Electric vehicle conversion
Why electric vehicle conversion
The idea of an electric vehicle conversion has sidetracked me from my water4gas ongoing project. I’m hoping that this post will bring Bob back around to comment on the subject. But first let me start by telling you how this happened.
I live in the South East part of the United States. For the last three weeks we have been going through something that I have never seen in my entire life. Gas stations are out of fuel to pump. Long lines and high prices are breaking records in my area. In many cases, you can wait in a gas line for an hour or more only to be disappointed when you finally make it to the nozzle.
As I sat in line in my water for gas converted blazer, my overwhelming thought was. I don’t care how many miles per gallon I’m getting. I don’t want to buy fuel at all. The only way for me to accomplish this goal would be an electric vehicle conversion. Note I may not be the average citizen because my daily commute is less than 20 miles round trip. This makes me a perfect candidate to be behind the wheel of an electric vehicle.
I would like to buy a Chevrolet Volt but this vehicle is 2 years away from production and will most likely be out of my price range. So I have acquired a 1987 Toyota pickup that will be the target of my first electric vehicle conversion. This is what I think will be the perfect platform to carry the batteries and also has room for the modifications required. I’m hoping that this post will attract readers that have experience at this conversion. And that they can provide some tips in the comments area.
I purchased an electric vehicle conversion guide and I am currently reading through the 5 e-books. So far I like the material in the main book and will provide a full review in my next post. My 2004 Chevrolet Blazer will not be the vehicle I will convert. So my water for gas testing will be put on hold for now, but I am not giving up on it and will continue to test and improve it in the future.
Electric vehicle conversion guides
There are lots of choices when it comes to purchasing one of these step-by-step how-to guides. A family that lives completely off the grid writes the one I purchased. They use wind and solar power to operate everything in their home. They have been doing this for 15 years. They use large banks of batteries to hold the energy created by their generators. They have become experts at reconditioning batteries.
This is what attracted me to their stuff over the other ones that were available. They also provided 4 bonus books that explain in detail how they created a life that is not only environmentally friendly, But is free of electric bills. Like I mentioned earlier, I will provide a full review on the complete package that I purchased in an upcoming post.
But so far the most interesting section has been about reconditioning batteries that will be needed to convert a vehicle to electric power. Deep cycle batteries can be very expensive and have a short life span. The ability to recondition the battery saves a lot of money, and also helps the environment by avoiding disposal of the toxic substances that are contained in batteries.
You can take a visit to the website by clicking on the book image. I am looking forward to your input and comments on this electric vehicle conversion subject. I’m also looking forward to possibly hearing from people that have already completed this task. And if I’m really lucky, I hope that Bob will resurface and provide some of his own input on this subject and also give us an update on how he made out with his water for gas system.
For new visitors who don’t know who Bob is. Bob is a chemist that is dead set against the theory of hydrogen generation for cars and the entire water4gas project as a whole. On Bob’s last comment, he had decided to purchase the water for gas guide and build his own test vehicle. We never heard back from his progress. Read through Bob’s comments it’s worth the time!
Tags: electric vehicle conversion, electric vehicles, recondition batteries, water4gas
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Good luck with the conversion process. I wish I was that adventurous - or at least that I had another car that I didn’t have to rely on to get me to and from work. Well, that and funds to do it all. I looked into the car conversion idea about a year ago and found a place in Florida that was doing conversions, but they were backlogged. I wasn’t sure I would be able to afford their prices anyway.
I am shocked to hear that you have gas stations that are out of gas. Why isn’t this in the news? I guess the financial bailout is taking all the news, but your situation seems important to me.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Thanks Paul: In our local news the Gas getting problem is a featured story. But so far when I watch world news It’s all about the Financial collapse. Except last Tuesday they showed a 2 minute story from Atlanta showing the gas station lines and plastic bags over the pumps.
October 8th, 2008 at 8:05 am
thats really crazy i havent heard a word about that out here either
October 8th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
The electric vehicle conversion subject is a very timely discussion indeed. With all the soaring prices and all other problems plaguing the ordinary consumer, we really need some options. This is of course not to say that electric vehicle conversion is for everyone. It really depends on your needs. I still have to assess whether I will subscribe to an electric vehicle conversion but it really is nice to have that recourse… if we see no end to the surging fuel prices
October 9th, 2008 at 7:13 am
I saw a feature3 about this. There is a shop in CA that does the conversion for $7,500. I also saw a documentary of a conversion on Discovery Turbo. The only problem I see is that you need to recharge through an outlet. Electricity uses coal and I’m not sure if you’ll be protecting the environment. It would be nice if every wheel has a small motor and the rotating wheels charge the batteries through a dynamo. That would be neat.
Japan manufactures small windmills that power their gasoline stations. Anout four of these can supply power to a modest sized house. you can even run your heater and AC 24/7 with very minimal wind.
October 16th, 2008 at 5:48 am
To Joel:
I am also interested in Battery Power, I think this is more efficient than the water4gas system especially if your charger comes from solar or wind turbines. You can visit Hugh Piggot Web Page - a DIY wind turbine. I have been reading his works since year 2006. I really enjoyed his site specially the projects and seminars. I tried to make one using magnets from big speakers. Unfortunately I was not able to finish it - just out of budget. By the way Im from the Philippines, our salary here is really not much to play around with some experiments. I am also eager to hear from Chemist Bob regarding this subject.
October 17th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Wow - electric vehicle conversion, that’s awesome, good luck and keep up the good work!
Hey, just FYI- The folks at Warranty Direct put together an awesome blog that gives out all the information anyone could ever want to know about car warranties…Not sure if you already have one for you ‘87 pick-up but if you have any questions or concerns about the topic, you should totally check it out!
Cheers,
Jessica
November 14th, 2008 at 11:06 am
I am a South Jersey Green Advocate and was very excited when I found the following information:
First legitimate electric car coming to the market.
Safe, reliable and affordable.
Check it out…………
Article:
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tech-transport/electric-c100-vehicle.html
Video-You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hog9wpZCg8U
BeGreen Advocate
November 17th, 2008 at 2:15 am
For those of us who are not the DIY sorts, ZAP gives the option of being able to buy a variety of EVs, as per individual requirement: sedan, truck, bikes, scooters, ATVs and with an exciting and futuristic All electric sports vehicle, the Alias coming out next year, it is all the more diverse in its offerings.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Hello,
Just thought we would pay a visit to this great blog we’ve been hearing about. Nice to see someone is using our guide book for action and making a difference.
As the authors of ‘Build your own electric car’ we would be glad to offer any advice or answer any questions you might have on the subject of doing your own electric car conversion.
Just use the contact form on our website
http://www.electric-car-conversions.com
All the best,
Les and Jane