Your Questions About Electric Car Conversion

admin answers:

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You can get help converting your car from places like this:
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http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/build

http://electroauto.com/workshop.shtml

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Or, you can have an expert convert your car for you:
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http://grassrootsev.com/

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As to using hybrid batteries, sorry, they won’t sell them to you. The NIMH batteries used in hybrids are wonderful for EVs, but the patents for those advanced batteries were bought by Chevron/Texaco, and now the licensing of those patents prohibits their use in pure electric cars. Absolutely true story. Read about it here:
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http://www.evworld.com/blogs/index.cfm?page=blogentry&authorid=51&blogid=104

http://jcwinnie.biz/wordpress/?p=1387

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Most conversions still use old 100-year-old lead-acid battery technology, which is relatively inexpensive (the battery pack in my EV costs under $1000) but your driving range will only be about 50 miles. Various vested interests have been able to put up roadblocks (like the NIMH story above) to more advanced batteries.
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However, if you’re a bit of an engineer, you may be able to get some new Chinese Li-Ion batteries. A few hobbyists I know of have been able to obtain and use these, but you’ll have to design your own charging system (or get help from an engineer.) Link:
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http://www.everspring.net/product-battery.htm

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Look at the chart on this page – the batteries beat every other technology there, and cost the least per watt.
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Good luck!
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admin answers:

Electric car conversion kits propose to give you the components and possibly the know how to yank out the engine, fuel system, coolant system, exhaust system and possibly the transmission and replace it with their parts. Often you will keep the transmission and they provide a motor and an adaptor plate. They typically provide the kits, “batteries not included” as this remains one of the biggest expenses.
– http://labshelf.com/electric-car-conversion.html
– http://www.electroauto.com/index.html

An alternative to a kit is to have a conversion shop take your vehicle and convert it to an electric. Certain shops may have particular cars they work with and this points out the problem with “kits” in general. No one kit is going to be best for every vehicle conversion. Compromises will always be made.
– http://www.acpropulsion.com/
– http://www.genovationcars.com/

Another alternative is to simply get the needed parts from an EV conversion supplier. They may also offer technical advice but there may be some parts you will have to supply on your own from a local machine shop. And some of the parts you may make yourself. The advantage here is that you might pick and choose the parts you want.
– a premium parts supplier: http://www.metricmind.com/
– everything you need: http://www.kta-ev.com/

http://cbelectriccar.com/blog/ev-conversion/top-10-electric-car-part-suppliers-on-the-internet/

– http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/paul-sabrinas-cheap-diy-144v-motor-controller-6404.html

A last alternative is to purchase used parts in a attempt to make a conversion on the cheap. Here is a good example: http://ecomodder.com/blog/a-672-electric-car/

A bit of wisdom that you might read is that it may not be the best thing to try and convert an old vehicle. When you are done you are going to be left with the body, style, and problems of an old vehicle. The investment can be substantial. A rust-bucket is going to be the same and you should be proud of the results.
–But … An example of what can be done with lots of money and an old car: http://www.opb.org/programs/ofg/segments/view/1686

admin answers:

A Honda Civic or a Toyota Tercel from the 80s through the 90s. Each one has a curb weight of right around 2000 lbs. Those drive and handle nice, and have good reliability for the price.

You could also use a VW bug, the original one. They weigh about 1800 lbs. They’re cheap and easy to work on, and their’s plenty of after market parts for them, but they drive like crap compared to the more modern cars.

You could use an old MG Midget (1650 lbs), Porsche 914 (2100 lbs), an old Chevette (1900 lbs).

You could use an 80s Suzuki Samurai (2100 lbs), or an early 90s Geo Metro (1700 lbs).

It all depends on your taste. Do you want a classic roadster? A cheap piece of crap? Or a fairly decent Japanese people mover?

I prefer the 80s and 90s Civic and Tercel because they’re good, or a VW Bug because they’re cheap and easy to work on.

admin answers:

Try http://www.electricity4gas.com I’ve got their manual and in the manual it says they know a Ford Festiva is able to be converted, so the information inside the manual would be applicable for you.

You could try http://www.myelectriccarconversionblog.com The guy reviews some electric car conversion guides.

admin answers:

The one EV car I currently have (have 2 vehicles that run on hydrogen also) I converted from a vw bug and is free to charge. As I live completely off the grid all my electricity comes from solar panels and 2 wind generators, which I also built.

However I did charge up at Costco in Carlsbad California (I actually only drove up there to fill up) if I remember right it was around $2.00

Not sure if you’re interesting in doing it yourself, but I’d be willing to walk you step by step threw the conversion. I’ve converted 3 of my own cars (a datsun truck, ford ban, and a vw bug) and a few for neighbors. I’ve also converted cars to run on hydrogen, ethanol and biodiesel, by far EV is the easiest.

If you’re interested here’s what it would entitle…

- The engine compartment is first cleaned out of any gasoline components.
- Electric components are then installed in exchange.
- A battery bank is built and incorporated.
- Existing starter and driving systems are connected.
- Turn the key, step on the gas pedal sending more energy to the electric motor, & thus more power to the drive system, which in return creates more speed, more acceleration.
- The system has normal automotive top speeds and acceleration, typical to the vehicle your modifying. If your top speed was 85 mph and your acceleration was 1 mile per min, then this will be what your left with after the conversion.

