Almost every major auto manufacturer has plans underway for all-electric cars to be manufactured within the decade, yet it’s not soon enough for hundreds of ordinary car owners from around the globe.

Every year, they take matters into their own hands, remove the engines from their existing gasoline cars, and replace them with a stack of batteries and an electric motor. All in their effort to save money on gas, help the environment, or both.

The USA is king in this arena according to EValbum.com, with the highest number of home conversions in the world: well over 1,500 cars registered with the number constantly growing.

Part of the reason for this is that most of the components required for a typical conversion are American made, making them convenient and affordable without high shipping costs. Items like the electric motor which attaches to your car’s existing gearbox, the wiring, the fuses–even lead-acid batteries themselves–are usually manufactured inside the USA.

While the rest of the world may quietly snicker at the reputation of American-made cars, the quality of American made electric car components is a whole different story.

Companies like Advanced DC, which makes large electric motors, and Zilla, which makes high performance motor controllers, build their equipment in the United States yet export internationally to eager buyers.

The internationally known reputation of American-made electric vehicle components is one of the main reasons Chinese manufacturers, while offering much cheaper alternatives, are having a hard time breaking into the home-conversion market.

Another reason Americans are adopting home conversions is due to financial incentives: Electric conversions are eligible for a Federal income tax credit of 10 percent of the cost of the conversion (up to $4,000), and some states offer their own additional incentives.

California, for example, offers anything from discounted insurance to discounted electricity, all the way to carpool lane access for electric-car drivers.

It’s not all “puppies and rainbows,” however. Before you run into your garage with a wrench in one hand and a battery in the other, there are downsides to home conversions you should know about. The main issues are the cost and the weight of the batteries.

To cut costs, many converters use lead-acid batteries, similar in weight and size to the ones used to start cars.

Problem is, in order to drive about 40 miles, you’d need around 800 lbs (362 kg) of batteries in the back of your car. To drive 100 miles with lead batteries, you’d end up with more weight in batteries than most vehicles could handle.

It gets worse. Every three to four years, the average lead battery pack needs to be replaced, at a cost of around $2500 US. While much cheaper than three or four years’ worth of gasoline, this lump sum is enough to put many people off converting their cars.

The only real solution to the range and replacement problems is to use lithium cells in your home converted electric car, like those in your laptop or cellphone. This isn’t a cheap option, but the batteries are far superior.

At around a third of the weight of lead batteries, with more capacity per pound and a 10-plus-year lifespan, these batteries seem the obvious choice. However, expect to pay around $12,000 US for enough lithium batteries to travel 100 miles.

In short, if you want a converted car capable of traveling 100 miles on a charge, you’d better be willing to spend up large on batteries.

But it may not be all doom and gloom though, when put into perspective. General Motor’s compact 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle is expected to start selling in limited supply at the end of this year at a retail cost of $40,000. This could mean that home electric car conversions may still be the cheapest option for years to come for those on a budget.

Whether your reason for wanting an electric car is ecological or economical, electric cars will be above the price range of many car buyers when they arrive. In an ironic twist of fate, the motorists who need electric cars the most in order to save money on gas are the ones who simply can’t afford them.
So what are the alternatives? How can you save money and still save the planet?

Putting aside the prospect of walking or riding a bike (let’s not kid ourselves – we humans can be a lazy bunch), and assuming you’re not in the market to convert your own car to electric, what cars can you buy today that rival the economy of the electric car?
Well, technically none, because electric cars are ridiculously efficient. But there are some gas-powered cars that aren’t too bad:

1: Volkswagen Lupo 3L Diesel.

It earned the name 3L because it was the world’s first production car to average less than 3 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres (78.4 mpg) in real world conditions. Now, I always suspected the exterior designers of most econo-box cars were middle aged and still lived with their parents with Thunderbirds posters on their walls – but the VW Lupo proves an econo-box car can look good. The Lupo has since ceased production, but second hand ones offer great buying and hold their value well. This is definitely the winner for those on a budget.

2: Smart Car Diesel.

Laugh if you want, but the diesel version of this nimble beast achieves 69 mpg / 3.4 L/100 km. The car is a collaboration between Daimler-Benz and the watch maker SWATCH (can you tell?) and is currently selling for $12,500 US. Although not as clean as a pure electric car, it emits only 88 g/km (4.9 oz/mile) of CO2. This means you can breath easy when you drive – as long as you don’t mind being seen in it of course.

3: Toyota Prius Hybrid.

It was inevitable: you can’t have a list of economical cars without a Prius making an appearance.
Admittedly it’s an expensive way to save fuel, with current models costing around $23,000 US, but with it’s impressive combined economy of 50 mpg (4.7 L/100 km) you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank. It’s disappointing that the 2010 Prius still doesn’t come with a 110/220 volt recharging plug and a larger battery pack to boost your economy. Maybe on the next model? We live in hope.

