Cheap Parts | DIY Electric Car Conversion Blog

How To Find Free Batteries For Electric Car Conversion

Is it really possible to find free batteries for a DIY electric conversion project? According to Les Oke of Convert 2 EV, it is possible!

I was re-reading my copy of Convert 2 EV to get ideas for a new blog post and I came across a chapter where Les wrote about “Finding Free Batteries” and I thought of expanding that a bit further.

Now, you have to understand, finding free batteries does not mean you do not have to do anything. In actual fact, you have to do more work!

Free Batteries In Your Own Backyard

According to Les, you can find free batteries in your own backyard. Well, that is the case if you live near a golf course. This is the place where you will go scouting.

All golf courses have a fleet of golf carts. Golf courses are places with lush green and serenity. Golfers do not want to see noisy carts zipping to and fro. That’s why most golf carts are power by electricity.

The type of battery used on golf carts are the deep cycle type. Deep cycle battery is most suitable for a homemade electric car. Now all we have to do is get our hands on them.

Putting Up A Smile

All the electric golf carts have to be maintained after a certain time frame. Usually there will be a workshop somewhere in the golf course. To get free batteries, Les recommends getting to know the maintenance technician. Time to put up a “smiling face”.

When a golf cart is sent for servicing, one of the processes is to replace the old battery. What do they do with the weak battery? Some will be discarded and some will be recycled. So check with the technician. If he is planning to discard the batteries, you can ask him if you can have them.

You are actually doing him a favor by getting the old batteries off his hands and clearing some free space in the workshop. Sometimes, the golf course management has to pay someone to have the old batteries taken away.

For this approach to work, you have to brush up on your people skill. Remember I said earlier that you have to do some work. This is one of it. Get to know the technician first and be friendly with him. It is easier to ask for the old batteries when you are acquainted.

When you have gotten the batteries, the next step is to check its power rating so you can revive them. As a minimum, you should always aim for 10 volts minimum for every 12 volts that the batteries are rated for.

For example, if they are rated for 24 volts, then check them and make sure they are at least running 20 volts. Batteries that are below these minimum amounts are much harder to revive.

There are other tips and tricks on how to find cheap parts and components suggested in Les Oke’s Convert 2 EV e-book. If you are planning your own EV conversion project but working with a tight budget, be sure to check out Convert2EV. The recommendation from Les may save you thousands of dollars.

==> Click here to visit Convert 2 EV now!

Other related web pages:

1) Samuel Watson Premium Electric Car Guide Review

2) DIY EV Car Conversion – How Practical Is It

How To Find Cheap Battery For EV Conversion

If you are planning to build your own electric car, you have to understand there are multiple components involved in the system. The key components are AC or DC motor, motor controller, manual disconnect, motor adapter, inertia switch, throttle control box, battery etc. Each and every part plays a very important role for the electric vehicle (EV) to work properly.

In this blog post, I wanted to write about the battery aspect of an electric car. The battery is the main power source of the EV. A conventional car uses gasoline as its main power source. An EV does not burn fuel therefore it needs an alternative energy source which is electricity. The only way to store and carry electric power is on battery bank fitted into the homemade electric car.

How many battery units do you need? There are a few factors that will dictate this number. The number of battery needed will depend on your electric motor, the weight of the donor car, battery charging condition, driving condition and also the drive mileage you want to achieve. An average DIY sedan electric will need from 15 to 20 units of batteries.

If you have the budget, it is best to buy all new batteries. Some people may be working on a tight budget and they may want a cheaper alternative. Where can we find cheap batteries for EV conversion? As a matter of fact, you can try ebay.

In my last blog post, I wrote about finding cheap electric motor on ebay. The same process can also be done for inexpensive battery. Before we begin, you have to know what type of battery to look for. The best battery used on an electric car is the deep cycle type. Deep cycle battery is preferred for EV conversion because it has a slow power discharge rate and has a longer life span.

To look for inexpensive battery in ebay is very easy. First, go the bay main web site. Be sure to choose a local ebay site to save on shipping and transport charges. At the web site, key in the phrase “deep cycle battery” on the search box on the top left. Next, press the “Search” button.

Ebay will then show you all the listings containing deep cycle battery. Now comes the challenging part. We have to browse through each and every offer.

Here’s a tip from Les Oke of Convert 2 EV e-book. If possible, try to look for used or reconditioned deep cycle battery. This type of the battery may not be the best, but they are usually much cheaper. If you want to save cost, this would be a good option.

Here’s another tip, make sure the selling price in inclusive of transportation charges or it comes with “Free Shipping”. Battery unit is quite heavy. If you are buying multiple units, the transport charges can be hefty.

If you are looking for more tips on how to find cheap parts for a DIY EV conversion project, be sure to check out Les Oke’s Convert 2 EV manual. It is an easy read for beginners and the recommendation can save you thousands of dollars on your homemade electric car project.