brainstorming an electric vehicle
 

I know, I just bought a new car...

but I want to build an electric car. if anything as a commuter for my wife or for running to the grocery store.

requirements:

cheap conversion (maybe $2000-ish?)
easy conversion (duh!)
at least 60 mile range on a charge

the first thing I think of us a small pickup truck. The bed can hold the batteries and I won't need to do much fab work to get them to fit. If it's mainly a commuter, aerodynamic issues won't come into play (neither wife or I get on the freeway to go to work). There is also the possibility of adding a small solar array to the bed to help charging in the future.

But I think it would also be fun to convert something like an older honda, or maybe an older VW Bug.

Anyway... would love to hear any suggestions.

How about a n600:D or mybe a VW rabbit circa 1980's

Please don't cut up any of your 600's...

I hate to be a downer, but 60 miles is going to be a serious challenge in a budget conversion. You'll need a lot of batteries. I know Toecutter's got the weight/range/cost formulas at his fingertips. He may chime in. :)

Don't forget to factor in a 25-50% range reduction in winter temperatures. Is there no way of charging half way, at work?

If my wife drives it, it can easily be recharged at work. If I go for the truck conversion, I can do the solar panels eventually.

In all reality, my wife works 3 miles away. I'd like to overshoot actual numbers though, because a vehicle with a 10 mile range isn't too impressive.

I DID see a guy on that austinev site that converted an old late-70s honda civic with a 60 mile range.

But adding range that you don't really "need" just sets up a vicious circle of decreasing efficiency (from added weight, assuming lead acid) and escalating costs to manage that decreased efficiency: more range = more battery weight --> more cabling --> bigger host vehicle --> larger motor --> more powerful controller --> stronger charger --> more batt maintenance (assuming floodies) ...

Since an EV will only ever be a second car for most people with current battery tech, just aim for what you need.

What are your top speed requirements, how many stops on the route, are there large hills, what's the weather like? Given your budget, I'm going to suggest going with a smaller pack with a custom genset... That way you can make sure the pack is always between 30-80% charge in order to extend it's life, get a significant amount of power from the grid, while not having to worry about running out of charge.

Buy a small diesel generator, and use that to power your electric motor, or charging system etc. Then you can have a 10 mile range on batteries, and have a backup plan if you run out of power :)

Edit : seeing the post above, looks like I took to long to post ;)

Can I have the old first gen rex?

That's the wife's car... not mine... besides, I'm going to be painting it soon :)