I get asked this question a lot, and quite rightly so because it’s important to most electric vehicle converters as – let’s face it – we’re typically all broke. Realistically, you could be expecting to pay anything between $1000 and $8,000 USD for a usable electric car with an average range & performance.

Fortunately these estimated prices aren’t fixed, and your final conversion cost depends on how creative you are to make things yourself, how patient you are to wait for bargains to appear, and how fast & far you want your car to drive.

Of course there are bolt-on electric car kits from most EV parts suppliers which could allow the more enthusiastic converter to convert his or her car within a single weekend, but for most of us kits are out of reach due to cost, so we’re forced to bargain hunt.

Those of you who have my tutorials will know all this, as it’s explained in detail throughout the books & videos, but for those of you still pondering about an electric vehicle conversion, let me share a few tips.

There are ways to get cars cheap, such as the obvious local paper and several internet sites, but there are also repossessed vehicle auctions which are a gold mine. Same goes for vehicle towing companies who end up with unclaimed cars and need to shift them fast. This should be your first port of call for a donor car if you don’t already have one. As mentioned in the tutorials, smaller is better for those on a budget.

Next we’ll need components to move the car, such as a motor and a controller. Don’t worry if this sounds a little far-out, it is a simple process if you know what to look for. For those on a micro-budget, there’s also a world of used forklift components available to use. You’d be surprised what you can do with a forklift motor – they’re often much more powerful than they look. They’re also cheap.
(Check out www.ForkenSwift.com for a fun example of a fully-legal $1000 electric car)

Once you’ve gone through the list of components you’ll need to scavenge, it’s time to install battery racks. If you know how to weld you’re in luck. If not, do you have a friend who can? If the answer’s still no, you’ll most likely find your local university would be more than happy to help you build your battery racks for next to nothing.

The next step is sourcing batteries so you can get your electric car on the road. This is a very important step, and as I’ve mentioned time and again, I encourage creativity and run through list after list of ideas to reduce costs but one thing I can’t stress enough is, “don’t cut corners with your batteries”.

Some of my less-ethical conterparts try to encourage converters to use “revived” second hand batteries.
Many will know I actively dissuade this practise because it’s an unreliable method (some might use the word “Scam”) of trying to source usable batteries. In fact I wrote an article on this method a couple of weeks ago right here.
If you’re going to spend money on any area of your conversion, let it be your batteries. This way you’ll have a long-life, healthy, functional electric car.

There are tips you can use to cut costs. For example, in order for your car’s brakes to operate they’ll need a source of vacuum, which was supplied by the engine. There are little 12v vacuum pumps available, but they’re often over $250. One cost-cutting method to get around this is to use a 12v tire compressor (around $20) from an auto parts store, but put it inside a large vacuum reservoir. It will pump air from inside outside, creating a vacuum. It’s one of the more extreme examples of cost-cutting I’ve seen but others have tried it so you can too.

Another tip is instead of using a DC to DC Converter to keep your electrics working, you could build one yourself (instructions included in the tutorial) or simply use the alternator from your donor car, and attach it to the tail-shaft of your main electric drive motor.
That way your 12v “Accessories battery” will stay charged up for your headlights, wind-shield wipers, and that Cyndi Lauper CD you’ve been playing. And don’t try to deny it; we’ve all heard you driving past.

There are also cheap & effective ways to improvise with your in-car heater (required by law in some countries), as well as getting your tachometer (RPM needle) working for less than the cost of a cup of coffee.

To make a potentially very long story short, these are just a faction of the many ways to slash your conversion costs. You might even think of some that no one else has during your own conversion.

Bottom line, get in your garage (or under a tree if you don’t have a garage) and invest this year’s gasoline bill on a electric vehicle conversion, rather than letting that precious money go up in smoke – literally – through your tailpipe. You’ve got nothing to lose.

I wish you good luck, happy bargain-hunting, and clean motoring.