If this range seems low to you, consider that, 70% of Americans in cities drive less than 25 miles per day, 90% drive less than 50. Half of all trips are less than 5 miles. The average car trip is less than 10 minutes, an EV's range in typical city driving is about 60 minutes. While EVs are not for everyone, the majority of us could meet our daily transportation requirements in an EV.

2. Is it possible to get up to a 75 to 100 mile range with an EV using battery power alone?
When using "Lead Acid Batteries" alone it is not practical to try and get 75 to 100 miles or more on a single charge. The amount of weight required to get longer distances restricts the vehicle efficiency, by straining the capability of the batteries. Added weight means more rolling resistance, which increases the amount of energy required from the batteries. At this point the batteries start to lose life cycles from 500 down to 300 or less. This means you will get less than 24,000 miles from a battery pack, at a cost of more than $4,320. This computes to getting 5.5 miles / $1 of batteries. Add on the cost of about 50 cents per recharge.

It all depends on your reason for wanting an electric car. If you want to improve the expense of driving you should settle for a range of 25 to 40 miles per charge. The efficiency goes up to more than 24,000 miles while using a smaller battery pack costing less than $1,080. That is about 22.2 miles / $1 of batteries. When you add on the cost of electricity at less than 20 cents per charge, and with no oil changes, emissions tests, tune-ups, etc. Then you improve your expense of driving.

If you want an electric vehicle for environmental reasons, it is up to you and how bad you want one. We can do a conversion on a Geo Metro (or the smallest/lightest car available) that will get almost 100 mile per charge. When using a larger Vehicle, or when expecting to get a greater range per recharge, the conversion will cost much more because of the bigger motors, controllers, and battery packs required. Along with removing floor pans or any other weight savings, and addition of frame and axle structures to carry the greater component weights.

3. What is the top speed of an Electric Vehicle?
Electric Vehicles can go just about as fast as most cars on the road. It really depends on how you set-up your batteries and motor configurations. If you want to go far, you may sacrifice top speed. We have some Electric Dragsters that have hit 150 mph and under 9 seconds in the quarter mile.

4. If I use a Bigger Vehicle to carry more Batteries, will I get more Range?
The larger the vehicle the shorter the range. More batteries is more weight. The more weight, the power to weight ratio goes down. The smallest, lightest, most aerodynamic Electric Vehicles get the most range. It isn't the fact of being able to carry more batteries to increase range, but to reduce weight. An S10 Pick-up truck is too heavy and very aerodynamically inefficient. The very best range I have heard of in this vehicle is 50 miles, and most get 20 to 30 miles per charge. I have heard of a Geo-Metro that got up to 100 miles per charge. If you check our "Projects" pages in our web site, you will see our new "Rally Car". It is made of the lightest space age materials possible to reduce weight and aerodynamics. We plan to get 200 miles with a single charge on this vehicle

5. What affect does Vehicle Size & Weight have on Range?
The Smallest, Lightest, Most Aerodynamic Vehicles will give you the most Range in an Electric Vehicle.

6. Can I have my 1988 Toyota long bed pickup converted to electric?
I do not recommend a pick-up conversion. The range for that vehicle would be about 20 miles while a Geo Metro would be over 40 miles. The total conversion cost would be $5000 to $7000. I think the extra expense of buying a Metro (usually available for $1000) is a bargain for the better EV. Since the battery pack would last twice as long, the savings on battery replacement will pay for the extra initial investment before long.

Charging & Batteries.
1. How long does it take to recharge an Electric Vehicle?
Depending on the battery pack used, it takes 8 to 10 hours or overnight using standard house current. You can charge whenever you have a chance using on-board 110 volt chargers,. 220 volt chargers are available also. They will permit faster charging, even in less than 3 hours, but are large and heavy and should stay in a stationary location.

It is possible to recharge in just minutes using charging stations that use what we call "dump charging".

