While a good deal of of us wait… and wait… for that terrifi all-electric vehicle to arrive at a price the intermediate Joe may afford, others are keen to convert their gas-guzzling vehicles to all-electric. Numerous reasons for this include, “Oh, I just purchased this fantasti vehicle but it sucks too much gas,” to, “I have the classic car, it’s in good condition but parts are no longer available, so I shall rip the guts out and convert to all-electric, as it will last longer!”

Such inspirational humans may either do the task themselves, or turn to a conversion company to handle all the sweat and tears for them. And the cost is quintessentially 50% less than buying a commercially devised electric vehicle, for now at least. But which conversion company do you choose?

There are some electric car conversion companies around now, a heap of specializing in queer models, while others promise to convert just when it comes to anything. The generalization of conversion choices ought to be sufficient to cause worry in any person giving careful consideration to converting a car to all-electric. This is because sure limitations still subsist if you want to convert your car to all-electric. Apart from the apparent cost limitation, the size of the vehicle is indispensable too, the weight, rolling resistance and so on. While converting a heavy truck is possible, it would be very costly!

Dealing with conversion companies

While there are two sides to each story, it’s wise to know what your rights are. It is also wise to establish a set of conditions that would make both parties happy.

EV conversion companies use a lot of resources when converting your car; including personnel and materials. It’s never a one-man show, as specialists are called to do stuff that they’re good at; persons with electrical knowledge, welding skills, gearbox experts (adapter plate machining), battery management technology, car computer and instrument interfacing, on-board diagnostics and programming and so on, not to mention element costs and accounting accuracy as constituents are sourced and ordered.

If you ever listen somebody say ‘I did this car all by myself’, be wary. While the odd talent exists (I recognise a couple of odd geniuses:-D ) there’s normally at least a second set of hands involved, and why not? Second views and expert psychological result of perception learning and reasoning areas ought to be employed for a good all-round result. As demand for conversion increases, a one-man show would need to outsource more frequently.

It’s in the details

Firstly, see to it that what is offered will be as precise as possible to the best of their ‘expert’ knowledge; the time frame for conversion, the expected range, power, drivability, if you want air con and power steering etc., etc. Ensure, for example, that you are distinctly told the real, practical range of your vehicle. Yes it may go for 100 miles on a single charge but are you told that figure is while driving on the straight and level? It would be less if you live in a hilly area. And less again if the cited range did not include the safe battery voltage drop level (yes, flatten the pack on 100 miles or leave a reserve and you get 80 miles (and the pack survives longer when treated well).

Certainly a lot of EV stuff is in a gray area as new engineering is invented but the industry is starting to mature these days, partially due to the availability of proven components. Yet the cowboys do exist.

Checklist: Judging the work done on your car

While a road-worthy certification engineer may look for the safety essentials, he or she may not consider a lot of potential future issues and plainly that person is not fascinated in the finish of your car which may be at peril in the shop (for example, welding spots appearing on the paintwork).

Here’s a checklist of what I feel will have to be a reasonable quality target to meet. Doesn’t cover everything but you’ll get the idea. Maybe one day industry standards in this field will be established. For now, don’t just have other humans work on your car with tacit guarantee. Always get a written one.

• Cabling; make sure the wiring/cabling all around your vehicle is of the right thickness to handle the current as dictated by the chosen battery pack, motor and controller. High voltage cabling amongst front and rear battery packs in a typical EV ought to be in plastic flex conduit and securely fastened with saddle clamps or similar, and through-holes ought to have rubber washers secured in place.
• Ensure the charger is the right one for the pack; a heap of chargers will charge to just above 144v for a 144v nominal system but you actually need a higher shut-off voltage so the batteries may be charged to their peak specified voltage (this will vary for 96v, 120v and 144 volts schemes and the types of batteries selected).
• Ensure all contacts, relays and EV parts are well-built and in suitable positions in your engine bay/trunk areas (e.g., don’t mix the high voltage side with the 12v side in the one relay box).
• The Certification Engineer is improbable to look at the BMS installed, so make sure that all PCBs have been inspected, that soldering is of a professional quality, no arid joints etc and that there are no burn marks around the battery interconnects (some progressed battery management parts are now encased in resin and are made with surface-mounted components. These are distinctively maintenance-free).
• Ensure that the batteries supplied are held at a safe voltage (to preserve battery life) and that includes the accessaries battery (ensure you are not provided with a second-hand accessaries battery and told it is new and when it fails you are not told to go and buy the alternate yourself, for example. It has happened!).
• When batteries are sitting around waiting to be installed, make sure the contacts are cleaned. This is in particular essential for Thunderskys as the terminals may pile up an oxide layer. A light wire brush scrubbing will remove this and the peril of resistance and consequential inefficient performance.
• Internal trim; assure not one thing is ripped, torn or missing (includes dash elements and plastic screw flush covers, plastic surrounds etc). Ensure seats and carpet are not damaged or dirty from exposure to workshop materials (dust, paint, metal fibers, welding detritus etc).
• External; see to it the body has no new dings and that panels have been substituted in the right manner with no broken snap-locks or missing bungs, clips, etc.
• Ensure that all the ancillary parts in your vehicle work as they did before (air con, radio, interior lights, alarm scheme etc).
• Ensure safety precautions such as rectify fire extinguisher installed (my engineer missed this and I genuinely installed it after the inspection). ‘High Voltage’ warning labels ought to be applied in visible locatings in the engine bay and trunk where more batteries may be located.

These are just numerous items that a checklist could have on it. For any EV provider it’s an necessary read; for themselves as Quality Assurance, and for the client who would have his/her own ‘delivery inspection sheet.’ While a client is not expected to recognise all this, a checklist of necessities is reassurance for an highpriced investment.

- And that’s the way it will have to be; like getting a new car off the showroom floor, and in a sense, that’s precisely what it’s about.

* Oh, and don’t forget the citrus smell. Nice.

Carmel M Morris

Electric Car Kits Are They A Good Value Image

Electric Car Kits Are They A Good Value Image

Electric Car Kits Are They A Good Value Picture

Electric Car Kits Are They A Good Value Picture

Electric Car Kits Are They A Good Value Photo

Electric Car Kits Are They A Good Value Image