Watch Fenske’s video and find out for yourself. So, what type of car is the best candidate for an electric conversion? Replace it with an appropriately calibrated voltmeter, which shows the charging level of the batteries in your car. This article will give you an introduction to building such cars, by carrying out a 'transplant' operation on a gas powered car. Our body is made from paper, laminated with wood glue this dries to almost wood stiffness with little weight. Then begins the transplant operation of the gasoline car. There is a lot that goes into it, and of course, so many questions that surround these new vehicles. You will not get 50 - 60 MPH and a reasonable distance on a couple of car batteries. With electric car’s now quickly taking center stage, some folks are wondering how manufacturers are going about building them. Building your own electric car is an excellent lesson in automotive mechanics and electrical science. The gear changing mechanism that is the gear stick, must be replaced by an electric switch. There are a lot of reasons why electric cars accelerate so fast, but one of those reasons is that — such as in the case of Teslas — there are two electric motors, one on each wheel. Copyright © Wheelzine & Buzzle.com, Inc.
We’ve featured vehicles from some such companies over on Influx, from diminutive cars like a classic Mini and a Fiat 500, up to supercars like the Porsche 911. It’s not an easy thing to do, but Jon Peck from Electric Classic Cars (ECC), the creator of two of the aforementioned cars, gave us a great insight about the process and what’s possible – and plausible – as well as some idea about the costs involved. Your better bet would be to develop a part of such a system and show how it is integrate into the whole vehicle. Ours was designed to suite an endurance race so speed was offset against battery life. For a commercial day to day car you will need to look at Pulse width modulation speed control. We’re never going to know an accurate estimate on how much an electric car costs to build. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. As far as body style, you need something that can hold all the batteries you'll be installing. A complete diagram of the circuitry, will have to be designed, before you start working. curb weight) with a manual transmission. Couple the electric motor with the transmission by fabricating a custom plate that fits the bell housing and allows the two pieces to perfectly align. You can search for use electric vehicles on sites like Craig's List, eBay, or EVFinder. If you want more than a basic Fiat 500 conversion, then you could easily spend over £75k for bigger cars with higher performance and longer range. In a gas-powered vehicle, power has to move from the engine to the transmission and then to each of the drive wheels to accelerate. Build early and test test test - improve on the basis of your tests. It’s also worth keeping in mind how much you’re going to spend when you’re on the road — how much are your charging stations going to cost you? Justin Thomas specialized in reviewing products and techniques for Treehugger from 2004-2008. Electric cars are a fantastic mechanical innovation, but people aren’t used to them or comfortable with them yet. 10. 3. As a cheaper solution, a popular source is insurance write-offs – currently mostly Tesla. It will take about 6-12 hours to completely recharge the car. Please people who are interested read the whole instructable AND follow the links for further information/ Please research what others are doing. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Install a separate charging mechanism for the car batteries. The general shape works well but the top cover should be closer to the driver with a small aero screen and the rear should be rounded to provide a smooth exit path for the air flowing over the body. Doing those miles in a classic car (like the Lancia Fulvia that ECC converted recently) would have set you back around £970 (based on 29MPG and petrol at £1.24 per litre = £5.64 per gallon). He is the editor of MetaEfficient, a guide to efficient living. PLEASE read the entire instructable, then read my post above this. There are many more things, used in a gasoline engine car that need to be replaced or thrown out altogether, while building an electric car. His synopsis is that yes, it is, but there is only so much power that each component can handle. Three different motors are used in electric cars, and the one used often depends on the manufacturer and production design. 4. There are further more types to choose from, depending on the kind of electrolyte they use. For an older vehicle, like a Porsche 911, you’re going to be looking at around $8,000 for an electronic conversion kit. With how far battery technology has advanced, that is an infrequent occurrence. Participated in the The Instructables Book Contest.