First of all, driving an electric car is so cheap. An electric car uses electricity to run whereas a gasoline powered car uses gasoline. Gasoline is costlier than electricity and its price is increasing day after day. Those who want to reduce the cost of driving a car are converting their cars into pure electric vehicle (EV).

Secondly, an electric car is environment friendly. Since electric cars use electricity to run, they don’t emit exhaust fumes like the traditional cars. Carbon emission from gasoline powered vehicles pollutes the environment more than anything else.

The third reason for the popularity of electric and hybrid cars is the increased awareness among the public of the need to keep the environment clean. The general public tries to follow the example of famous people who own and drive electric cars.

Most electric cars on the road are not manufactured as electric cars; they are ordinary cars converted into electric cars. Just by looking at a car, you can’t tell whether it is an electric car or a gasoline powered car. By listening to the sound of the car, you can mostly make out what type of car it is.

Unlike a gasoline powered car, an electric car makes no sound or makes just a humming sound. If you want to find the difference between an electric car and a gasoline powered car clearly, you should lift the hood of the car. Under the hood of an electric car, you will find:

1. An electric motor in the place of the fuel engine

2. That the controller is connected to the battery, and

3. Electricity is supplied to the motor through the controller.

In an electric vehicle, you will find a number of wires. But in the case of an ordinary car, there will be a number of pipes, hoses and tubes to carry the liquid fuel and oil to different parts of the car and to expel the exhaust fume.

Another plus point for an electric car is its easy maneuverability. It is easier to drive an electric car than a conventional car. It can also attain high speed as soon as it is started.

Even when the car is running at a low speed, it has enough power to climb a curb easily. But if it is an ordinary car that you are driving, you have to first stop your car, change the gear and accelerate fully to get the force the car needs to climb the curb.

For the last couple of years, the electric car DC batteries have been put to different design tests to check out the optimum efficiency. The prototypes were built to test the designs which were offered for sale after making certain designs adjustments. It is fair to say this is an exciting time for electric vehicle (EV) enthusiasts.

Today the world has greatly improved battery storage technology which has aroused great interest in the practicality of pure electric cars. Before, no one gave a lot of interest to EV when gasoline prices were relative low and batteries were not up to the mark.

Now, the situation is very much different. With the rising gas prices and battery becoming smaller, lighter and able to last longer, the humble electric car is getting much attention these days and is gaining popularity.

When EV was introduced to the mass market, there were problems with earlier models because they were powered by Direct Current (DC) energy source. The older batteries which supplied the power were very heavy in weight and have proved ineffective due to battery life.

The biggest issue was that these cars required highly powerful electric motor to move the vehicle because the weight of the batteries was very high. Such a drawback limited the range and increased demand for more batteries. More battery means more weight to the car. Can you see how this is a perpetual negative cycle?

The main goal of EV manufacturers was to reduce the weight of the batteries and have it last longer before needing a recharge. Engineers were desperately trying to find an alternative to DC batteries. Luckily, they have made novel designs improvements on electric cars making it less demanding on the batteries.

One system which engineers used was to put a small generator that uses gasoline to charge the batteries. This method proved very effective as this system kept band of batteries enough charge to run the cars on electric motor thus extending its mileage.

Other system which was being explored simultaneously was to have Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels to charge the batteries as the EV is being driven during day time. The additional charge from the PV panels will definitely keep the batteries juiced up when it is on the road.

This system worked very well on sunny days but ineffective during night time. Although not perfect, the range of electric trial cars got broadened.

Due to the technology improvements in the recent years, the public interest on pure electric cars has increased tremendously. As battery designs have become smaller and lighter, the life span of a charged battery is also improving. With the constant improvement in battery technology, it is only a matter of time before the practically of EV out strip a car using an internal combustion engine.

The only problem now is the cost of such batteries which makes electric cars more expensive. With the advancement in the technology and mass production, prices are expected to come down. There is a hope such cars will be available in the market in next couple of years.

