[rbgrn]

This wiki is intended to be a one stop resource for anyone thinking of converting a car from a ICE car to run on pure electricity. If you are not familiar with a wiki it is just like an encyclopaedia that anyone can add to or edit. This means that all of our collective knowledge is collected in one easy to read place, errors that inevitably occur are monitored and changed by other members and the information stays up to date. The wiki is still growing and every member of this site has full permission to edit or create whatever they think will contribute positively to this resource. Below is a sort of contents page with the topics arranged in themes rather than alphabetically to make it a little easier to navigate.



A Beginners Guide to Electric Cars:
It can be pretty daunting when you find out about how popular and useful electric cars seem to be, it prompts all kinds of questions and the skepticism of something that seems too good to be true. This section of the wiki aims to answer those questions and give a good basic introduction to make it easy to find out more. The current topics are:

• Why Electric Cars?
• Why aren't we all driving Electric cars?
• Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Electric Cars
• Free Energy or Can I Recharge in Motion?
• Glossary of Abbreviations

Starting an EV Conversion:
Once you have realised the advantages of EVs you might decide that converting a car to an electric drive train is best for your circumstances, but where do you start? This section aims to make the planning stages of an EV conversion a little easier with guides on where to start, what you need to know and what is required to make the switch to electrons. The current topics are:

• The First Step: Researching your EV
• Global EV Club Database
• Global Registration Requirement Database
• EV Charging Costs and Cost Per Mile
• High Voltage Safety
• Precharging
• Cold Climate EVs

EV theory
Some parts of the conversion process need some background theory to understand them clearly. More than just the basics, this section will help you get your head around the trickier theoretical parts of your EV so that the practical parts come together nicely. The current topics are:

• Amps, Volts, Watts and Watt-Hours 101
• Power (kW) and Energy (kWh)
• Formulas
• Aerodynamics- Theory
• Converting Wh/mile into MPG
• RMS Voltage

Selecting Parts:
Once you've mastered (or at least grasped some of) the theory, you might want to have a look at these guides and summaries of the major parts you will need for your conversion to help you in the selection process. The current topics are:

• Parts List
• Sizing your Battery Pack
• How Much Power Do I Need?
• Donor Car Selection
• Clutch Vs Clutchless
• DC Motor Selection
• AC Motor Selection
• Controller Selection
• Charger Selection
• Battery Technology 101 - Lead Acid Batteries
• Battery Technology 201 - Alternatives to Lead Acid Batteries
• Battery Management Systems
• Parts Distributors / Conversion Shops

Ironing out the Kinks:
Unfortunately, converting a car to electric is sometimes not as easy as just swapping the motors over. Besides the drive train there are several parts of are normal car that are either dependant on the ICE or that need to be made more suitable for the new electric system. This section will cover those smaller things that at are secondary to the major components of an EV but are nevertheless important to consider. The current topics are:

• Air-Conditioning Options
• Brake Upgrade Options
• Power Steering Options
• Automatic Transmissions in EVs

Getting Your Hands Dirty:
This section of the wiki covers the more practical side of a conversion. It contains how to guides and specific examples to aid in the actual doing part of the EV conversion process. The key words of this section are specific and practical so if you are in the middle of a conversion then this is probably the place to be. The current topics are:

• Tool List
• DIY - Battery/Motor Cables
• Schematic Diagram Example
• Current Limiting Formula for LEDs
• AWG to Metric Conversion
• Copper Busbar Design
• Battery Pack Techniques: LiFePO4 Cells

Making Good Great:
Once the car is up and running for some the DIY bug never really leaves them. Converting to an EV not only makes good sense it is also a great hobby and since range and battery life is a big factor of EV use, efficiency becomes a big priority. So once the car is moving how can it be made better; more efficient, more practical etc. The current topics are:

• Aerodynamics- Overview
• Rolling Resistance
• Weight Reduction
• Solar Power
• Regenerative Braking
• Opportunity Charging

Chassis performance articles:​

Over the life span of the automobile a great deal has been learned and published regarding the parts that don't involve the ICE. Here we attempt to share some of the general vehicle performance knowledge in regards to handling and efficiency. EVs are much more efficient at converting energy into driving than an ICE car, but they don't have to be boring to drive! The current topics are:

• Suspension 101
  

Food For Thought:​

Apart from your own conversion there is plenty out there going on which may be related to, inspiration for, or help you understand something about your own conversion. This section aims to cover the more general ideas about electric cars and the surrounding technology. It can perhaps be considered the next step up from the beginners guide to EVs. The current topics are:

