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.

==> Click here to visit Convert2EV now!

Many people before starting their own DIY electric car conversion project, have an uneasy feeling because there are so many uncertainties. Some will even give up before they get started.

If you are planning a homemade electric car conversion project, how do you get over your jitters?

You can start by doing some readings on EV conversions. There are a lot of electric vehicle magazines and also web sites that you can read to feed your curiosity before you begin. You can also visit EV related forums on the web that a lot of electric car enthusiasts hang out and post some questions. The idea is to calm your nerves with some technical information.

But beware, do not fall into the trap of “analysis paralysis” where you become paralyzed with fear because you did too much analysis on your EV conversion project. Overcome your fear by just doing it.

EV Conversion – Getting The Motor In

The biggest hurdle that you have to overcome is removing the internal combustion engine of your donor car and connecting the electric motor to the transmission unit. This process involves a lot of technical precision.

If you had an adapter plate custom made, changes are, you may face some unforeseen circumstances. You may get all the measurement and dimension right, but when you try to install it, the components may not fit exactly.

Here’s a tip. Why not get a machinist to help you with the electric motor installation process? He will be able to studying your donor car engine compartment and would be better to anticipate any challenges that may occur. By doing so may cost you a few hundred dollars, but it will save you a lot of headache and also time and money wasted to redo the adapter plate.

The Rest of The EV Retrofitting

When the electric motor is in, the rest of the procedures are simple in comparison. The next big hurdle is to make the rack for the deep cycle batteries.

Generally, a homemade electric car would have 15 – 20 units of deep cycle batteries. The challenge here is to find the ideal space to store them without taking up too much of the interior space.

When installing the batteries, what you must pay attention on is getting the right measurements. You can follow the rule of thumb for carpenter which is “measure twice and cut once”. In this case, measure the battery storage area twice before cutting the metal support frames.

DIY Electric Car Conversion Guide

A DIY electric car conversion in actual fact is not very difficult. However, it does require a lot of persistence and dedication. If you’ve done some car maintenance on your own before, you shouldn’t have too much problem installing all the EV components onto your car.

If you are a total newbie and you want to get some basic information on home build electric car, you can check out the Convert2EV e-book by Les Oke.

Les Oke and his family live in Canada and they have been living a green lifestyle for more than 15 years. In order to have a low carbon footprint, Les and his wife drive electric cars that they built themselves.

The Convert2EV e-book was written based on Les’ years of experience retrofitting conventional automobiles to run on pure electric power. For more information on the electric car conversion guide, click on the link below.

==> Click here to visit Convert2EV now!

Have you driven a pure electric car before? Most people had but they just do not realize it. If you are a golfer, most probably you have driven an electric golf cart in the golf course. The golf cart is exactly how an electric vehicle (EV) feels like. It is quiet, no vibration, no exhaust gas and has a very powerful acceleration.

Many vehicle owners like the idea of using a pure plug-in electric car for their daily driving. However, a brand new electric car from the car manufacturer is still quite expensive. Let’s take the Phoenix SUT as an example. Phoenix SUT is a pickup truck that runs purely on electricity. If you want one, be prepared to spend upwards of $45,000! Yup, pure electric cars are not cheap.

Due to the high cost, many people are turning into Do It Yourself (DIY) electric car conversion project to get hold of an EV. But before you rush to your garage and start yanking out the internal combustion engine of your car, this is what you have to know about homemade electric cars.

DIY Electric Car Conversion

Will the DIY electric car fulfill your driving needs? No doubt a DIY electric vehicle has many advantages, but it is not meant for everybody. The biggest drawback for an EV is the driving range before it has to be recharged.

Do you know how many miles you drive in a day? This number is very important because it will tell you if the electric car is suitable for you.

Let’s take the Phoenix SUT as an example again. The electric truck uses a lithium-titanate battery bank which give it approximately 130 miles of driving before it has to be recharged.

For a DIY electric car, the type of battery you will be using is the deep cycle kind. Deep cycle batteries are used for homemade electric cars because it is most suitable and cheapest.

However, EV using deep cycle batteries would not be able to give you the same driving mileage as a car using lithium-titanate batteries. Hence, your Do It Yourself electric vehicle will only have a driving mileage of approximately 50 miles before it has to be recharged.

Now, do you see why your daily driving mileage is so important now?

The mileage of 50 miles an EV can give you is for round trip. It is actually good if you are driving to a distant of about 25 miles from your home. The battery will provide you sufficient power to get to your destination about 25 miles away, but the balance power for the next 25 miles is needed for you to drive back.

If you were to get your journey mileage wrong, you may end up having your DIY electric car stranded in the middle of the road because the battery bank runs out of juice.