As a matter of fact, you can already purchase road ready pure electric cars from BMW, Chevrolet, Nissan and Ford. Understandably, EVs are not as good as their fossil fuel burning brothers. But give it some time, technology will make it better.

Electric cars are becoming popular in view of the focus on going green to protect the environment by nations all over the world. Soaring oil prices have prompted people to look for other options.

Environmentalists were focusing on vehicles that run on gasoline and other such traditional fuels because of the pollution issues. This has put pressure on inventors and automakers to further develop the electric car technology.

If you are a prospective buyer of an electric car, you should be aware about the benefits as well as the disadvantages of using an electric car. Of course, a lot of developments have happened, but there are some limitations.

Some of the disadvantages are listed below. It is an expensive to own and operate electric cars. The price of electric cars is very high.

The major contribution to the price of the car comes from the batteries required to run the electric motor. Electric cars use lithium-ion batteries that are pretty expensive. The batteries last for about 3 to 4 years and after that they will have to be replaced. People who have bought batteries will appreciate as to how the costs add up fast.

The second disadvantage is that the batteries of an electric car will have to be recharged frequently. You need to plan in advance as regards recharging. To get the batteries to the full charge, sufficient time has to be allocated. This may not seem to be a problem to you now, but you will realize it when you make an assessment after buying and using it for a while.

You could also face problems if the batteries are not fully charged and you have to extend trip or make an unplanned trip. The limitation on the distance that you cover with an electric car between recharges is a big hamper.

An electric car may not be the right vehicle for a long distance drive. You need to plan the distance you have to drive before using an electric car on a daily basis.

Most of the makes have limitations on the distance that an electric vehicle can run before it has to be necessarily recharged. ZAP, an electric car maker, said recently that the electric cars made by them can cover up to 100 miles with a full charge.

This may be encouraging, but many people drive in excess of 100 miles, including to and from the place of work, every day. This limitation is an issue for those who are compelled to use an electric vehicle to commute to their work place as you may get stuck in peak hour traffic jams if your car battery runs out.

Yet another disadvantage of electric vehicles is the lack of power. The pickup is not all that good. Anyone doing interstate driving will have to accelerate quickly to merge into traffic at times. A lot of developments have been incorporated in the electric cars in recent years, but many limitations are to be tackled so that it can get wide acceptance among the consumers.

DIY Electric Car Conversion Guide

A cheaper option of own an electric vehicle is via a DIY electric car conversion project. You can actually remove the internal combustion engine of a conventional automobile and fit it with a high torque electric motor. However, the job of retrofitting an electric car is easier said than done.

If you are looking for an electric car conversion guide, check out the Convert2EV ebook by Les and Jane Oke. The Okes are from Canada and they have been using homemade electric cars for quite a long time. The Convert2EV manual was written based on the experience converting gas guzzlers to EVs. Click on the link below to visit their web site right now.

==> Click here to visit Convert2EV now!

Have you seen electric cars covered with solar panels? If you were to convert a conventional automobile to run on electric power, should you include some Photovoltaic (PV) panels on the EV to charge the battery bank?

I’ve came across this question in a forum recently and I thought of doing some research on it.

Here’s the fact, a normal sedan homemade EV needs approximately 300 watt hour or Wh to move 1 mile on a flat surface. There are a few factors which will affect this figure such as tire pressure, road resistance, road gradient, wind drag etc. But let’s take that as an example for now.

In order for you to drive 1 mile on your electric car, it will use up 300 Wh of electricity from your battery bank.

Now, how much power can a solar panel generate? Let’s take one of those common 4 feet PV panels used for home solar system. 1 piece of the panel can pretty much cover the entire roof of your EV.

On a bright sunny day, the said solar panel is capable of generating 150 watt-hour of electricity. Meaning, if you were to park your EV under the sun, it will charge your battery bank with 150 Wh after 1 hour.

