User:Jthiller/Electric Car: Difference between revisions

ABSTRACT

Introduction

The goal of this project is to build an electric at a relatively low [American] cost. Typically electric cars are sold to the public at prices ranging from roughly $40,000^[1] to $109,000^[2]. This leaves many people unable to afford these new, more energy efficient vehicles, and are left to cope with a wild petroleum market. However, with a little time and at an affordable cost, an electric car can be built that is capable of fulfilling most daily commutes or errands.

Understanding the Market

Project Requirements

• Certifiable in California street legal.
• Capable of traveling from Arcata, CA to Fortuna, CA (Roughly 30 miles)
• Maintain a low budget.

Design

Describe your design here.

Gathering the Parts

Since this is a project on a tight budget, not a lot of priority is given to getting 'just the right part'.

Motor

The first motor purchased was a 24 volt Advanced DC Motors that was apparently pulled from a scissor lift. I probably jumped too quick on buying it, as 24 volts isn't much more than go-cart power. At 24 volts and pulling 400 Amps, the motor would be putting out less than 13 horsepower. To top things off, the motor was badly damaged in shipping. By making some modifications to the motor, I was able to salvage it. I was able to find another motor, 97 volts, that was roughly the same price. However, the shipping cost on this second motor was $50 more.

Motor Controller

Donor Car

Through watching Craigslist for a couple of weeks, I found a 1980 Geo Prism for sale in a nearby town. The seller was asking $500 in the original post, the car had a broken radatior and a cracked head. Since an extended time went by with no interest, the seller agreed to donate the car to the cause. Now, all that needed to be done was to get the car from McKinleyville to Fortuna, where the work would be done. Easier said than done aparently. To keep a long story short, a couple of days were spent trying to find a way to get the car moved. In the end, we ended up using ************.

Costs

This table breaks down all of the costs related directly to the project.

Auxiliary costs such as food, electricity, travel, etcetera are not included.

• (Parentheses) indicate positive cash flow, such as selling parts from the car.
• If an item was ordered from a retailer, the shipping cost is either included or marked as:
  • 0 - Free if there was no shipping charge.
  • 0 - Local if an item was obtained locally.

All values are given in Dollars (US).

Discussion

Buying the Parts

For the most part, I was able to buy most things off of eBay for fairly good prices. Shipping prices on motors can be outrageous. I was lucky with my purchase as the shipping charge was $25 for me, yet the seller ended up having to fork out $69 at the post office. For someone willing to wait, these items would probably pop up in a scrap yard at some time or another.

Next Steps

The next steps.

Conclusions

Your conclusions.

Related Reading

• Guides/Cars
  • DriveEV.com: JeepEV - Jeep Cherokee EV conversion
  • 1993 Geo Prizm EV Project
• Discussions
  • MythBuster: Why Electric Vehicles Beat Gas in 5 Extreme Tests

References

Contact details

Joey Hiller <layout name="Project" />