DIY Electric Car Conversion Guide

Before you get started on a DIY electric car project, you must know whether the EV will meet your daily driving needs. If it does, the next step is to get a good EV conversion guide. If you are looking for an electric can retrofitting guide, check out the Convert2EV e-book by Les Oke.

Les Oke and his family are from Canada and have been living a green lifestyle for more than 15 years. To keep their carbon footprint low, they use pure electric cars to commute.

Throughout the years, Les has converted numerous conventional automobiles to run only on electricity. The Convert2EV guide is written based on his experience with DIY electric car conversion project. For more information on the Les’ EV guide, read the Convert2EV review on this blog.

==> Click here to visit Convert2EV now!

In this blog post, I am going to write about how to decide on your electric vehicle (EV) conversion needs and budgeting. Typically when it comes to converting a car to run on pure electricity, you have 3 main options:

1) A good range.

2) A high top speed.

3) A low conversion cost.

The fact is, you can only choose 2 of the 3 options above.

This means before selecting your parts or selecting a donor car, you need to decide what your goals are.

Let me elaborate further on the 3 points above.

A Good Range

The typical DIY electric car that runs on lead-acid batteries has an average driving range of approximately 40 – 50 miles before it has to be recharged. The mileage is due to a combination of multiple factors.

The biggest factors being the size & weight of the battery pack. Other contributing factors are the vehicle aerodynamics and your driving condition. Driving on hilly areas will definitely need more juice therefore reducing your net mileage.

To get a good or practical EV range, you need to understand your driving needs. Too much range, and it’ll cost you money because of the extra batteries needed. Too little range and your EV would not be practical.

A High Top Speed

How fast can an EV go? As fast as you want!

Unlike driving range, a high top speed for an electric car can be achieved without too much extra cost. It all depends on how much power is available from your car’s battery pack and how much power your car’s controller will allow through to the motor.

An EV with large enough power and current flow will out sprint a gasoline driven car. A Tesla Roadster will always beat a Ferrari Modena on a straight sprint!

Low Conversion Cost

The overall cost of the conversion of an EV will vary from car to car, and from country to country. Some of the costing factors are shipping and freight costs, the strength of your currency for buying parts from overseas sources, labor costs to fabricate battery racks and a motor-to-gearbox adapter plate etc.

There are many ways you can save on your DIY electric car conversion project. Some are straight forward while others require some creativity.

For more tips and strategies on how to save money for a DIY electric car conversion project, check out Les Oke’s Convert2EV e-book.

Les and his family have been living off the grid for more than 15 years. To live a green lifestyle, Les has been using a pure electric car for commuting purposes.

Throughout the years, Les has converted numerous automobile to EV. The Convert2EV manual is his years of EV experience penned down.

==> Click here to visit Convert2EV now!

1) Inexpensive.

An old VW Beetle Bug is generally inexpensive. You can find it everywhere. You can find one at a used car dealership, motor trading sites, government auction sites etc.

If you are lucky enough to find an old Beetle with a busted engine, better still. You can ask the seller for a lower price since you have to spend money to repair the engine. But he does not know you are planning to get rid of it!

2) Simplicity.

Generally, a Bug design is very simple. No complicated electronic components or circuitry to mess with.

3) Rear wheel drive.

If you are looking for an electric donor car, preferably, find one that has a rear wheel drive. Most old VW Beetles are back wheel drive.

4) Ample storage space in front.

This is one of the reasons why I think a Bug is good for EV conversion. It has a large storage space available in front of the car.

If you were to take out the spare tire, you have enough space to store at least 10 units of deep cycle batteries.

5) Ample storage inside the car.

There’s more storage space behind the driver’s seat. Add in more batteries to extend your electric car drive mileage.

6) Readymade electric car conversion kit.

Since a VW Beetle is such a common electric donor car, you can easily find the EV conversion kit for a Bug. This will save you a lot of time converting it to run on electricity.

The biggest advantage is the adapter plate. Since the metal adapter plate is already cut to fit a Beetle, all you have to do is line it up and bolt it on. Easy!

7) Light weight.

Generally, an old VW Bug weight less than 1800 lbs. This is good for an electric car. Less weight means less inertia therefore less power needed to propel the car. Less power required means longer battery life.

8) Easy to remove the engine.

Because of its great engineering, it is relatively easy to remove the internal combustion engine (ICE). All you have to do is open the engine cover, place a hoist over it, loosen a few bolts and it is out.

Some other cars might require a lot more time and effort. It is like pulling out a tooth!

9) Manual transmission.

If you are building an electric car via Do It Yourself (DIY) approach, you need to get a donor car that has a manual transmission. It is quite easy to find an old manual transmission VW Beetle. Saving you time and money.

10) Parts availability.

Since there are so many old Volkswagen Beetles around, sourcing for spare parts would not be a problem. Again, this boils down to cost.

There it is! 10 reasons why I think an old Volkswagen Beetle will be a great donor car for a DIY electric car conversion project.

