Electric cars Blog

October 8th, 2008 by admin

With rising fuel costs, more and more people and are looking for alternatives. One such alternative that is gaining popularity, especially with the do-it yourself types, are the electric vehicle kits. Anyone familiar with automobiles can now use these kits to convert traditional new or used gas cars to one powered by electric current.

However, converting a traditional Gas powered vehicle into an electric vehicle can be a very daunting task. Only those who are the very mechanically minded should try this. To convert the vehicle will require extensive modifications to nearly all-mechanical parts of the car. Everything from the engine to the radiator, heater and air-conditioning, to the gauges on the panel. On top of that, the new or used electric cars for sale have to be recharged on a regular basis, which means having to purchase or use the services of recharging station. Solar power could be another potential source of power for the electric vehicle.

Can any car be converted into an electric vehicle?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Not all cars can be converted into an electric vehicle. However, and the most common electric vehicle kit seems to be the Chevy S-10 pick up kit. For examples to follow just do a search online for Chevy S-10 pickup Electric conversions. Other cars that are good candidates for conversion are the Chevy Geo, especially from 1989 to 1999. These electric cars are good potential candidates for an electric vehicle kit conversion. Cars similar to the Chevy Geo Metro, such as the Chevy Sprint, Pontiac Firefly and the Suzuki Swift are also ideal for conversions too.

Going back a few years, many people associated hybrid electric cars with slowness and a lack of power. But as usual, thanks to technology, significant advances in the electric vehicle have changed all that. With these electric vehicle kits some cars can reach top speeds of between 70 and 75 mph. nonetheless, converting to electric power still has its drawbacks.

The biggest drawback it is of course the need for recharging the batteries. As an example, the Chevy Geo Metro kit must be recharged every 20 to 40 miles, depending on driving habits and battery quality. For city driving, this would be ideal. However, for lengthy commutes on the highway, this would not be ideal.

The Chevy S-10 with an electric vehicle kit installed will run a little longer on a single charge. On a single charge, the S-10 should last between 40 and 60 miles. Again this depends upon the driving habits as well as the size and quality of batteries. Some S-10 models can be equipped with solar powered panels which would in reduced in the need for charging, at least when driving during daylight hours.

Converting vehicles with electric vehicle kits is not a cheap affair. Most conversion kits seem to cost between $8000 to $10,000. And this does not even include professional installation as well as the cost of the batteries, not to mention access to or the purchase of a charging station.

Quite frankly, with the cost involved of using an electric vehicle kit, it probably wouldn’t be very practical for the average consumer, especially if they do a lot of highway driving. However, that being said, it probably would be ideal for a back yard mechanic who loves to tinker with cars and has a few bucks to throw around and wants to impress his beer-drinking buddies.

October 3rd, 2008 by admin

Shortly after Joseph Henry’s invention of the first electric direct current (DC) motor in 1830, engineers became interested in creating an electric powered vehicle that would be a reliable source of transportation. Their early prototypes were in constant change, as engineers tried to make capacity for two passengers, increase the top speed and make the body weather resistant.

Even though the development of electric vehicles began in the early 1800’s, the process was not perfected until much later, after the creation of rechargeable batteries by the French engineer, Gaston Plante, in 1859. After this invention, the electric car industry quickly expanded to reach over 50 companies in 1912 and produce over 34,000 electric cars.

At this point in time, gas electric cars were still very unreliable and required the driver to “crank” the vehicle before driving. Despite the fact that EVs were quieter, more reliable, and more efficient than gas-powered cars, their limited range led to a decrease in their popularity. With the invention of the electric starter for gas-powered cars, a dramatic increase in their reliability, and the cheap price of gasoline, gas-powered cars took over the market and the EV industry vanished.

With the oil crisis of the 1970’s, hybrid electric cars began to reemerge. Many carmakers, such as Sebring/Vanguard, General Motors (GM) and Ford developed several electric vehicle models. Unfortunately, the high cost of EVs made them very difficult to sell, and most of the carmakers could not afford to make electric cars or could not make a profit, and they abandoned EVs.

As gas and oil prices dropped in the 1980’s and gas-powered cars became more efficient, got better gas mileage, and were now being equipped with anti-pollution devices, it seemed like the EV industry would never come back. Fortunately for the EV industry, the pollution caused by gas-powered cars was beginning to get out of hand and the government and carmakers sought ways to improve the air quality. New or used electric cars seemed like the perfect solution, but carmakers were not willing to risk entering that industry. As a result, the only EVs on the road were those converted from gas-powered cars by hobbyists.

The 1990’s brought around a significant change. New types of batteries were being developed; batteries that would greatly extend the range of EVs. Carmakers began to find ways to increase the efficiency of their vehicles. This increase in efficiency gave EVs the increase in performance and range that they needed. Electric vehicles were once again becoming a viable alternative to gas-powered cars. The high price of the batteries kept car makers from bringing EVs to the average consumer, but companies that needed fleets of vehicles to travel short distances at a time for deliveries and such were quick to buy a vehicle that was quiet, could be refueled for practically nothing, and was nearly maintenance free. States like California and New York realized how much of an effect EVs could have on the pollution level and began legislation to force carmakers to sell EVs.

Realizing that they could possibly be forced to sell EVs, many car companies began researching. Most of the car companies gave little funding to this research however, and most have simply converted one of their gas-powered models into an electric version. GM, however, spent several years researching and built an electric car from scratch. The result was an efficient, powerful, and state-of-the-art vehicle that blew away the competition.

