Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It would not have been possible to write this book without the help of a large number of very talented professional electric vehicle experts, enthusiasts, and backyard builders. First and foremost, Id like to express my thanks to all the contributors of technical information, photos, illustrations, and drawings throughout the book. In no particular order of importance, my deep appreciation goes out to: Bob Batson of Electric Vehicles of America; Brian Berrett of Wilderness EV; Ryan Bohm of EVSource.com; David Brandt; Isidor Buchmann of BatteryUniversity.com; Mark Bush; Anthony Carstensen of Masterflux/Tecumseh Products Company; Mathew Clark, Carl Clark, and Spencer Stromberg of the Electric Car Company of Utah; Mike Dieroff of D&D Motor Systems; Rush Dougherty of EAAEV.org; Pearson Scott Foresman; Mark Gelbien of Enertrac Corporation; Chip Gribben of EVA/DC; Hannah Hamstra of NetGain Motors; Ed Matula of eRoadsters.com; Joe Miller of Home Power magazine; Dennis Palatov of DPCars.net; Li Ping of Ping Batteries; Dwayne Porter of U.S. Battery; Tony Helmholdt and his excellent ExperimentalEV.wordpress.com blog; Randy Holmquist and Bonnie Collins of Canadian Electric Vehicles; Kalyan Jana of Enersys; Peter Lee of Everspring; Bill Provence of PureElectricVehicles.com; Danny and Lysa Ray of Amped Bikes; Wistar Rhoads of KTA Services; Kristin Rogers of Dig Communications (Optima Batteries); Ryan Sberna of Eagle Eye Power Solutions; Bob Simpson; Roland Wiench; and Connie Yaskowski of East Penn Manufacturing/Deka Batteries.
For helping this mechanical engineer understand the magic of electricity, Id like to thank: L.W. Brittian, Lonnie Cole, Bob Froehlich, Larry Krengel, Dr. Ken Mellendorf, Dr. John R. OMalley of the University of Florida, Dr. Ralph J. Smith of Stanford University, and Burr Zimmerman.
For letting me lurk (and learn) from their EVDL posts, my deep appreciation goes out to: David Roden (EVDL Administrator), Bob Bath, Lee Hart, Jeff Major, Jack Murray, George Tyler, and Roland Wiench. Similarly, Ive learned more than I ever hoped by the diy_ev_cars group at Yahoo groups postings of: Ronald Anderson, Craig Carmichael, Dave Cover, Ron Gompertz, Peter Eggleston, Don Eyermann, Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, John Kester, Andy Laurence, Stuart Perkins, Gary Krysztopik, Ed Thaxton, Russ Sciville, Tom Simenatad, Pete Snidal, and Dan Wolstenholme. Believe it or not, your debates, arguments, and ever-so-tangential ramblings made me think about and understand electrons and EVs at a much higher level.
I also need to express my heartfelt thanks to the owners of the project vehicles featured in this book. You inveterate tinkerers, DIYers, and clever inventors are the perfect examples of the spirit of the EV community. Many, many thanks go out to: Tim Catellier, Mark Hayes, Wayne Krauth, Rob Nicol, David Oberlander, James Parsons, Edward Reims (and Mike Sileo for the photos), Lennon Rodgers, and Fred Weber. I am still amazed at the quality and performance of your individual EVs. You guys are an inspiration to the rest of us.
Jack Rickard and his excellent EVTV videos deserve a special shout-out here, too. Thanks for creating and sharing your extensive knowledge with the rest of us.
My deep gratitude also goes to Alan Adams, Lee Hart, Bob Bath, Gary Heinz, and Roger Werner for providing invaluable review, technical feedback, and input to the manuscript. This book is better because of your help and expertise.
Of course I would be remiss if I didnt mention my publisher, Michael Lutfy of HPBooks. Thank you once again for the opportunity to research and write about a subject I enjoy.
Finally, I want to thank my beautiful wife, Sonya for her support and patience while I slogged my way through another manuscript. Je taime.
INTRODUCTION
Failing to plan is planning to fail.A. Lakein
This is a book that describes how to convert an internal combustion-powered car or truck into an electric vehicle (EV). At first glance, this may seem like a daunting task for someone new to the world of EVs, but rest assured that converting a car to electric power isnt nearly as difficult as it may seem. In fact, the process is rather straightforward if you have taken the time to learn all the ins and outs and dos and donts beforehand. When it comes to tackling an EV conversion project, knowledge is power, which is why this book was written by an experienced professional engineer but targeted toward the amateur enthusiast and written in the language of the layman. The concepts and procedures outlined herein are not difficult to understand, nor are they too challenging for the average person to undertake. EV conversions have been successfully completed by 14-year-old amateurs, by 88-year-old retirees, and just about everyone else in between. If these people can do it, then so can youand this book will help you understand how.
When planning this book, we wanted you, the reader, to understand why one should (or should not, as the case may be) convert a car to electric power. We wanted you to grasp the fundamentals of electricity and then be able to apply them to powering a car. And we wanted you to understand every step, nuance, and phase of the conversion process ahead of timebefore you pick up the first wrench or shop for the first wire or battery. Converting your car or truck to electric power isnt very hard if you learn the basics ahead of time.
With that in mind, this book is organized into sections to help you understand the process in a step-by-step manner.
The first part of the book begins with an explanation of what an EV is (and what it isnt) and how EVs are constructed and operate. We then explain the pros and cons of electric vehicle ownership, including a look at some of the more common myths, rumors, and untruths surrounding electric vehicles. We then lay out a series of questions that will help you decide whether an EV is the right type of vehicle for you. We also describe the step-by-step process of converting an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle to electric power. Finally, we discuss the merits of building your own EV versus simply buying a preexisting electric car. EV construction and/or ownership is not for everyone and understanding this fact before committing to a conversion project is an important first step.
The next part contains the majority of the technical information on EV conversions. Its where we go through in detail all of the components and parts required to convert a car or truck to electric power. This section is subdivided into seven chapters, covering motors, controllers, batteries, chargers, wiring, accessories, and instrumentation. In each of these chapters we not only cover component selection, but also the theory of operation and practical considerations to keep in mindagain, to help you make the most informed choices at the beginning of the process, rather than when its either too late or too expensive to change your mind.
After learning the ins and outs of the conversion process, the Project Vehicles section will hopefully be a source of inspiration to you. In this section we show how nine ordinary enthusiasts converted their own vehicles to electric power. The vehicles we look at here range from simple bicycles and motorcycles to moderately complex commuter cars to sophisticated sports cars that will completely change your notion of what an electric vehicle is capable of doing on the street.
