5 Facts: Building an Electric Car

1. How Can You Get an Electric Car?
Today, no major automaker is making full-function battery electric cars that are sold in the U.S. There are electric powered neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) available here, but these are legally limited to 25 mph top speeds and cannot be used on public highways with posted speed limits above 35 mph. Thus, if you want an electric car that can go highways speeds, you’ll probably have to build it yourself.

2. Converting Gas Cars to Electric
Since building an entire electric car from scratch is a daunting and expensive task, most electric cars are converted from used gasoline powered vehicles. In fact, a number of companies used to do this for fleets and well-moneyed individuals in years past. The engine, transmission and related components are removed and replaced by batteries, electric motors, controllers, and other electric drive-specific parts. Major automakers took this approach for a short number of years in the 1990s by incorporating electric drive into existing models like the Ford Ranger, Chevy S-10, Toyota RAV4, and so on. Private electric vehicle (EV) conversions are all over the board and have ranged from Volkswagen Beetles and Pontiac Fieros to fiberglass kit cars and BMW 325i sedans. Because of the amount of power needed to propel a large vehicle – and the correspondingly greater number of heavy batteries required – most electric cars are typically converted from smaller vehicles. Geo Metros, Yugos, and VW Rabbits are quite popular, probably because non-running ones can be purchased for cheap.

3. Do Your Research
Thousands of people have built electric vehicles for over 100 years. In fact, electric cars were already quite reliable while gasoline powered cars were still being ‘invented.’ If you’re considering a conversion, take advantage of the knowledge base out there to avoid the errors others have made over time. A Google search on ‘Building an Electric Vehicle’ comes up with 3,290 web pages, many with relevant information on EV conversions. Several good books have also been written on EV conversions, some that can be found on Amazon.com. Others out of print sometimes show up on EBay. There are also many electric car clubs around the country and organizations like the Electric Auto Association (www.eaaev.org) that offer information and links to regional electric vehicle organizations. Resources like these provide a great way to pick the brains of other electric car owners and builders. As part of your research, it’s important to make sure you can drive an EV on roads in your state and community. One thing is sure: you won’t need a smog test.

4. Plan Ahead
Plan your conversion in great detail before you start to build it. This will ensure that all the components will fit inside and still leave room for people and cargo. It’s important to be sure that the weight of your batteries will not be so great that the motor will only move the car slowly or not at all. You also must avoid overloading your suspension or chassis because the consequences of this can vary from a vehicle that’s unwieldy to one that’s just plain dangerous. Carefully plan where you’ll be locating batteries to help distribute weight and avoid compromising the vehicle’s crashworthiness. When it’s time to buy parts, there are many online sources to tap for quality parts and systems that have been in this business for a long time, like KTA Services (www.kta-ev.com).

5. EV Builders are Great Scavengers
If you don’t have a large budget for the project, you may have to scrounge around for used or out-of-date components because state-of-the-art components can be costly. While purpose-built DC or AC electric motors are available, many builders use motors salvaged from other applications such as forklifts, elevators, or even golf carts, though these may be too heavy or not powerful enough for an EV conversion. Double-check to make sure that the components you’re planning to use are compatible. For instance, will the circa-2005 controller work with a 1970s-era electric motor? Probably not. To provide power, lead-acid batteries are usually used because of their affordability, but these do result in limited range and they’re also quite heavy. Other battery types – such as lithium-ion and nickel-metal-hydride – are still beyond the means of most builders.