Filed under: Etc., Green, Tech
Cheapskate Greenies! Canadians build sub-$1K DIY electric car
by Dan Roth on Dec 3rd 2008 at 7:00PM 
Don't want to wait for the Chevrolet Volt? Don't feel like spending tens of thousands of dollars on a new green car? Combine your thrift, environmental consciousness and affinity for wrench turning by building your own electric car. Canadians Darin Cosgrove and Ivan Limburg have electrified a Geo Metro for less than $1,000 and you can too! Starting with a Metro helps set expectations, as the converted car is not fast and suitable only for low speed in-town tripping, but the original was no paragon of performance anyway. AutoblogGreen covered some of the ForkenSwift's construction, but we thought it'd be a good thing to revisit. The winter months are upon us, and building an EV in the garage is a nice way to stay out of the snow.
After stripping out the gas engine and its associated plumbing, the duo sold the engine and fuel tank; we're amazed that there's a market for Metro engines. A $500 used forklift provided the DC motors and control systems, and the carcass provided good scrap value once the vital organs were harvested, helping offset costs. A used bank of batteries were donated by another EV owner, though new batteries would boost performance and range. But hey, nothing's as cheap as free. Finding a Metro for cheap might be a neat trick now that prices have been inflated, but any old light thing will work. For a total tally of $672, who can complain with the results? Thanks for the tip, Maxim.
[Source: Ecomodder]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
toronado455 7:25PM (12/03/2008)
They mounted the electric motor to the stock trans. So why does it only go 40MPH?
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Randy 7:49PM (12/03/2008)
Lack of torque?
Mwmorph 9:42PM (12/03/2008)
RPMs, the forklift motor definitely does not turn nearly as quickly as a geo 3 cylinder's 6k+rpm. Also as rpms rise, torque falls on a electric motor. Torque is highest at 0rpm so the combination of the two conspire for a low op speed. 40mph is no bad though. I initially thought it would be a lot less.
The distance per charge is dissapointing but the top speed is actually quite nice.
Darin 9:04AM (12/05/2008)
It's not an RPM issue - the motor can easily spin at 5k RPM.
The issue is available power. At the time that article was written, the car had a 225 amp motor controller. 225 A * 48 V = 10.8 kilowatts = 14.5 hp... theoretically.
14.5 hp!
But you don't actually get 14.5 hp. Factor in combined motor/controller efficiency of roughly 75% and the peak power available was more like 8.1 kW or 10.9 hp.
10.9 hp!
But even that is just a "peak" rating, available only when the controller is cold. It ramps down to a bit better than HALF that when it heats up under continuous use (after 5+ minutes).
6 hp! (Approx.)
Puts 40 mph in better context.
Yes, we've since upgraded to a more powerful controller. :) And some newer, stronger batteries. And the project is still under $1k CAD.
Red 7:26PM (12/03/2008)
The sad thing is, Canada doesn't really support its own blossoming electric auto industry. Not particularly sure why, but you'd think they would be encouraged. "Hey, we've got Canadians building cars!! Let's support 'em!!
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Al_Terego 12:55AM (12/04/2008)
This is true but I can't remember the exact reason either. Some sort of stupid/antiquated law prevents the selling and/or buying of electric vehicles in the same country(Canada) where they're made. But, the manufacturers aren't complaining because most of their stock goes straight to California for a higher profit margin due to the exchange rate and lax import duties for EV vehicles.
Andrew 12:30PM (12/04/2008)
How much electricity would it take to defrost windows and heat the cabin with it being -20 celcius outside? That's maybe why Canada is shying away from electric.
Richard S. 7:41PM (12/03/2008)
If RadioShack, AutoZone or others were smart they would sell EV packages including better batteries, DC motor, cabling and controller. One stop shop for a DYI. This nation is full of garage tinkerers and many would do it for themselves and probably go into business doing for others. By selling EV packages by itself and leaving the installation for the buyers, cos. can reduce liability.
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Randy 7:52PM (12/03/2008)
Could you imagine the tech support needed for that? I'd rather see Crutchfield do it! They seem to be the only company in the entire world that doesn't seem to have their head up their arse in regards to supporting the products they sell!
Neat idea though! Maybe they can sell it in the back of magazines as a kit with a dummy corp to protect themselves. Right next to the steel buildings, remove vocals and home built helicopter ads.... I'm not busting ballz here either, just playing in the idea-sandbox...
kwsdurango 12:08PM (12/04/2008)
+1 - Good idea. Who knows what might come of something like that in terms of cottage electric conversion businesses with standardized base components.... Interesting - maybe it's stuff like that that our economy needs.
The US has always been fantastic at innovation and new product/industry development. EV's, Alt Fuels... We should be leaders in this space. I wish we were.
John 9:41PM (12/03/2008)
$672 Canadian dollars? What's that, like, $23422 US?
Sadness :(
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xist3nc3 11:09PM (12/03/2008)
someone isnt keeping up with that value of the dollar, try 537.
Al_Terego 12:45AM (12/04/2008)
...and someone else doesn't recognize humour when they see it.
faentur 1:57PM (12/04/2008)
I researched EV kits a while ago. Here is a fun little site for those talking about EV kits as a bundle.
http://www.e-volks.com/
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