The conversion of a 1995 Ford F-250 with dual electric motors is going well. This Ford Escape Hybrid SUV Gets 100 miles to the gallon. Reverend Gadget Converts a 67 Camaro in this TLC Pilot Show "Gadget's Electric Garage" . AustinEV member Roy Hughes chronicles his conversion of a 1995 Mistubishi Eclipse. ACEAA member John Stuart has finished his "Foxxy Lady", a 1992 VW Fox with a Giant GE Motor. His project is on YouTube. Houston TV Station does story on San Antonio Student's Bradley GT Conversion. 17 year old San Antonio student converts a Bradley GT II so that he won't need to buy gas . The AMP Conversion of the Saturn Sky will give you 150 miles on a charge, and Costs about $50,000 including the car. LIONEV has a DIY kit for the Escape. As a PHEV, it gets 140 miles to the gallon! Series Hybrid conversions are not a new idea. Here are the 1979 Mother Earth plans for a 75 mpg Opel . Think Big Trucks are not "doable"?. How about this Dodge Ram 2500 Conversion in North Carolona Toyota gets ready to build a $192 million Battery Factory for NiMH batteries The Poulsen Hybrid System Converts any car to a Hybrid for $3300. EMIS - Engine Motor Interface System Makes any Rear-wheel drive car a "Mild Hybrid". Not a Conversion, but a good starter project. A Balancing Scooter Conversions list compiled by Mid America Electric Auto Association . Conversion of a motorcycle to Electric Cycle
Gav's Conversion Diary. Converting a 1987 Mitsubishi Tredia Conversion of Kawasaki Motorcycle Ninja Bike The Porche 914 Conversion Blog
Jerry's EV Conversion
The Jeep EV - Converting a Jeep Cherokee
Amphibike
EV Album
EV or Bust
go Electric
Green flight EV
Bohan Design
A good first EV project. A Quadracycle EV
This system From e-traction can replace the drive in either the front or the back.
If you are thinking about doing a conversion, this website has a lot of information, including a calculator to allow you to see what effects weight, drag, and other things would have. It's a valuable tool.
some thoughts on the price of cars
Posted by Doug Kortoff (Electric Vehicles for Sale)Hi,
While it seems that the Prius or RAV4-EV, or the Tesla, is more expensive than a gas car, it's more dependent on the profit profile. EVs cost more up-front, but take much less fuel to run. Assuming a domestic solar rooftop system, which every person with a roof should have, fuel is VERY cheap indeed. Like zero.
One comparison done by the ASES.org compares buying a Chevy Tahoe Denali XLT ($56K) and a solar rooftop system. After 5 years, the Tahoe is down to $10K, and the solar system has already saved about half the original price of the Tahoe Denali XLT poobah -- and it's still producing, and still worth more than what you paid for it.
But let's look at buying a plug-in car versus an IC car.
The plug-in car you are buying also includes the fuel and maintenance, which the IC car does not include.
PRIUS: $30,000 out the door;
CAMRY: $30,000 out the door;
TESLA: $120,000 out the door;
CHEVY: $65,000 out the door.
Operating costs per 10,000 miles (gas is assumed $3):
PRIUS GAS: 200 gallons or $600
CAMRY GAS: 500 gallons or $1,500
TESLA GAS: 0 gallons (assuming a solar rooftop system powers it)
CHEVY GAS: 1,000 gallons at $3,000
After 100,000 miles, cost of the car plus fuel:
PRIUS : $30K + $6K (car + fuel: $ 36K)
CAMRY : $30k + $15k (car + fuel: $ 45K)
TESLA : $120K (car + fuel: $120K)
CHEVY : $65k + $30K (car + fuel: $ 95K)
Now for the second 100K miles the maintenance starts to make a difference, and the IC cars start to look much worse. But let's look at the resale value:
PRIUS : $25,000 (est. based on current prices)
CAMRY : $18,000 (est. based on current prices)
TESLA : $150,000 (est. based on demand)
CHEVY : $15,000 (est. based on current prices)
Now looking at the life-cycle cost of ownership after 100,000 miles, assuming sale of the vehicle on the used car market:
PRIUS: $36K-$25K .... $11K
CAMRY: $45K-$18K .... $27K
TESLA: $120K-$150K... -30K
CHEVY: $95K-$15K .... $80K
Perhaps surprisingly for those who have never done a life-cycle cost analysis, the most economical vehicle turns out to be the TESLA, with an indicated profit of $30K.
The Tesla hardware alone will probably never be worth less than $100K, even after 40 years, and may be worth far more. Not counting the fun driving.
Here's the chart of BEST VALUE TO 100K MILES:
TESLA: PROFIT OF $30,000 OR THEY PAY YOU 30 CENTS PER MILE
PRIUS: COST OF $11,000 OR 11 CENTS PER MILE
CAMRY: COST OF $27,000 OR 27 CENTS PER MILE
CHEVY: COST OF $80,000 OR 80 CENTS PER MILE
Hence, when the unschooled yap about how expensive Electric cars are, you can quote these numbers. In point of fact, they are actually very conservative, because the CHEVY has a history of costing money in repairs and maintenance -- oil changes, tune ups, smog checks, etc.
Now if you look at a serial plug-in hybrid, like the Chevy VOLT, if it were ever to be made, and assuming a price of $45,000:
OUT THE DOOR: $55K
COST OF FUEL: 0 (SOLAR SYSTEM AND DRIVING LESS THAN 40 MPD)
RESALE VALUE: $20K (ASSUMING BAD GM PRODUCT)
COST OF OWNERSHIP TO 100K MILES: $35,000 OR 35 CENTS PER MILE.
Of course, if GM does something funky like leasing the failing Lithium batteries, then it will cost a lot more.
If you have a recommendation, please send it along.
John Penry
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