How to Make a Electric Car

Jane Oke asked: When we set out to learn how to make a electric car we weren’t sure how hard it would be. Today, after doing 3 complete conversions we are certain that anyone even the novice can build their own electric car. What do you need to start? ??First you need a place to work- garage, shop or even your laneway ??Simple tools that every home workshop has in it- wrenches, cordless drill, some power tools etc. ??Detailed plans on how to make a electric car We recommend that you start out by finding the right vehicle to convert into an electric car. Small cars and trucks are best. They are light and strong and small trucks have lots of room for battery placement. Our personal favorite is older Toyota small pickups or Ford Rangers; both are good trucks with proven electric car conversion success. You will next need deep cycle batteries (about 20) and a DC electric motor. We are thankful that the plans showed sources of free batteries and DC motors we could use for our electric car. That really helped keep the cost down of our conversion- a big part of the expense is in those two items. You should be able to do your own conversion for only a few hundred dollars- about the cost of one major repair. But the benefits are long lasting. Electric motors require very little maintenance for one thing. They just don’t break down that often. And of course you won’t have to put gas in your car anymore- a major benefit. Where do all those batteries go? We like to build custom boxes and put the batteries in the frame of the vehicle, but ready made battery boxes are available too. You can locate some batteries up front since the DC motor and controller don’t take up much space. You can usually put 6 or more up there. With a truck you can locate the batteries in the box if you want to. This does cut down on carrying capacity though. This is probably the biggest decision you will have to make- batteries vs. carrying capacity. Learning how to make a electric car is really about learning some new skills and applying them to new technology. It really isn’t difficult though. Your new electric car will be able to go 50 mph on the highway and have a range of up to 200 miles; and the acceleration… We were amazed at the stoplight to stoplight speed. This is not a slow moving electric golf cart here; this is a very quick machine. We just love driving by gas stations now. The first time you drive by a fill up station you will know why we are always smiling, you will be too. Did you know that gas prices are expected to rise to $7 per gallon by next year? Isn’t it time you did your own conversion? Let’s get started. Solar power Read more on How to Make a Electric Car… Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Post on Google Buzz Add this to Mister Wong Share this on Mixx Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This! Get Shareaholic

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How to Make a Electric Car

Harnessing Amibient Light For Solar Energy

SolarPrint Launches Unmatched Energy Harvesting Technology for Low-Power Wireless Sensor Applications Irish company offers a next-generation photovoltaic solution for indoor solar energy harvesting SolarPrint , a leading photovoltaic (PV) energy technology developer, today expands the possibilities of next-generation energy harvesting for wireless sensors with the launch of its dye-sensitised solar cell (DSSC) technology. SolarPrints DSSC technology, which is integrated into wireless sensors to improve harvesting efficiencies of commercial applications, pushes the boundaries of existing PV solutions and increases the power output performance of indoor PV solutions dramatically. Read more on Harnessing Amibient Light For Solar Energy… Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Post on Google Buzz Add this to Mister Wong Share this on Mixx Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This! Get Shareaholic

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Harnessing Amibient Light For Solar Energy

Who Killed The Electric Car?

George Christodoulou asked: Ever watch this movie; “Who Killed the Electric Car?” starring Ed Begley Jr. and Phyllis Diller; directed by Chris Paine. It’s an awful site for anyone who loves the environment. We **** to see the smog when we look out over a cities horizon, but we do. Cars are known to cause the most pollution out of any culprit. After learning this why are we still driving in those gas guzzling polluting machines? Well, this movie sheds a little bit of light on that. The movie’s underlying message is all about the death and return of the electric car. It goes into the history of on particular electric car the Prius; where it began, how it sold at first, how it’s doing now, and how it will do in the future. Who killed the electric car picture one The film talks about why we have entered an age where we are almost completely dependent on foreign oil. Instead of buying cars that are energy efficient, people are more likely to buy huge SUV’s that **** down more gas than necessary. Obviously, if you walk around and look at the cars driving, you can see this in action. People are driving huge cars; why? Commercials will say that they are safe and insurance companies lower your premiums. If you are in the business world, you know that large cars sell for higher prices even if there is only a little more production cost. Companies have to stay competitive in the market. GM, in recent years, has had problems and need to make more money; thus, they need to sell the high marked items, not electric vehicles. Although, the movie does shoe the bad side of the car companies and how they destroy the image of the electric car, there are others who see that the movie is not truthful. Like any documentary of this sort ( Like “Supersizeme”) some of the facts are very one sided. For example, one fact not mentioned is;10 years ago, electric cars were less effective because the batteries they ran on held less power. In addition, the price of the cars were about, $299 to over $574 per month which is pretty steep compared to other cars leaving it only to a small minority of car purchasers. Also, there are no numbers shown in the movie that coheres with there accusations. Finally, they never mention the fact that electric cars are powered by power plants which cause harm to the environment in the end anyway (the only difference is this is easier to control rather than 100k cars) If you are interested in electric power and electric cars, I assume you will go off and watch this film. It is one side of the story that should be supplemented by other research. There are two sides to this conspiracy so you do need to see both sides. Read all the information including specifications of all the vehicles on the market today as well as in the past. Some of the information might get confusing like the drag coefficients and all of that but you can still learn a lot. Solar power Read more on Who Killed The Electric Car?… Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Post on Google Buzz Add this to Mister Wong Share this on Mixx Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This! Get Shareaholic