2. What is "Dump Charging"?
"Dump Charging" is the process of using a battery pack of higher voltage to charge another battery pack of lower voltage at a very high rate. Batteries can be charged just as fast or faster than they were discharged. Eventually we will have Recharging Stations instead of gas stations. You will be able to just pull in and refuel (recharge) as you do now with gas stations. Recharge stations will require large input electrical transformers and AC to DC rectification or another power source such as "Solar" or "Fuel Cells". I know of plans in the works now that will accomplish this. We can get rid of the myth that electric vehicles will have to sit for 8 to 10 hours a day!

3. How long will my batteries last? (How many cycles)
You can expect 3 to 5 years or up to 500 Cycles, at a cost of $600 to $1500 depending on the type of batteries used, in some cases much longer depending on how often you drive.

Considering Electric motors are expected to last 200,000 miles. This cost is recovered in the fact you won't need to maintain or replace an Engine.

2. Can an automatic transmission be used in a Electric Conversion?
Automatic transmissions reduce efficiency by about 20% and since the torque factor is different, they don't shift at the right time. We don't use the clutch or flywheel in most EV conversions. Direct drive is not a good option, as the gears provide better motor efficiency on acceleration.

3. What would it cost me to convert my vehicle to electric?
About $4,000 to $8,000 depending on vehicle and your driving requirements

4. What would be the price to obtain an Electric Vehicle?
Your choices right now are to convert a gas car, find a used EV or spend $40,000 or more for a General Motors EV-1, or other production hybrid or electric. The prices on all new EVs will remain very costly compared to gas cars for some time to come.

Used EVs can range from $4,000 to $15,000. The parts that go into a conversion total about $3,500 to $7000 depending on your requirements. You could do the conversion yourself, or it would be well worth the cost to have someone that is experienced in conversions do the work. Labor usually runs $2,500 to $5,000. A good choice for conversions would be a late model Geo Metro which would cost less than $14,000. Older Geo's in good shape with blown motors can be found for under $1,000.

Regen, Hybrid & other Assisted charging methods.
1. Will a hybrid Conversion be possible to save driving expenses and reduce pollution?
A Hybrid Conversion that will be cost effective to reduce your driving expenses along with being more favorable to the environment could be accomplished. First look at the Hybrids that are on the market. They start at around $25,000.

If you still would like to have a Hybrid conversion we could do this. We suggest to leave your existing motor and standard transmission in place. Using a Geo Metro for an example. It is front wheel drive. We can add an electric motor drive system to the rear axle, a small battery pack , a controller and a few switches. Remove the starting motor (you won't need that) and now you can drive with both gas and electric.

While driving, you would drive in stop and go traffic under electric power. When you get on a highway, you put the car in 3rd gear, turn on the key, let out the clutch, the motor starts and now you're driving (and efficiently) under gasoline power.

While driving using gasoline power you are recharging the batteries, When you slow to a stop or turn off the key, the engine stops, and your back under electric power.

You increase your range and fuel efficiency because you are only using the gas motor when it is the most efficient. You reduce the pollution because of that efficiency and you are using electric in "stop and go" traffic.

This conversion can be done for about $3,000 to $6000 depending on your vehicle.

2. Can I use solar panels on an Electric Vehicle to charge the Batteries?
I hear this question a lot, Sounds good! but No! Don't even think about it! You will waste your money!

To charge an EV using a 3.5 ft. by 4 ft. solar array will take to long, weigh to much, and will add aerodynamic resistance to your Vehicle. The Solar panel at best will put out about 150 W @ 25 degrees C surface temperature. It will take about 9.6 kW to recharge an EV. At the very best it would take 10 really good sunny days to recharge your Electric Vehicle. Realistically it would take a month to charge the vehicle so you could drive it for one day.

9600/[150 x 6] (hours of good sunlight per day) = 10.66 days

Of course this all depends on the battery pack system, where you live and time of year. And this is not even taking into account the very high cost of the "Solar Panels" , the extra weight and the reduction in aerodynamic efficiency.

