A DIY electric car is very different from a conventional automobile because it does not use an internal combustion engine to generate the torque needed to move the vehicle. Instead of the engine, an electric vehicle (EV) uses an electric motor.
To transfer torque to the wheels, the electric motor is bolted to the existing transmission system. Power from deep cycle batteries will be used to power the motor. To charge the homemade electric car, all you have to do is plug it into your home power supply.
When charging the batteries, there is one component that you should never leave out and it is the charge controller. Why do we need a charge controller for a Do It Yourself (DIY) electric car?
The main function of the charge controller is to fully charge the deep cycle batteries of your electric car and at the same time prevents overcharging. Overcharging the batteries is a bad idea because it will damage the internal plates and shorten the life of your batteries. Since an electric car use from 15 – 20 units of batteries, overcharging them can be an expensive ordeal.
How does the charge controller prevent overcharging on the batteries?
Inside the controller, there is a transistor that acts as a shunt. When a battery being charged reaches a fixed voltage level, the shunt will open therefore severing the charging circuit and stops electrons from flowing into the battery. This process is automatic so you do not have to look at the battery charging state constantly.
A homemade electric car with 15 – 20 units of batteries will give you approximately 50 miles of driving before it has to be recharged again. Charging the batteries in your home garage will usually take overnight. By using a charge controller, you can rest assured the batteries will not be damaged due to overcharging.
DIY Electric Car Conversion Guide
Do you want to know how to convert a normal car into an electric vehicle? If you do, check out the Convert2EV e-book by Les Oke.
Les Oke and his family are from Canada and they have been using pure electric cars for traveling. To save cost, Les does all the electric car conversion work in his garage.
The Convert2EV e-book was written based on his many years of experience completing EV conversion projects. For more information on his EV guide, click on the link below.