This is not surprising when there are many Do It Yourself (DIY) electric car conversion guides on the market. Even a ready made electric car conversion kit cost around $400 – $500. It is a wise investment if you are spending thousand of dollar a month on gasoline.

There are some challenges in doing your own EV conversion. One of the setback is the material included in the electric car kit does not have sufficient detailed information.

Most of the literature include may not be easy to understand or user friendly. It is understandable because the guides are meant for experienced mechanic.

If you are very well versed with the inner working of a car and have been maintaining your own vehicle for years, a DIY electric car conversion may not be too difficult for you. Your challenge is to get the conversion done in the least amount of time and at the lowest possible cost.

For a novice or amateur, you would have to allocate some time to kick off your EV conversion at your home garage. You will be spending hours in your workshop to retrofit the car.

Even though to convert a conventional car to EV is not a complicated process, it is devious and labor intensive work. If you have a buddy who is willing to help, be grateful for his assistance.

Although a homemade electric car is a painstaking and slow process, doing it yourself does have its advantages. Depending on how far you drive on a daily basis, you will be saving around $100 – $200 a week just by driving your electric

car. If the local gasoline prices were to go up again, the saving from using your EV will be even more substantial.

Related blog posts:
1) Electric Car Conversion Kit: Do-It-Yourself

2) New DIY Electric Car Opportunities

3) Volkswagon Beetle Electric Car Conversion

4) The Electric “Balloon” Car: They’re Safe & Cheap, But Would You Drive One?

5) Green Motors: Zenn (Zero Emissions, No Noise) Electric Car

Benefits of Electric Cars

Firstly, EV produce zero tailpipe emission. This is great for the environment. Some people may be asking…If you are using pure electric cars, aren’t we transferring the carbon emission from the gas producers to the power stations?

The electricity used to charge EVs typically comes from coal-fired power plants. But even if that is the case, the emission from the power plants are lower compared to the carbon emitted from internal combustion engines (ICE).

Secondly, EV are much simpler compared to a gas driven car. There are thousand of moving parts in a ICE. When multiple parts are moving, rubbing against each other and producing heat, there are bound to be breakdowns. Electric car having less moving parts, chances are, it will break down less.

Thirdly, even with gas price at $1.50, it still cost less to fully charge an EV. With an equal drive mileage, the cost per mile for an electric car is definitely much cheaper compared to fossil fuel.

Why don’t we see many pure electric cars on the road?

The main drawbacks of EV is the cost of batteries. The best battery technology for electric vehicle is lithium-based. However, it is still being developed and the costs are high. As today’s prices, a lithium-based battery large enough to power a pure electric car will cost more than $10,000.

Electric car also has a limited driving range. The top end EV from the manufacturer would have a mileage of about 250 miles. That is half of the traditional gasoline powered car.

A more affordable EV model would offer about 40 miles. One option to extend the mileage is to install a small gasoline engine on the EV. However, doing that will increase the weight and cost.

Finally, an EV would need time to fully recharge its battery. Most DIY electric car will use deep cycle battery to save cost. This kind of battery will need a minimum of 8 hours to recharge.

A lithium-based battery may need only half an hour to recharge. But the cost to use them is too expensive.

Related blog posts:
1) GreenSmart Notebook – Tom Larsen: An All Electric Car Ahead of Everyone’s Time

2) Discovery News: Material World: Wide Angle: Electric Car Grid

3) Green Car Congress: Better Place Enters Electric Car Network Partnership with Ontario

4) Mitsubishi’s i MiEV electric car coming to Canada

5) Better Place to Offer Electric Car Subscription Service

What would be the benefits of a homemade Volkswagen VW Beetle Bug electric car? That is a very easy question to answer. Cost saving of course! If you own an gasoline driven automobile, your energy expense bill would have been inflated back in mid 2008.

Remember global crude oil prices was at a dizzying height of $150 per barrel? Stopping by the local gas station to fuel up was an expensive ordeal.

Why select a VW Beetle to be converted to a pure electric vehicle (PEV)? The idea of retrofitting a car to electric vehicle (EV) is to removed the internal combustion engine (ICE) and replace it with a DC electric motor.

When the ICE is removed, all its connecting components like gas tank, fuel lines, exhaust pipe, radiator etc. are redundant and to be removed as well. To generate torque, the electric motor is to be connected directly to the existing transmission unit. Since an old Bug is rear wheel drive, setting up the motor in place is much easier.

Well, the second reason why a VW Beetle is ideal to be an electric donor car is the cost. Old VW Bug us readily available. All you need to do is look into a local car “For Sale” listing.

If you can find a Beetle with a busted engine, that would be so much better. You can always negotiate with the seller for a lower price. Since no one in the right mind would buy a VW Beetle with a faulty engine…except an electric car retrofitter of course.

My guess is, most people would not have the skill or know how to convert an old VW Beetle into an EV at their home garage. In this case, it would be better if you were to send your donor car to a professional mechanic.

