Electric Vehicle (EV) conversion guides review and information from the web

When you are doing an electric car conversion project, there is one thing that you have to keep an eye on. It is the cost!

If you are not careful, you can blow your EV conversion budget very easily. The following are 3 factors that will affect your overall DIY electric car conversion cost.

1) Range.

When most EV owners talk about range, what they meant is the distance from a full charge to absolutely flat battery or Depth of Discharge (DOD).

Using an EV to 100% DOD is not a good idea. It will shorten the lifespan of the battery.

A typical homemade electric car has a driving range of approximately 40 miles. The actual driving miles will depend on a few factors such as the condition of the batteries, the gross weight of the car, the car aerodynamic and also your driving style.

If you want to have a long driving range on your EV, you would have to use more batteries therefore increasing your budget. The best option is to figure out your driving needs on a daily basis and then design a battery system just to fulfill that need.

2) Speed.

How fast do you want to go?

Unlike a conventional car, a high top speed for an EV can be achieved quite easily. All you need is to have enough power in the batteries and controller that will allow large amount of current to the electric motor.

However, speed does come with a cost. Higher speed equals to higher cost.

3) Labor and shipping charges.

Most of the components needed for your EV conversion would have to be shipped or delivered to your home or garage.

The components such as the electric motor, adapter plate and batteries can be quite heavy hence cost more to be delivered.

If you are staying outside of the United States, some of the parts may have to be shipped oversea to you. You have to take into account international shipping charges and import taxes.

Another cost factor is on labor. If you are planning to outsource some of the work such as electric motor support frame welding and crimping of the main power cable, be prepared to spend some money to get the work done.

EV Conversion Budget

Before you start your electric car retrofitting, it is a good idea to draw out a budget. List down all the parts, labor, transport charges and miscellaneous costing of the project.

Project budgeting is a pain, but trust me, it is more painful when you’ve over spent money that you don’t have.

Related web pages:

1) Electric Car Conversion Plans – 5 Tips To Find Good EV Manual

2) The Best Book To Design Electric Cars

One of the key components of a DIY electric car is the battery bank. Since the internal combustion engine (ICE) is removed, the electric motor will be the primary power source for the EV. The electric motor needs electricity to work. The only way to delivery electric power to the motor on an electric vehicle is via the battery bank.

An average sedan electric car will have 10 to 15 units of deep cycle battery. To extend the EV drive mileage, all you have to do is add in more battery.

Batteries can be dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. We are dealing with electricity and chemical hence you should practice some safety precautions. To help you to be safe, the following are 8 easy battery safety tips you can use when working on your electric car.

1) Build a battery box – The batteries on an electric car should be kept in a custom made battery box. There should be a fan to keep the batteries well ventilated in the box. The batteries will produce dangerous and flammable gases when charging. Any accumulation of the battery gas will be hazardous to you and your EV.

2) Wear protective goggles and clothing when handling batteries – One of the main cause of eye injury is chemical in a workshop particularly battery acid. If possible, always wear protective clothes and gear when working on the batteries of your electric car.

3) Always assume the worst – This might be a negative thought but it is a good idea to always assume there are explosive mixtures of hydrogen and oxygen gases present near the battery at all times. This will keep you on your toes. If you are a smoker, this will keep you from lighting up when working near the batteries.

4) Do not remove the caps when charging a battery – Please restraint from removing the caps when charging the battery. This will cause more hazardous gases to be released. Leave the batteries in the battery box. The ventilation fan will vent any accumulated gases.

5) Cover the vent cap area of the battery with a wet cloth – This is a good practice when working on the batteries. By using a damp cloth, it prevents any sparks from igniting the escaping gases. It may seem like an insignificant step, but it will keep you safe around your EV.

6) Make sure the charger is turned off before connecting to battery terminals – Again, this is to prevent the chances of generating electric sparks which might ignite the gases from the battery.

7) Charge the battery at a specific rate and at a specific time – Know your battery required charging time and charging power rating. You do not want to overcharge the battery for a long period of time. You can use a battery charge time calculator for this.

8) Replace bad batteries – If a battery fails to be rated “Good” after 2 charging and load test cycles, replace the battery with a new one. Faulty battery will lower the performance of your homemade electric car.

Most of the battery safety tips above are mainly common sense. There are many other steps you can take to be safe when working on your electric car.

If you would like to know more tips on how to build an electric car in your home garage, be sure to check out Les Oke’s Convert 2 EV e-book. Les has many suggestions on how to find cheap parts for your EV conversion project. For more information, read the Convert 2 EV review on this blog.

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

Related web pages:

1) Golf Cart Battery Maintenance Guide To Extend The Life Of Electric Golf Cart Batteries

2) Samuel Watson Premium Electric Car Guide Review

Homemade Electric Car Plan

Do you have the desire to buy an electric car? I am not talking about hybrid car, but a pure plug in electric vehicle (EV). There’s going to be a lot of buzz in the automotive industry very soon with car manufacturers promoting the heck out of pure electric cars. Chevrolet is creating buzz with their Volt model, Nissan is promoting their Electric Cube and BMW their Mini electric model. Have you check the price of these EV? You’ll be surprised it will cost upwards of $40,000. Pretty pricey for a car don’t you think.

Do It Yourself Electric Car Conversion

Some electric car enthusiast would prefer to convert a conventional gasoline vehicle into a pure electric car. It is not as glamorous, but it does give you the same benefits of any EV such as zero emission, noise free and especially gasoline free. To do that, you will need a DIY electric car plan.

What can you expect from a homemade electric car plan? First of all, you need to understand your driving needs. Most of us would think that we need a car to drive long distances. In actual fact, 90 percent of the time, our car is used for short commute of less than 50 miles.

But if you do need a car to travel long distances for work on a daily basis, you have to understand an EV would not suit your requirement. The best electric car on the road which is the Tesla Roadster has a drive mileage of only about 200 miles before you have to recharge the battery. The normal sedan EV would have a mileage of approximately 100 miles.

Preparing The Plan

When you are drawing up your DIY electric car plan, you have to factor in your daily driving needs. What do you need the car for? Is it for short commute to the grocery store or to pick up the kids from school? Do you have to carry heavy loads?

Based on your needs, you can now start sourcing for the electric donor car. A donor car is basically a car that you will use for your electric car conversion project. The work will involve stripping out the internal combustion engine and replaces it with an electric motor. To power the motor, a series of deep cycle batteries will be used. How many batteries to use again will depend on your requirement or as per your DIY electric car plan.

Outsourcing The Conversion Work

Most people would not have to skill or the experience to convert a conventional automobile into an EV. It would be a better idea to outsource the work to a professional mechanic. To be prudent, you should learn some basic science of an EV. With some knowledge, at least you will know when you are being charged for parts or work not needed on your car.

For a really practical and easy to read electric car conversion manual, check out Les Oke’s Convert 2 EV e-book. Les Oke has been converting and driving electric cars for more then 20 years. Convert 2 EV was written to impart his skill and experience to those new to electric vehicle.

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