I have read online about a few different projects people have built, just wondered what everyone's thoughts/opinions/experiences are? I have been designing on CAD and on paper for about a year now and pretty much am ready to go. The motor is a 30hp 190V DC motor, I was hoping to go with higher voltage to keep the amperage/resistance down. I already made an adapter plate to go from the motor to a 5 speed manual trans that comes with small fords. Any thoughts from anyone? After being here as long as I have and reading the various posts I have realized there are some rather intelligent people here that could really give good ideas. The car isnt going to be made for really long trips, just 30 miles or so at a time. Gotta start somewhere.


I read that these vehicles are 97% cleaner than ICE vehicles. That is even including the fuel used at power plants to produce the electricity. A friend of mine that teaches at Devry helped design an energy management/ speed control system with regenerative braking as a primary means of stopping. (There will be mechanical brakes as backup) I have been researching battery setups for quite a while now, hoping to find something better than the deep cycle battery setup I have been considering.

All opinions/ ideas are very welcome, this has been an interest for me since high school and I am finally getting to do it. I am sick of being so dependant on the mid east for oil and now I am actually doing something about it!!

I helped build a volkswagen rabbit conversion in auto school a few years back . you are better off trying to find a conversion "kit" that comes with everything but the batteries .

Battery weight/power have a ratio that stops at a certain weight (i.e. the weight of an additional battery cancels out the exess power . but your still going to need 10-12 of them for 30 mile shots (one way) and then recharge off an outlet at work if you can .

Pretty straight foreward project , battery placement can be a hassle .

What kind of ford are you going to use ?

Finding all the weights of the items you are going to remove , and the weights of what you are going to install is important , a good break up-grade helpped us stop our heavy wabbit , and if you want power steering , or power assist brakes , keep in mind that they need electric pumps(not mechanical like on a fanbelt)to keep the pressure up on the diaphrams .

My teacher kept the car , and charges it off his home solar panels . It has paid for itself already , and other than normal maintainance on bearings and brakes the thing runs for free off the sun !!

Shoot me a u2u if you want .

Keep in mind that if you use a diesel generator, you can still be clean by using bio-diesel. The CO2 that is emitted by bio-diesel cycles back to grow new plants, and you can eliminate a waste product by using used cooking oil from resturaunts to make it. It can be done in your garage with easily available parts.

The biodiesel generator is one that we have been talking about ever since we started the project. I read an article about a family that drove through the US and Canada going to restaurants to fill up, most were happy to get rid of the used oil. That would make this much more feasible. I didnt want to do a kit because I wanted to see what I would do differently from the kits I have seen online. Some things I like that they have and other designs I didnt like, so doing it myself allows me to make it my way.

Originally posted by who
The biodiesel generator is one that we have been talking about ever since we started the project. I read an article about a family that drove through the US and Canada going to restaurants to fill up, most were happy to get rid of the used oil.

To use unprocessed oil you would need an SVO (straight vegetable oil) modification. Basically it will gum up or solidify and clog fuel lines. There are ways around it, and otherwise it is a normal diesel engine. The fuel lines are usually heated and there is a resevoir tank of bio or regular diesel to start the motor on and warm it up before switching to SVO. The heat keeps the SVO from gumming up inside the cylinders (which would happen when the engine is running cold).

Biodiesel is different because the free fatty acids are removed and you are left with a thinner product that doesn't solidify as easily. In cold environments it will need an additive to keep it from doing so, however.