Skeptics love to challenge the idea that a regular person can build their

own electric car at a reasonable price using parts that Electric three-wheeled scooter Manufacturers are regularly available and easy to find Truthfully, I don't know why there aren't more DIY electric cars on the road.

So why aren't more people doing it you may ask? Wouldn't everyone rather

drive for 4 cents per mile instead of four dollars per mile if given the

choice? If people could say goodbye to the gas pump, oil changes and tune ups

forever, they'd do it. Therefore, many conclude that converting a car to

electric power must be difficult, highly complicated and beyond the ability of

most people. What I do know is that it is a lot of fun to build and drive and

the project is easy and cheap to complete. Heres how to do it.

For the vehicle, use something with enough space to mount your electric

motor and batteries inside but that is still relatively small and light. Use a

manual transmission vehicle too. Automatics make the project a lot harder to

complete. That's really important, but don't worry if you can't or don't want

to drive a stick. You won't have to shift at all once the conversion is

completed.

Used cars with engine damage, but that are in otherwise excellent condition

can be found at amazingly low prices. You just have to look around a bit, but

its worth the effort. Check for issues in the breaks transmission,

undercarriage etc before you buy it. Often you can find one of these with the

motor already gone and the rest of the car intact. This is an ideal situation when

you can find it. Another option is to pay a mechanic a small amount to pull the

motor for you. Sometimes, you can even get a mechanic to pull the motor for

free if you let him keep it.

Low priced batteries and motors can be found locally. Again, this takes a

little bit of looking around but well worth the effort. For best results, get a

DC motor in the 9 to 13 inch range to get top speeds between 50 and 55 MPH. Use

deep cycle batteries. Youll need between 15 and 20 of these to achieve a range

of 200 miles between recharging and you can get away with fewer, but it will

require recharging more often.

Once you do complete your project take some time to get used to the

responsiveness. You must get a feel for the controller (the electric car version

of the gas pedal) because these things are surprisingly quick off the line. In

no time at all, youll have the feel of this car and be driving it everywhere.

Project plans are critically important. The right plans and diagrams will guide

you step-by-step through the entire project. A high quality instruction manual

also provides priceless information on places to get all your parts very inexpensively-and

in some cases even free. As an example you can easily spend more than $6000 on

a conversion kit before you even buy a single battery for the vehicle. As a

comparison, you can complete the entire car for $500 including batteries by

investing $50 up front for a good set of plans, so a few bucks spent up front

will save you a ton of money in the long run.