Electric Car Conversion Kit Faqs
Can an electric conversion kit be used on any car?
Practically any vehicle can be turned into an electric type as long as you have the chassis and the right conversion kit. Classic cars are amongst some of the more popular conversions, but Tesla-Swapping has changed the technical makeup of modern vehicles too.
How much does an electric car conversion kit cost?
The cost of converting a standard car to electric is between £6,000 and £30,000. If you care about performance/speed, then expect to pay slightly more for certain parts. Buying parts separately will cost more in the long run. Furthermore, remember to take into account installation costs If you arent building it yourself.
How expensive is a Tesla Swap?
Tesla-swapping is the act of taking parts from one EV to the other. Price-wise, a Tesla Swap will cost you around £20,000 to £35,000, which is significantly higher than some of the electric car conversion kits weve covered.
How Does An Electric Toy Car Work
Batteries are connected to the motor with wires. The play between these two components results in the motion. The motion is achieved by reversing the polarity of the current through the electromagnet. With distance between the two, the electromagnet and the permanent magnet repel each other, causing the car to move.
Why Do Electric Cars Accelerate So Fast
There are a lot of reasons why electric cars accelerate so fast, but one of those reasons is that such as in the case of Teslas there are two electric motors, one on each wheel. Its worth making an important distinction electric cars can accelerate faster, but gas cars have a higher top speed.
Electric cars accelerating so fast usually comes down to the lack of a transmission. In a gas-powered vehicle, power has to move from the engine to the transmission and then to each of the drive wheels to accelerate. Thats a pretty long process, and its said that about 15% of engine power is lost during the travel time through the drivetrain, otherwise known as drivetrain loss.
Thats all in comparison to having electronic motors sitting on each wheel in the case of, say, the Model 3. Theres so much less travel time when the motors are sitting right on wheels. You also have no drivetrain loss.
The biggest problem with electric cars right now is lasting over the long haul. You get pretty good range in electric cars right now, with many of them sitting at well over 300 miles a charge however, charging takes a long time it can be as little as 30 minutes to as much as 12 hours. Thats much more than the five minutes it takes to fill up your gasoline-powered vehicle.
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Build Your Own Electric Car
Hi Everyone, there’ been a lot of views on this project lately! Thanks for coming by to read through it! Much has changed since I originally built this car, including the fact that there are a LOT of great commercially built electric cars available for sale, including used at good prices. When I built this car, pretty much the only electric car available was the $100,000 Tesla Roadster. Now, I’m driving a used Mitsubishi iMiEV electric car and power it with my Solar Garage! Please take a look at my other Instructables and at 300MPG.org for the latest on my clean transportation adventures!)
The “Electro-Metro” Project. Can’t afford a Nissan Leaf? No Problem! Build a cheap electric car yourself by removing the the car engine, replacing it with a forklift motor, and adding batteries. I have plenty of videos about this project at: but watch out! That is a good read for when you have WAY too much time on your hands. For a good intro to basic electric car construction, stick with this Instructable. (If you are more interested in electric MOTORCYCLES, please see this intractable:
For more in-depth construction information, check out the instructional Video DVD available at 300MPG.orgI have now also converted that original DVD to a series of YouTube videos. See them in THIS playlist:
Decide Upon Maximum Electrical Output Voltage
Next thing to decide is, at what voltage or power do you want the car to run. The range could be from 90 V to anything up to or more than 190 volts. The amount of voltage you decide to have, will tell you how many batteries you will require. It will also decide controller and AC motor specifications.
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Can You Make An Electric Car Faster
The short answer is that, yes, you can make an electric car faster. Usually, this is through tuning the software or by upgrading the batteries, but if you have a lot of technical know-how, or dont mind paying a specialist, it is certainly possible.
Jason Fenske, over at Engineering Explained, created a video on how electric cars turn energy into a rotating force. From there, Fenske shows you how that force is used to spin the wheels. And finally, from there, Fenske can tell us if it is possible to make an electric car faster. His synopsis is that yes, it is, but there is only so much power that each component can handle.
So, yes, you can make an electric car faster. But it more comes down to a question of, should you make an electric car faster? Watch Fenskes video and find out for yourself. But, one important thing to remember is that, for the most part, electric cars are being built as commuter cars, and not necessarily for the track.
Some electric vehicles are being built for the track, but right now, consumer-level electric cars are primarily produced as commuter cars.
How Does A Build Your Own Kit Work
Electric cars are fundamentally the same as standard combustion types, give or take a few key parts.
If a car kit is the recipe, you are the chef or, in this case, mechanic.
