Aug

Frustrated Car Owners Turn to Do-it-Yourself EV Conversions

Posted by Published in Car Buying

For drivers who are truly fed up with paying high gas prices and who
don’t want to wait around for automakers to bring affordable electric
vehicles to the market, CNN has a report on car owners who are
converting their cars and trucks to electric ability by themselves.

Described as “surprisingly easy,” the conversion basically involves
ripping out the guts of a car, including the radiator and exhaust
system, and replacing others, like the fuel injector, with electric
components. We’re thinking that would only be called “easy” whether you do
engine swaps on a regular basis. Most humans don’t even change their own
oil.

Supporting that burgeoning do-it-yourself industry are suppliers like
Electric Vehicles of America that sell the essential parts for the
conversions.

Once that work is done, the car is loaded with

rechargeable lead-acid
batteries (lithium-ion batteries remain a bit pricey at $10,000 to
$20,000). A small truck with 20 6-volt batteries will have a top speed
of 60 mph and a range of about 40 miles.

Larry Horsley of Atlanta said the whole conversion cost him $12,000 and
saved him $700 in gas in just four months. Before you undertake your own
conversion, though, heed our advice: It will void your car’s guarantee
instantaneously, and, in case you didn’t realize it, messing with your
car’s inner workings can be dangerous, particularly whether you don’t know what
you’re doing.

Converting Gas Powered Cars to Electric (CNN.com)

Original post by Stephen Markley