The methods are extremely simple, making the process possible for anyone, everyone, ANYWHERE.

Typical tools, hardware & supplies are used, making access to parts available for all.

Electric Conversions can be easily accomplished in ANY model vehicle, even tractors, Generators, types of machinery, etc.

Project lengths range from 1 day to 1 month.
If you’re interested I wrote a guide on it which is available at www agua-luna com

My last EV conversion ran me about $1400. Everything is available online. I have a how to do it yourself guide available at www agua-luna com that will walk you step by step through the process. If you have ANY questions feel free to contact me through the site. Here’s a list of what you’d need…

Advanced DC Motor
The motor is an 8″ Advanced DC series-wound motor. It weighs 107 pounds and is rated at 68 peak horsepower. These motors are available in several sizes.

Adaptor plate
The adaptor plate mates the motor to the transmission. It is constructed of 1/2 inch aluminum and is pre-drilled with bolt hole patterns for both the motor and transmission. An aluminum spacer is also used for proper spacing between the shafts of the transmission and motor. Adaptor plates are available for many cars.

DC Motor Controller
The controller regulates current going to the motor. It is a solid-state device that uses a pulse width modulator (PWM) that sends short bursts of current to the motor at a rate of 15 kHz. Controllers are available from both Curtis and DCP.

Potbox (Potentiometer)
The potbox is a 5K ohm throttle between the controller and the accelerator, similar to the way a sewing machine pedal works. The potbox’s lever arm is attached to the existing accelerator cable.

Main Contactor
An electric relay that serves the same purpose as the ignition switch in a gas car. When the key is turned to the start position, the contactor closes the circuit to allow current to flow to the controller.

Circuit Breaker
A safety device that shuts down power for servicing or during an emergency. The circuit breaker is installed under the hood and can be switched both off and on from the drivers seat with an extension or cable.

Main Fuse
The main fuse protect the system from high voltage spikes. A fuse should be installed at each battery box or group of batteries.

Shunt
A shunt is placed in series within the wiring as a means to connect meters. Shunts are available in different sizes for both high and low power configurations.

Charger interlock
A relay that keeps the circuit open so nobody will inadvertantly drive off with the charge cord plugged into the car.

DC/DC Converter
The DC/DC converter is similar in function to a gas car’s alternator. It charges the 12 volt accessory battery by chopping voltage from the main battery pack down to 13.5 volts.

If you interested I offer several DIY alternative guides to walk you step by step threw EV conversion process at agua-luna com or

www agua-luna com
Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin
Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World… Instantly Elevating Their Income & Lowering Their Debt, While Saving The Environment by Using FREE ENERGY… All With Just One Click of A Mouse…For more info Visit:

www AGUA-LUNA com
Stop Global Warming!!!

admin answers:

It’s just easier to leave the transmission in, no need to make sure the motor has a wide range of operation or the control circuitry to run it in reverse and no need to repair the hole that removing the gear shift would do to the interior of the car.

The concept of a car sounds deceptively simple but the fact is that there’s an awful lot of stuff in a modern car, stripping them all out and then putting back what you need isn’t an easy task. Most conversions attempt to strip out as little as possible in order to save on the work but this results in a heavier car and hence lower top speed and less of a range. This is why the 70′s era UrbaElectric featured in Mechanix Ilustrated was built from the ground up starting with a tube frame instead of using a donor car, it’s easier to get the weight to a minimum if you start from scratch but it’s harder to get a finished look. Note that when GM started developing their electric car, they started by building an UrbaElectric known as GM’s Drive I or the Delco Electric.

admin answers:

If you are shopping BMW’s, you are not worried about MPG. It doesn’t just the MPG because if its a performance engine, you will be buying the highest octane gas by mandate of the maker, or else the engine pings to an early death which might the goal if you want to get a new engine.

Here is reality. Yes, you can put in an electric or hybrid engine, but it will have to be retrofit, as there is no such thing as plug and play on car engines, even from the same maker. So it will take a lot mechanical rigging and working to get it in the car, much less tuned and reliable. I would expect to pay a good mechanic four times what it would cost to replace the engine, with the idea that it could go up to eight times depending on what gets involved once he digs into it. So instead of $3k, you might want to have between $12-24k just for the conversion minus the price of the car.

Here is the other part and scary engineering that you will get into is where to put the battery bank, what kind of batteries will you buy. If you want good batteries, expect to chunk in another $20k. But it doesn’t stop there, what about the braking system that generates some of the electricity of the hybrid? What about the computer system that operates the engine and dc motors? Get out your wallet for that too…

So once you get done, your near $60k in a conversion, minus the price of the car, you might not have it working. Just look at the common issues with electric cars http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqWgEK1EFb2vwPcUKTPSW5h0.Bd.;_ylv=3?qid=20090610220941AAokgel

Why not just go buy a Prius as a donor and save yourself the engineering. Or better yet, just go buy a hybrid ready to roll with e-z financing?