Here is an example: If you spend the hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars for the Solar Panels & install them on your EV, the added weight and aerodynamic resistance will reduce your range at least by 10 percent. If you originally had a range of 50 miles per charge, it will drop to below 45 miles. If you have a really warm sunny day with 6 hours of sunlight (and you stay in the sun) you can expect to add about 150 x 6 = 900 watts of electricity to your EV. That would be about 9600w/900w = 10% of your total daily needs. This will bring your range back up to 49.5 miles. Net gain -.5 (negative .5) miles.

3. Can't EV's use a small Generator & eliminate batteries - Since Ships & Trains use Generators to Power Electric Motors?
It would take a very large generator (almost as large as the original gas motor) to provide enough electricity to power the motor at peak usage. The electric motor may require up to 500 amps at 144 volts at peak acceleration. That is 68400 watts or about 85 horsepower. So your generator will have to run at over 90 horsepower to provide that amount of watts (including the generator efficiency factor). That would require a (generator) motor about the size of the original gas motor.

In trains they could use generators to charge batteries that can me used to power electric motors on several cars on the train. Also since electric motors can deliver 3 times the torque of gas motors, you could have greater
acceleration, using several of the cars to push the train forward would put less stress on the whole system.

In a ship you can eliminate the drive train and run several electric motors in different locations on the hull to help in steering and controlling the movement forward, aft and to the sides. Using electric motors takes up less room and would isolate the noise to just one location that uses a motor driven generator to charge batteries.

This system would not be practical for a small car.

4. Could a small gas motor charge batteries and then use the batteries as a buffer for peak acceleration? (hybrid)
You still have a gas motor with gasoline (or other fuel) onboard. Now you decrease your efficiency because of the extra weight and still need to maintain your engine and stop for gas. We do not recommend a hybrid system of any kind. We suggest that if you need more range, use a fuel burning vehicle. If you would like to help the environment, then use an Electric Vehicle. Until the fuel cells come out, the range of an EV will be limited.
We insist that most driving is on short trips when a second vehicle, such as an "Electric Vehicle" could used.

5. Can I have a gas/electric powered four wheel recumbent bicycle powered by a small gas motor turning a set of six 24 volt alternators to power the electric motor?.
When turning energy from a gas motor into electric power to drive an electric motor you lose energy in the process. A 5 hp gas motor driving generators will produce only 4 hp (or less) of electricity (horsepower of an electric motor is measured in watts) due to a 20% efficiency loss. This is a loss of 1 hp of potential energy. You will also lose another 10 to 20% in mechanical losses in the drive system as well, leaving you with only about 3.2 HP of electric drive force at the wheel. You would be better off using the gas motor to drive the vehicle directly. If you want to use an electric motor to drive your vehicle you must use batteries. We do not recommend hybrid drive systems. There are lighter more powerful batteries than "lead Acid", but at an added price.

7. Car manufactures are building Hybrid cars. How come you say "they are not Practical"?I am always surprised when any manufacture or organization can not understand this.
Even some large car manufactures are producing these vehicles. They are using these vehicles for publicity and bypassing pollution requirements which in reality are not responsible. You could take these same vehicles and remove the electric drive system and still get the same if not better mileage. But, they would not meet the emission requirements of strictly gas driven vehicles.

8. What is REGEN?
REGEN is the process of returning electric energy back into the batteries. Using a special Controller the Electric Motor acts like a generator while the vehicle slows down. This recharges the batteries. You can expect an increase of range of about 2 to 8% at an additional Conversion Cost of about an $600 to $800 upgrade, depending on the Vehicle being converted. We DO NOT Recommend Regen systems.

Registration, Maintenance & Benefits of Owning an Electric Vehicle
1. What is the Maintenance of an Electric Vehicle?
It is best to say what you won't need to do! You won't need to worry about polluting the air, tune-ups, oil changes, coolants, mufflers, emission tests, engine rebuilds. Electric motors are expected to last over 200,000 miles. Consider that an electric motor has just a few moving parts while a gas engine has hundreds.

