Today is going to be a bit of a cop-out post, as I’m thoroughly exhausted from a very long Transcontinental flight.
I won’t bore you all with the details but sufficed to say that the trip we made home was not the one we had booked on and involved a reroute to Paris. Add about 24 hours of no sleep to the mix and I’m afriad I’m not up to a usual post today.
Instead, I thought I’d share with you ten top sites which I think are essential to anyone interested in converting an internal-combustion engined car to a clean, green EV.
The sites are in no particular order and it’s worth visiting all ten. The sites vary from EV discussion lists with a healthy DIY component to individuals who have extensively documented their own EV conversion.
- www.evalbum.com
- The EVDL
- www.KiwiEV.com
- DIYElectriccar.com
- EVconvert.com
- EVCapri.com
- Ecomodder.com
- EVparts.com
- Project Forkenswift
- WhiteZombie, Blue meanie and Plasmaboy
No, it’s not a comic site. And no, it’s not about mad scientists. What this site is, however, is the ULTIMATE in encouragement and inspiration for anyone wanting a green EV conversion.John Wayland started his EV journey way back in the 1980s, long before even I was thinking about driving around in electric vehicles. His first project, Blue Meanie, started off as a regular EV conversion. Over the years however, John and his team have become ever more addicted to the draw of high-current, high voltage racing and now maintain the world’s fastest street-legal EV. Even faster than a Tesla!
If your significant other, colleagues, bank manager or bar buddies think that EVs are slow, dull and boring then this is the site to get them salivating for more speed from your EV. It’s also a great way to err…. entice them to help you with your project and spend that little extra cash on a sweet ride.
EV album is the best place on the Internet to go if you’re not sure which vehicle to convert. Its database holds details of more than 2,500 electric vehicles worldwide and is more than likely to have contact details for someone in your area. It’s inspiration, education and fun all wrapped into one site.
The EVDL is an extremely high traffic email discussion group aimed at DIY EV converters and semi-professional EVers alike. It has members ranging from the novice EV owner wannabe to hardened EV converters and electric vehicle drag racing legends. You’ll need a dedicated email account to cope with the sheer numbers of email messages unless you choose to receive a daily digest, though. The EV Album (see above) is the show gallery for EVDL list members.
Ran by fellow EV enthusiast, budding comedian and all-round top bloke, this informative site documents the trails and tribulations of Gavin Shoebridge, otherwise known as the Kiwi EV guy. Packed with entertaining and informative videos it follows the conversion of an old Mitsubishi Tredia which Gav purchased as a non-running ‘fixer’ and then proceeded to remove any vestige of petrol-combustion and switch to electric. Sadly Gav has had to sell the Tredia and has plans for a newer, more fancy EV. But first you have to visit his site and help him raise the money to do that by buying his excellent DVD. (I’ll be giving a copy away in the future on www.aminorjourney.com, but why not go and buy a copy anyway and help a fellow EVer out)
A bit more accessible than the EVDL (which tends to be quite technical most of the time) the DIYelectriccar forums are a good place to start researching your conversion. If like me, you jump onto the EV bandwagon with little more than a good science grade at school and a desire to drive electric it’s a must-visit site. Packed with lots of helpful information and friendly forum folks willing to share their knowledge you’re bound to find your way through the mountain of choices open to you, from battery and motor combinations to which vehicle to convert.
It’s been around since 1995 and has grown over the years to encompass many different aspects of EV conversions. It also includes a fantastic calculator to help you figure out important things like predicted top speed, motor and battery requirements and if that car you thought would make a good EV is going to turn out to be worse than a flying brick.
Another Southern-Hemisphere resident, Kearon’s excellent site details his conversion project: A late 90s Ford Capri, which he plans to put Lithium Phosphate batteris and a powerful motor to leave other Australians in the dust! It doesn’t look like the project will be cheap, but it’s certainly one worth watching if you want to learn more about converting your own car.
If you’re interested in all forms of green energy, from electric power to saving energy through hypermiling and modifying your car’s areodynamic drag coefficient then this site is for you.
Packed full of goodies it’s a great resource for anyone wanting maximum efficiency and greener driving. Well worth a look!
http://www.aminorjourney.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=1045&message=7
A good resource for anyone wanting pricing on EV parts for a conversion. Ran by a veteran of the EV conversion scene and long-time EV amphead, Roderick Wilde, this US based shop (Washington sate, for anyone who is interested) sells all kinds of EV conversion kits to help you make your conversion fast and painless. You can even buy an adaptor kit to convert a series II, IIa or III landrover to electric as they have done!
If all you have to rub together is two brass farthings but really really want that EV grin then this is a great site to head to. The site is still under construction but includes links to the Forken Swift, another regular EV on YouTube. It details how two people built a fully electric EV for under $1,000 US. It’s a truly inspiration site and great for anyone who has a bit of a tight budget.
And at the other side of the scale….
Whatever your motivation, these sites will help you achieve your dream of petrol-free motoring. Enjoy, take time to look around and let me know of any other favorite sites you use (and let me know why) and I’ll add them to my own links section.