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Eliminate Your Dependency On Gas With An Electric Car


Eliminate Your Dependency On Gas With An Electric Car

Scott Frank
August 28, 2010

Scott Frank
http://www.sunspringhosting.com

With the environmental impact of the recent Gulf Coast oil disaster still largely unknown, it is becoming abundantly clear that we need to greatly cut down our dependence on gas. One way to do this is to spend $40,000 to buy a brand new electric car. What if you don't have that kind of money to spend?

With a little help and a small investment, you can do this yourself. Converting your own car from gas to electric is not all that difficult to do. I know someone with a 1995 Toyota Corolla that converted his car at a cost of five hundred dollars. That's a fraction of what a new car costs today.

A great way to do this is to get your friends and family involved and turn it into a weekend project. Follow a few simple steps:

1. You will need a detailed plan on how to convert your car into an electric car. It can be a gas or diesel vehicle.

2. A garage that you can use as your work space

3. Simple every day tools including wrenches, drills, pliers and screw drivers.

Next, you will need a large DC motor (9 inches or larger) and batteries. Keep in mind that AC motors can be used but they are more costly to obtain and harder to install. Therefore, I recommend you stay with a DC motor and keep it simple.

You can get all of the parts brand new or you can use sources of free DC motors and free industrial batteries listed in our plans. The parts are going to be your largest cost of the project.

Getting the parts from a salvage yard is an economical way to get your conversion parts. Since a DC motor will probably last longer than you will own your car, using a salvaged motor is a good idea.

After obtaining your DC motor and batteries, you have to remove your gasoline engine from your car. You will need to rent a hoist or find a mechanic to help you lift the engine out of your car for you. A few more bolts and your done.

Finally, leaving the clutch and flywheel assembly intact and detaching the rest will complete the removal job. This will leave you the room you will need for the batteries and DC motor mounting.

It is imperative that you only use a standard transmission vehicle for your conversion as automatic transmissions simply don't work. However, you don't even have to shift gears once the conversion is done. The electric car will drive just like an automatic transmission vehicle. Just put it in gear and go. When you stop, the engine stops too. The engine doesn't idle or requiring clutching like a gasoline engine.

It may take some time getting used to the acceleration as it will be faster. Remember, you're not driving a golf cart.

Learning how to build your own electric car is a lot of fun and very rewarding. Especially, when you no longer have to pump gas. When finished, your electric car will be able to go at least 50 mph and travel up to 100 miles on a single charge. That's impressive.

The price for gas is going to continue to rise as we continue to deplete its resources. Now is the best time to start your own car conversion project.

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