Once every few months battery connections should be checked for snugness and water level in the batteries. That's about all.

2. What problems may I encounter with Registration and Insurance?
You don't need emission tests. The registration of a converted EV is routine. Insurance is also no problem except you may wish to insure your Electric Vehicle for a little more.

3. What are the environmental benefits of an Electric Vehicle?
Even using fuel burning power generating systems there is less emissions than using fuel burning vehicles. Fuels can be combusted more efficiently in controlled power plants. When you are using electricity that comes from hydroelectric systems there is very little or no emissions.

Studies show that the efficiency of transferring energy from the batteries to the wheels is about 70% compared to 20% with fuel burning vehicles.

The lead in batteries is permanent, compared to the amounts of lead consumed in gasoline. The lead stays in the batteries until it is time for them to be replaced. And then 100% of the lead is recycled.

4. How much does it cost to recharge an Electric Vehicle?
It costs about $3 a month to recharge for average electric car usage. Compare that to what you spend in gasoline!

If the cost of the batteries & electricity are about the same as an ICE then how is an EV Cost Effective & Practical?

Yes, your right!, They are not very practical. We don't say they are cost effective. Unless you care about the environment. Then electric cars are practical! They are 80% efficient and ICE's are about 20%, which means a reduction in pollutants. The best conversion is the size of a Geo-Metro. The life cycles of the batteries goes up to 500 cycles and the range is up to 70 miles between recharges. The EV standard specification of range is to be very conservative. When we say 25 to 40 miles, it could be up to 60 miles, depending on the terrain you travel. The range only starts to be below this distance in the last few battery cycles. Most EV users commute with their conversions less than 40 miles. Most will brag about their vehicles and they Care about the environment. Do You?

5. Where is the advantage of an EV, when the electricity still comes from oil power plants?
Gas motors are about 20 percent efficient in cars because they are running even when you don't use them. While accelerating they are also very inefficient. Gas motors can be much more efficient when you can control them in "Electric Generating Plants". You can run them at a constant efficient rpm. This efficiency goes up closer to 80 percent. Meaning they can convert gas into electricity and only lose 20 percent of energy. Compared to 80 percent in gas cars. This in an improvement of 400% in efficiency or a 75% reduction in pollution. Also there are other methods to create electricity that don't even use gas power plants. Like hydroelectric, wind power and photo cells. Soon we can use all sorts of power to create hydrogen and then power your home, car, cell phone or anything else, without even using batteries.
And an even bigger advantage is that the design and maintenance of electric motors is simpler and cheaper than any gas motor. A $1,500 electric motor will outlast and out perform any equal powered gas engine (even at 6 times the cost). Hybrids are an improvement because the gas motor doesn't need to run while your stopped or while accelerating. Not because it has a more efficient motor. Hybrids will not be required after the "fuel cell" cars hit the market
 

Electric Motor Horsepower & Types of Motors to use in an EV.
1. What Horsepower Motor should I use in my Electric Vehicle?
The Horsepower ratings for Electric Motors are a little deceiving. Electric Motors have about 3 times the torque than gas motors and the peak horsepower is basically limited only to the controller and system voltage used. An Advanced DC motor rated at 17.5 hp will power a Geo-metro to over 70 mph.

In a way we have been conditioned to distinguish Motors by the Horsepower rating. This has been influenced by ICE's (Internal Combustion Engines), but is a bit different when determining the power of a Electric Motor (actually Electric Vehicle System)

ICE motors basically come equipped with all the Horsepower limiting factors installed as one unit. These components include the Carburetor (or other fuel mixture devices such as fuel injections or turbo Charging), Cubic Inches, Compresion Ratio, Air intake systems, Exhaust systems, Valve design systems, Timing Systems and all other horsepower determining factors.

Electric Drive systems have separated horsepower determining factors. This includes the Controller, Battery Pack System Voltage, Wiring Resistance, Rolling and Aerodynamic resistance, and in a smaller part the Electric Motor that is used. All of these components and factors determine the Horsepower Rating in an Electric Vehicle.