If you need 300 Wh, you have to install 2 pieces of 4 feet solar panel on your EV and leave it under the sun for 1 hour. After that, you would have top up the battery bank with enough power from the solar panels to travel 1 mile!

If you are planning to install solar panel on your DIY electric car, don’t bother. The power produced from the panel is too small for your EV, unless you are planning to park your electric car under the sun for days.

The fact is, an electric car is an efficient vehicle, but it does consume large amount of electricity. To replenish the battery bank, it is best to park your EV in the garage and recharge the batteries using the power outlet going through the charge controller.

Homemade Electric Car Guide

Do you want to know how to convert a conventional car to run on pure electricity? If you do, check out Peter Millward’s Electricity4Gas e-book.

Millward is an environmental activist and he has been teaching people step by step how to retrofit a car to use electricity for more than 10 years. Click on the link below for more information.

==> Click here to visit Electricity4Gas now!

One clear difference between a conventional car using an internal combustion engine versus a pure electric car is the range. A normal automobile can run indefinitely as long as there are gas stations for it to fuel up.

A pure electric car has a shorter range due to its limited charge in the battery bank. As of today, there are not a lot of facilities built to cater for the charging needs of pure electric vehicles.

If you own an electric car, here are 7 tips you can use to extend its mileage on the road:

1) Install a belly pan.

A belly pan beneath the car will allow air to rush straight past instead of getting caught around the gear box, electric motor, brake lines or any other pockets below the car which will create drag. Alternatively, a piece of thick plastic can also be used to cover the entire bottom carriage of the EV.

2) Streamline the front fender.

Make the front fender of your electric car streamline or as smooth as possible. Since the EV has no radiator, it does not need air holes at the front of the car for cooling. Use fiberglass or expanding foams to fill up any unnecessary holes.

3) Cover back wheel arches.

The rear wheel arches have a tendency to create drag on the EV. It is best to cover it with a removable piece of fiberglass that fits flush to the body of the car. The challenge is to make it look sleek and yet functional.

4) Install air guides for the tires.

By installing air guides or diffusers, it will assist in pushing the air around the tire thus reducing air drag. Air guides are small fiberglass triangular block shaped aerodynamically to sit in front of the tire on the body of the car.

5) Lowering your car.

By lowering the suspension of the car, it is capable of reducing air resistance as much as 3%. However, due to the extra weight of the deep cycle battery, you can’t lower your car too much or it will affect the safety of the EV. Lowering of the car will also cause a bumpier ride. Weigh the pros and cons before your do this.

6) Install wheel covers.

Get a wheel cover that is flat of slightly convex disc with no holes to cover the entire wheel of the electric car. It is best to get covers which match the color of the body. The monolithic color will give a “space age” look to your EV.

7) Use low rolling resistance tires.

Low rolling resistance tires have a harder rubber compound. The harder rubber has lower tire rolling resistance therefore increasing the driving mileage. As a cheap alternative, you can always slightly over inflate the tires to achieve the same result.

DIY Electric Car Conversion Guide

Looking for a good guide to convert your conventional car to EV? If you are, check out Gavin Shoebridge’s Electric Conversion Made Electric e-book. The guide comes with step by step instruction with High Definition (HD) videos. Click on the link below for more information.

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

Many people have heard of a pure electric vehicle (EV), but not a lot of people have driven one. Unless you are a golfer and you spend a lot of time on the green. Golf courses use a fleet of electric golf carts to ferry people around.

There are many benefits on driving an EV versus a car using an internal combustion engine. The following is 5 great reasons why you should own a pure EV.

1) Sever your dependency on gasoline.

This is one major factor why an EV is much better than a conventional automobile. Many car owners wish they didn’t have a car back in mid 2008.

That is when the world crude oil price reached a dizzy level of $150 per barrel. The effect has pushed local gasoline prices through the roof. People were having a very tough time refueling their cars and making ends meet.

