tomqu7
Senior Member
Joined: 09/11/2012
Location: AustraliaPosts: 168 |
| Posted: 08:01pm 12 Jul 2013 |
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How to Convert Your Car to Electric
For reasons of space, we can only give you a brief outline of the process here, but it should give you an idea of what is involved.
1. Select your Car
Generally speaking, smaller cars make better conversions, because they are lighter, and thus require less energy to drive them. You can go too small, however, since the car still has to capable of carrying the battery pack required to power it. So start with a small or small-medium sized car, and we would recommend one with a manual transmission. These are typically more efficient than automatics, and make better conversions. Power steering and air-conditioning can complicate your conversion and increase the cost. These are features which, if you can manage without them, are best avoided.
2. Remove the Internal Combustion Components
This is the fun part - ripping out things like the engine, cooling system, alternators, fuel tank, starter motor, and lots more. By the time you have finished with this job, you will have removed nearly all of the parts of your car which you can normally expect to break down or wear out. Hallelujah!
3. Source the Electric Components
You will need four main components:
(i) An electric motor designed to be used in an electric vehicle. You can buy this from us (EV Motors).
(ii) A controller to regulate the power from the batteries to the motor.
(iii) A suitable battery pack.
(iv) A battery charger designed to charge the battery pack.
In addition, you need a whole bunch of gauges, cables, connectors, etc. You may also need a 12 volt vacuum pump and reservoir tank, to replace your vacuum-assisted brake system. You might want a DC-DC converter to keep your 12 volt accessory battery charged up from the main pack, so you don't need to charge it separately. You definitely need an emergency cut-off switch to allow the driver to manually shut down the system in case of an emergency.
Check out our Directory page for a list of component suppliers.
4. Install the new Components
This requires a level of expertise normally limited to qualified people. The general setup is that the batteries are connected to the controller, which is in turn connected to the motor. The motor is installed in place of the original combustion engine, normally with an adaptor plate custom-made by an engineer to connect the motor to the transmission. It's quite a simple system, but has to be installed by someone who knows what they are doing.
5. Register your EV
You will need to have your conversion certified as safe and roadworthy by an engineer approved by your vehicle registration authority. This authority will have a set of rules which you must comply with in order to register the vehicle. These rules are concerned with safety, for both the driver and passenger of the car, and other road users. Once you have your approval certificate, you will be able to register y |
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