While a good guide is absolutely essential if you want to turn your vehicle into an electric car, there are a few other things you need as well. So here is a list of things you must have before you start your normal to electric car conversion project:
1. KNOWLEDGE IN AUTOMOBILE THEORY
To build your own electric car, you need to have at least a working knowledge of how cars work, how they work, what makes them work; in other words, a knowledge about the basic theories of automobiles.
The Internet has many resources available related to this particular topic. You can also buy guides or manuals online to help you convert your normal car to electric. Another great way to gather knowledge is to join car forums and interact with car experts and other car enthusiasts.
2. PRACTICAL YET COMFORTABLE WORKSPACE
You must have enough workspace before continuing with your project. A recommended work area should be:
has. big enough for the car;
b. roomy enough to accommodate parts to be taken out as well as new parts waiting to be installed;
against has enough space for the legs;
d. large enough for at least two people to fit and work together comfortably (you may need help carrying and lifting heavy parts, cleaning, or even expert advice while you work);
me. reasonably dry and has a space sheltered from rain or cold weather (you may want to work outdoors, but may need to keep some mechanical parts indoors to prevent them from getting wet and rusting);
f. well lit
3. VEHICLE RIGHT DOOR
You must have an appropriate donor vehicle in mind. To find the best vehicle to convert to an electric car, consider your travel needs (mileage, space, speed) and compare it to the rules of thumb for choosing a suitable donor vehicle.
Take note of these few simple rules before deciding on your choice of vehicle:
o A light and spacious car is recommended.
o Avoid choosing vehicles that are more than 10 years old for the main reason that you might have trouble finding parts that old.
o On the other hand, avoid newer or exotic vehicles, for the same reason as older vehicles.
4. PARTS REQUIRED
The parts required to build your own electric car are less compared to a normal car. Here are the main parts of an electric car that you absolutely must have:
oMotor
or Controller
batteries
DC-DC converter
o Vacuum brake pump
or battery charger
To put these parts together, you may need to search for them or you can try logging into forums that concentrate on electric car topics. You can find very useful links to dealers and suppliers of conversion kits (mechanical parts to build an electric car). You can also ask if they do custom fit parts for your specific vehicle type.
5. TOOLS NEEDED
To build your own electric car, you will have to take care of tasks such as metal work, electrical wiring, welding and even a little carpentry. It must be equipped with the proper tools. It doesn’t matter if you buy, borrow or rent them, as long as you have everything you need. But it might be a good investment for you to buy the main tools, especially if you plan to build electric cars on a regular basis.
