7 3/8 x 9 1/4 T echnical / Build Your Own Electric Vehicle / Leitman / 373-2 / Front Matter Blind Folio PB Build Your Own Electric Vehicle 7 3/8 x 9 1/4 T echnical / Build Your Own Electric Vehicle / Leitman / 373-2 / Front Matter Blind Folio PB About the Authors Seth Leitman (Briarcliff Manor, NY) is currently President and Managing Member of the ETS Energy Store, LLC, which sells 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. Seth is the consulting editor for a series of upcoming titles called the “Green Guru Guides,” which focus on implementing environmentally friendly technologies and making them work for you. Bob Brant was the author of the first book, and some might say ahead of his time in his passion to convert to electric. The first edition of this book was published in 1993. 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. Seth Leitman and everyone at McGraw-Hill would like to think of this updated edition as a tribute to Bob and other forward thinkers like him. Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for terms of use. 7 3/8 x 9 1/4 T echnical / Build Your Own Electric Vehicle / Leitman / 373-2 / Front Matter Blind Folio PB Build Your Own Electric Vehicle Seth Leitman Bob Brant Second Edition New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distrib- uted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the pub- lisher. 0-07-164351-6 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-154373-2. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trade- marked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corpo- rate training programs. For more information, please contact George Hoare, Special Sales, at [email protected] or (212) 904-4069. TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create deriv- ative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw- Hill’s prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms. THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WAR- RANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUD- ING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting there- from. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise. DOI: 10.1036/0071543732 Professional Want to learn more? We hope you enjoy this McGraw-Hill eBook! If you’d like more information about this book, its author, or related books and websites, please click here. 7 3/8 x 9 1/4 T echnical / Build Your Own Electric Vehicle / Leitman / 373-2 / Front Matter For more information about this title, click here Contents Preface . xiii Acknowledgments ........................................... xix 1 Why Electric Vehicles Are Still Right for Today! . 1 Convert That Car! ............................................ 3 What Is an Electric Vehicle? . 7 Electric Motors . 8 Batteries . 9 Controllers ............................................ 9 Have You Driven an Electric Vehicle Lately? . 10 Electric Vehicles Offer the “Total Experience” .............. 10 Electric Vehicles Are Fun to Drive . 10 Electric Vehicles Make a Difference by Standing Out ........ 10 Electric Vehicles Save Money . 12 Electric Vehicles Are Customizable . 13 Safety First .................................................. 13 Electric Vehicles Save the Environment . 15 Electric Vehicle Myths (Dispelling the Rumors) . 15 Myth #1: Electric Vehicles Can’t Go Fast Enough . 15 Myth #2: Electric Vehicles Have Limited Range . 15 Myth #3: Electric Vehicles Are Not Convenient ............. 16 Myth #4: Electric Vehicles Are Expensive .................. 17 Disadvantages ............................................... 17 Time to Purchase/Build . 18 Repairs . 18 The Force Is with You ......................................... 18 2 Electric Vehicles Save the Environment and Energy . 21 Why Do Electric Vehicles Save the Environment? ................. 21 Save the Environment and Save Some Money Too! . 22 Fuel-Efficient Vehicles . 23 So Who’s to Blame? . 23 Toxic Solid Waste Pollution .................................... 26 Toxic Input Fluids Pollution ............................. 26 Waste Heat Due to Inefficiency . 26 Electric Utilities Love Electric Vehicles .......................... 27 Summary . 28 Legacy of Internal Combustion Engine Is Environmental Problems . 28 A Proactive Solution .................................... 28 v 7 3/8 x 9 1/4 T echnical / Build Your Own Electric Vehicle / Leitman / 373-2 / Front Matter vi Contents Contents vii 3 Electric Vehicle History ...................................... 31 Timeline of Vehicle History . 32 The Timeline of Electric Cars . 33 Up Until 1915 . 33 1940 to 1989 . 42 After 1973: Phoenix Rising, Quickly . 47 Third Wave After 1979: EVs Enter a Black Hole . 51 Mid-1960s to 1990s . 52 The 1990s–2000s . 60 Electric Vehicles for the 21st Century . 67 Tesla . 67 eBox . 69 Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles . 69 Near Future Trends For Electric Drive . 73 4 The Best Electric Vehicle for You .............................. 75 Electric Vehicle Purchase Decisions . 75 Conversions Save You Money and Time . 75 Buying Ready-to-Run . 76 Buying Ready-to-Run from an Independent Manufacturer . 77 Conversion Shops . 77 Converting a Vehicle . 77 Custom-Built Electric Vehicles . 78 Electric Vehicles Built from Plans . 78 Electric Vehicles Built from Kits . 79 Converting Existing Vehicles . 79 Converting Existing Vans . 81 Electric Vehicle Conversion Decisions . 86 Your Chassis Makes a Difference . 86 Your Batteries Make a Difference . 88 The Procedure . 89 How Much Is This Going to Cost? . 90 Conversion for Fun and Profit . 90 Motor, Controller, Battery Tests—Your Electric Car Will Run Just Fine! . 91 5 Chassis and Design .......................................... 95 Choose the Best Chassis for Your EV . 95 Optimize Your EV . 96 Conventions and Formulas . 96 It Ain’t Heavy, It’s My EV . 98 Remove All Unessential Weight . 98 Weight and Acceleration . 99 Weight and Climbing . 100 Weight Affects Speed . 101 Weight Affects Range . 102 Remove the Weight but Keep Your Balance . 102 7 3/8 x 9 1/4 T echnical / Build Your Own Electric Vehicle / Leitman / 373-2 / Front Matter vi Contents Contents vii Remember the 30 Percent Rule . 103 Streamline Your EV Thinking . 104 Aerodynamic Drag Force Defined . 104 Choose the Lowest Coefficient of Drag . 104 Choose the Smallest Frontal Area . 106 Relative Wind Contributes to Aerodynamic Drag . 106 Aerodynamic Drag Force Data You Can Use . 107 Shape Rear Airflow . 107 Shape Wheel Well and Underbody Airflow . 108 Block and/or Shape Front Airflow . 108 Roll with the Road . 109 Rolling Resistance Defined . 109 Pay Attention to Your Tires . 109 Use Radial Tires . 111 Use High Tire Inflation Pressures . 111 Brake Drag and Steering Scuff Add to Rolling Resistance . 111 Rolling Resistance Force Data You Can Use .