Many car owners around the world are starting to appreciate the humble electric car. Back in 2008, global crude oil prices reached its peak and that has push local gasoline prices through the roof. Many vehicle owners were not prepared for an inflated energy expense bill. One option to reduce traveling cost of to use an electric vehicle (EV). EV is cheaper to run and easier to maintain. However, a new electric car from the dealership is still relatively expensive. Alternatively, we can convert our gasoline driven car to EV via a Do It Yourself (DIY) approach. How do we retrofitting a car to run on electricity? The easiest way is to use an electric vehicle conversion kit. Before you buy any conversion kit, there are 3 main components to look for.
The electric motor
The electric motor will be the heart of the EV. It will be used to replace the internal combustion engine and will be connected to the existing transmission. The type motor to choose will depend on the donor car. If you have a large and heavy car, you may have to use a motor with a higher power rating. For a light weight compact car, a small motor with low revolution speed will do.
The joining plate
The metal joining plate will be used to hold the electric motor in place. The motor and the transmission shafts have to be perfectly aligned. Any misalignment will cause vibration and reduce the efficiency of the motor. The metal plate would have been precut with all the connecting bolt holes at the right location.
The universal coupler
Most of the time, the motor and transmission shafts would be of different sizes. To securely connect the shafts, you will need a universal coupler. The function of a coupler is to transfer torque from the motor into the transmission core.