To be prudent, you should get some basic knowledge on VW EV Conversion. At least you will know when you are being overcharged.

If you are an electric car enthusiast, here are 5 facts about the BWM Mini Electric Car:
1) The Mini is be powered by a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor fed by a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
2) Battery range is more than 240 kilometers, or 150 miles.
3) The Mini electric drive train produces a peak torque of 220 Newton meters that delivers seamless acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.5 seconds.
4) Top speed is 152 km/h (95 mph).
5) 500 Mini electric will only be made available to select private and corporate customers as part of a pilot project in the US states of California, New York and New Jersey.

The Mini E Car all electric will be unveiled on the L.A. Auto Show from November 19-30 2008.

Are you wandering how a BMW Mini all electric car sounds like? If you watched The Jetsons cartoon, the Mini sounds just like the flying vehicles in the show. Check out the video below.

I have been going through the stats on this blog. There were a lot of interest on the Pontiac Fiero electric car post. Some readers have been wandering how does a real Fiero EV looks like. Would there be any noticeable differences between a Fiero EV versus its gasoline driven counterpart?

I’ve decided to do some research and found a good video on Pontiac Fiero electric vehicle on Youtube. Check it out

If you own a Fiero and you’re planning to do a DIY electric car conversion, it is a good idea to do some research first. Check out the electric car conversion guides on the web.

The electric car industry in North American is big. The industry players in the market consist of large mainstream manufacturers that have a dedicated division for electric vehicle (EV) to smaller custom EV retrofitters. The following is a list of top 10 electric car  manufacturers in North America.

1) Chevrolet Electric
The most existing news from Chevrolet Electric is their Chevrolet Volt Electric Car model. It is a full plug-in series hybrid vehicle to be produced by General Motors. The Volt is expected to be launched as a 2011 model with integration vehicles to be built starting on June 1, 2009. Sales are scheduled to begin in November 2010.

2) American Honda Motor Co.
Honda was the very first auto manufacturer to offer a mass-production hybrid model for the U.S. and Europe. They offer a diverse lineup of hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles ranging from Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) to Hydrogen Fuel Cell. Based on their track record, a pure electric car should be around the corner.

3) Th!nk North America
Think Global is an electric car company located in Aurskog, Norway which has its North American division. The company manufactures cars under the TH!NK brand. The Think Ox electric car is the next EV to be offered in the US market.

4) Phoenix Motorcars
Phoenix MC, Inc. is a privately-held Delaware corporation headquartered in Ontario, California that does business as Phoenix Motorcars. The Company develops full-size, freeway speed electric vehicles. Similar to other automotive manufacturers, Phoenix Motorcars partners with other corporations for the development and manufacture of key vehicle components, such as vehicle bodies, battery packs and drive-train components. One of their most popular models is the all electric Phoenix Sport Utility Truck (SUT) series.

5) ZAP Electric Vehicles

The company manufactures the Alias, a freeway speed vehicle jointly designed by Lotus Engineering of Europe and ZAP’s US-based automotive engineers. The Alias is sporty, futuristic and 100% electric.

6) Tesla Motors
Tesla Motors, Inc. is a Silicon Valley automobile startup company focusing on the production of high performance, consumer-oriented battery electric vehicles. The firm was incorporated in July 2003 by engineers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in San Carlos, California. Tesla is famous for their super sexy Tesla Roadster electric car. Recently, Tesla has launched its sedan pure electric car, the Tesla Model S.

7) Myers Motors
The Myers Motors NmG (formerly the Corbin Sparrow) is a single-passenger, three-wheeled, battery electric vehicle designed specifically for commuting and city driving. It was initially produced by Corbin Motors and now by Myers Motors. The company produces Personal Electric Vehicle (PEV).

8) Fisker Automotive

Manufactures the Fisker Karma, a 4-door plug in sports sedan.The Karma was first introduced in 2008 North American International Auto Show. The company was founded by Henrik Fisker in 2007 with business partner Bernhard Koehler and Quantum Technologies after securing a relatively small investment from Gianfranco Pizzuto, an Italian businessman, and Palo Alto Investors.

9) Aptera Motors
Aptera Motors, formerly known as Accelerated Composites, is a maker of high-efficiency vehicles, and is located in Carlsbad, California. Aptera’s first product, a three-wheeled two-seater named the Aptera 2 Series, is currently under development, though they are accepting pre-orders from California residents. The name Aptera is Greek for “wingless”, a nod to their light-aircraft-inspired design and construction techniques.

10) Detriot Electric
The new Detroit Electric is the revival of the old Detroit Electric that went bankrupt in 1939. Detroit Electric recently announced its Joint venture with Proton Holdings of Malaysia to produce pure electric car. Under the agreement, Detroit Electric will license two Proton vehicle platforms and contract the company to assemble the electric vehicles that will be marketed under Detroit Electric’s brand.

