Convert to electric
This is not a conversion guide, not even close! My intension is to give you a hint on some of the things to consider when picking out a car and choosing parts to a conversion.
Do-It-Yourself takes some knowledge
Basically it's very simple, take one standard car. Throw away the engine, fuel
tank, exhaust system and put in an electric engine, battery packs, electric
heater, charger and proper control units for the electronics. In theory.
That’s the problem, finding, mounting and maintaining the stuff that connects
the batteries to the engine. It takes some knowledge that I'm sorry to say,
you'll have to find somewhere else on the interweb.
One other problem is that the local authorities have different rules on self converted vehicles depending on which country you reside in. Check this first!
Lightweight model
Every kilogram counts, especially in low speeds the weight of the car is crucial
to acceleration and driving range. If possible choose a lightweight car, it
isn't a coincidence that many small electric cars have bodies made out of fibreglass.
One option is to mount aftermarket low weight fibreglass body parts on your
car to keep the weight down, just make sure their street legal.
Aerodynamics
You want as little air resistance as possible. Try sticking your hand out your
car window at highway speeds with the palm horizontally and vertically, quite
a difference.
I found a list of different cars CW values on this link. [External
link] It's an excel document with many cars and their respective values.
Max load capacity
Batteries are heavy and you'll need plenty of them. Therefore a car with good
load capacity measured in weight is necessary, batteries don’t take up
as much space as they weigh.
In California the Porsche 924 is a popular conversion vehicle thanks to its
high load capacity and streamlined design.
Gearbox
One solution for the gearbox when converting is locking the gearbox in a suitable gear (third or fourth often) and using a controller unit for reversing by making the electric engine run in opposite direction, something impossible on a internal combustion engine. Others hade put the electric motors in the wheels or directly on the axle of both rear wheels, this would eliminate energy loss in the drive train.
Wheels
To gain maximal range you want slim, thin tires with low rolling resistance pumped with the right tyre pressure. Some EV drivers put 3 bars in their tires to gain a smaller grip surface and even lower rolling resistance. This however affects the behaviour of the car, especially on wet or snowy surfaces.
A set of light aluminium rims that generates a low turbulence around the tyre housing, will be good both for the airflow and amount of energy needed to get the wheel itself spinning. Ideal would be totally flat sides on the rims. Note the danger of overheated brakes if you'll attempt to make a set of "flat side" rims!
Battery box
To protect yourself and the batteries in case of a crash, it is important to have all the batteries secured and mounted well in the chassis. For the handling, all batteries should be placed as low as possible. I have seen two types of battery mountings, one where the batteries are simply stuck on the floor of the trunk and secured with a welded cage bolted into the chassis. The other one is cutting away the holder for the spare tyre in the bottom of the trunk and welding a completely new lowered floor. This makes it possible to mount the batteries lower and give you larger truck space.
Gav, from Gav's EV has one video on youtube when he mounts a battery cage in
the floor, which I described as the first technique.
[External link]
The user stevemacfortlauderda posted a video on tools you'll need
to convert your car. In this video you can se the lowered floor in the trunk,
the second technique.
[External
link]
Suspension
When converting you might have changed the weight distribution from front to
rear or added weight. Therefore make sure you have fresh springs and shock absorbers
suitable for your new weight distribution.
The Renault Clio Electricque for example has a reinforced rear suspension compared
to the regular Renault Clio.
Electronics, choice of batteries, controller units, chargers and cables...
This section isn't finished, check back later...