Electric Car Conversion – Steps to Get Started
Do you feel the same uncertainty that I feel when the word “gasoline” is mentioned – uncertainty for our future and for our children’s future? We were just hit by another gas price surge. However, my family didn’t have to worry because thankfully about two months ago we decided to convert our vehicles to run on electricity.
Our first electric car conversion project has now become a reality. We have now reached the point where we are not worried about the price of gas. Two months ago when we were first considering electric car conversion, we were not sure if it would even meet our needs or if it could even be done.
To answer those doubts, we performed some research online. What we wanted to know was if there were any other people who had done conversions successfully, how do you get started, and what was the cost to complete one of these. We didn’t know if our lack of mechanical experience would hamper our ability to convert our car. At the same time, we didn’t want to do anything that would be too overwhelming.
We looked into possibly hiring a professional to convert our vehicle. Due to the rising demand for electric car conversions, then it can be very costly to hire one. The cost of a professional will continue to increase as the prices of oil climbs due to the demand. Doing the work ourselves was the best option for us because we could do it for less than $500.
Building an electric car is much simplier than you may expect. The key is to have the right tools and equipment in place. The information that we used helped us to go step by step in the process. The entire process can be completed in less time and with less frustration depending on your level of knowledge.
Converting your vehicle simply requires that your gas powered engine be replaced by an electric motor. The motor will run off of rechargeable batteries as its main power source. The choice in the motors and batteries that are used will affect the overall performance of your vehicle. These two components influence the distance that your car will be able to go without needing a recharge.
Using an electric car how to guide will assist in taking a beginner go from start to finish. Guides that provide complete instructions with pictures and diagrams are the best to get started with. A well written guide will also have resources available to you to show you were you can get your tools and parts for very affordable prices.
Electric cars will continue to grow in demand due to our economy and the current state of our nation. Building your own electric car can assist you in decreasing your dependency on oil for the future. Imagine not caring one bit when gas goes up to $7-$10 a gallon. Hopefully, we will never see this point in our lifetime.
Very interesting article. Sometime I wander if we can ever escape our dependency on fossil fuel. I guess we have to start small. Electric car for the masses would be a good place to start.
A lot of information on how to build an electric car, including cost cutting measures and design tips, can be found on Frank Didik’s website at: http://www.didik.com/didik_ev.htm. In particular, check out the section entitled “How to Build an Electric Car”, “Didik Turtle or How to build a two person electric vehicle in 14 hours” and “Critical and accurate assessment of electric vehicles”. He is the first to truly mention the pro’s and con’s of electric cars and an excellent history directory of electric cars, starting in the 1800’s. Many years ago, Didik was the found of the Electric Car Society.