Subaru's electric Stella
Here is a scan at what is happening globally with the electric vehicle, EV and other related stories. (more…)
October 20, 2009
May 20, 2009
Online Electric Vehicle ConversionCourse
Converting gas cars to electricity is fun, can be practical and depending on your budget, can put more performance in the car than it originally had with its cumbersome internal combustion engine, ICE.
October 23, 2008
The Age Of Electric Conversion
If you ever wanted proof that many people ether just won’t wait for electric vehicles to be massed produced or are just intrigued and want to save money in the longer run, than look at the electric car conversions happening left and right.
The gist, PBS has their Nova series that talks about what people are doing in terms of “Tomorrow’s Future Car”. And the results are great.
Who’s doing what? Take Mike Willmon who decided he wanted to convert his Mitsubishi in order to prove himself it can be done. He does not believe auto manufacturers’ claims that battery technology is not ready for electric vehicles, EVs. You can see more on his vehicle here. In a nutshell, 1988 Mitsubishi MightyMax 4WD with a Netgain WarP 9 Series Wound DC electric engine, a Cafe Electric Zilla 1K-HV with Hall Effect Pedal Input that can be programed with his Palm. His EV is powered with 16 Deka Intimidator, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM batteries that are kept balanced to within 10mv on charge and discharge using PowerCheq Battery Equalizers, putting out 192 Volts.
The conversion time? 320 hours to a drivable EV.
How about Larry Allen who converted his Honda Del Sol to electricity that can travel 60 miles on highway on a single charge and goes over 80 mph.
Anyway, the list goes on and on. Some people just can’t wait.
Check out this source of home grown converted vehicles at EValbum.
September 23, 2008
Cabria Electric Supercar
What else drives the world of electric vehicle, EV forward? Smart startups in the shape and form of Tesla Motors, along other cars as the Lightening GT are not alone. There are many small manufacturers that offer alluring performance cars and they are getting numerous.
The gist, Black Bay Technology’s Cabria Electric Supercar is a built-to-order, high end performance EV maker. It’s a highly modular platform that can be tweaked.
The numbers. Based on their very own Factory Five GTM platform, the vehicles should reach 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds, have a 100 to 150 mile range and be electronically limited to 120 mph. Ah, yes, the price… $145,000. But we get in pinch, 30 minutes recharge, will get you a 20 to 50 mile range. Normal recharge varies between 2 to 5 hours. With an 11′ DC Series electric engine controlled with with a 1000 amp controller, a lithium battery pack good for 35 kWt, the only omission on the website is the actual horsepower of the Cabria.
What does it look like?
and back
Other products. If the supercar performance beast and its hefty $145,000 price tag is not for you, there are a few other products to chose from. BlackBaye will convert different vehicles to electricity. With a standard acid-lead battery package giving you 60 mph with a range of 50 to 80 miles depending on the type of driving you do. You can upgrade to lithium with a 10% increase in range “at a very high cost”, as quoted from the website. Nice to see a frank site like that announces the color directly. A typical conversion will cost you around $20,000, that does not include the vehicle being converted.
It’s good to see a market being built around electric car conversion and this one is especially interesting since they not only offer conversion but also have their own product. In this aspect, they are unlike their competition. Can we really talk about competition yet? We can’t say yes, since at this stage, the more, the merrier. So Tesla or the Cabria?
September 10, 2008
Local News From Gas Conscious People
To the question: “What is different this time around with the gas price crisis?” we can only turn our attention to news around the U.S. and see how many people are taking things into their own hands by either building electric vehicles, EV, converting regular gas cars, or buying hybrids, HEVs.
The gist, local newspapers and news can give us a more accurate idea of what is going down in our own backyards then sometimes the bigger media outlets can. Case in point, WCNC.com finds that a couple converts regular cars to electric in Lake Wylie or how The Molokai Times finds a strange new vehicle on its streets.
In the first case, in Lake Wylie in South Carolina a couple converted a Honda Accord, a Mitsubishi truck, and a Fiat convertible to electricity making them EVs. Using 24 batteries and separate plugs to give it charge at home and on the go, the Mitsubishi was resurrected from years of immobility. While it only gets 50 or 60 miles between charges, it is plenty for about 70% of drivers in the U.S.. their electric conversion ranges from $16,000 to $28,000 dollars depending on the technology and vehicle used. You can check out the couple’s site here.
The second case, apparently their is only one EV in Molokai, Hawaii, remember us talking about the island? The owner’s dream home provides for a cheap ride: “ Every night, he plugs the car in, and when he wakes up, it’s charged. According to Wordin, the car takes four hours to fully charge, equaling one kilowatt-hour, and will run for approximately 30 miles at 25 mph. The vehicle uses a lot of energy uphill, but with a full charge, he makes it around town just fine.” He paid $14,500 for the EV and with 40 solar panels that charge his vehicle and house, are well paid for in a few years.
It is great to see people taking matter in their own hands without waiting for corporations to fix problems, often they created in the first place. Many already live the dream of producing electricity and using for their households and now for their EVs.