Have you ever wonder how long the batteries of a DIY electric car will last? If you are doing your own electric car conversion project, the cost of buying the batteries for your EV will take up a large portion of your budget. Wouldn’t you want to know how long the batteries will last before you have to replace them?

There is no exact answer to the above question. Different homemade electric cars will have different life span. It all depends on how the batteries are being used.

If you were to drain the battery bank and recharge them many times in a week, generally, the batteries would have a shorter lifespan.

Here’s an example, if you have 15 units of deep cycle batteries on your electric car and you use your EV for daily driving, you may have to recharge the batteries every night in your garage.

If you were to install 25 units of batteries on your EV, with the same driving usage, you may only need to recharge every other day. This means you cycle through your battery bank lesser and in result the batteries will last longer.

Should you install more batteries on your DIY electric car? When your battery bank has more batteries linked together, it would have more stored power hence does not have to be recharged so often.

But more batteries also means more weight on your EV. The key is to find the balance between weight and power availability from the batteries. Unfortunately, this is no easy task.

The best option, if you have the money, is to invest in premium grade deep cycle batteries for your electric car. They are more expensive, but they are capable of storing more power therefore you need to recharge less often.

DIY Electric Car Conversion Tips

Looking for more DIY electric car conversion cost saving tips? If you are, check out Gavin Shoebridge’s Electric Conversion Made Easy e-book.

Gavin is from New Zealand and is well known for converting his old Mitsubishi Tredia into a pure plug-in electric car in his garage.

During his EV conversion project, Gavin did have much money and had to be very creative coming up with ingenious ways to save cost on his EV. Some of his clever ways were included in his EV manual. For more information, click on the link below.

==> Click here to visit Gavin Shoebridge’s web site now!

A lot of people are wondering, how much does an electric car conversion cost?

It is very hard to come out with an exact figure. The project cost will depend a lot on what want to get out of your DIY electric car.

One thing is for sure though, if you were to buy an electric car conversion kit, you will be saving a lot of your time and effort.

The following is a list of 5 reasons why it is a good idea to use an electric car conversion kit.

1) Save cost.

Most EV conversion kits are custom made to fit a specific car model. For example, if you are planning to use Volkswagen VW Beetle as your EV donor car, you can purchase an electric retrofitting kit special designed for that model.

2) Save time.

If you were to make every EV components by yourself, it will take you a long time.

The toughest component to fabricate on your own is the metal adapter plate.

The adapter plate will be used to line up the electric motor to connect to the existing transmission unit.

Have you tried cutting, filling and drilling a 1 inch metal plate?

It is a very difficult task if you do not have the necessary tools and equipment.

3) All parts work together.

This is a big time saver also. But most importantly, it will save you a lot of unnecessary head ache!

Converting a normal car to run on electricity involves a lot of components. Sometimes, these components do not work well together.

The problem is to troubleshoot and figuring out why certain system is not working or refuse to work.

An EV conversion kit will have parts that have been tested to work well together.

4) Parts availability.

If you live in a remote area, it may be difficult for you to locate a certain parts needed for your donor car. You may have to wait weeks before the hardware shop get the stock you’ve order.

The custom EV conversion kit will have all the required parts needed to retrofit your electric car. All the components can also be easily delivered to your home or garage.

5) Step by step instruction.

Finally, the benefit of using an electric car conversion kit is the step by step instruction.

The kit comes with an instruction manual that will show you how and where to install the components sent to you.

Some premium conversion kit will also have High Definition (HD) instructional videos.

No more trial and error. All you have to do is follow the recommended directions.

Convert Your Own Electric Car

Want to know how to convert a conventional automobile into a plug in electric car? If you do, download the 20 DIY Electric Car Conversion Videos e-book.

The e-book will show you videos of homemade electric cars and the different components needed for the conversion project. Click on the link below to download the free e-book now!

==> Click here to download free e-book!

One of the latest electric car “how to” books available on the internet is Gavin Shoebridge’s Electric Conversion Made Easy. The e-book was launched back in August 2009. You can see the main web page at www.evsecrets.com.