4: Honda Insight Hybrid.

Another hybrid appears in the list, this time it’s a mid-sized four-seater from Honda. With bland Prius-like styling on the outside, combined with a fresh & funky layout on the inside, the Insight appears to have been designed by two separate groups who weren’t allowed to talk to each other.
Regardless, the Insight achieves a great combined economy rating of 41 mpg (5.7 L/100 km) and will hit your wallet at around $20,000 US.

5: Volkswagen Jetta Diesel

Car makers have always struggled with combining style and economy – yet Volkswagen do it like it’s a walk in the park. This freshest and latest diesel version of the Jetta achieves an impressive 40 mpg (5.8 L/100 km) and at around $20,000 it’s the same price as the Honda Insight, but in my opinion the Jetta is streets ahead in the looks department. Reports from individual test drivers all agree on one thing too: you won’t notice it runs on diesel. Finally, a diesel car that doesn’t sound like one.

The city of Christchurch, located in southern New Zealand is destined to become the first city to welcome Nissan’s new electric car, the Leaf.

According to the Christchurch City Council, 2012 will see the arrival of the highway-capable and affordable 5-seat electric car. The council is also making plans to have recharging points installed across the city.

Christchurch is a favourable city for electric cars due to it’s flat topography. Nissan’s marketing manager Peter Merrie says Christchurch was the “most obvious” city to work with regarding electric car implementation in New Zealand.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said he wanted the city to be the first in New Zealand with an integrated network for electric cars, and that the Leaf fits in well with the city’s sustainability program.

The Nissan Leaf (which stands for Leading, Environmentally Friendly, Affordable, Family Car) has a range of 160 kilometres (100 miles) and a 24 kWh battery pack. When charging from a standard 230 volt New Zealand wall-outlet it’s estimated to take around 8 hours to recharge from empty.

Another initiative was to give a second hour of free parking in council car parks to owners of energy-efficient vehicles, Mayor Bob Parker said.

What hasn’t been revealed by Nissan New Zealand however is the cost of leasing of the Leaf’s battery pack. In the United States, the Leaf is predicted to have a sticker price of around $30,000 US ($42,000 NZ) – and this doesn’t include the battery pack.

According to BusinessWeek, the Leaf’s battery pack costs approximately $10,000 US to manufacture and Nissan will always remain the owner of this pack which is only leased to the consumer for approximately $150 US ($213 NZ) per month.

This means if you hang on to your new Leaf for 6 years, you’ll have already paid off the battery in leasing fees. Not only that, but the car remains at the mercy of Nissan: They’re within their rights to change lease pricing and/or recall battery packs as they please.

This means your new Leaf could easily become the next EV1 – the only difference being that while your Leaf won’t be crushed, it’s battery certainly could be; leaving your shiny new electric car sitting dead on your driveway.

Image courtesy of www.calcars.org

Possibly the most confusing calculation when converting a gas clunker to run on electricity, is figuring out just how many batteries you’ll need to achieve your desired range. People often under-size their battery pack and end up disappointed with their conversion efforts.

Well, enough is enough. Let’s cut through the confusion once and for all. Let’s figure out roughly how many batteries you’ll need to drive your average electric car the distance you want. It’s actually a piece of cake:

Firstly, let’s assume a mid-sized, average home-converted electric car uses around 0.3 kWh (kilowatts per hour) of electricity per mile when driving at 35 mph. A kWh (kilowatt hour) is a unit of electricity – a bit like a “Gallon of electricity”. Easy so far, right?

This simply means to drive 30 miles at that above speed, you’ll need approximately 9 kWh (or 9 electric gallons) of battery capacity. That’s because there’s 0.3 kWh used per mile x 30 miles = 9 kWh. (0.3 x 30 = 9) Easy stuff!

Right, now if a small Deep Cycle lead-acid battery has about 1 kWh of energy stored in it, you’ll need 9 batteries to make 9 kWh. It’s a little over-simplified, but you get the idea.

You can easily figure out how many kWh are in a battery by multiplying it’s voltage by it’s Ah (amp hour) rating.
For example, a 12 volt battery with a rating of 80 Ah would be: 12 x 80 = 1200 Wh.
To figure out it’s rating in kWh, you just divide the number by 1000 (1200 Wh ÷1000 = 1.2 kWh). Not so scary after all huh?

This next bit is where people make mistakes. Deep Cycle lead acid batteries (ideal for electric cars) have one horrible problem: you can’t take them below half-full. If you do, you’ll damage them and shorten your battery life substantially. Trust me on this!

This means to have a usable 9 kWh of battery capacity available, you’ll actually need to double your battery pack to 18 kWh – all because you can’t go below half-full. It’s annoying, but a fact of life with lead batteries.

