Converting petrol cars to electric

I don't know of any kits. You would need:

L A R G E battery - Li-ion for preference Motor(s) A new mechanical transmission system Control system including regenerative braking, etc To change heating/air conditioning Major revisions to vehicle suspension Underbody strengthening And all the other things I've omitted

The electricity with which you charge the battery will probably be generated in thermal stations, or maybe nuclear. If you're really lucky it will be from a hydro plant.

Alternatively, if you want to fool yourself you're helping the environment you could buy a hybrid.

John

Yeah; a crescent wrench to take the gas tank out with. :-) req

Start here and see what the internet has to offer.

I looked and a small mass market car seems to be the best shot. I am thinking about doing my old Prelude

Yes, there are kits available for some cars, VW Rabbit/Golf for instance. See

- not the only seller of such things but a good start.

To see a successful DIY effort, check out

Most successful conversions that I have seen use lead-acid batteries, but while these work OK, they do suffer from the twin problems of weight and limited battery life (300 - 500 cycles).

Lithium-ion batteries are now starting to become more readily available, Thundersky is one brand that looks very promising. Li-Ion batteries offer less weight than lead-acid for the same capacity, and if the manufacturer's claims bear out they should last for 2000+ cycles.

Performance of the converted car will depend on several variables, mainly battery capacity and motor power.. A good performance envelope to aim for is to get better than 100 kph (60mph) maximum speed, and to be able to maintain that speed for better 1 hour on a charge.

Thanks for that. Looked like good fun!

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Thanks. Finally some constructive response instead of the usual "you are stupid and you don't know anything..."

snipped-for-privacy@cyberxpress.co.nz wrote in news:e281e994-2a7b-4bae-8d52- snipped-for-privacy@z18g2000prn.googlegroups.com:

Thank you. What about the cost of Li-ion batteries?

Range?

"Finally"? You waited three weeks to check back, and cop a "finally" attitude? ;-)

Probably too much, particularly for your first try.

Use deep-cycle lead acid.