If you are not familiar with the DIY electric car industry, you may not have heard of Gavin Shoebridge. Here’s some background about him.

Gavin is a New Zealander and pretty much an average guy. But there’s one problem, he has an addiction. Just like millions of people in the world, Gavin is addicted to oil.

Couple of years back, Gavin decided to break his habit of stopping at the gasoline station to fuel up his car. He went on a quest to convert a conventional car to run purely on electricity.

What he did was bought an old 1987 Mitsubishi Tredia, stripped out the internal combustion engine and installed an electric motor. He was a total amateur in electric vehicle (EV) conversion and most of the conversion process was based on trial and error.

But in the end, he managed to get it done.

His homemade electric car caught the attention of a local news station. A news segment was done about his electric Tredia and Gavin was interviewed by a reporter. You can see the news clip above.

DIY Electric Car Conversion Guide

If you are planning to start an electric car conversion project, it is best to get some knowledge on the required tasks. It may sounds easy, but there’s a lot of technical aspect involved.

If you are a novice, it is a good idea to read Gavin’s Electric Conversion Made Easy guide first.

What would you learn from his EV manual? The information covered are:

1) How does an electric car works?

2) The main components of an EV.

3) Deciding your electric car needs and budget.

4) Selecting an EV donor car.

5) Selecting EV parts and batteries.

6) Selecting an electric motor.

7) Where to buy electric vehicle parts.

8) Dismantling the donor car.

9) Installing the motor.

10) EV control box and wiring etc.

If you are looking for a step-by-step guide on how to convert a gas driven car to EV book, the manual will give you everything you’ll need.

Electric Car Conversion Instructional Videos

All the information in the Electric Conversion Made Easy e-book is based on an actual electric car conversion project. You will see pictures of Gavin’s Mitsubishi Tredia before and after the conversion.

The information is very detail. You will see the individual component brand, model number and even the purchase cost.

There is one major difference that separates Gavin’s e-book versus other electric car conversion guide on the internet…it is the instructional videos.

If you prefer to learn from watching videos, there are a total of 11 High Definition (HD) videos that comes with the e-book. The videos cover information from dismantling the donor car to getting your EV certified street legal.

For more information on Gavin Shoebridge’s electric car “how to” book, click on the link below.

==> Click here to read more about Electric Conversion Made Easy!

Related web pages:

1) 4 Things That Will Affect Your Electric Car Conversion Cost

2) Gas 4 Free Review – Is Gas4Free The Real Deal?

3) Electric Auto Association – Electric Vehicles and Cars

Convert It!

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

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!

Is it safe to drive an electric car? More importantly, it is safe to drive a Do It Yourself (DIY) electric vehicle? The reason I ask the question is because I read an article lately about the accident rate of hybrid car owners. The article was from USAToday.com and there was a study made and they found a couple of interesting results.

Apparently, hybrid car owners get more traffic tickets and had more accidents! You can read the full article at: Hybrid car owners drive more and get more traffic tickets, study finds.

In summary, the study found that hybrid car owners take more pleasure drive a part from daily commuting. Hybrid vehicle owners will drive 25 percent more compared to a conventional car owner. When we have a fuel economy car, we tend to drive more because there is a sense that we are not spending too much money. When you drive more, the chances of you getting into an accident are also higher.

Here’s an interesting fact. To fix a damaged hybrid car, it will cost 13% higher compared to a non-hybrid! This is understandable because not every car mechanic has the tools and knowledge to repair a hybrid.

Is It Safe To Drive An EV?

What does this mean to electric car owners? A hybrid vehicle is one step away from a pure plug-in car. A hybrid has an internal combustion engine (ICE) and an electric motor to generate power. An EV has only the electric motor.

If hybrid owners were to drive more in their vehicle, would EV owners do the same as well? I think they will commute more short distances because EV is limited by its mileage. A normal sedan electric vehicle has approximately 60 – 100 miles before it has to be recharged.