A car using electric power is independent from the fluctuation of global crude oil prices. When there’s another energy price spike in the near future, at least you’ll know it won’t affect you and your family lifestyle too much.

2) Zero emission.

Since an electric car does not use an internal combustion engine (ICE) as its power source, there is no engine exhaust therefore zero emission.

Smog from car engine is one of the causes of “green house effect” which raises the planet temperature therefore melting the polar ice cap. It’s an issue many world leaders is trying to solve.

When you use an EV, you’ll know you are doing your part to help the environment. Instead of just “lip service”, you are actually taking proactive action to help the environment.

3) Save money.

Do you want to stop spending your hard earned money at the gas station? Would you rather spend it on your family on a holiday? When you use an electric vehicle, you can forget about stopping at the gas service station ever again. The only time you’ll go there is when you need to use the restroom.

Do some calculation. Figure out how much money are you and your family members are spending on gasoline a week. And then multiply it with 52 weeks. That is how much money your family will be saving in a year if everyone drives an electric car.

4) Reliability.

Compared to a conventional car, an EV has less moving parts. Let’s take the heart of the electric car which is the electric motor as an example.

The electric motor has only 1 moving parts, which is the rotating shaft. An internal combustion engine has more than 100 moving parts. All the parts in an engine have to be lubricated in order for them to function properly.

Which one do you think has a higher chance of failing? The electric motor or the internal combustion engine?

That being said, an EV is more reliable compared to a gas guzzler. That’s only one component of the car. How about other parts on a normal car that’s not required on an electric vehicle? Components such as exhaust pipe, radiator, spark plugs, timing belt, air filter, fuel filter etc. Every part has a chance of failing, but you do not have this issue with an EV.

5) Recharging at home.

With an EV, you have the option of recharging at home. No more trips to the local gas station. I don’t know about you, for me, going to the gas station is quite a hassle.

You have to queue to use the pump, get out of the car, go to the cashier, more queuing, wait for the cashier, wait for the gas to be pumped etc. A lot of none productive time spent.

With an electric car, all you have to do is drive to the garage at the end of the day, and then plug it into the charger. Leave it there overnight and by next morning, the batteries will be fully charged.

There are many more reasons why using an EV is much better compared to a normal car. What I’ve written down is only a small list.

Do It Yourself (DIY) Electric Car

Buying a brand new electric car from the dealership might be more expensive compared to a conventional car. There is a cheaper option though. You can convert your existing car into an EV. To do that, you will need an EV conversion guide.

One of the latest EV conversion manual on the internet is the Electric Conversion Made Easy e-book by Gavin Shoebridge. Gavin is from New Zealand and he has converted his old Mitsubishi Tredia into a pure electric vehicle.

In his manual, he’ll teach you step-by-step how to retrofit a car to run on electricity. Together with the manual, there is also a series of High Definition (HD) instructional videos. For more information, check out Gavin’s website at www.evsecrets.com

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

Here’s the latest news on the maker of the super sexy electric vehicle (EV) Tesla Roadster. Tesla Motors has been sold to the German giant automaker Daimler. But not all over it…only 10%. How much is the Tesla-Daimler deal worth? About $50 million.

There is no denying that Tesla Motors is struggling right now. Even though their make clean electric cars, they still can’t get away from the clutches of the traditional motor industry.

Here are some of the news on the web about Tesla Motors and Daimler deal:

1) Tesla looks to future after selling stake to Daimler – Struggling electric vehicle pioneer Tesla has found a potential solution to its recent financial troubles – by turning to one of the giants of the car industry…

2) Daimler Partners with Tesla to Build Small Electric Car – German automotive giant Daimler has invested in electric-car company Tesla Motors and plans to use Tesla’s battery packs in its Smart electric car due later this year…

3) Trying to find the upside to Tesla-Daimler deal – Not everyone think the big Daimler-Tesla deal announced last week is a win-win. In fact, Jay Yarow over at Business Insider is trying to figure our how either side benefits from Daimler’s estimated $50+ million investment in Tesla…