If you have never converted a gasoline driven car to EV before, be sure to check out Les Oke’s Convert 2 EV e-book. The manual will show you the science behind an electric car conversion project. For more information, read the Convert 2 EV review on this web site.

==> Click here to visit Convert 2 EV 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

The following is a list of 21 items of a homemade electric car.
1) Electric Motor (AC or DC) – The electric motor is the heart of the EV. Since the internal combustion engine (ICE) is removed, the electric motor will be the power plant to generate torque to propel the car forward.

2) Motor Controller – The motor controller is used to control the amount of electric current going into the electric motor. It is very similar to controlling the amount of fuel going into an engine therefore controlling the power output.

3) Manual Disconnect – A manual disconnect is basically a switch you use to cut off all the power in the system to reduce the chance of electrocution. You want to cut off the power when you are doing maintenance work on your EV.

4) Motor Adapter – A special metal plate custom made to fit the housing of the transmission unit. The motor adapter will be used to connect the electric motor to the vehicle transmission.

5) Main Contactor – This is the one main switch that can be used to totally disconnect all power flowing in the system.

6) Inertia Switch – The inertia switch will be automatically activated when there is an accident to disconnect the battery from the system.

7) Electric Charger – Used to charge the battery units of the electric car.

8) Battery Ends – The positive and negative ends of the battery where the cable terminal will be connected.

9) DC – DC Power Supply – A power supply that uses Direct Current to produce a variance of Direct Current.

10) Amp Meter Shunt – A measuring instrument used to measure the electric current flow in the EV circuit.

11) E – Meter – Used to measure the voltage output from the battery bank.

12) Fuses – Safety component for the electric circuit.

13) Throttle Box Control – Connected to the controller to regulate the power of the electric motor.

14) Battery Cable – Cables used to connect all the batteries together in series.

15) Cable Cutter – Heavy duty cutter used to cut and trim cables.

16) Lugs – Connected to the ends of the cables.

17) Cable Crimping Tool – A special tool used to crimp the ends of the cables to the lugs.

18) Vacuum Pump – Used to bleed the power brakes of the electric car.

19) Batteries – DC electric storage units used to power the electric motor. The type of battery suitable for EV conversion is the deep cycle type.

20) Battery Boxes – Storage and holding unit for the batteries. Acts as a temperature control and safety shield for the batteries.

21) Miscellaneous nuts and bolts – Used to hold all the parts together securely.

If you want to know how to build an electric car at home, be sure to check out Gavin Shoebridge’s Electric Conversion Made Easy e-book.

Gavin is from New Zealand and he has converted his 1987 Mitsubishi Tredia into an EV. His manual document his electric car conversion project.

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

The main web site for the EV conversion manual can be seen at www.electricity4gas.com.

Who Is Peter Millward?

Peter Millward is the author of Electricity 4 Gas e-book. From the web site, he mentioned that he is an environmental activist. Meaning Peter has a philosophy and strong concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the environment. One way of doing so is to reduce his carbon footprint by driving a pure electric car.

I wanted to know more about Peter. Unfortunately, a quick Google on his name did not reveal much information. Is he a real person or just a marketing spoke person? Honestly, I do not know. Many e-book publishers actually put a person to showcase their product as part of their marketing strategy. I am not too concern with that. What’s important is the information, not the packaging.

Electricty4gas Manual Content

What can you find inside Electricity4gas guide? Generally, the e-book was written for someone who has an interest to convert a gasoline driven car to electric. It shows you all the technical aspects of an EV conversion project.

The e-book was written primarily targeting the novice. The language is pretty easy to understand with lots of pictures and diagrams. For an experienced auto mechanic, he may not appreciate the simplicity of this manual.

Owning Your Own Electric Car

Electric car conversion is a simple but a tedious process. You have to know the internal workings of an automobile. You would also have to be good with hand tool and machinery.

The fact is, most people would not have the time nor the know how to convert a gasoline driven car to run on pure electricity. In this case, it would be a better idea to send your car to a professional workshop to be electric retrofitted.

Have you been to the workshop for a major repair on your car and not knowing what’s going to happen? It is quite a frightening experience. You will experience the same feeling with your EV conversion. You wouldn’t know the difference between a charge controller or a transmission adapter plate.

To be prudent, it is best for you to get some basic knowledge on the science behind an electric vehicle. With some information, at least you will understand what the mechanic is try to tell you about EV. To brush up on your EV skills, Peter Millward Electricity4gas manual will be very helpful.

==> Click here to visit of Electricity 4 Gas now!

A lot of people are intrigued by the idea of owning an electric car. If you’ve checked, a new sedan electric vehicle (EV) from the manufacturers is still quite expensive. We are talking $40,000 and above. Maybe lower if you can get a government tax rebate. That left us with the option of DIY electric car conversion.