The next problem with doubling your pack, is the weight and size of the battery pack.
This is the same problem that every single electric car converter goes through – myself included. It’s also the reason why home-converters don’t build lead-acid electric cars with 100 miles of range: The battery pack would weigh a tonne – literally.

If you’re looking to build an electric car with more than 60 miles of range, then I recommend stepping up to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4 in “geek speak”) batteries. There are many home conversions around with ranges exceeding 100 miles thanks to these small and lightweight batteries.

Now don’t forget that these calculations are heavily simplified using an average electric car of around 2600 lbs or so, and being driven only on roads (not highways). Driving at high speed and/or having a heavy vehicle reduces your range substantially. To combat this, I recommend several basic aerodynamic modifications to help your car slip through the air, rather than push into it, from wheel covers to grille-blockers and everything inbetween.

So that’s it. Figuiring out your battery pack size isn’t scary nor complicated. The next part is to figure out what size and voltage of lead batteries to use, and how you want them configured.
This will determine your car’s performance, as the higher the car’s total voltage, the less work the system has to do to get up to a particular speed. It’s the difference between having a road cruiser, or having something that eats gas cars for breakfast each time you get a green light!

If you’re looking for news reports on the latest and newest electric vehicle technology, worry no more.
After years of being on the EV scene and watching websites come & go, I can now honestly recommend the following EV news sources, starting with my personal favorite:

#1    The EV Cast

The EV Cast is an online-radio show which has been broadcasting electric car news since March 2008. As well as having entertaining presenters from all over the globe, the biggest benefit to this show is the ability to download the fun, news-filled show as podcasts. This means many EV Cast listeners, such as myself, can catch up on the latest EV news while driving, running errands or working.
EV Cast’s news sources are endless and each show dives into the hottest topics with lively banter, online guests, and in many shows the almost-trademarked shenanigans, where the team parody popular events with an electric car twist (you’ll have to hear to the 12 EV Days of Christmas yourself to believe me).
The EV Cast presenters are Bo Bennett, Ryan Levesque, Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield and Joe Lado. You need the right personalities to survive in the world of podcasts, and the growing audience numbers prove they have what it takes. This means the EV Cast definitely is the site to watch for 2010. Keep those shows coming guys & girls.

Visit The EV Cast at www.evcast.com

#2    Autoblog Green

In modern electric car terms Autoblog Green goes back a long way: They’ve been around since the early days of 2006. This doesn’t mean they need a walking frame though, as all their news is lively and hot off the grille. The charismatic Editor-in-Chief Sebastian Blanco knows his stuff, and is a fairly regular guest on the aforementioned EV Cast.
While Autoblog Green are fanatically green, they don’t run around in sandals avoiding showers. By this I mean their news is professional yet interesting, and comprehensive yet not intimidating. While not every article is on electric cars, it’s always a good read with something for everyone.
The layout of the site is fresh and clean without clutter and I highly recommend checking it out.

Visit Autoblog Green at www.green.autoblog.com

#3    All Cars Electric

Bang! As soon as you arrived at All Cars Electric’s website, you’ve got the choice of 20+ articles to choose from – all evenly spaced out and professionally done.
Maybe I got there on a good day but none of the articles looked dull. All stories are comprehensive and all photos plentiful & well sourced.
The site has good genes too, seeing as Dr. Lyle Dennis (the man behind the Chevy Volt) conceptualized it. All Cars Electric is definitely the place to go if you’re looking for a particular EV story – chances are it’s in there somewhere. The articles aren’t strictly for electric car nutters either: It’s a haven for Hybrid lovers, with the latest car reviews archived for easy access.

Visit All Cars Electric at www.allcarselectric.com

#4    EV World

Possibly the oldest electric car news source on the internet, EV World dates back to 1998. That’s before most of the world’s Youtube stars were born. This history, coupled with the electric car market knowledge of the Editor-in-Chief Bill Moore and more than 22,000 archived articles available puts EV World at the top of the electric car news game.
EV World writes and sources articles from all over the world, with a factual no-nonsense feel, and the site layout is clean and minimalist. Even though the site relies on a $29 a year subscription to operate, the articles are available for anyone to read.

Visit EV World at www.evworld.com

#5    Green Car Reports

Don’t be fooled by the layout of the site. Yes, it’s clean, fresh, modern – and looks almost identical to All Cars Electric – but the writers, stories and staff are very, very different.
This site delivers new and interesting stories, many aimed at the typical pop-culture audience (that means average folks like you and me). The site is clearly pro-electric cars, yet it’s articles takes no prisoners with those who over-glorify and over-hype electric cars. Remember, as much as we hate to admit it, electric cars have limitations too.
A great site with great stories, and even though it’s number five on this list, it’s right up there with Autoblog Green in quality of content.

Visit Green Car Reports at www.greencarreports.com