5 Benefits of a Do It Yourself (DIY) Electric Car
03 November 2009
How 
much do you spend on gasoline a week? As global crude oil prices rise, local gas prices will sky rocket and we will have to spend more money to pump fuel into our cars.
Are there any ways to overcome this issue? How about consider using a plug-in electric car.
Pure electric vehicles (EV) are very different from hybrid. It does not use any gasoline at all. Its main power source is electricity stored in battery units. You can own an EV by buying a new one off the dealership. Or a cheaper alternative is to build one yourself via Do It Your (DIY) approach.
The following are 5 benefits of a DIY electric car.
1) Energy independence – You are no more at the mercy of oil supplies from the Middle East. When the prices of crude oil hit the roof, you’ll have a sense of peace because you can care less.
2) Reduce pollution - Since an electric car has no internal combustion engine, there is no gas emission. When you commute, there is no carbon dioxide trail.
3) EV saves you money – How much does it cost to drive an electric vehicle per mile? You can calculate it in pennies.
The electric motor is very efficient, therefore the power generate goes straight to the wheel. A conventional engine will lose a large portion of the power due to friction and heat.
4) High reliability – Since there are very little moving parts on an EV, there is fewer breakdowns therefore increasing its reliability. You also save money for not having to spend money on redundant components such as oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, fuel filter, radiator etc.
5) Recharge the battery at home - When you’ve done driving for the day, all you have to do is plug-in your electric car into a wall socket in the garage. By morning the next day, the batteries will be fully charged. No more trips to the gas station.
Will Yap is an electric car enthusiast and writes about electric vehicle on his blog. Do you want to start your own EV conversion project? If you do, you will need a good electric car conversion plan. For more information on DIY electric car, go to www.cbelectriccar.com/blog and download a free copy of "10 Initial DIY Electric Car Conversion Steps" video e-book to help you get started.
