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

Many people have heard of a pure electric vehicle (EV), but not a lot of people have driven one. Unless you are a golfer and you spend a lot of time on the green. Golf courses use a fleet of electric golf carts to ferry people around.

There are many benefits on driving an EV versus a car using an internal combustion engine. The following is 5 great reasons why you should own a pure EV.

1) Sever your dependency on gasoline.

This is one major factor why an EV is much better than a conventional automobile. Many car owners wish they didn’t have a car back in mid 2008.

That is when the world crude oil price reached a dizzy level of $150 per barrel. The effect has pushed local gasoline prices through the roof. People were having a very tough time refueling their cars and making ends meet.

A car using electric power is independent from the fluctuation of global crude oil prices. When there’s another energy price spike in the near future, at least you’ll know it won’t affect you and your family lifestyle too much.

2) Zero emission.

Since an electric car does not use an internal combustion engine (ICE) as its power source, there is no engine exhaust therefore zero emission.

Smog from car engine is one of the causes of “green house effect” which raises the planet temperature therefore melting the polar ice cap. It’s an issue many world leaders is trying to solve.

When you use an EV, you’ll know you are doing your part to help the environment. Instead of just “lip service”, you are actually taking proactive action to help the environment.

3) Save money.

Do you want to stop spending your hard earned money at the gas station? Would you rather spend it on your family on a holiday? When you use an electric vehicle, you can forget about stopping at the gas service station ever again. The only time you’ll go there is when you need to use the restroom.

Do some calculation. Figure out how much money are you and your family members are spending on gasoline a week. And then multiply it with 52 weeks. That is how much money your family will be saving in a year if everyone drives an electric car.

4) Reliability.

Compared to a conventional car, an EV has less moving parts. Let’s take the heart of the electric car which is the electric motor as an example.

The electric motor has only 1 moving parts, which is the rotating shaft. An internal combustion engine has more than 100 moving parts. All the parts in an engine have to be lubricated in order for them to function properly.

Which one do you think has a higher chance of failing? The electric motor or the internal combustion engine?

That being said, an EV is more reliable compared to a gas guzzler. That’s only one component of the car. How about other parts on a normal car that’s not required on an electric vehicle? Components such as exhaust pipe, radiator, spark plugs, timing belt, air filter, fuel filter etc. Every part has a chance of failing, but you do not have this issue with an EV.

5) Recharging at home.

With an EV, you have the option of recharging at home. No more trips to the local gas station. I don’t know about you, for me, going to the gas station is quite a hassle.

You have to queue to use the pump, get out of the car, go to the cashier, more queuing, wait for the cashier, wait for the gas to be pumped etc. A lot of none productive time spent.

With an electric car, all you have to do is drive to the garage at the end of the day, and then plug it into the charger. Leave it there overnight and by next morning, the batteries will be fully charged.

There are many more reasons why using an EV is much better compared to a normal car. What I’ve written down is only a small list.

Do It Yourself (DIY) Electric Car

Buying a brand new electric car from the dealership might be more expensive compared to a conventional car. There is a cheaper option though. You can convert your existing car into an EV. To do that, you will need an EV conversion guide.

One of the latest EV conversion manual on the internet is the Electric Conversion Made Easy e-book by Gavin Shoebridge. Gavin is from New Zealand and he has converted his old Mitsubishi Tredia into a pure electric vehicle.

In his manual, he’ll teach you step-by-step how to retrofit a car to run on electricity. Together with the manual, there is also a series of High Definition (HD) instructional videos. For more information, check out Gavin’s website at www.evsecrets.com

==> Click here to visit Electric Conversion Made Easy now!

Facts About Hybrid Cars

Is it safe to drive an electric car? More importantly, it is safe to drive a Do It Yourself (DIY) electric vehicle? The reason I ask the question is because I read an article lately about the accident rate of hybrid car owners. The article was from USAToday.com and there was a study made and they found a couple of interesting results.

Apparently, hybrid car owners get more traffic tickets and had more accidents! You can read the full article at: Hybrid car owners drive more and get more traffic tickets, study finds.

