How To Build An Electric Car

We EV enthusiasts are happy that there are once again some great electric cars on the market. But wait a minute…didn’t this happen once before? Indeed it did. In the late 90s and early 2000s several major manufacturers built and sold factory-built electric cars. Ford Ranger EV, Toyota Rav 4 EV, and Honda’s EV Plus all come to mind. And of course for those of you who have not seen “Who Killed The Electric Car”, there is the infamous EV1 built by General Motors. I have searched and can not find a single negative review on any one of these now decade old EVs, and yet all of the manufacturers ceased production citing a variety of different reasons. As most of them were leased and not sold to consumers, there are very few left around today. The vehicles that the manufacturers got back as lease returns were destroyed or used for testing. The EV1 in particular had a large following and a list of people willing to buy the car outright but GM took back all their EV1s and destroyed them anyways.

So here we are, more than 10 years later and there are several EVs coming to market again. The Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and Mitsubishi i-MiEV are now on the market and in showrooms. What are we to think, is this just like last time? Are we going to get attached to our wonderful EVs and have them yanked out from under us again? I think electric cars are here for good this time for a number of reasons.

1. The Leaf, Volt and i-MiEV are available for SALE, not just lease – This is a major difference from the route that Ford, Honda and GM took last time. Honda and GM only made their electric cars available for lease, while Ford leased most Ranger EVs and sold only a few. This means the manufacturer can’t take your car back. It’s that simple. And if they sell (and they are), then there will be dealer service and factory parts available likely for the life of your EV.

2. Battery technology is better and more affordable now – The factory EVs from the late 90s used NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) batteries with lead acid being an option for the Ranger EV. Although the NiMH batteries were far lighter than the lead acids, they came with their own set of reliability issues. Lead acid batteries had long been the standard for home-built electric cars but the range was not considered sufficient for a factory built EV. The Volt, Leaf and Mitsubishi EVs are now using lithium-ion battery technology. They are lighter, have a longer range and life expectancy, and the cells are individually replaceable in the event of a failure. All three manufacturers are offering some sort of long-term battery warranty as well.

3. The market wants them – People are more concerned with making environmentally friendly purchases than ever before. Green options exist in almost every market and cars are no exception.

I think factory electric cars are here to stay this time. The technology is better than ever and they’re more affordable than they were last time around. We can only hope that the manufacturers are committed to make it work.

I finally received my batteries this week bringing me one step closer to driving my EV. I am using 10 Deka Dominator 12V AGM batteries that I picked up for $10 each! I found this deal by advertising my need on a local classified site and got a response from a guy who works on EV’s and happened to be placing an order for a new pack. Since the batteries he was replacing had a few years use on them and are not in new condition, they were only good for a starter EV or solar application. He was happy to help me out with an awesome price!

Chevrolet Volt vs Nissan Leaf

You are no longer short on options when considering electric vehicle ownership. Home built electric vehicles were the standard for a long time and most EVs on the road today are home-built. There are however, more and more options coming available from trusted manufacturers every year. Nissan and GM are the most noteworthy recent entrants to the electric vehicle market with the Nissan’s Leaf and GM’s Volt. But have we really reached the end of garage-built conversions? I don’t think so at all.

Factory built electric cars offer many advantages from dealer service to warranties and guaranteed quality workmanship. They’re efficient, fun to drive and good-looking. Nissan’s Leaf can travel an impressive 100 miles on a charge and GM’s Volt can travel 25-50 miles on pure electricity and nearly 350 miles in addition to that on gasoline. Not bad. But here’s the thing … The Volt will cost you around $41,000 and the Leaf will cost you nearly $33,000. That’s a lot of money even after you account for federal tax incentives. Both of these cars are in the luxury midsize price range. Although they do come packed with the latest in electric vehicle technology, you will pay for the privilege. If you have the means and really do just want an electric car with no hassle, then a volt or a Leaf is likely for you.

The issue with factory electrics at this point in time is that there is very little to choose from. What if you want to drive a 2 seater sports car (assuming you can’t afford a Tesla)? What if you need the versatility of a pickup truck? How about those who just straight up don’t like the looks of the Volt or the Leaf? Home conversion is your best option. You can build the vehicle you want and you can build it to the range, charge time and budget that suits your needs. If you only need to travel 10 miles per day it may not suit you well to spend an extra 20-30 thousand on range that you don’t need. Building your own electric vehicle gives you full control over what you want, something that many electric car enthusiasts will not give up. I don’t think that the resurgence of factory electric cars has spelled the end of the home-built market. On the contrary, I think that the extra attention that they have brought to electric cars will lead to more people deciding to build their own.

If you are interested in building your own electric car, and just don’t know where to start, I recommend checking out this how-to guide