Build Your Own Electric Vehicle, Third Edition
BUILD, CONVERT, OR BUY A STATE-OF-THE-ART ELECTRIC VEHICLE
Thoroughly revised and expanded, Build Your Own Electric Vehicle, Third Edition, is your go-to guide for converting an internal combustion engine vehicle to electric or building an EV from the ground up. You'll also find out about the wide variety of EVs available for purchase and how they're being built. This new edition details all the latest breakthroughs, including AC propulsion and regenerative braking systems, intelligent controllers, batteries, and charging technologies.
Filled with updated photos, this cutting-edge resource fully describes each component--motor, battery, controller, charger, and chassis--and provides illustrated, step-by-step instructions on how to assemble all the parts. Exclusive web content features current supplier and dealer lists. Custom-built for environmentalists, engineers, students, hobbyists, and mechanics, this hands-on guide puts you in the fast lane toward a cost-effective, reliable green machine.
Build Your Own Electric Vehicle, Third Edition, covers:
- Environmental impact and energy savings
- The best EV for you--purchase trade-offs, conversion trade-offs, and conversion costs
- Chassis and design
- Different types of electric motors and controllers
- Lithium EV batteries
- Chargers and electrical systems
- EV builds and conversions
- Licensing and insuring your EV
- Driving and maintenance
- List of manufacturers and dealers regularly updated on website
Table of contents
Chapter 1. Why Electric Vehicles
What are Electric Vehicles
New Electricity Rates/Oil costs
Conversion costs
Chapter 2. Electric Vehicle Benefits
Reports from the US Dept. of Energy
Chapter 3. Electric Vehicle (recent) History
Toyota's hybrid drive technology
GM and CARB
Ford and TH!NK City
Tesla Roadster
Chapter 4. Drive Systems, Chassis, and Designs
Lithium Nono-phosphates
Intelligent Drive Systems
Chapter 5. Sources, Parts, Conversion Companies and Experts
Updates
on everything from previous edition, plus links to an online companion
site that will be updated every 3 months or so for new information
Chapter 6. Calculating Torque Curves
Software from Grassroots electric vehicles, Electric Vehicles of America, and NetGain technologies
Chapter 7. Electric Motors
AC and DC
Metric Mind Corporation
Anaheim Automation
Hi Performance Electric Vehicle Systems
AC Propulsion
Tesla Mototrs
WARP Motors
Chapter 8. Controllers
Chapter 9. Batteries
Lithium
Lithium-polyphosphate
Nickel
Chapter 10. Chargers
Newer, standardized SAE systems
Chapter 11. AC/DC Drive and Controller Packages
Lead Acid conversions
Lithium Polymer conversions
Chapter 12. Visions for Future Electric Cars and Electric Car Conversions
Author comments
Seth Leitman is currently President and Managing Member of The Green Living Guy which talks about organic, natural, and sustainable products for business and home use (from energy-efficient bulbs to electric vehicle conversion referrals). Previously, he worked for the New York State Power Authority and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, where he helped develop, market, and manage electric and hybrid vehicle programs serving New York State and the New York metropolitan area.
Bob Brant wrote the first edition of Build Your Own Electric Vehicle, published in 1993, and some might say he was ahead of his time in his passion to convert to electric. While there have obviously been updates and technological advances since that time, many of the concepts in that first book are still in use today. Bob grew up in New York City, got a BSEE, and worked on NASA projects such as Apollo, Lunar Excursion Module, and the Earth Resources Technology Satellite. He then went on to get an MSEE and MBA, and worked for a company that worked on the Lunar Rover. Bob was always fascinated with every electric vehicle breakthrough, was convinced of its personal and environmental benefits, and was curious why stronger steps had not been taken to make electric vehicles a reality