• Current and Future Production EVs
• Hybrid Electric Vehicles
• Biodiesel
• Ethanol
• Hydrogen
• Compressed Air Vehicles
• Perpetual Motion (Generator on Motor, Wind Powered)

Other Links:

• [wiki]How-To Guides[/wiki]
• [wiki]Donor Car Selection[/wiki]
• http://wiki.saymoo.org/EvdlGems/CategoryEvdlGems?action=show&redirect=EvdlGems (was http://saymoo.org/saymoo/CategoryEvdlGems)
• http://www.hybridcars.com/decision-process/top-7-issues-electric-car-conversion-25839.html - Top 7 Issues With EV Conversions
• http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/incentives_laws.html - Check your state for Grants and Tax Incentives.
• http://www.nuhit.com/forums/nuwiki-documentation/761-nuwiki-syntax.html - For help formatting wiki entries and using this wiki software

For existing articles, view the bottom panel.

To create a new article, click up on the NuWiki dropdown, then select "Create new article"

 

[petrovyoung]

Thanks for this wiki. I think it contains very useful resource about electric cars and EV conversion. Electric cars are environment friendly.

Electric cars produce far less green house gas emissions than an ICE car, even when power plant emissions are figured in. Most emissions from electric vehicles come from power plants. It is much easier to clean the emissions of power plants than those of a few million cars. Electricity can also be produced much more cleanly through the use of wind, hydro, solar, and other green technologies.
Unlike an ICE car who's emissions and efficiency get worse and worse with the age of the car, and electric car will most likely create less and less pollution throughout its life as the source of its electricity improves. Assuming that the emissions of power plants get tighter regulation (or decide to improve of their own accord) and renewable sources grow in prominence not only will an electric car create less emissions than an ICE car to begin with, the gap will continue to widen throughout the life of the car. Installing solar panels on the roof of your home could mean that your electric car has zero emissions whatsoever; that is not even a remote possibility in an ICE car.

This two things make ev car more important for us.

 

[stuff_it]

Thank you so much, I've been trying to research electric power train for a uni project and tbf I thought my brain was going to actually melt.

 

[poprock]

Re: EV Information..posting issues

testing check 1 2

 

[poprock]

Battronic truck

Seen on ebay au.com item no.251801316448. battronic truck. Price seems high ; many still in the States.

 

[theRoad]

This is a fantastic resource. I've been wanting to turn my car into an electric car for ages. I think this will really help. Lots to read through.

 

[Bugrug]

This has been bookmarked by me. Electric cars are only building steam, (sorry, I couldn't resist) so up to date information as it comes in is a very good thing to have

 

[jack1090]

Thanks information, very useful

 

[mdfarzeen]

Very useful, Thanks for sharing

 

[TamicaCoria]

I found it as great information since I was searching for Electric car and info about it. This resource which you have been provided gives me an idea about electric car and EV conversion tool. Thank you so much for lifting this resource.

 

[[email protected]]

Re: EV Information - Getting Registered and Insurance in PA

I saw the PA reference in the the Wiki - and it only references a phone call to the DMV.

The hanger here is that the Form and Applying - do not seems to be a guarantee that you will get approved. PA has (extortion level) crazy inspection and stricter then some state registration rules.... soooo....

Has any one here done a conversion in PA and how did the registration go?

2nd - Insurance. I have Home/Auto through State-Farm they have stated that they will not insure a "home" modification. Has insurance been hard to get and what have been the costs?

 

[dchristianson44]

Hi, My name is Daniel and I am interested in converting a P1000 step side van to ev. The van weighs 15000lb and is currently powered by a ford v10. I know that heavy trucks are hard, but I think my case is ideal for conversion. The truck travels no more the 50 miles a day, and is parked indoors in a warehouse at night. I can get any wall charger I need. The truck has a manual transmission which I have seen people connect motors right to the transmission input shaft.

I do not know where to start on this, and help with complete systems or conversion companies or any other places to start digging would be great. Thank you for the help.

 

[MattsAwesomeStuff]

Hi, My name is Daniel and I am interested in converting a P1000 step side van to ev.

Create your own thread in the All EV Conversions and Builds forum, and then post all your questions and progress there instead of this unrelated thread.

https://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=2 <-- Click that, should take you where you want to be.

 

[_Hunter]

New to the EV space but but check out https://www.aemev.com/

AEM EV has been involved in the Electric cobra jet and Huff Motorsports 201mph dragster