Electric Car Conversion?

Anon

How difficult/expensive would it be to convert a rwd import into an electric car with the motor(s) in the trunk? Would it be better to have the batteries closer to the motor or in the front where the engine would normally be? Would it be better to have an independent motor for each wheel or just one motor for both wheels? Is there any way to get a car like this to 120-140 mph? What would be the best car to try with as far as lightweight? I am obviously not a car guy, and this is just an idea for a project if it is possible to accomplish. This car would be built like a racer/drifter depending on what is possible.

Please no haters, this is just curiosity.
@dick car guy- What if the car was for short races, 1/4 mile or short drift courses. and the transport was mainly towed by trailer? Wouldn't it require less batteries and possibly offer longer battery life from less use?

Answer
well I was looking this up myself yesterday, and from what I read it's enough info to discourage me from wanting to convert unless my engine dies on me. What I picked up from research generally was a complete kit will cost anywhere between 4000-8000 dollars, u need countless hours of work or you can get someone to do the work for you for $3000, and mileage and speed is limited (around 50-100 miles on a full charge and up to 80 mph). Oh you also need your entire front engine bay and a good part of your trunk to house the bulky batteries used to power your vehicle.
I'm not trying to discourage you from going through with this conversion, I'm just letting you know it's not easy.
If you really want an electric car, I suggest you search around your area where someone is selling his/her already converted electric car. Although theres only a few out there, you're bound to find some. Good luck on your project!

Is it possible to buy a hybrid or electric conversion kit for a conventional gasoline engine car?

wow

I was thinking about buying a bmw 3 series sedan but the only thing holding me back is the fuel mileage it gets. I started looking into conversion kits that can turn a car into a hybrid or electric car. I couldn't find any specific kits so I don't know if the technology is out yet. Could someone please tell me if it is those kits are out there. Please list as much info as possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks

Answer
If you are shopping BMW's, you are not worried about MPG. It doesn't just the MPG because if its a performance engine, you will be buying the highest octane gas by mandate of the maker, or else the engine pings to an early death which might the goal if you want to get a new engine.

Here is reality. Yes, you can put in an electric or hybrid engine, but it will have to be retrofit, as there is no such thing as plug and play on car engines, even from the same maker. So it will take a lot mechanical rigging and working to get it in the car, much less tuned and reliable. I would expect to pay a good mechanic four times what it would cost to replace the engine, with the idea that it could go up to eight times depending on what gets involved once he digs into it. So instead of $3k, you might want to have between $12-24k just for the conversion minus the price of the car.

Here is the other part and scary engineering that you will get into is where to put the battery bank, what kind of batteries will you buy. If you want good batteries, expect to chunk in another $20k. But it doesn't stop there, what about the braking system that generates some of the electricity of the hybrid? What about the computer system that operates the engine and dc motors? Get out your wallet for that too...

So once you get done, your near $60k in a conversion, minus the price of the car, you might not have it working. Just look at the common issues with electric cars http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqWgEK1EFb2vwPcUKTPSW5h0.Bd.;_ylv=3?qid=20090610220941AAokgel

Why not just go buy a Prius as a donor and save yourself the engineering. Or better yet, just go buy a hybrid ready to roll with e-z financing?

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What is the best electric car conversion kit?

tOPHAt

I have been doing some research on converting my old 1993 Chevy S10 Blazer to an electric car and I'm not too sure on which brand too use. Some of the ones out there seem like complete scams but I don't want to rule anything out. If anyone has experience they could pass on down to me it would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Answer
Electric car conversion kits propose to give you the components and possibly the know how to yank out the engine, fuel system, coolant system, exhaust system and possibly the transmission and replace it with their parts. Often you will keep the transmission and they provide a motor and an adaptor plate. They typically provide the kits, "batteries not included" as this remains one of the biggest expenses.
-- http://labshelf.com/electric-car-conversion.html
-- http://www.electroauto.com/index.html

An alternative to a kit is to have a conversion shop take your vehicle and convert it to an electric. Certain shops may have particular cars they work with and this points out the problem with "kits" in general. No one kit is going to be best for every vehicle conversion. Compromises will always be made.
-- http://www.acpropulsion.com/
-- http://www.genovationcars.com/

Another alternative is to simply get the needed parts from an EV conversion supplier. They may also offer technical advice but there may be some parts you will have to supply on your own from a local machine shop. And some of the parts you may make yourself. The advantage here is that you might pick and choose the parts you want.
-- a premium parts supplier: http://www.metricmind.com/
-- everything you need: http://www.kta-ev.com/
http://cbelectriccar.com/blog/ev-conversion/top-10-electric-car-part-suppliers-on-the-internet/
-- http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/paul-sabrinas-cheap-diy-144v-motor-controller-6404.html

A last alternative is to purchase used parts in a attempt to make a conversion on the cheap. Here is a good example: http://ecomodder.com/blog/a-672-electric-car/

A bit of wisdom that you might read is that it may not be the best thing to try and convert an old vehicle. When you are done you are going to be left with the body, style, and problems of an old vehicle. The investment can be substantial. A rust-bucket is going to be the same and you should be proud of the results.
--But ... an example of what can be done with lots of money and an old car: http://www.opb.org/programs/ofg/segments/view/1686

Electric car conversion?