To build an electric car you need to have the following ingredients:
- Electric Powertrain
- And a donor car to put it all in
You can begin the process once you have all that.
And have an idea of what youre doing, obviously.
Building an EV from what feels like scratch isnt so difficult, as long as you get your hands on the right parts/kit.
Time should also factor in, as it will take you hours to craft longer if you have to wait for certain parts to arrive before you can continue the build.
Some of you reading this will struggle with converting your car to electric.
Thats a straight-up fact.
The best piece of advice we can give is to treat it like you would a Lego set.
Sure, its slightly more complicated than mashing together a few plastic blocks, but you get what we mean.
Different cars might require a different approach, which is why you must map out what you need ahead of time.
People tend to convert classic cars to electric more than anything else, like Minis and Beetles. Basically, anything before 2005 gets the conversion treatment.
Its for this reason that the majority of kits youll find fit the classic car electric conversion kit mould.
Understand that some vehicles are a lot easier to convert than others. Some are a lot cheaper, too.
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What Is The Cheapest Car To Convert
On average, buyers will pay around £7,000 for conversion kits tied to standard vehicles.
You know, your Volkswagens, Nissans and Toyotas of the world.
Classic sports cars raise that total to the prices starting from £11,000.
On the other hand, buying parts separately will cost a lot more. So if youre looking at working on a cheap project, then you should be looking at car conversion kits above all else.
Most kits utilise the same parts, be it batteries or additional components.
This is the reason why the majority of kits are set at the same price.
In our opinion, the best and cheapest electric car to convert is the Toyota MR2.
Ripping this car from 1984 and giving it an electric makeover is cool for many reasons. The most notable being the fact that its an iconic vehicle that defined its era.
A mobile time capsule, if you will.
Its also quite a popular conversion amongst those in the community, meaning it shouldnt be too difficult to find a kit online.
Price-wise, the cost to convert the MR2 is around that £7,000 mark weve touched on above.
Personally, if we could choose any vehicle to convert using a build your own electric car kit, wed have to go with the BMW E30 M3 from 1992.
We dont think wed ever drive anything else ever again.
Where Else Are Ac And Dc Found In An Electric Car
Dont mix up the alternating current electric car motor with the several forms of electric depending on whether youre plugging directly into the grid or utilizing a specific sort of charging station, you can utilize either alternating or direct current. While the motor in your electric car runs on AC, the battery requires DC power. As a result, either onboard or outside the vehicle, a conversion from alternative to direct current is required.
The grids power is always AC. This is then sent to the onboard charger in your electric car , which then provides the power to the battery. However, rapid charging stations found on highways, parking lots, and city streets perform the AC to DC conversion themselves, ensuring that the energy for the battery is delivered as direct current. They are speedier than AC outlets, but they take up a lot more room.
How does the cars motor then convert DC to AC? Using an inverter, a powertrain device
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Diy Electric Car: Home
A 68 Mustang Fastback makes the perfect DIY electric car. Usually, when you think of Hybrids or electric vehicles, you think of tiny, two seater geek-mobiles or soccer moms in awkward chunky cars with cup holders full of pumpkin spice latte.
If youve been paying attention over the last few years, that image may be highlighted by a sleek luxury car that costs as much as your house. The last thing you probably think about is the fastest classic muscle car in history. Lets just say Tesla wasnt the first to make EV sexy.
The Zombie 222 is a work of art in itself, a jet-black 68 Mustang Fastback with lime green racing stripes and a menacing rear-spoiler that, unlike that flashy import that putted alongside you on the freeway, actually serves a purpose.
Like with just about any shiny classic rebuild, you want to look under the bonnet and see how big her valve covers are. Well, open up this hood and youll find yourself staring at the oddest motor setup youve probably ever seen, and that includes a slant six drag car with triple Weber side-draft carburetors.
What you first mistake for valve covers turn out to be twin speed controllers and that narrow cylindrical big block is actually a pair of 11NetGain Warp-Drive electric Motors done up in lime green to match the racing stripes. The twin cold-air intake is for cooling the motors, and theres a noticeable lack of pumps, belts, and other accessories that you would find on a regular vehicle.
What Motor Is Used In Electric Cars
Three different motors are used in electric cars, and the one used often depends on the manufacturer and production design. These three different types of electric motors are the BLDC motor, a brushed DC motor, or an AC induction motor.
A Brushless DC motor is one of the most commonly electric motors used in electric cars, because of all the benefits that they offer. A BLDC motor, in particular, comes with low maintenance a primary thing that electric car owners are concerned about. They have high operating speeds, are 80-90% more efficient than other electric car motors, are compact in size, have no brush sparking, and have a quick response time.
