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HOME | UP TO IT? | GET STARTED! | S10 CONV. | MATERIALS | WIRING | FAQs | TIPS | LIBRARY | RESOURCES | CONTACT |
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THE MOST INFORMATIVE WEB SITE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CONVERSION |
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Getting Started Plan
Before You Begin “An
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!” – right?
You bet! So take the
time necessary to study this Web site completely and plan what you want
to do – learn what, learn how and learn how much. Safety
– Always Safety! Always be aware that you are
working with batteries that produce very high current, more than enough
to vaporize your wedding band and remove your finger in an unfortunate
short-circuit event. Yes,
this can happen if your ring makes contact with your wrench and the
other terminal as you are tightening a terminal-post connector.
It is a good idea to use short wrenches that cannot reach from
post to post and, further more, it is a good idea to wrap electrical
tape around the handles of wrenches that are used to tighten the battery
terminals. Also, when you connect the
batteries in series, as you must, you are creating a double threat,
adding high voltage to the high current.
Always be aware of where your hands and tools are to ensure that
you do not cause a short or complete the high voltage circuit with your
body. Voltages for most
conversions of ‘on-road’ vehicles range from 100 to 150 V.
This is more than enough to kill you. Insulate and isolate wiring
very well. Make sure that
the insulation on heavy cables will not wear through because of pinching
or vibration over time. Do not use the chassis of the
vehicle as the negative ground return for your battery bank.
Doing so will only increase the possibility of shock hazard
because your body will always come in contact with one side of the
circuit. If you then touch
a battery terminal in your series bank, or an exposed cable terminal,
you will experience great discomfort, at the very least. Prepare
Your Work Space Find a space that is high, dry
and secure to do the conversion. It
should also be a space that is already dirty, or can get that way
without concern. Cardboard
or newspaper can be laid out on the floor to help absorb fluids and
grease globs that are released during the engine extraction.
Tools Make sure you have all of the right tools to do the job. Select
a Vehicle If
you don’t already own one, below is a list of vehicles that are
popular for conversion. Look
for a vehicle in the early 80s to early 2000s range that has a good
body, frame, interior and high mileage for as little money as possible.
Vehicles with a manual transmission and a 4-cyl. engine make the
best conversions. While it
is possible to use an automatic transmission, it is more difficult to do
and will consume more battery power than a manual transmission. Important: It is
best to do some research before buying the donor vehicle to ensure that
you can get the motor-to-transmission adapter kit for it.
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HOME | UP TO IT? | GET STARTED! | S10 CONV. | MATERIALS | WIRING | FAQs | TIPS | LIBRARY | RESOURCES | CONTACT |