In terms of repair bill, well that is another issue. If you were to crash your EV, it is safe to say you will end up with a large bill! The most expensive components would be the electric motor, electric controller and the batteries. Not to mention the large amount of time needed to fix and re-check all the system.

Is it safe to drive a homemade electric car on the road? That will depend on the person behind the wheel. If you are a speed demon, there is no different whether you are driving a conventional car or an electric car. You will crash sooner or later. If you are in an EV, you will be a “green speed demon”.

Mechanical wise, there are a few components that you have to make note of to keep the EV safe on the road. I will save that idea for my next blog post.

To all EV owners…drive safely.

Related web pages:

1) Tesla Recall: Setback for the EV Revolution?

Other related web pages:

Here’s a step that everyone has to go through when building an electric car from home. It is the process of making the racks for the battery. Why do we need battery racks for our EV? The simple reason is to hold the batteries in place.

As you may already know, a homemade electric car would need from 10 to 15 units of battery. On a full charge, your EV would able to travel up to 60 – 100 miles before it has to be recharged. With that many units of battery on board, you want to make sure the batteries do not slide from side to side when you accelerate or take a corner with your EV. That will be very hazardous!

Fitting The Battery Racks

Before you start making the racks, it would be a good idea to do some fittings. The type of battery recommended for electric cars are deep cycle battery. Now, how do you fit all the batteries in the electric donor car? Lets start with a mock fitting.

What you want to do is find free spaces in your EV to place the battery. Take a few pieces of cardboard paper and make it into a box that is the same size (equal width, length and height) with the battery you want to use. Make about 15 cardboard boxes. This is important and you will find out why.

The idea is to fit all the cardboard boxes into your electric car. Fit the boxes into the engine compartment area. Try to put them next to each other. Put a couple of the boxes into the booth at the back. If you need more space, place the boxes at the back seat.

The cardboard boxes that you’ve made will represent the actual space needed for your deep cycle batteries. If all the boxes fit, you know for sure all the batteries will fit.

Making The Frame

Now that you know where to place the batteries, your next step is to make the frame of the rack. The best material to use will be “L” steel section. Cut it to size and weld them together. Drill some holes for the bolts and nuts. Finally, fix the rack securely to the body of your electric donor car. That should pretty much does it.

Check out the following video of Gavin Shoebridge of New Zealand showing how he pre-fit the cardboard boxes and then making the frame for the battery racks for his DIY electric car.

If you want to know step-by-step how Gavin converts his 1987 Mitsubishi Tredia into an electric car, check out his Electric Conversion Made Easy e-book. In his manual, there more tips and tricks on how to save money in a EV conversion project.

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

Locating Cheap Donor Vehicle

One thing that most electric car enthusiasts want to know is where to find a cheap donor car. There is one place where you can do your research and it is at www.autotrader.com.

Autotrader.com is one of the largest new and used car listing web site on the internet. You can utilize the Autotrader search engine to help you to find the perfect donor car for your DIY electric car conversion. Here’s what you need to do.

First, go to Autotrader main web site. You should see a search box on the top left. Click on the “Any Make” pull down menu and choose the model of donor car you like. To find a cheap donor vehicle, it is recommended for you to select Volkswagen.

Autotrader.com web site

Next enter your zip code and click on the “Next” button. This will bring you to a page where you can narrow down your selection. Select “Used Cars” for the “Search for” category. Then you can select the search area within your area.

Next, select any body style and choose Volkswagen as the model again. Choose the year range for the donor car that you want. If you are looking for cheap vehicle, you may want to select year 1981 – 1990. The next step is to enter your price range.

Get Better Deal With Private Sellers

Here’s a trick you can use to find inexpensive donor car. Select “Private Sellers Only”. You will find better search results because you do not have to pay any mark up fee to the Dealers. Finally, press the “Search” button.

