AC Propulsion eBox
Gathering information about electric cars, whether you are interested in finding more about them, buying a new one or converting that oldy can be daunting. Here are a few easy steps.
What Do You Want? The first obvious question to ask yourself is what do you want from an electric vehicle, EV. EVs cost less to operate and maintain than a gas car. If you need an EV to get you to work back and forth on a relative short commute ranging from 10 to 20 miles, most will handle that.
Basic EVs come with a range of 20 miles and are fairly affordable. Obviously, the better your budget is, the better the range will be and overall performance will be..
Gathering Information. The first step is to gather information. Websites as Plug In America, CalCars and Do It Yourself Electric Car are great place to s the initial information. There are plenty of videos on YouTube that show you the step by step process. After this, you will see a choice of neighborhood electric vehicles, NEV and EV.
Neighborhood Electric Vehicle. NEV are affordable and start sometimes below the $5,000 threshold. Wikipedia will give you a good idea of their pros and cons. If NEVs are affordable they are limited in speed and range. Global Electric Motorcars, GEM has been making NEVs for some time and you should be familiar with them, as well as Miles Automotive. If you fancy something with a little more character, than you can get some neat looking ones at California Roadster. New players are coming into that field, such as Wheego.
New Electric Cars. With EV, the range here is already substantial today and will be even more by tomorrow. Tesla Motors offers a snazzy Roadster for $109,000 with a range of 240 miles, while AC Propulsion offers a converted Scion called the eBox for less. Other manufacturers such as Myers Motors offers fairly inexpensive pure EVs with enough range to suit most driving habits. Commuter Cars offers its Tango that also sells in the same vicinity as the Tesla Roadster with matching performance.
Converting Your Favorite. If you do not have the budget for a pure performance EV then your next best thing is to convert an already manufactured car. There are plenty of options and it also cuts down on carbon footprint, since the vehicles have already been manufactured. Websites as the Do It Yourself Electric Car forum mentioned earlier is a good place to start. From there you can lay down your idea and plan it with others who have experience. If you do not want to do all the work on your own, the next best thing is to let a professional electric car conversion shop do it. A quick search on the Internet should provide you with some but make sure you go on specific electric car forums to find out about the quality and reputation before you spend any money.
While this list is not exhaustive, it should get you started. The first step is to find out what you will need your EV for. Small daily commutes can be achieve for well under $10,000. For a professionally build entry level EV, expect to spend at least $10,000, while NEVs go under 10,000 and fully equipped, they will reach into the mid-10,000. Finally, converting your favorite car to electricity might be worthwhile if you have the time and space. You can find stories on the internet from savvy do it yourselfers who spent as little as $3,500, including the cost of the donor car. If you lack space and know-how, specialists can be found to convert it. All in all, there are plenty of options out there but do your math and homework first. There also are plenty of horror stories from people who rushed into jobs without taking the time to do full researches. Let us hear what your experience has been.