About two years ago, California and New York declared mandates stating that 2% of all vehicles sold in 1998 had to be electric cars. Carmakers spent more money fighting these mandates than they did researching. They finally succeeded in New York, and were successful in appealing the mandate. The California mandate still stands, however, and in fact, that figure jumps up to 10% in 2003. Although most car companies have created simple conversions to meet the mandate, a few, like GM, have spent some time researching and building quality EVs.

Today, most of the 2% Californian mandate is going to company fleets, but we should see more and more consumers driving EVs as we get closer to 2003. EVs are making a comeback, and it looks like this time, they will be here to stay.

September 30th, 2008 by admin

If electric cars were readily available, of course we would all know about them, and where to get them. The reality is that the major automobile manufacturers do not sell EVs. So we have to look elsewhere. In truth, most of the electric vehicles on the road today were built by hobbyists or small entrepreneurs. In the links section at the bottom, you will find some of these people, and the cars that they sell.

The majority of these cars are converted gasoline cars. An old car with a poor engine but a good body is obtained cheaply. The engine, and all gasoline components are stripped out, and a new electric drivetrain is installed. You might decide to convert a car you already own - or buy a car which has already been converted. The good news is that an electric car of this type can be obtained for as little as $5000. Prices almost never get as high as $20,000.

Most of these cars will be based on old battery technology, as the new tech batteries are protected by patents that make it hard for the small businessmen to deal with. But you will still be able to drive at freeway speeds in cars that accelerate and handle well. Your driving range may be limited to less than 100 miles, or even less than 50 miles. But cars like this are still fine for most commuting and day-to-day driving tasks.

A gasoline engine and its associated components are made up of thousands of parts. Every part represents the possibility of a breakdown. This situation is far different in an electric vehicle. Electric motors have only ONE moving part. There is no maintenance needed on an electric motor. No filters, oil changes, coolant, NOTHING.

You have electric motors all over your house - in your clothes washer/dryer, refrigerator, air conditioner, can opener, blender, and on and on. Appliances do break - but when was the last time the electric motor itself was to blame? There is almost nothing in the technology world more reliable than an electric motor. This is why EVs last a long time, and have very high resale values.

How about the batteries? Yes, of course batteries have a limited life, and need periodic replacement. The oldest battery technology is lead-acid. In a typical EV, a lead-acid battery pack might last for 20 thousand miles. The pack in my EV, which consists of 16 batteries, costs me about $800 to replace. That works out to about 4 cents per mile. Add to that the typical electricity cost per mile of 1.5 cents, and our total operating cost is only 5.5 cents per mile.Just like a regular car, you will need periodic brake and suspension work - but if your EV has regenerative braking, which uses the electric motor to brake the car - your brake pads will last much, much longer that they would on a standard auto.

A common criticism of hybrid electric cars is that they only move pollution from the tailpipe to the power plant. In other words, since power plants still burn dirty fuel, there will still be pollution. First, only about half the electricity created comes from burning coal, but this is still our major pollution worry. Only 3% comes from oil.
Electric cars charge mostly at night. There is currently enough wasted electricity and excess capacity for millions of electric cars, before more plants will need to be built. No new pollution will be created by using electricity that otherwise goes to waste. Adding electric vehicles to the grid increases coal pollution very little.

But how about when new or used electric cars catch on, and new plants have to be built? But even if they are coal plants, the newest designs for coal generated electrical plants are up to 80% efficient, far more efficient than a typical sub-25% efficient gasoline engine. Greater efficiency means more miles on less fuel, and therefore less pollution per mile.

But even if all the above were not true, electric cars would still produce much less pollution than gas cars, because of the greater efficiency of electric drive (electric motor, 95% efficient, versus gas engine, 25% efficient.) Delivering energy by wire to electric cars (95% efficient) is also much, much more efficient than trucking gas to thousands of service stations.

The proof of all this is right in the fuel prices. Gasoline costs at least 14 cents per mile, and can run higher than 30 cents per mile, depending on the vehicle and gas prices. Electric cars drive around for only a penny or two per mile. The difference comes mainly from efficiency. Much greater efficiency = much less pollution.

Believe it or not, your gas car also uses electricity. It’s true, large amounts of electricity are used to refine gasoline. Gasoline makes pollution during refining, it makes pollution when it’s being delivered to gas stations, and it makes pollution when you use it.

Incidentally, hydrogen fuel-cell cars are also electric cars, including batteries, which are needed for acceleration. But they are less efficient than battery-powered cars, because of the extra electricity required to extract the hydrogen, and the wasted energy of transporting hydrogen to service stations. Fuel cell vehicles will always be more expensive than pure electric cars, because they are electric cars with a fuel cell added on.

September 26th, 2008 by admin

Radio controlled (RC) powered cars have been popular items for kids and adults alike. RC powered cars can be both entertaining and educational. This is a great way for families to spend a lot time together. The electric car hobby has been around for many years and is a good way for children to learn about mechanics, suspension, electricity, servos, and radio singles or frequencies.

The future of the automobile industry worldwide over the next 20 years will be switching to electricity as it prime energy source for vehicles, and what better way for your son or daughter to learn this new and exciting career than having them build their own replica model of a future car. Your son or daughter can build these models from component parts, so they develop good kinetic and critical thinking skills. Good kinetic skill is something a computer program cannot truly develop.

The RC powered car can also include RC gas powered cars. Some gas electric car models use glow plug engines that use nitro-methane or nitro for short. These models are mostly expensive, but remote gas cars add more realism to the hobby. Remote gas powered cars incorporate small piston engines very similar to real automobiles. These too can be a wonderful way for you or your children to learn.

Whether you choose to build an RC electric powered car or an RC gas powered car you will learn valuable information that you or your children can build upon. Once you have completed your RC powered car you can take it to the next level and compete. You can race your car against others and learn to alter your car to be faster and more maneuverable to increase your chances of winning.