Autotrader search engine will then list down all the car listings as per your requirement. There is a disclaimer though. When anything is cheap, usually the vehicle needs some repair. Make sure you communicate with the seller and really find out the condition of the car. If you want to find cheap donor car for your homemade electric vehicle, you have to do some leg work. It is a good idea to be prudent.

Listings of cheap Volkswagen donor car models

There are many ways you can save on your DIY electric car conversion project cost. The trick above with Autotrader.com, I learned it from Les Oke’s Convert 2 EV. If you want to know more tips and strategies to find cheap parts for your EV Conversion, check out Convert 2 EV e-book.

==> Click here to visit Convert 2 EV now!

Golf Cart Battery Maintenance Guide

Here’s an interesting web site I found recently that I think will be very useful for DIY electric car enthusiasts. This is a relatively new web site what offers Electric Golf Car Battery Maintenance guide. The web site can be found at www.golfcartbattteryguide.info.

How would the web site be useful to electric car converter? As you may already know, a homemade electric car relies on an electric motor to generate torque. To power the electric motor, you would need a series of battery.

The best battery recommended for EV conversion is deep cycle battery used on electric golf carts. If you are going to invest money on a bunch of deep cycle batteries, wouldn’t it make sense to learn how to maintain them properly? That is where the golf car battery guide will come in handy.

Getting The Most Out Of Your Battery

For a normal sedan electric car, it would require from 10 to 15 units of deep cycle battery. With that amount of batteries, it will give you approximately 60 to 100 driving miles before you have to recharge.

If you are using electric golf cart deep cycle batteries, you want to maintain them so to achieve maximum performance and obtain a longer battery life. The end result is saving you time and money when you are using your electric car.

How to ensure the operation of your battery? According to the guide, the first step is choosing the right golf cart batteries. There are many types of deep cycle batteries available in the market. Choosing the right one will lower your expenses in the long run.

Extending The Life Of Your Battery

What are the common breakdown problem with a battery? Do you want to double or triple the life of your deep cycle battery? According to the manual, the key is to know how to have a solid maintenance and servicing program.

Even when there’s no moving parts in a battery, it does have chemicals that have to be dealt with. If you do not pay attention to this area, it will lead to all kind of problems for your electric car.

Battery Maintenance E-book Guarantee

One thing that I like about information product on the internet is the guarantees. Since Electric Golf Car Battery Guide is offered under Clickbank, you are automatically covered under their 60 Days Money Back Guarantee policy.

If you do not see any value after reading the manual, you can ask for a full refund within 60 Days from the purchase date. Try doing that at a Borders or Barnes and Nobles bookstore. You will have a very different experience.

Electric Golf Cart Battery Guide Review Conclusion

Here’s the conclusion for this blog post. If you are going to spend hundreds of dollar to buy deep cycle battery for your DIY electric car, wouldn’t it make sense to learn how to take care of them.

The key is to properly service and maintain them so it will serve you for years to come. For the best information on deep cycle battery maintenance, check out Electric Golf Cart Battery Guide.

==> Click here to visit Electric Golf Cart Battery Guide now!

If you are doing a DIY electric car conversion from your home garage, one of the main components for the EV is the electric motor. Getting the electric motor delivered to your house is an exciting feeling!

The next step is to connect the electric motor to the existing transmission unit. How do you do that? There are numerous ways to connect both the motor and transmission shaft together. You can custom made a metal bracket and then use a universal coupler. Alternatively, you also custom made an adapter plate.

The video below shows how Gavin Shoebridge of New Zealand custom made an adapter for his electric motor. He actually outsourced the work to a local engineering workshop. That is a good idea. Have you tried drilling, cutting and filing an 1 inch metal plate? It is not fun is you don’t have the proper tools and equipment.

When the adapter plate is done, all you have to do is bolt on the electric motor and connect is to the transmission unit. Make sure you have sufficient bolts. At this stage, it might be helpful if you have a hoist handy. The electric motor plus the adapter plate can weight quite a bit. When the electric motor is connected to the transmission, next you have to secure it the chassis of your homemade electric car.