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Who Killed The Electric Car?

Electric Car Parts – What Are the Main Parts of Electric Car Driving Systems?

Humayun Altaf asked: Electric cars are different from the fuel propelled ones. They have a simpler driving system that provides these cars with the needed energy to roll the streets for a reasonable period of time. Whether it is a golf Cart, RV, Trike or any other electrically propelled vehicle, its system should have the three main electric car parts, the motor, the controller and the battery. The electric motor is the most important one of all the electric car parts in your vehicle. It is the part responsible for the propelling of the car and it comes in three popular types, the DC wound, the Permanent magnet DC and the AC motor. The AC is the most complex one but it is the most efficient in the same time. It is usually used in these vehicles that need extra power to move and climb steep hills. On the other hand, the DC wound is the simple and the easiest electric motor to install but it produces less power than the AC one. It is sometimes preferred because of its lower cost. Number two on the important electric car parts is the battery. While some cars would use the standard car batteries as a source of energy, the more advanced ones use the Ni batteries as more efficient energy source that gives extra range of operation for the vehicle. They require less time to be charged and provides more energy for the motor attached. The third part of the electric car parts is the controller and this part is responsible for power management, it senses the amount of energy needed by the motor and supplies it directly from the batteries in order to get the car to move. The controller is very important because it synchronizes the operation of both the motor and the battery. Water 4 Gas Read more on Electric Car Parts – What Are the Main Parts of Electric Car Driving Systems?… Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Post on Google Buzz Add this to Mister Wong Share this on Mixx Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This! Get Shareaholic

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Electric Car Parts What Are the Main Parts of Electric Car Driving Systems?

Disadvantages of Electric Cars

George Christodoulou asked: With all the current emphasis on going “green” and protecting the environment, it is no wonder that the electric car has come center focus. Especially now with soaring gas prices, consumers want to know their options. Traditional gas powered vehicles have long been the focus of those concerned with environmental issues, and so invariably inventors and car manufacturers look to improve the technologies available on the electric car. If you are considering the purchase of an electric car, you need to be realistic about their benefits. They’ve come a long way recently but they still have some significant disadvantages, and there are still limitations to their use and wide spread availability. Here are some disadvantages you may want to consider when evaluating if an electric car is feasible for your transportation needs: 1. Electric cars are expensive to own. If you’ve checked into the price of an electric car, you know they are not “low end”. It’s not so much the price of the car as it is the price of the batteries which they run on. If you’ve purchased batteries you know how the costs can add up quickly, and the batteries used in electric cars are lithium-ion, which are expensive. Also keep in mind that eventually the battery packs will need to be replaced, as they have a life of approximately 3 to 4 years. 2. The batteries will need to be recharged. A second disadvantage to an electric car is that the batteries will need to be recharged. This will require advanced planning because you’ll have to allow adequate time for the batteries to be fully charged. Now this might not sound like that big of a problem but if you are thinking of purchasing an electric car then you will need to make an honest assessment of how much you will use your vehicle. An extended or unplanned trip could be problematic if you haven’t had time to fully recharge the batteries. 3. Limits on driving distance. If you drive long distances, an electric car might not suit your needs, so you will need to consider how far you plan on driving your car. Most of the electric cars have limits on how many miles they can go before needing a recharge. Electric car maker ZAP recently announced that their electric car could travel up to 100 miles per single charge, but many people drive more miles than that round trip on a daily commute to work. This is definitely a limitation for those who intend to use the vehicle for getting to and from their place of employment. You certainly would not want to run out of batteries if you got stuck in a rush hour traffic jam. 4. Lack of power. Another disadvantage to the electric car is the lack of power, specifically quick pickup. If you do a lot of interstate driving there are going to be times when you will need to accelerate quickly to merge into traffic. Electric cars have come a long way in recent years but still have to overcome a few more obstacles before becoming widely embraced as a solution for many consumers. Water 4 Gas Read more on Disadvantages of Electric Cars… Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Post on Google Buzz Add this to Mister Wong Share this on Mixx Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This! Get Shareaholic

