I want a plug-in electric car. An electric car runs on an efficient electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine. The electric motor is powered by deep cycle golf-cart batteries that must be recharged every 40 miles or so. I will make my car out of a 1987 Honda Civic hatchback. Click on the topics below to see my progress. These same icons appear at the top of each page so you can easily navigate around the site.
Obligatory note of caution: this is not a how-to document. Don't try this at home or anywhere else unless you know what you are doing. Most of the procedures described here are dangerous.
Cost and Resources
How much does it cost to make an electric car? Here is a spreadsheet showing when, where and how much I spent for the conversion. I generously added $100 for miscellaneous stuff I picked up here and there, like a few more quick connectors, anticorrosion paste for the battery terminals, another few feet of low voltage wire, etc. The items in the table are specific for the conversion to electric. I did not include new brake shoes, a tie rod end and other things that any car would need for repair or maintenance.
| Date | Item | Cost including shipping and/or tax (USD) | Vendor |
| October 12, 2008 | Convert It! by Michael Brown | $24.95 | Amazon.com |
| November 1, 2008 | donor car | me | |
| November 10, 2008 | motor | $1,440.00 | EV America |
| December, 2008 | coupler parts (price estimate) | $100.00 | Fazzio's |
| January 29, 2009 | Curtis Controller 1221C | $1,100.00 | EV America |
| January 29, 2009 | Curtis Pot Box PB-6 | $90.00 | EV America |
| January 29, 2009 | Albright Contactors (2) SW-200 | $300.00 | EV America |
| February 1, 2009 | angle Iron for battery boxes (approximate) | $40.00 | Fazzio's |
| February 7, 2009 | Thomas vacuum pump | $112.00 | jockmoonster (ebay) |
| February 14, 2009 | hammer crimper | $23.00 | powrparts.com |
| February 14, 2009 | 2/0 copper lugs (50) | $51.00 | powrparts.com |
| February 14, 2009 | battery terminal covers (30) | $34.00 | powrparts.com |
| February 14, 2009 | anderson connector type 350, 2 pieces | $21.00 | powrparts.com |
| February 14, 2009 | 300 amp ANN fuses (2) | $26.00 | powrparts.com |
| February 19, 2009 | 2/0 copper cable, 20 feet | $26.00 | Fox Electric (local electric supply) |
| February 20, 2009 | Vacuum reservoir parts | $11.00 | Home Depot |
| February 22, 2009 | Russco Charger | $676.00 | Russco |
| February 21, 2009 | Iota DLS-45 DC-DC converter | $156.00 | Northern Arizona Wind and Sun, Inc |
| February 22, 2009 | dc circuit breaker | $62.00 | solarseller.com |
| March, 2009 | paint | $30.00 | Home Depot |
| March 4, 2009 | Integra rear coil springs | $45.00 | Honda Parts Unlimited (ebay) |
| March 5, 2009 | Build Your Own Electric Vehicle by Bob Brant and Seth Leitman | $19.77 | Amazon.com |
| March 5, 2009 | 14 gauge wire, connectors | $20.00 | Home Depot |
| March 6, 2009 | voltmeter, ammeter, shunt | $172.00 | EV America |
| March 10, 2009 | 120 VAC relay | $18.92 | digikey.com |
| March 23, 2009 | batteries | $1,441.75 | Tri State Battery |
| March 23, 2009 | 2/0 copper cable, 15 feet | $18.00 | Fox Electric (local electric supply) |
| March 23, 2009 | vacuum switch | $34.73 | evsource.com |
| March 24, 2009 | vinyl tubing for cable covering | $33.00 | Home Depot |
| March 25, 2009 | motorcycle battery | $42.00 (with core charge) | Wal-Mart |
| miscellaneous | $100.00 | ||
| total | $6,268 |
Batteries
Testing
Driving