If you had it to do over what would you do different?

1) Agree with prior post that the cheapest glider isn't going to be the best. I spent $400 on my MR2 but another $2000 or so on just chassis repairs (brakes, paint, etc) If I had been more patient I could probably have gotten a good chassis for less than what I spent rehabbing it, and certainly also saved time in the process

2) Use lithium. It wasn't economically feasible for me when I built my car, but it is now and so unless low initial cost is your only concern there is no reason to be going with a lead acid battery pack today.

3) Insulate your battery pack, or at least leave enough room on the top, sides, and bottom such that it is possible to retrofit insulation as needed. This may be less of an issue with lithiums but they are still susceptible to cold temperatures and even 1/2 inch of builders foam insulation will help substantially to retain heat.

4) Don't scrimp on wire sizes. We all know not to undersize the main battery and motor cables, but using smaller size wiring for secondary circuits such as for the charger and other loads may lead to needing to replace the wiring if for example you go to a more powerful charger in the future. For example I originally ran 20A rated extension cord from my charger's output to the battery pack which was fine while I had a russco charger, but when I upgraded to a manzanita I had to re-run all that cabling and upgrade a bunch of fuses and terminal blocks. Depending on the car and the layout of components this may not be a big deal, or it could be a major pain.

4) Leave room for upgrades. This goes for all major components. Your current charger/controller/whatever may fit perfectly in that nook/cranny under the hood but the replacement / upgrade one a few years down the road may have to go under the passenger seat or force major rearrangement of other components if you didn't leave enough room. Of course if you have a small chassis and a big battery like I do, you may have to make compromises.

5) Leave maintenance access. I have to put my car on ramps to get at the motor controller since it is mounted low in the car which is a bit of a pain. If you can place things where they are easier to get at, it makes maintenance much faster, cleaner, and easier. Of course again if you have small car and big battery like I do you may have to compromise here.

6) Favor weight over aerodynamics. I computed for maximum efficiency at freeway speeds when I was designing my car and selecting a chassis. However typical EV conversion usage has a lot more local stop and go type driving where a reduction in overall weight is going to be more beneficial than a more aerodynamic chassis. Note that using lithium batteries would be a major improvement but even then a sleek 2500lbs chassis is probably going to get worse wh/mile in an urban setting vs. a less-sleek but lighter 2000lbs chassis, especially if you have hills to deal with.

7) If you are not looking to build a high performance car, seriously consider one of the low-voltage (relatively speaking) HPGC/Curtis AC systems. For not much more than an equivalent sized DC system you get the regenerative braking (especially bonus-ful if you have hills) and reliability of an AC system. Tradeoff is you will be limited to a 108v battery pack meaning bigger cabling and cells to deal with.



Good luck.

Even though I have yet to make an EV move under its own power:

If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't change one single thing about what was done, or how it was done, with the Inhaler Model E. I have loved the entire process, and am pretty much hooked on electric because of it. Though it probably seems like it's never going to happen, and never going to be a reality, we're really excited about our plans for the next two years with it. It's coming...

The one thing I would do different on a more personal note, as that project was always a business marketing tool, is I would have built a motorcycle project and/or hybrid car project sooner. I might have even started there first. Something that either I don't need for anything in particular and/or doesn't depend on the electric drive for the main source of motivation. I have the hybrid car project underway now, and I am seriously tempted to convert my newest (Ninja) motorcyle project to electric. For my personal projects, I think it's more enjoyable to remove all the typical demands (range, power, space, etc) and just build what happens to work, and enjoy it for what it is. Woody's Tractor is the perfect example. It doesn't have to meet any specific demands, and has been one of the most fun projects to follow on this forum - probably ten-fold for him. I still can't believe he made me like a tractor!

If I wanted an EV for a driver, or any practical needs, I would buy a production EV.

I started with a 1990 Ford Ranger extended cab pickup. I got the conversion kit from Electro Automotive. I wanted it to get the best range so I wanted regenerative braking- that is why I went for an AC power kit.

So far its been a disaster! It took a while to assemble the vehicle, and on completion it was found that the controller was dead in the water. Azure Dynamics filed for bankruptcy a couple weeks later. Electro Automotive apparently is terrible at answering phone calls, email or responding to FAX so no help from whatever expertise they may or may not have on staff- no way to even know.

So if I had it to do over I would stay away from them for starters!! 2nd, its no good to get greedy. You are probably better off going with the most popular hardware as you will find more support. I wanted a vehicle that would go about 100 miles; on paper what I have will do it but in practice it has a lot in common with a rock- one that so far has cost me over $20,000. If I had settled for a 40-50 mile range I probably would have been driving for a while now.

1. Definitely pick a vehicle you will actually want to drive when you're done. No point putting all the time, effort and money into a cheap beater chassis that you got for free but will be embarrassed to drive when you're done.

2. Consider that your project could take you a few years to finish, what position will you be in your life in 2 years? Will you still be living the same distance from work? I started the mini truck in 2010 and now my wife and I have a young son. Awesome, but now the mini truck is done and if we want to go anywhere as a family I still have to take my ICE car!

3. Don't reinvent the wheel, it's been made many times already and there is usually a reason it's done that way. Start with a basic conversion and once you have some experience then try some experiments with new ideas. Those motor adapters that cost $800 will seem like a deal once you try to build one yourself. (unless you have easy materials and machine shop access)

4. Start with a running licensed vehicle that has already passed any safety inspections you need to drive it. Getting an out of province inspection on a right hand drive Japanese mini truck that had never been licensed in Canada and had been converted to electric drive was a challenge! Applying for a change of fuel status for an already registered vehicle is easy (all that's needed in Canada).

5. Drive the car as a gas vehicle for a bit, do you like it? Chances are it'll still be the same vehicle when you're done, just slower, and heavier, but electric powered! Are there any major issues with the chassis that you will have to resolve? They will likely still be there when you're done.

6. Now something I did do that I would do again. Consider doing the conversion with a friend, you can share work space, tools, costs and even the vehicle in the end. Car sharing is right up there with EVs in terms of eco cred. Something like a truck conversion is great for sharing as a truck is something that most people don't need every day. If your friend is within biking distance that makes getting together to work on the project and dropping off the vehicle a piece of cake. Sharing the work and costs is what made this project feasible for both of us. Working with a friend is also a lot more fun, easier (moving heavy parts) and safer (someone to call 911 when you electrocute yourself!)

Have fun!