We’ve reviewed the major parts that go into all electric vehicle conversions in past articles, but how do you go about selecting the best car to use? Some cars will definitely work better than others, although technically any vehicle can be converted. We can arrive at the near “perfect” selection by narrowing it down a bit.
First, we recommend using a car with manual transmission. It makes the entire process a lot easier. Don’t worry if you can’t drive a stick – you won’t have to shift once the conversion is complete. Next, The vehicle’s weight and size will influence the the range (i.e. how far the car can travel before the batteries need to be re-charged) and top speed
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So, When selecting the right choice for your electric vehicle conversion, there is a minor paradox to work out. You see, the lower the total weight of the finished product, the farther and faster it will ultimately go. Therefore the general rule is that smaller cars are better than bigger ones. But you must also keep in mind that the motor size and the number of batteries also effect the top speed and range. Obviously, 10 batteries will not take you as far as 20 will. In the same way, a 9 inch motor won’t produce as much power as a thirteen inch motor. So the space required for the battery, motor and other equipment must be balanced against the size of the vehicle you choose. Don’t forget, you’ll also need some amount of cargo space. The point is , choose the smallest car that will meet the project installations requirements.
The ideal candidate would be something like a Corolla, Elantra or other compact car or a small pickup truck. Small pickups are good because you can still have some available cargo space after you line the battery bank up in the front of the bed. Don’t convert your primary car. Save that for long trips and freeway driving, which is what most of us do. You’ll be better off getting an separate car for this project. A lot of times you can purchase an inexpensive car with no motor that is in really good shape otherwise. You can usually find these very inexpensively and it eliminates the need to pull the motor.
Even if you have to pull the gasoline engine, it really isn’t that complicated. I was actually surprised by how easy it was the first time I did it. Just rent an engine hoist and have a couple helpers at the ready. You can even offset some of the project expenses by selling the motor.
In the very worst case, you can pay a mechanic to pull the engine for you.He may even do it for free if you let him keep the engine. I’ve come across this more than once.Detach everything up to the clutch and flywheel assembly. Leave those in place.That will leave you enough space for batteries and DC motor mounting.
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