Horsepower is related to the energy used. The conversion factor of Wattage to horse power, is about .746. In other words it takes 746 watts to make 1 Horsepower. Some of the advantages in EV's are the fact that you will waste less power (efficiency) or you could say you need LESS Horsepower.

The Controller and the System Voltage are really the factors that limit the peak horsepower in an EV. If you are using a 120 volt system & a 550 amp peak Controller, it is possible to send about 66000 watts or 66kw of electricity to the motor. If you use an efficiency factor of 90% for the Controller system, then you actually get about 59.4kw. The horsepower conversion factor of wattage is .746. Which means if you divide this factor into the kilowatts you get horsepower. 59.4 /.746 = 79.6 horsepower. Of course you will need a motor that can handle this peak wattage.

If you increase the system voltage or Controller peak amperage, then you can increase the horsepower, without even changing your motor.

2. If I use a bigger DC Motor will I have more Horsepower to go up steep hills?
Not necessarily! Your power is limited by your Controller not your Motor. In fact you may even reduce your range and ability to climb hills because of the extra inefficiencies of a larger motor. If you need more power you could increase your voltage or change your Controller to a greater "Peak Amperage" rating. The only time you would use a larger motor is if you max out the wattage delivered to the motors capability. This is the point when the motor gets overworked and starts getting to hot to be efficient. If you need more horsepower after that, then you could go to a larger motor, but be prepared to lose some range.

3. Can I use a AC power system in a Electric Vehicle Conversion?
The brushed series DC motor is the best overall motor for affordable road-going conversions available today. AC motors operate at high rpm that have to be stepped down, and have expensive and complex speed control systems. Brushless DC motors (actually another kind of AC motor) also require expensive controllers. Permanent magnet motors are very efficient, but only in a very narrow rpm band, and quickly lose their efficiency in the varying speeds of normal driving. Shunt and compound motors are more expensive to build and have poorer acceleration than series motors. For these reasons, the brushed series DC motor is the motor of choice.

The AC systems Cost to much. The Motors may cost a little less, but the controllers cost alot more. The series wound DC motor systems provide the best power to weight ratio per cost in EV's. Theoretically AC systems are the most efficient, but just for stationary power system. AC systems are most efficient, when you are using AC to power them. The AC controllers that turn DC from the batteries to AC for the motor have additional efficiency loses in the process and they cost alot more than DC Controllers. Your AC efficiency then is lost. DC Motors are already about 90% efficient and the DC system is about 80% efficient. If there would be any improvement by AC even at 95% efficiency, it would hardly be worth it.

DC drive Electric Vehicles also don't require the Mechanical transmission as much as the AC systems. Power is controlled by the "Controller". You should still keep your Manual Transmission in any case. You may only use 2 of the gears, but it gives you better acceleration. The clutch however can be eliminated in most cases.

Since you are charging DC batteries anyway there is no advantage in battery charging with the grid using an AC system. There are DC chargers that us circuits as well as the old rectifiers and transformers to turn the AC to DC for the battery charging. You have the additional option of using Solar power and the future "Fuel Cells" that will provide DC power in any voltage to charge your batteries without even using the "grid" or a Battery Charger. I understand you could use the same electronics to both control the power to the motor and to charge your batteries, but the cost, and replacement is also a factor. Being compatible is also very important. Look what happened to "Apple" and "Beta". You will be confined to just using AC to charge your batteries, or you will be carrying around a system that you won't even be using. Using a DC system will give you several more options, and you can keep your heavy "Battery Charger" at home.

The new "Dump Station" Charging systems will be able to charge your batteries in minutes, using DC power even without using the "grid". You may also want to be prepared to replace your batteries with the new "Fuel Cell" systems that will be out soon. They will provide virtually unlimited DC energy to power your vehicle.

So the answer is, stick to DC EV systems