Electric Car Conversion

Electric Car Conversion Pros and Cons

When I asked Hiddenfuel.com subscribers to tell me what they thought about an "electric car conversion" - I was really surprised at the answers. Read on...

"In the 1990's the California Air Resources Board (carb) mandated that a small percentage of vehicles sold in California had to be alternative fuel propelled, Most manufactures selected electric because the technology was already in place in different forms in the business sector which made it easy to apply to a vehicle. The two most famous of these vehicles were the EV1 from General Motors and the Rave4 Electric from Toyota.

At the end of the 1990's with no reason given these manufactures started to recall or buy back as many of these vehicles as they could and preceded to crush them.

Why? Is it because these vehicles were using no gas and the oil companies were upset at the thought of losing money, Or was it the manufactures who found out that a full electric car was less likely to need services performed on a on a regular schedule .

THINK ABOUT IT. "

- Submitted by Ed King

"Electric cars have the potential of eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels. However, the source of the electricity as well as the loss of power during transmission mean this isn’t the quick fix for our environmental concerns. If the electricity going into the car is generated by a coal or natural gas plant, then you have the energy generated from a fossil fuel, then transported across power lines with some loss, and then transferred into the car with a small percentage of loss. And that is assuming the battery doesn’t lose charge. In this case, it would be better to have a hybrid car with a battery that can recharge from the engine’s motion and/or brakes. If the power is generated by renewable fuels, with little transmission loss and a good battery, then electric cars can be good for the environment. " -submitted by Jody Schmidt"

Converting your car to electric is great for the environment if and only if you live in an area where your electricity comes from an environmentally friendly source. For instance, if you live in Quebec, where the main source of power is hydroelectric , then using an electric car will greatly reduce your greenhouse gas emissions. However, if you live in Ontario, for instance, and your electricity comes from a coal-burning plant, all you're doing is substituting one source of emissions for another one. So you may not be as green as you think!" - submitted by Henry Wallace

"I think that running electric cars instead of fuel run cars would have a very positive effect on the environment. Currently, cars emit toxic chemicals into the air, that are causing the Earths core temperature to rise. With global warming on the rise, consumers are looking for more ways to reduce green house gasses. Another advantage of electric cars is there would be less of a need for gas, therefore possibly less war over oil. Also, electricity may be a good alternative to help combat rising fuel prices." - Submitted by Dianna Gregory

"The best advantage of running an electric car is your car has zero emmissions. Another benefit would be you wouldn't be paying these high gas prices. Also if you enjoy drag racing an electric motor has great torque and response. Some of the draw backs are batteries nowadays are not all that great. The only other bad thing I could think of is you couldn't show off by reving up your motor." - Submitted by Justin Horton

I love that last comment (lol) - very funny Justin !!

Read More Subscriber Comments about EV's here: EV Conversion Plans

DIY ELECTRIC CAR

And finally, some Hope for those interested in Electric Car Conversion:

"You may have heard that the cost to convert a vehicle is close to $10,000. I guess you could pay that much if you really wanted to. But with our new methods adapted from 15 years of living with renewable energy we will show you how to do an EV conversion for only a few hundred dollars... depending on your resourcefulness. " -by Les and Jane