Electric Car Conversions: Is This For Real?
Many people ask me if it is really possible to convert a car from gas to electric power. Yes, you absolutely can. In fact, not only can it be done, it can be done very inexpensively, safely and without taking much time.
There are several different approaches you can take to convert a car from gas to electric. In some areas of the country, there might be mechanics that will do it for a price, but you might as well try to find a new one for the amount they'll charge you. You can buy a kit, which will run you between $2000 and $8000. These have some basic do-it-yourself instructions and most of the electrical components required. Please note that kits you purchase never include the batteries you need. Of course an electric car won't run without batteries, so figure on another $1000 or more for those.
Our favorite alternative is to use reconditioned parts you can get cheap and do the whole thing yourself. You have the choice of using an AC electric motor or a DC electric motor. AC motors are lighter and produce more power than DC. However, DC motors are much less expensive than AC. For this reason, we always go with a second hand DC motor. There is no reason to spend the additional dollars buying a new AC motor for your electric car conversion when a dependable DC motor that you can get very cheap (and sometimes free) will outlive just about any car you put it in.
A 9 to 13 inch DC motor will do the trick. These have enough power to achieve a top speed of 50 MPH or more. The project also requires a controller to manipulate the amount of current flowing from the batteries to the motor which determines how fast you go. The controller replaces your old gas pedal linkage for smooth vehicle control.
In order to charge your batteries between trips you will need an on board battery charger. That way you can simply plug it in to any common AC circuit and get charged up again.
To achieve a range of 200 miles between charges, your car will need about 20 deep cycle batteries. You can also get these very cheap and often free, from the several sources. Deep cycle batteries recharge more quickly and discharge further (both good things) than the regular car batteries found in most gas powered vehicles. In fact, that's why they are called deep cycle - because they permit and stand up to greater and more frequent draining, as opposed to the battery you have in your car now. You can regularly discharge a deep cycle battery down to 30% or so, but that's just about the limit.
Always remember to balance the the space available to hold the batteries in the car against the battery capacity. As an example, you have to make sure there is room enough for 20 batteries in the car if the your project plan calls for 20 batteries. Although this sounds like common sense - this detail is often overlooked by many people.
Follow this link to learn everything you need to know before beginning your electric car conversions [http://www.diyhomepowergrid.com/electric-car-conversions].
There are several different approaches you can take to convert a car from gas to electric. In some areas of the country, there might be mechanics that will do it for a price, but you might as well try to find a new one for the amount they'll charge you. You can buy a kit, which will run you between $2000 and $8000. These have some basic do-it-yourself instructions and most of the electrical components required. Please note that kits you purchase never include the batteries you need. Of course an electric car won't run without batteries, so figure on another $1000 or more for those.
Our favorite alternative is to use reconditioned parts you can get cheap and do the whole thing yourself. You have the choice of using an AC electric motor or a DC electric motor. AC motors are lighter and produce more power than DC. However, DC motors are much less expensive than AC. For this reason, we always go with a second hand DC motor. There is no reason to spend the additional dollars buying a new AC motor for your electric car conversion when a dependable DC motor that you can get very cheap (and sometimes free) will outlive just about any car you put it in.
A 9 to 13 inch DC motor will do the trick. These have enough power to achieve a top speed of 50 MPH or more. The project also requires a controller to manipulate the amount of current flowing from the batteries to the motor which determines how fast you go. The controller replaces your old gas pedal linkage for smooth vehicle control.
In order to charge your batteries between trips you will need an on board battery charger. That way you can simply plug it in to any common AC circuit and get charged up again.
To achieve a range of 200 miles between charges, your car will need about 20 deep cycle batteries. You can also get these very cheap and often free, from the several sources. Deep cycle batteries recharge more quickly and discharge further (both good things) than the regular car batteries found in most gas powered vehicles. In fact, that's why they are called deep cycle - because they permit and stand up to greater and more frequent draining, as opposed to the battery you have in your car now. You can regularly discharge a deep cycle battery down to 30% or so, but that's just about the limit.
Always remember to balance the the space available to hold the batteries in the car against the battery capacity. As an example, you have to make sure there is room enough for 20 batteries in the car if the your project plan calls for 20 batteries. Although this sounds like common sense - this detail is often overlooked by many people.
Follow this link to learn everything you need to know before beginning your electric car conversions [http://www.diyhomepowergrid.com/electric-car-conversions].
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