Do Electric Car Conversion Kits Really Work?

What kind of car you drive is one of biggest ways you can affect your impact on the environment. With rising gas prices and increased global warming, buying a new energy-efficient car is not necessarily the best (or cheapest) way to help out.

An electric-powered car not only saves you gas, but also creates no emissions. However, even though hybrids are becoming more popular, all-electric cars are not something easy to find at most car dealerships.

One thing environmentally-friendly people are looking at are electric car conversion kits. Exactly what it sounds like, these are kits that are for sale that helps you turn a conventional car into an electric car through a step-by-step guide.

There are several types of kits available, and they go from just the motor and controller to deluxe kits that have everything you need. If you’ve never converted a car before, it’s recommended you use one that is for specific types of vehicles – including ones that turn hybrid cars into all-electric cars, which is much less work than converting a gas-powered vehicle. While there are electric car conversion kits available for regular cars, it’s recommended getting one for a small pickup truck if converting a gas-powered car, as you need space to put the electric batteries into the current vehicle.

There are some things you should be aware of before deciding whether to buy a conversion kit. First, since you’ll end up with an all-electric, you need to make sure you are living in a city that is set up for charging your vehicle with regular charging stations. After all, converting a car to all-electric only helps you if you’re able to charge it regularly. Also, it’s recommended to convert manual transmissions, as automatics tend to use more energy, which means less total range on the vehicle.

Not every kit is universal, so do your research well before purchasing a kit to make sure it is the right kit for the vehicle you plan on converting. After all, the kit doesn’t guarantee the conversion will work, and even with a kit there’s quite a lot of time and money you’ll be spending. The cost of the kit depends on what is all included in the kit. Most kits don’t include the batteries, which means you have to buy them separately.

It’s recommended to talk to a trusted mechanic, especially once you’ve narrowed down your choices of conversion kits, to make sure that you’re not only getting a legitimate kit, but one that is right for your needs and the vehicle you have in mind.

You’ll also need to determine your own skills in the world of mechanics. While a kit will include a step by step guide, converting a car does involve taking out the gasoline engine and replacing it with the electric engine – something that is fairly extensive in terms of automotive work. Basic knowledge of electrical engineering and welding are also recommended for people wanting to convert a vehicle to electric power. Also, if you’re knowledgeable about the internal workings of a vehicle, you can get one of the more basic kits and buy the parts separately, possibly saving you some money on the process.

This is also not a job you should do by yourself; make sure you have a friend who also has these skills who is willing to spend the time necessary to do the conversion. It’s also a job that will take quite a while, possibly several months, depending on how often you work on it, so make sure it’s something you’re committed to doing.

So is it worth buying an electric conversion kit? Well, the more knowledgeable you are about cars, the less likely you’ll need the conversion kit, as you’ll be able to do the research and do the conversion on your own. However, the less knowledgeable you are about vehicles, the less likely a kit will be able to help you at all and it would be better worth your time and money to wait for car manufacturers to come out with all-electric cars for purchase. You’ll need to determine your own level of skill and how much money and time you’re willing to spend on the project.

However, if you’re passionate about having an electric car – and love the idea of converting a car yourself, but haven’t done it before – it might be worth it to buy a conversion kit for your first attempt. Some of the best recommended websites for learning more about converting electric cars are www.evhelp.com, the automotive section of How Stuff Works, and under the research section of www.carsdirect.com. These websites give plenty of other resources you can go to, and is a good place to start your research on whether this is the right decision for you.