4) Tesla, Daimler Team Up for Smart Batteries, Daimler Takes 10 Percent Stake – Daimler AG has invested a “double-digit million-dollar sum for about a 10 percent stake” in Tesla Motors as part of a new strategic partnership between the German automaker and the Silicon Valley electric sports car startup…

5) Tesla, Daimler Ink EV Deal – Daimler announced that as part of the agreement, it has acquired almost a 10 percent equity stake in Tesla Motors, giving the company a much needed cash infusion…

6) More Details on Tesla, Daimler EV Collaboration and the Future Roadster – Tesla Motors is collaborating with Daimler AG on two affordable EVs planned for production within the next few years…

7) Electric Connection: Tesla, Daimler – Electric car startup Tesla Motors has a new partner: German giant Daimler (DAI). On May 19, at the fashionable Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington, Daimler announced it has taken a 10% stake, worth about $50 million, in the San Carlos (Calif.) auto pioneer…

8) REPORT: Tesla Motors valued at $1 billion – Wondering how much Tesla Motors might be worth on the open market? It would seem the actual figure would depend you who you ask. Based on the assumption that Daimler paid $50 million for nine-percent of Tesla, the Silicon Valley automaker would theoretically be worth $550 million…

That’s the news so far on Tesla – Daimler deal. It makes you wander, makers of pure electric car are having a tough time surviving in the current market. It actually made DIY electric car conversion makes more sense.

If you are looking for electric car manufacturer, here’s another one, the Coda Automotive. To be honest, I have never heard of this company before up until recently. One thing is for sure, they are manufacturing their own version of pure electric car. I hope to see more of them in the news in the future.

In the mean time, what are other web sites writing about Coda Automotive? Here are a couple that I found.

Miles EV announces Coda Automotive full speed electric sedan

Miles EV announces that it will establish the new Coda Automotive brand for its full speed electric vehicles. The first product will be the Coda sedan. Coda plans direct sales of the $45000 four door battery powered car starting in the …

Start-up motor company, Coda Automotive unveils electric car for US

Pasadena, California (CaymanMama.com) –A start-up motor company based in Santa Monica, Calif., Coda Automotive, will reveal a new electric car on Thursday which it plans to begin selling in California in 2010, with plans to launch …

Coda Automotive presenting its electric vehicle, the EV Miles

A signature of Californian origin, called Coda Automotive, presented the first images of its fully electric sedan. In the development of Porsche Engineering and joined the Chinese manufacturer Tianjin Lisheen (for Lithium-Ion batteries) …

Heard of Coda Automotive?

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California., Coda Automotive is a manufacturer of all-electric, highway capable vehicles. For better or for worst, most of the blogging world has become very familiar with the Tesla and other EV companies …

Miles EV’s all-electric Coda Automotive defies Tesla’s dominance

Tesla’s Roadster costs you a gigantic $100000 and this is where Coda Automotive aims to strike on. Miles EV plans to unveil an all-electric sedan in the Californian market in 2010 to outclass others in the category. …

All-Electric Coda Automotive Sedan Launched (photos and video)

A California company Miles EV that is developing zero-emission, full electric vehicles, brand new all-electric car Coda Automotive. The Coda sedan will be assembled in China by Hafei under the direction of staff from Coda unknown …

Coda Automotive Unveils Mainstream All-Electric Sedan

Coda Automotive, formed and developed under the stewardship of entrepreneur Miles Rubin, announced that it will be introducing an affordable, full performance all-electric sedan to the mainstream California market in 2010.

Miles EV Launches The Anti-Tesla: Coda Automotive

Electric car startup Miles EV is launching a new electric brand called Coda Automotive. Miles EV sees the brand as a ‘coda’ to the industrial revolution which brought us the internal combustion engine. It’s time to move to an electric …

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.

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