Many electric car enthusiasts have been converting conventional gas guzzlers to pure electric cars. But is a homemade electric car legal? The reason I asked that question because I came across an article yesterday about a person, Paul Pearson, an electric car retrofitter that has been dragged to court for building DIY electric vehicle.

I’ve then decided to do some research on the internet to find out what happened and to verify the legality of DIY electric car. Here’s what I found:

1) Police sting doesn’t stop homebrew electric vehicle maker in California – Last fall, we spoke with Paul Pearson, the man behind the Lola EV (above) from Electric Custom Cars, at the Santa Monica Alt Car Expo. The Lola, a sort of Tesla kit car, seems innocent enough, but Pearson recently got himself into trouble with the City of Santa Monica for his electric car work…

2) Paul Pearson continuing legal fight over electric vehicle conversions – Last week, Paul Pearson went back to court. It was the fifth time he’s been in front of a judge because of a police sting last December over the electric car conversions he was doing in his garage. In short, the situation is wholly confusing, but also quite important for fans of electric vehicles…

3) Electric Car Enthusiast Busted in Sting – Santa Monica resident Paul Pearson is an avid electric car enthusiast. Since it is nearly impossible to buy an electric car today, Mr. Pearson has done what any other talented enthusiast might do, build his own…

4) If there is no law, there is no crime – Unless you live in California. Paul Pearson lives in California. Mr. Pearson makes a living converting gas and diesel powered vehicles to plug-in electrics. There is no law regulating said conversions in the state of California. But that did not stop the the state DMV and the City of Santa Monica from arresting him and dragging him into court for, supposedly, illegally “remanufacturing” vehicles…

5) Lola EV brings sunny Southern Californian style to AltCar Expo 2008! – The AltCar Expo 2008 in Santa Monica has been in the auto news for the past few days with the crazy concepts and new designs that it is bringing into limelight. The Lola EV is viewed by a few people at the Expo as the ‘poor man’s Tesla’. While the Lola is indeed a pretty cool electric vehicle, it really is no Tesla…

After reading all the articles, I realized Paul Pearson is being charged for manufacturing vehicles without a license and failure to obtain a business permit. In essence, he converts a conventional car to run on pure electricity with the intention of selling it. Apparently, that is against the law in Santa Monica. It would be interesting to see how the court case turns out.

Do you think DIY electric is legal? Leave your comments and tell us what you think.

Here a follow up video on Gavin Shoebridge electric car conversion project in New Zealand. This is where Gavin manually removes all the redundant car parts in an old gasoline driven Mitsubishi “Treadia”.

Since Gavin is building a pure electric car, the following bits and pieces are not needed.

There was a big surprise and the end of the video about the gear box…check it out. If you are looking for more information on DIY electric car conversion in New Zealand, check out Gavin EV Conversion website.

1) Donor Car for DIY Electric Car Conversion

2) Home Converted Electric Car

Local gasoline prices shot through the roof. People driving large gas guzzler was having a tough time feeding their pride SUVs. Some had no choice but to abandon their vehicle at home and use the public transportation. Luckily, oil prices are at a reasonable level now…or is it?

As of the time I’m writing this post, crude oil is slowly creeping back to US60 per barrel and climbing…

Okay, I wanted to write something on regenerative braking system for Do It Yourself (DIY) electric car. I found a video on Youtube last week about a really cool homemade electric truck that has a regenerative braking system installed.

The whole setup look a bit troublesome. From the video, it is clear that the regenerative brake system is manually engaged. I don’t think the system is used to stop the EV but rather used to generate some electric power by tapping to the kinetic energy of the spinning electric motor shaft.

To engage the regenerative braking system, you would have to press a button fitted on the gear knob. When you do that, it will engage a relay that will fire up the friction clutch. The clutch will transfer the kinetic energy from the motor to spin an alternator to create electricity.

The electric power generated by the alternator can be flowed back to the batteries. It will be interesting to know how much additional drive mileage the regenerative braking system is adding to the electric car.

Should we use regenerative braking system on a homemade electric car? I think it all depends on the EV owner. Personally, I think it will increase your electric car conversion cost and the electric power generated may not add any significant drive mileage to the EV. There is also additional work to test, fit and connect the system to make it work.

I believe pure electric car will be the wave of the future for the world transportation system. If you are keen to find out how to convert your gasoline driven car to run on electricity, check out my EV conversion guide review.

Related blog posts:

1) Telstar Logistics: Japan Electric Car Has Eight Wheel, Big Ambitions

2) Mitsubishi: Building a better electric car

3) Lightning Electric Car can Zoom from Zero to 60 in Just 4 Seconds

4) Regenerative Braking – alternATIVe

5) What is regenerative braking? | Lou Ann Hammond on carlist.com