I found a video below from Youtube about an Australian guy that made his own electric car in Australia. He totally retrotiffed a Hyundai Getz to run purely on electricity. Just like most of the electric car pioneer, he faces some challenges from the state government. Good news is, the local government of Victoria is open to his idea. Check out the video.

I think it is a matter of time before the world’s governments open up to the idea of mass electric vehicles. How long can we depend on fossil fuel? We should applaud all the electric car enthusiasts around the world and offer our support to them. Hopefully, one day all of us will be driving a clean, efficient and noiseless electric motorcar.

Check out the related post on electric vehicle in Australia below:

Electric Car Network For Australia – An American (of course) company is planning on building a huge electric car powering network here in Australia by around 2012. This is certainly a step in the right direction. AGL Energy has apparently promised to back the venture by …

Electric-Car Maker Sets Sights on Australia – It is already building electric-car networks in Israel and Denmark, where it plans to begin mass marketing electric cars in 2011. Australia would be the largest effort by Better Place to steer a country off oil dependence. …

$600M Electric Car Project Hitting Australia – Australia, on the other hand, is the 6th largest country in the world, with over 15 million cars on the road. The electric network will connect Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, and contain hundreds of charging stations within the cities, …

Australia to Launch One of World’s Biggest Electric Car Recharging … – The Australian government has given the green light to a plan to establish one of the world’s largest electric car recharging infrastructures, powered entirely by renewable energy. The A$1 billion ($676 million) project could see the …

Here’s an interesting video I found on Youtube. It’s a news report on the Zenn Electric Car in Canada. Apparently the Canadian government does not favor the idea of Canadian owning Electric Vehicle (EV). I wander why… Check out the video.

It’s sad that the maker of the Zenn electric car can’t make it in Canada. I guess what they should do is set up shop in Australia. The people down under are embracing the idea of using electric car for the masses. Good for yer mate…

Check out the related blog post on electric car in Australia:
Australia Building Huge Electric Car Grid: 600000+ Stations By 2012

Hopefully this, or something like it, is coming soon to the US. Watching oil-extortion-based thug countries teeter on the brink of complete collapse has been one of the few bright spots of the global market downturn. …

Australia Building Huge Electric Car Grid: 600000+ Stations By 2012

Sure, it will cut back on our dependence on foreign oil, but in Australia, we get most of our electricity from burning coal! What a bloody cheek calling it zero emission to make it look green. reckless_inoz.

Australia Goes Green: Begins Work On An Electric Car Network

A driver would pull up to a switching station and replace the car’s battery before continuing on their journey, similar to filling up the tank at a petrol station, according to Mr Agassi.

$600M Electric Car Project Hitting Australia

Australia, on the other hand, is the 6th largest country in the world, with over 15 million cars on the road. The electric network will connect Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, and contain hundreds of charging stations within the cities, …

Found a series of Do It Yourself (DIY) electric car conversion videos on Youtube. It seem like they are using an old Mitsubishi Starion. Check it out.

Electric Starion – Electric Car Conversion – Part 1

Electric Starion – Electric Car Conversion – Part 2

Electric Starion EV – Electric Car Conversion – Part 3

Electric Starion EV – Electric Car Conversion – Part 4

The benefits of using an Electric Vehicle (EV) are multifold. Unfortunately, if you were to send you car to be converted to run purely on electricity by a professional mechanic, it will cost you upward of $4000.

The investment is too high for most car owners. The alternative to enjoy the benefits of using an EV is by doing the retrofitting process yourself via a Do It Yourself Electric Car project at home.

The idea of the EV conversion is to remove the internal combustion engine and its associated components such as the gas tank, fuel distribution lines and radiators and replace it with an electric motor. The additional free space created will be used to store the batteries.

The mileage that an electric car can cover per charge will depend on the number of batteries on board, the type of batteries, the age of the batteries, the motor horsepower and the net weight of the car.

To run the electric car, you can start plugging your it into your homes electrical outlet and let it charge over night. During the day as you start up the vehicle, the alternator will kick on and charge the batteries as you drive, everything else that is not run off of gasoline will work as it always has, right down to the brake system.

If you do not feel completely comfortable about going total electric, you may decide to just purchase a hybrid car conversion kit that will run on electricity when you are stopped at a traffic light, and when the light turns green, the gasoline motor will engage again.

This electric car conversion kit will double your gas mileage, and save you hundreds of dollars in a year’s time.

There are many fantastic electric car conversion guide Ebooks on the internet that will give you easy to follow instructions and the price of the parts.

The knowledge you need to do the work is available and inexpensive. Most of these sites offer a 60 days guarantee, and certain sites may offer some sort of promotion, depending on which site you view.

Some people are more interested in how far an electric car will go before it has to be recharged, more than with what the average speed will be. Most secondary highways will let a normal car cruise at 65 mph; however, the electric car will cruise at 60 mph, so there is not much difference.

In communities, the driving speed is 25 to 30 miles an hour anyway and the electric car can handle that speed as well as a conventional car.