EV Book Reviews | DIY Electric Car Conversion Blog

14 Quick Review Points On Convert It! Book By Michael Brown

Convert It! by Michael Brown is one of the top electric car conversion manual on Amazon.com. This is one of the books that I bought from my last trip to Borders bookstore. I also bought another EV conversion manual by Seth Leitman and Bob Brant, the Build Your Own Electric Vehicle paperback book. The book title is a little plain though.

In this post, I decided to do a very quick review on Convert It! The following is a list of 14 quick review points of the book.
1) Introducing the electric car – In this chapter, Brown introduces the reader to the concept of electric car as the transportation for the masses going into its history and its future.

2) Facts about electric vehicles – Here, the author debunked some myths about the humble EV. It is expensive? Does it have low driving mileage? The questions are answered in this section.

3) Safety – Even though electric cars are clean and efficiency, you cannot forget about driving safety. Basic driving safety stuff such as seat belt, tire thread, speeding etc are covered in this chapter.

4) What you need to get started – This is the starting point of a DIY electric car conversion project. Some basic things you need to get before you begin are ample work space, the right hand tools, lifting and welding equipment etc.

5) Choosing a chassis – When you are building your own EV, you need to decide on the type of chassis so you can start sourcing for a donor car. In this chapter, Brown goes through the criteria in choosing the ideal donor car.

6) Removing the internal combustion engine (ICE) – This process is like heart surgery. In essence, you are removing the heart of the car (ICE) and replacing it with an electric motor. The proper step to hoist out the engine is covered here.

7) Installing the motor and adapter – How do you install the electric motor on your donor car? In this chapter, the author covers the delicate process of connecting the motor to the existing transmission unit. Here, you will be introduced to the metal adapter plate.

8) Batteries and containment – The next section is the batteries or the power unit of the EV. How many batteries do you need? Where do you store them and how to link them together? All the questions are covered in this chapter.

9) Installing EV components – The is where you will learn the multiple EV components such as the controller, throttle box, volt meter, amp meter, inertia switch, main cut off switch etc.

10) Wiring – Understanding the veins of the electric car system. Readers without any wiring or electrical science experience will find this chapter a bit challenging. Not to worry, Brown did a good job explaining the EV wiring concept.

11) Final hookup and bench testing – You need to test all the system in your DIY electric car before you drive it on the road. There’s a useful check list included.

12) Suspension and tires – When you remove the internal combustion engine, the weight distribution on the car is different. You are also adding a lot of dead weight because of the batteries. To carry all the weight safely, the author delved into the suspension and tires of the electric car.

13) Road testing, driving and paperwork – Now that your EV is built, you have to get it tested by the authority to be certified as road worthy. Brown explains the type of approval and paperwork you have to go through for this to happen.

14) Charging and maintenance – The EV has no need to fuel up. It does have to be charged though. In this chapter, you learn about the science of battery charging, care and maintenance. This chapter is very important; missing it will reduce the life of the deep cycle battery on the electric car.

==> Click here to get your copy of Convert It! from Amazon.com 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

Build Your Own Electric Vehicle Paperback Book Review

In this blog post, I decided to do a book review on “Build Your Own Electric Vehicle” by Seth Leitman and Bob Brant. This is one of the top selling paperback books on EV conversion in the market. If you were to go the Borders or Barnes and Nobel bookstore, most probably you will find a copy on the “automotive” section.

Who Are The Authors?

I did a quick Goolge on the name “Seth Leitman” and I found his personal web site at www.sethleitman.com. From his profile, Leitman is also known as “The Green Living Guy”. He is the Editor for the Green Guru Guides, which is a publication on eco friendly technologies.

Leitman is also a blogger for the Planet Green website and Greenopia.com. He also worked on GEM and TH!NK Neighbor low speed vehicles for New York State.

For some reason, I tried Googling the name “Bob Brant” but I could not find any of his personal information.

The Humble Electric Car

This EV conversion book starts off by explaining why the electric car is still right for today transportation needs. The world is choked by the smog of the internal combustion engines. The EV has a great potential to replace all the gas guzzling automobile in the world.

If you are new to the concept of electric vehicle, the Build Your Own Electric Vehicle book will expose you to the idea of electric motor, batteries, controller etc.

In the book, the authors also delved into some of the electric car myths. These myths are:

Electric vehicles can’t go fast enough.

Electric vehicles have limited range.

EVs are not convenient.

Electric cars are expensive.

The book also covers a good list of advantages and disadvantages of owning a pure plug-in electric car.

DIY Electric Car Conversion Project

As I was reading the manual, I came across the chapter where the authors explained “The Best Electric Car For You”. Here, you will get the information related to starting your own DIY electric car conversion project.

Should you buy a ready-to-run EV? Build your own electric car or get the service from a custom shop? Where to find electric vehicle built kits? You will find all the answers to the question above in this EV manual.

Get Your Calculator Out!

If you are a math geek and you like to prove complex formulas, then you will love Build Your Own Electric Vehicle book. This book has a whole chapter dedicated to EV “Chassis and Design”.

You will get complex formulas relating to weight, acceleration, speed, range, aerodynamics, balance, rolling resistance, horsepower, torque etc. This is a good time to bring out your scientific calculator.

In Conclusion

If you are planning to make your own electric car from your home garage, the Build Your Own Electric Vehicle book will be a good reference guide for you.

However, this book is written to target the intermediate and advance individuals. If you are totally new to the science of electric car, the information in the book may be overkill.

If you are looking of an easy to read EV conversion manual, you can check out Les Oke’s Convert 2 EV guide. The manual is available on the internet and you can download it immediately.

All in all, the Build Your Own Electric Vehicle paperback book by Seth Leitman and Bob Brant is a great EV conversion manual. I’ll give it 8 out of 10 stars.