Doing Your Own Electric Vehicle Conversions

Many people are now looking to do their own electric vehicle conversions because they have now learned that they're not as hard as they thought and they're quite a bit cheaper than buying an electric car. The great thing about doing an electric vehicle conversion is that no one will know you're driving an electric car unless they listen really closely.

You will also be able to brag to your friends that you're saving well over 75% on fuel costs per month. I would be careful with who you tell though because several of my friends have asked me to help them with their electric vehicle conversion.

To start with your electric vehicle conversion you'll obviously need a car or light truck. I recommend a car with a big hood or a truck because you'll be able to fit more batteries in without having to sacrifice storage space. As with everything battery powered the more batteries you have the longer it will last. With the recommended 12 deep cycle 12 volt batteries you should be able to travel almost 200 miles per charge which covers pretty much 95% of the driving we do. If you want to increase the range all you need to do is add more batteries.

You will also need a DC electric motor which is 8 - 12 inches in length. This should provide you with enough power to get your car up to the desired 55 MPH. Our goal when we built ours was to be able to do highway speed. If you buy a bigger higher RPM motor you will be able to go faster. Look on eBay for these motors as you'll be able to find them there cheaper then if you went and bought them from a retailer. I managed to get mine for $65 including shipping and handling.

In addition, you will also need need some electronics and some assorted nuts and bolts from your local hardware store. Two of the most important electronic parts you are going to need is a charge controller and a potentiometer. The charge controller is used to make sure that your batteries don't overcharge and blow up and the potentiometer is used to control how fast your car goes when you press the 'gas' pedal.

An entire conversion can be done in about two weekends providing you have someone to help you. The great thing is that your electric vehicle conversion will pay for itself in about three months, so the savings start pretty much immediately.

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If you're interested in building your own electric car visit this website: Electric Vehicle Conversions

Author Profile: andrew1056

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