How to Use an Electric Car Conversion Kit

So, you want to help reduce your dependence on foreign oil, help lower your carbon footprint, and save yourself some money all at once. As you’ve been looking at various options, one of the things you’ve probably come across is electric car conversion kits.

With step-by-step guides regarding how to turn a conventional vehicle into an all-electric, these kits come in several different types – so make sure you do your research. Which type of kit you buy is determined by a number of different factors, including your personal level of skill in terms of automotive and electrical engineering, as well as how much you’re willing to buy on your own. The basic car conversion kits come with just the motor and controller, while there are kits that have almost everything you need in it.

There are also universal conversion kits, which are more ‘generic’ type kits that are made for vehicles close to the type of car you want to convert, as well as kits that are designed for specific vehicles. There are also kits out there to convert hybrids such as the Toyota Prius to all-electric. If this is your first time converting a car, it’s recommended using one designed for a specific car, as it is a better guarantee that it will work as well as saving you time, money, and energy.

Converting a car from gas-powered to electrical will run you anywhere between $7,000 and $10,000, depending on how much you know about cars and what kind of deals you can find on the various pieces needed. Of course, the more knowledge you have on how cars work, the lower the price you’ll end up paying.

Your first step in using an electric car conversion kit is in finding the right vehicle to convert. This will be the most important decision in the conversion process. Determine your needs in terms of range and speed, as well as size. Converting a car to electrical means adding batteries to your vehicle, so it’s recommended to pick a vehicle that has a good frame and body and that is light enough to handle the extra weight. It’s also more fuel-efficient for an electrical car to be a manual transmission, as the automatic takes up more energy.

Make sure you have a comfortable place to perform the conversion, such as a garage. Unless this is your primary job, be sure it’s a place you can leave the car for several weeks – if not months – while you do your work. You’ll also need quite a few tools, as well as renting an engine puller. Above all else, remember that you’ll be working with electrical current, so make safety a top priority.

Be sure to drain all the fluids from the car, and then pull the engine out of the car. Once the engine is out, you’ll want to remove the exhaust system and gas tank, and then clean the engine compartment thoroughly.

You can install an AC (alternating current) motor or a DC (direct current) motor; which one you’ll want is dependent on your knowledge and budget. A DC motor is simpler and cheaper, but the AC motor is lighter and has longer range.

With the engine out, it’s time to figure out where you want to place your batteries. The type of batteries will determine your maximum range before needing a charge, as well as how long they last. This will be the heaviest piece of the new parts, as you’ll need between ten to twenty batteries, depending on the type you get.

As a result, the distribution of the batteries is extremely important. You’ll need some welding experience (or know someone who does), as the logical place to put them is where the gas tank was since that’s out of your way (as well as out of the way of weather conditions) but still accessible for when it’s time to charge them.

The conversion kit will have instructions on installing the new parts. You’ll need to first put in the mounting brackets for the motor, and then put the controller in someplace where the cable can go from it to the accelerator.

Then, it’s time to install the new motor and transmission. Using the adapter plate, attach the motor to the transmission. Then, make sure all mounting bolts and other hardware is attached and tight. The transmission needs to be hooked up to the driveshaft as well as the differential. Test to see that it’s properly aligned by putting the car in gear and rotating the tires.

There may be other steps, depending on what kind of car and motor, and the conversion kit will help you figure out those remaining steps. With the proper knowledge and research, you’ll have a vehicle that used to run on gas that now runs on electricity, and you’ll be making a big step in reducing your carbon footprint.