Shana B

I would love to buy a converted electric car. My husband needs to drive 30-40 miles on the highway (speed limit 55mph) each way to work. We live in NY. Any suggestions, ideas?

He has an SUV right now and regular gas costs $4.19 by us now. He looked into a motorcycle b/c of the good gas mileage but I'm scared he'll get killed or hurt driving that.
I can't afford $100K for a Tesla :)

Answer
I will be converting my friend's 15 year old Honda Civic to be 100% electric in a few weeks. The total cost I figure is around $7000 as I'm not charging for my labor and he will be assisting me in the process. I put myself through school as a mechanic and now I work as an engineer for various companies so I have the skill and tools required for the job. Since there are only a handful of companies doing car conversions no two are alike.

Given the range your husband drives to work an electric car is a practical solution. You might try ebay for a converted car already for sale or if you're ambitious and skilled do it yourself.

You may find someone in your area willing to convert a car for you if you decide to take that route. I would suggest finding a good 'donor car' that is relatively lightweight and in good shape i.e.: no rust and since you live in NY that might be difficult to find without going out of state. After the Honda I'm planning on converting a 10 year old Volvo station wagon that has a burned up motor.

Either way let's shove it to the oil companies!

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Are electric cars available to the public?

best electric conversion cars image

BUNguyenI

I watched the documentary "Who killed the electric car" the other day. I'm not sure what really happened, nor do I care about much except the fact that I really really want an electric car. Do they even sell a single one anymore?
The reason I want one isn't only because of the environment or the outstanding gas prices, it's because I feel that it's the 21st century and we have this new technology, yet we spend all of our efforts on an already ancient energy source when we could already go electric! I hate the crap people spew out that "gas gives people jobs" and nonsense like that. It's called adapting to change and increasing efficiency. Fossil fuels and petroleum aren't efficient anymore

Answer
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They are available today - in fact, I already drive one - there are lots of choices for electric cars, and more on the way. Electric vehicles can have performance as good or better than gas-powered cars, and they cost a lot less to operate (only a penny or two per mile.) Why don't we all know about them? Why do so many people 'know' wrong facts about them? Good question!
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First, the inexpensive ones:
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Electric vehicle conversions (a gas car converted to run on electricity) are generally pretty inexpensive, and can be had for as little as $5000. You won't get the latest technology, so you'll have a limited driving range. But a conversion is a great way to 'get your feet wet' in electric vehicles. This is the sort of car I drive. It does freeway speeds, accelerates and handles fine, and looks like a normal car. I charge mine up at work so I have enough juice to run errands on the way home. Here's a link:
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http://www.squidoo.com/cheap-electric-car
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How about new tech electric cars? If you don't need to get on the freeway, you might like the ZAP. The ZAP is only $10,000 brand new. It's very cute, but tops out at about 45mph. It's not much bigger than a motorbike. Link:
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http://www.zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=188
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How about the ultimate EV? Take a look at a modern electric car:
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http://phoenixmotorcars.com/models/fleet.html
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The Phoenix electric pickup truck - using new, advanced Altairnano batteries (based on research from MIT) - can:

-Travel up to 250 miles per charge
-Carry 5 passengers plus cargo at 95mph.
-Charges batteries in as little as TEN MINUTES.
-Has batteries that last 250,000 miles (never need replacement.)
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Now, as to performance - you can't beat the Tesla electric sports car - it does 130mph, and 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds. Driving range is 250 miles:
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http://www.teslamotors.com
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Are there any available electric cars that can go highway speed?

the mental

I watched "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and heard a presentation about electric cars. They seem like really great cars but the only ones that are available are low speed cars (max speed of 35 mph), right?

Answer
Sure. In fact, you can build one yourself for under $10,000. I plan to turn this into a summer project for me. You may want to check out diyelectriccar.com. There is lots of great info there to get you started. Another place I'd like to recommend is evalbum.com. This is a showcase for anyone who's built/owns an electric car. If you don't want to build an electric car yourself, you ought to check out evtradingpost.com, where people sell fully-completed conversion vehicles, production electric vehicles, and parts to make your own electric vehicle (sort of like classified ads). Whichever route you choose to go, good luck!

EDIT: You may also wish to look into the Solectria Force. It is a professionally converted car that is capable of going highway speeds, with a reasonable range to boot. These can be seen on the evalbum and the evtradingpost, amongst other places.

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