In terms of running cost, a pure plug-in electric car is definitely better compared to a conventional automobile. Just imagine the amount of money you’ll saved by not having to fill up at the gas station. There is a drawback on electric vehicle (EV) though, it is the high cost.
For the time being, an EV is still relatively expensive. If you were to visit an EV dealership, be prepared to spend upwards of $40,000 for a sedan electric car. Is there a cheaper alternative?
To save cost, my electric car enthusiasts are turning to homemade electric car to fulfill their dreams of owning an EV. Because of the rising demand from DIY electric car conversion, there have been a lot of EV conversion kits available in the market.
Generally, a DIY electric car is much cheaper compared to a brand new EV from the car makers. If you are starting your own EV retrofitting project, you should set aside roughly $7500 as the budget. The amount of money you spent on your EV can be reduced if you were to take steps to improve its efficiency.
To improve the efficiency on an EV, you have to find ways to extend its driving mileage before it has to be recharged. There are many simple and cheap ways you can do so and in this blog post, I thought of writing about improving the “air drag” of the EV.
Reducing Electric Car Air Drag
Just like a conventional car, when a homemade electric vehicle is moving, it too has to push through air. To extend its mileage, we have to find ways to push or redirect the air trapped in the front of the car to the side. One of the most popular ways of doing so is by installing a nose cone or grille blocker.
Depending on which model donor car you use, the grille blocker will improve the aerodynamic of your EV therefore extending its mileage per charge as much as 20 percent. It’s a simple solution and yet yields a big result!
Another way to improve the aerodynamic of EVs is by installing a flat belly pan underneath the car. This can be done by using a piece of plywood or thick plastic sheet. The idea is to allow air to rush through the undercarriage rather than being trapped in between the car parts thus creating drag.
There are many things you can do to improve the efficiency of your electric vehicle and they don’t have to be expensive. What you’ll need is some time and dedication to implement the solution onto your DIY electric car. It may seem insignificant, but the improvement on your EV mileage can be quite substantial.
Homemade Electric Car Conversion Guide
Do you want to know how to convert a gas guzzler to a pure electric car in your home garage? If you do, check out the Convert2EV e-book written by Les Oke.
Les Oke is from Canada. He and his family have been living a green lifestyle for more than a decade. Staying true to their green lifestyle, Les and his wife use homemade electric cars.
The Convert2EV guide was written based on Les’ years of experience with EV conversion projects. For more information, read the Convert2EV review on this blog.