In summary, the study found that hybrid car owners take more pleasure drive a part from daily commuting. Hybrid vehicle owners will drive 25 percent more compared to a conventional car owner. When we have a fuel economy car, we tend to drive more because there is a sense that we are not spending too much money. When you drive more, the chances of you getting into an accident are also higher.

Here’s an interesting fact. To fix a damaged hybrid car, it will cost 13% higher compared to a non-hybrid! This is understandable because not every car mechanic has the tools and knowledge to repair a hybrid.

Is It Safe To Drive An EV?

What does this mean to electric car owners? A hybrid vehicle is one step away from a pure plug-in car. A hybrid has an internal combustion engine (ICE) and an electric motor to generate power. An EV has only the electric motor.

If hybrid owners were to drive more in their vehicle, would EV owners do the same as well? I think they will commute more short distances because EV is limited by its mileage. A normal sedan electric vehicle has approximately 60 – 100 miles before it has to be recharged.

In terms of repair bill, well that is another issue. If you were to crash your EV, it is safe to say you will end up with a large bill! The most expensive components would be the electric motor, electric controller and the batteries. Not to mention the large amount of time needed to fix and re-check all the system.

Is it safe to drive a homemade electric car on the road? That will depend on the person behind the wheel. If you are a speed demon, there is no different whether you are driving a conventional car or an electric car. You will crash sooner or later. If you are in an EV, you will be a “green speed demon”.

Mechanical wise, there are a few components that you have to make note of to keep the EV safe on the road. I will save that idea for my next blog post.

To all EV owners…drive safely.

Related web pages:

1) Tesla Recall: Setback for the EV Revolution?

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Many electric car owners, especially in the United States like to show off their DIY electric car conversion. That has lead to the establishment of numerous electric car clubs. The following is the list of Top Ten Electric Car Club in America:

1) Electric Cars Owners Club
The Electric Car Owners Club was started in 1982 by Frank Didik as an informal association of electric car owners and enthusiasts. At that time, interest in electric cars developed during the second gasoline crises in 1977, had died out, and it was very difficult for electric car owners to obtain information on maintaining and improving their electric cars. The club acted as a focal point for electric car owners.

2) Methacton Electric Car Club
The Methacton Electric Car Club has been in existence since 2001. They are an extracurricular, high school club with 15 active members, based at Methacton High School, in Norristown, PA. They maintain, as well as continually develop a battery electric vehicle known as, The Lorax. The club works with faculty sponsors, members of the community and local and national sponsors, to continually develop the car’s technology and energy efficiency.

3) Milwaukee Electric Car Club
The Milwaukee Electric Car Club is dedicated to Electric Cars, electric car technology, building electric vehicles. Milwaukee Electric Car Club has members who converted gasoline vehicles to Ac & DC powered electric vehicles.

4) Fox Valley Electric Auto Association
Fox Valley Electric Auto Association, the FVEAA for short. They are the northern Illinois chapter of the Electric Auto Association and they meet each month.

5) Santa Monica Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Club
NEV Clubs are on the rise. Forming a club enables members to explore the many uses of NEV transportation in their community; thereby promoting a clean, quiet, and pleasant environment. A NEV club consists of a group of people who are passionate about low-speed vehicles and are interested in making a difference in their community.

6) Eastern Electric Vehicle Club
Founded in 1980, the E.E.V.C. is a grass-roots network of people from all walks of life interested in the potential of alternative powered vehicles. As the need for alternative energy grows, so does the importance of exploring alternative energy resources.

7) EV Club Of The South
The EV Club Of The South is for EV drivers, their families and others interested in electric vehicles and is a chapter of the EAA Electric Auto Association.

8) Gateway Electric Vehicle Club
Gateway Electric Vehicle Club is a registered chapter of the Electric Auto Association (EAA) made up of individuals living in the Saint Louis area that believe electric vehicles (EVs) are an important part of the solution to our global energy crisis. The main goal of the club is to raise awareness around the benefits of EVs.

9) Austin Area Electric Automobile Association
The Austin EV is a group of people who gather to discuss electric vehicles, their construction, the technologies that make them work, and how we can further their continued re-introduction into central Texas.

10) Noe Valley’s Electric Car Club

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