Some older electric car designs use standard DC motor. However, DC motors arent always the way to go, so they are pretty inefficient as far as battery power goes. AC induction motors are another type of electric motor uses in some vehicles. Theyre nice because of their available to handle large acceleration torques relative to their weight for short intervals of time however, they often have a problem with overheating.
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Good Luck In Your Build
So there you have it a range of design and build options discussing how to build an electric bike.
You can see dozens of different outcomes of different e-bikes that could come from the suggestions we make, and it is down to your imagination as to what you could end up with.
If you do get around to building one for yourself, do let us know and well get it out on our network for the world to see.
Installation: Electric Car Conversion Kit Cost
Wed recommend you visit a dedicated mechanic/specialist if you want the job done right unless youre a dab hand with a spanner, that is.
Getting someone else to install the kit for you will add additional costs on top of what youve already paid for parts, but youll be guaranteeing it runs.
We estimate that it will cost around £6,500 to £7,000 to have these electric parts installed. Again, this price isnt fixed as it is based on the complexity of the task at hand.
Better range will typically require more manpower to fit, which raises the price of the installation.
For example, taking Tesla parts and putting it inside a Porsche 911 costs hundreds, if not thousands more compared to others.
If you can afford it, great.
But for those of you with a limited budget, you might find yourself settling for less range/speed in order to proceed.
Sure, you could try to build your own electric car kit straight out of the box, but as weve touched on already, doing so comes with a level of risk.
And for the price youve paid for certain parts , you dont want anything to go to waste should it break.
Not every mechanic will be able to install the kit for you either. Nine times out of ten, you will need to visit a specific shop to have your electric car conversion kit installed.
Expect the price of electric installations to increase as time goes on.
At the moment, driving around in a classic car with electric parts is somewhat of a niche concept.
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What Is The Cost Of Converting An Automobile To Electric
If one can afford the conversion cost, is it better to convert an old gasoline car to electric rather than replace it? Im thinking that this will be a more environmentally responsible alternative for drivers like myself who want to keep a vehicle for a long period.
What kind of car you drive determines a lot. Many automobiles weigh more than 4,000 pounds, while others weigh less than half that. If it weighs more than two tons, it might not be worth the effort. Because a heavier car requires more power to push, lesser vehicles such as the Chevrolet Metro or Aveo may be viable candidates. Its worth mentioning that automobiles have grown in size throughout time. The Sonic, the Aveos successor, now weighs in at 2,794 pounds.
Electric retrofit costs and labor range from $5,000 to $20,000, depending on how many steps are required for the car, which include removing the engine, gas tank, exhaust system, and clutch, as well as rewiring the ignition switch. Project ForenSwift claims to have spent a total of $1,000 on electrifying a used Metro that cost $175 to begin with. The owner had to scrounge secondhand parts and wouldnt say how many hours he or she spent on the endeavor.
How Much Does It Cost To Build Your Own Electric Car
While more budget-friendly EVs are arriving in showrooms these days, price is still a major barrier for many drivers who want to make the change to electric power. Its a similar story when it comes to the conversion market. The price of a professional converted classic depends heavily on the amount of traditional work required to revitalise a car such as renewing the body and upholstery for instance and thats on top of buying it in the first place, and the new powertrain.
That means, once youve factored in engineering, electronics and batteries, a turnkey conversion can cost anywhere from around £30,000 for a classic Mini from London Electric Cars to hundreds of thousands for something more exotic. Prices for conversions performed by specialists like Lunaz can even start from close to £1 million.
But if you dont want to spend that much, an electric conversion kit could be the answer. Prices can vary from £6,000 for a basic kit and into six figure territory for more elaborate setups, but with a growing number of companies offering these kits, the choice available is expanding. Be aware, though, that it wont be a simple job, and you should still get the help of an experienced mechanic if you plan to use a kit.
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How Much Does Your Electric Bill Go Up With An Electric Car
How much your electric bill goes up depends on electricity rates at the time of charging. If a company is charging you per kWh say $0.11 per kWh and you are trying to charge up a fully depleted 24 kWh battery, youre looking at around $2.64 to juice it up. Thats significantly less expensive than gas, but keep in mind that energy rates vary all the time.
Its also worth keeping in mind how much youre going to spend when youre on the road how much are your charging stations going to cost you?
Overall, and according to the U.S. Department of Energy, you should be using less power than it takes to keep a water heater running yearly:
General Motors estimates the annual energy use of the Chevy Volt is about 2,520 kilowatt-hours, which is less energy than what is required to power a typical water heater or central air conditioning.
