Re: New guy (me) wants to convert a car to electric

[David Brown <davebrown1@earthlink.net>]

Electro Automotive wrote:

>
>
> Generally, about the best cheap conversions someone can get is to buy up a
> used conversion as a parts car, then add batteries and whatever's missing.
> To get a good quality car, you're still going to be into it $3,000 if you're
> *very* lucky with your shopping.

I came to the same conclusion  when I decided to go electric on the cheap. I
spent under $3000 for a used, low mileage, conversion which was running when I
bought it. This approach does mean that you have to troubleshoot the vehicle's
problems,  and you can expect to replace the batteries, if not sooner, then a
little bit later.You have to backwards engineer a bit since it is not always
possible to discern what the previous owner was thinking when particular changes
were made.  The choices of components has been made for you, and some may not be
the latest technology, but you can also upgrade part by part if you end up not
liking exactly what you've got. Once you have lived with an e-beastie for a few
months, you  will have learned a lot, and many of the questions from the
armchair stage are answered by firsthand experience.

After a few initial repairs and improvements, most of which I was able to do
myself with the help of friends, and a new set of batteries, I have acapable
commuting vehicle whic h I drive every day . :-) Total cost, under $5000.

Dave Brown
1981 Lektrikar II
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Track/4936/003.html