I'd like to introduce myself to the list.
I out about EV conversions when I stumbled upon this video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl9uejKnMFQ
I would like to see more of this on video sites. I really enjoy hearing
people's conversion stories and the sense of liberation they express from
being off of gasoline. After hearing about the EV1 and the Tesla I was
under the impression that electric cars were really complicated. I was
shocked to find out how simple it looks to convert a gas car to electric
that even people with no mechanical experience with cars are doing it. I
love the fact that people are taking personal responsibility and are not
just waiting for the carmakers. Considering that the batteries are the
biggest expense, converting a "glider" may be the only way for many
consumers to avoid the up-front cost of going EV. So even when EV's
eventually become mainstream, I hope these conversions become more
widespread. Regardless of how you may feel regarding the future oil supply,
living as I do in the area with the worst air quality in the country, I know
first-hand about the pollution aspect of cars. That relief may come in the
form of old cars coming back out onto the streets as EV commuters is the
sweetest of ironies.
I myself would very much like to convert my 1971 SAAB 96 when I move back
from Los Angeles to the Boston area in a year or two. It's the car I drove
in high school and it has a lot of sentimental value. That's why I've kept
it in my parents' backyard under a car cover all these years. I am really
jazzed about the possibility of putting it back on the road in a form that
will no longer require that much specialized servicing, and no more
gasoline. I'm crossing my fingers that there will be reasonably-priced
lithium-phosphate batteries avaialble by then. I admire the dedication of
the current breed of EV enthusiasts who are willing to put up with lead acid
batteries but I just don't think I could tolerate them unless I absolutely
had to.
If anyone else has converted a SAAB V4, I'd love to hear your story (where
you put the batteries, whether you used the transmission w/clutch and
freewheel capability). There is a transmission adapter plate available for
it so I know it's been done.
I out about EV conversions when I stumbled upon this video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl9uejKnMFQ
I would like to see more of this on video sites. I really enjoy hearing
people's conversion stories and the sense of liberation they express from
being off of gasoline. After hearing about the EV1 and the Tesla I was
under the impression that electric cars were really complicated. I was
shocked to find out how simple it looks to convert a gas car to electric
that even people with no mechanical experience with cars are doing it. I
love the fact that people are taking personal responsibility and are not
just waiting for the carmakers. Considering that the batteries are the
biggest expense, converting a "glider" may be the only way for many
consumers to avoid the up-front cost of going EV. So even when EV's
eventually become mainstream, I hope these conversions become more
widespread. Regardless of how you may feel regarding the future oil supply,
living as I do in the area with the worst air quality in the country, I know
first-hand about the pollution aspect of cars. That relief may come in the
form of old cars coming back out onto the streets as EV commuters is the
sweetest of ironies.
I myself would very much like to convert my 1971 SAAB 96 when I move back
from Los Angeles to the Boston area in a year or two. It's the car I drove
in high school and it has a lot of sentimental value. That's why I've kept
it in my parents' backyard under a car cover all these years. I am really
jazzed about the possibility of putting it back on the road in a form that
will no longer require that much specialized servicing, and no more
gasoline. I'm crossing my fingers that there will be reasonably-priced
lithium-phosphate batteries avaialble by then. I admire the dedication of
the current breed of EV enthusiasts who are willing to put up with lead acid
batteries but I just don't think I could tolerate them unless I absolutely
had to.
If anyone else has converted a SAAB V4, I'd love to hear your story (where
you put the batteries, whether you used the transmission w/clutch and
freewheel capability). There is a transmission adapter plate available for
it so I know it's been done.
