Easy Way to Convert Your Pickup Truck to Electric Vehicle

If you were to look at DIY electric car conversion projects, one of the best donor car you can choose is a pickup truck.

Why is it so?

There is one advantage a gasoline driven truck has that other normal sedan cars doesn’t. It is the flat bed storage space at the back. The ample storage space of a truck is great to keep all the deep cycle batteries needed to power the electric motor.

An average homemade electric vehicle (EV) would need about 15 to 20 units of deep cycle batteries to supply to power needed to run the electric motor. On a full charge, the batteries would be able to provide sufficient power to the electric motor to cover a range of approximately 50 miles.

Obviously, by adding more batteries, it will increase the mileage of your electric truck. More batteries also means more weight and space required.

What is the best way to convert a truck to run on pure electricity? If you are well versed with the internal workings of an automobile and you are good with hand tools, you can start by purchasing electric truck conversion kits.

Most of the electric truck conversion kits in the market are not the same. Make sure you have the correct kit made for your truck model.

The key components of the kit is the joining plate. The function of the plate is to hold the electric motor in place. The electric motor shaft has to be perfectly aligned with the center core of the transmission.

Any misalignment will cause vibration and reduce the efficiency of the motor. That in effect will reduce the net mileage of your electric truck.

The steel joining plates are custom made to fit the transmission housing for the specific truck model. Therefore, choosing the right electric truck conversion kit is very important.

DIY Electric Car Conversion Guide

Do you want to convert a conventional truck to run on electric power? If you do, first, find out what is involved in an electric vehicle conversion project.

One of the top EV conversion guide is the Electric Conversion Made Easy by Gavin Shoebridge from New Zealand. Gavin is known as the “EV Guy” by DIY electric car enthusiasts and he has personally converted an old Mitsubishi Treadia into a pure EV in his garage.

The entire conversion process was documented and recorded on video. Gavin’s manual was written based on his experience retrofitting the Treadia. His work was also featured on New Zealand local news report.

For more information on Gavin’s DIY electric vehicle conversion guide, click on the link below.

==> Click here to visit Gavin’s web site now!

Inside the Electric Truck

Have you ever wonder what is inside an electric truck? The science behind any electric vehicle is no difference. You will need an electric motor as a power source to generate the torque required to move the vehicle forward. You will need a motor controller to control the speed of the motor. You will also need batteries to supply power to the motor and you will need lots of it. 20 units of deep cycle batteries minimum.

If you are planning to start a DIY electric vehicle conversion project from your home garage, a truck donor vehicle would be quite suitable. The flatbed of any pickup truck has ample space to store all the batteries needed for your daily driving.

If you are searching for a donor truck, you can start by identifying one which has a faulty internal combustion engine. A truck with a busted engine is cheaper for the obvious reason…you need to spend money to repair it! The seller has no idea that you will be removing the engine and install an electric motor. Make sure the truck has good suspension, transmission and brakes. These components are important for your EV truck after the conversion. Check out the video below on a Ford Ranger converted to run purely on electricity.

Choosing a Truck as an Electric Donor Vehicle

One thing that I realized from doing my research on Do It Yourself (DIY) electric car conversion is the space needed to put all the deep cycle batteries. For an average electric vehicle, you will need a minimum of 20 units of batteries. On the full charge, the car will be able to go about 150 miles. The actual mileage will depend on the driving condition, the speed of the car, the net weight of the car and also the condition of the batteries.

If you have not noticed, stuffing a sedan with 20 batteries can be quite challenging. Most probably you have to use all the space in the booth and maybe remove the back seat to hold the batteries. You may also have to construct multiple batteries rack on different places in the car. If you want more mileage from your electric vehicle, you would have to put in more batteries.

If space is one of the primary concerns of an electric car conversion project, why not use a pickup truck as a donor car. With a flatbed at the back, a truck has no space issue storing 20 or more units of battery packs. All the batteries can also be placed relatively close to each other making your wiring job neater and easier. If you are thinking of doing an electric car conversion, start by considering a truck to be retrofitted. Check out the video below on a converted Ford Ranger electric truck.