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Disadvantages of Electric Cars

Thinking About a Electric Motor Car Conversion?

Jared Wadel asked: You Will learn what kinds of electric car motors are needed for your electric car conversion. You will find out what options are available, what size you will need and also where to find electric motor car conversions in your own neighborhood. Ford Motor company, among many others, have made great progress in this area. Basically, electric motor car conversion involves removing the entire internal combustion engine from a vehicle, installing an electric motor in its place, and also adding a large bank of batteries. A electric automobile conversion will cost you about $6000 in parts, and about $1000-$3000 for batteries and installation. A Do It Yourself electric car conversion home project is definitely possible if you have the right tools and the right guide. With the rising of local gasoline prices, running a car has become an expensive ordeal. Everything from old Ford Taurus to Opel GT and even full scale trucks has gone electric or hybrid thanks to your owners. You can rest assure though that it takes a lot of time and energy to get it done, but surprisingly not a lot of money. But if you are buying second-hand, or online, double check everything yourself first, just to be sure. I went over everything with the proverbial fine tooth comb and I even talked with Les and Jane the owners of the site. They have converted their vehicles to electric and have learned all about how to get the batteries that you need to have an electric car, truck or whatever kind of vehicle you want to convert. Everything from the engine to the radiator, heater and air-conditioning, to the gauges on the panel. On top of that, the electric cars have to be recharged on a regular basis, which means having to purchase or use the services of recharging station. The most important thing is getting the right hybrid vehicles guide that shows you how to do everything. If you try to just guess and do it all yourself, then chances are you’ll mess something up, and you won’t want to damage your car. Solar Power for homes Read more on Thinking About a Electric Motor Car Conversion?… Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Post on Google Buzz Add this to Mister Wong Share this on Mixx Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This!

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Thinking About a Electric Motor Car Conversion?

History of Electric Vehicles – Timeline

The past decade has been the most significant ten-year period for EVs since the first ten years of the 20th century, when 38 percent of cars in 1900 were charging up, many with the aid of Thomas Edison-designed electric technology. Read more on History of Electric Vehicles – Timeline… Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Post on Google Buzz Add this to Mister Wong Share this on Mixx Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This!

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Electric Car Kits – Are They a Good Value?

Virgil Sandberg asked: If you are thinking about a homemade electric auto, is an electric car kit your best course of action? When you do a electric?vehicle conversion the first thing to think about is what kind of car you need. Remember that you will be driving this car around, so you want it to be in good shape, just by putting an electric motor in a car will not make it look better. It does not have to be new, just in good condition, a sound car with a junk motor is a good candidate. Any gas auto can be converted, but the best for conversions are your lighter more streamlined ones, a small truck is a great choice. A good homemade electric car manual will guide you through this process. An electric car kit will generally contain the following items: o D.C. motor o Adaptor for transmission o Controller to regulate speed o Circuit Breakers & Fusible links o Amp & Volt Gauge o Battery box o Miscellaneous parts like cables, connectors and so on. o A conversion manual An electric car kit is convenient as they give you all the parts you need to do a conversion. The drawback to buying an electric car kit is that you can get all these parts yourself, they are widely available, and you can get them yourself at a fraction of the cost. A good manual will have links to low cost suppliers and even information on free sources. A key point to remember is that while an electric car kit gives you the parts, you still have to do all the work yourself. Another point to think about is the cost, most kits are going for over $10,000 while a good manual will show you how to do the whole conversion process for around $500-600. The choice is yours pay several thousand to have your parts bought for you, or get them yourself and save money. Since you have to do the work yourself anyway, I choose the less expensive way for a homemade electric auto Solar Power for homes Read more on Electric Car Kits – Are They a Good Value?… Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Post on Google Buzz Add this to Mister Wong Share this on Mixx Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This! electric vehicle

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Electric Car Kits Are They a Good Value?

