March 11, 2007 1-3 PM
Intro to EVs Workshop
Hi Everyone,
Fear not AustinEVers! Your emails about the EV Intro haven’t fallen into a void. The EV Intro Workshop will be held Sunday March 11 from 1-3 PM. I’ll be free later if it runs longer, but I think we can hit a lot of the big points in two hours. The location isn’t nailed down yet, but will likely be around North central Austin. I’ll send out an update when the place is decided. If you can’t make it March 11, we’ll probably do this again in the future, so please let me know if you can’t make it and are still interested.
Please RSVP to me at this address: [rsvp address]
Again, the goals of this free workshop are to cover the basics of what is involved in an electric vehicle conversion. Specific answers will depend on the details of your conversion, but we’re here to help frame the process and set realistic expectations.
Here’s a list of some of the topics we’ll hit – I’m sure there will be more:
Choosing a donor vehicle
Battery types
AC vs. DC systems
Safety
Keep the transmission? Clutch?
To use a kit or not?
Heat & A/C
Please RSVP, bring your questions and I’ll see you Sunday March 11!
Erik
Below is a list of questions that people emailed me. I’m attaching them here to spur more questions you might have.
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1. How to spot a good donor vehicle, & where to look (especially for those of us who were not “car people” — until the EV ; )
2. New & future battery possibilities (that Cedar Park company??).
3. Problems you encountered that were not covered in the “Convert It” book (or you think were especially important…).
4. Companies you found especially helpful (kit resources, etc…)
5. Companies you would steer clear of & why.
6. Air bags??? This one is on behalf of my mother whose 1st question was… you guessed it! I have been driving a 1989 car all this time, so that is not as important to me. I just want an EV! I only throw this question in because some of our group seem very safety conscious (judging from the e-mails).
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I’m new to ev’s, so anything will help.
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An overview of safety accessories and failsafe measures would be handy. I’ve built a few crude systems and have put them to practical use, but I’d like tips on how to prepare for the unexpected and how to make my EV super-duper safe.
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1) I want to know more using an electric car as a commuter vehicle. All the pros and cons.
2) I want to know more about the time involved. Can someone who wants an electric car to fill a practical need get one converted in a relatively short amount of time? Or does everyone need to put in a year of work?
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I have seen some of the conversion calculators on the net and it would be nice to know what kinds of things make what kinds of difference. For example, why are higher voltage systems preferred? Also it seems like some people leave in the transmission, but I thought that you could direct drive the axles with an electric and that this was even one of the advantages of the electric system.
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What cars are best for conversions. Where are the best places to get the batteries.
How about maintenance of the EV once built.
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How much is it really going to cost me? If I start with nothing, what are some of the other unlisted costs of an EV, ie..automotive tools, etc.?
How can I judge if this car is simply to old for the conversion? Info or parts availability? Which factory parts should I make sure are going to be available in the future?
