recommend having a look at Peter’s detailed, step-by-step manual that will teach you how to convert your car into electric for under $300}! Go to Electricity4Gas
Posted in car modification kits | Tagged Asiya, Cafe, Jazz, Kobe, New, Scirocco, Volkswagen, VW
65 Comments
1stgenLXTurbo
August 26, 2009 at 6:19 am | Permalink
just go to youtubeDOTcomSLASHgroupSLASHsftuning
bondlovis
http://www.bondlovis.co.uk 020 8478 1812
performance direct
http://www.performancedirect.co.uk/max 0800 916 9822
http://www.performanceinsurance.co.uk 08700 466 577
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