Electric Car Kit

Matthew Burns asked: An electric car kit is a kit that either turns a normal car into an electric car, or more typically turns it into a hybrid car. The reason why these types of cars are popular is because they are fuel efficient, reduce pollution and reduce gas expenses. Some people have a misconception about these conversion kits – they believe that they will reduce your car’s performance. In fact, they do not effect your car’s performance because they only convert energy that would have been wasted into electricity. This is then stored for use later. So, in effect, these cars are recycling waste energy, not draining energy out of the engine. However, one thing is clear – it can be very expensive to convert a gas powered car into a hybrid electric car, due to all the additional components that must be fitted with an electric car kit. For instance, you would need to install a secondary, electric engine into the car, alongside the gas powered engine. A better option to the electric car kit is to try a hydrogen conversion kit. This is a modification that converts the waste energy into a chemical fuel, which is then burned together with the gasoline. This works on the same principle of using the waste energy of the car to produce more useful power, but it does not require a secondary engine to use this power. The excess electricity is instead used to separate water into flammable gases, which are immediately injected into the fuel mixture of the car, releasing more energy that the engine can use. The conversion is very easy to do – you don’t even need to buy a conversion kit. You can make the hydrogen gas converter yourself, using cheap and easy to buy components, and installing into your engine is easy. The converter is made from cheap components that you can acquire without any. And, unlike an electric car kit, if you find that it doesn’t work for you (thousands have found that it does) you can easily remove it and revert your car to its original state. There is a simple step by step guide that you can follow. Click on the link below to find out more. Solar Power for homes Read more on Electric Car Kit… Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Post on Google Buzz Add this to Mister Wong Share this on Mixx Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This!

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Different Types Of Home Heating Boilers

Regardless of whether you are dealing with oil boilers or gas boilers as a fuel source, there are quite a few different types of boilers for heating your home. The engineering behind these has come a long way from the more aged cumbersome designs that used to take up half the space in your basement, and now are they not only very efficient, but also small enough to be placed almost anywhere in your home that can be vented to the outside. It is crucial for the lay individual to understand what types of gas boiler or oil boilers are out there, simply because this willassist you decide which model is best for your needs. In quite a few instances, companies who trade and install these products don’t always take the time to explain them to you. If you are seeking to replace your existing home heating system, or are performing a new construction, then you really need to do your homework in order to fully grasp some of the technical jargon that companies usually use. Here are the different types of boilers, in a language that is basic and easy to understand. Regardless of whether you interested in gas boilers, or oil boilers , or some other fuel supple like electric, there basically 4 different types. The first type is the condensing boiler. These boilers are a more modern type, which condenses the exhaust from the fuel source and utilizes it to help heat your home. These boilers use much less fuel to heat your home, lowering your heating bills. They also assist to lower the carbon dioxide, or green house gases that are released into the atmosphere. heated exhaust and recirculate it back into the unit, so you are utilizing this wasted heat to your advantage,instead of just letting it to be vented to the outside. The next type of oil boilers or gas boilers is the combi boiler. Some folks generally confuse these with the condensing boilers, but they are two totally different types. What the combi boiler system does is combine home heating with water heating. As a substitute of two seperate units, one unit functions both for heating your home and keeping the water you use hot. If you have heard of an inline hot water heater, then you understand how these boilers work. If not, then here is a quick run down. As opposed to standard water heaters that heat up a large tank of water, these combination unitd heat the water as it passes through the boiler. When you turn on the water, it passes through the heater and is hot by the time it comes out the other side. These units save you energy, and space, because one unit is performing two jobs, and there is no need for a heavy, cumbersome water heaters. The next type is the regular boiler. Simply put, these types don’t condense the exhaust, and are more old school. In the past there was no need to say ‘regular,’ because these were the typical until condensing boiler technology was developed. Lastly,there is the system boiler. This type of boiler has every thing in one unit, the circulating pump, and the expansion vessel, making them much simpler and less expensive to install. Read more on Different Types Of Home Heating Boilers… Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Post on Google Buzz Add this to Mister Wong Share this on Mixx Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This!

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Different Types Of Home Heating Boilers

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