DIY electric car in THREE DAYS! Video step-by-step instruction creating a homemade electric car!
A team of enthusiasts from Australia has set the task of rework ordinary car mobile into an electric car. The task seems to be not difficult (when you know how), but the timing is amazing ...
The first day
It usually takes 6 to 12 months to convert a car to an electric vehicle. We set out to do it in a week. We wish there were more electric vehicles on the road, but that requires finding ways to reduce the time and cost of rework. In the future, it would be nice to see auto services for converting conventional cars into electric ones.
I worked on a project with my friend Michael from Gilong, Victoria. We decided to redesign his Daihatsu Charade (same model as mine) with an inexpensive rework package made in China.
For the last several months we have been preparing for the project by purchasing necessary spare parts, and manufacturing the missing components (such as the clutch and the adapter for connecting the electric motor to the gearbox). When setting up a permanent rework plant, such things can be automated. For example, the gearbox adapter has already been converted to CAD format, so the production of these parts using laser cutting can be set up. We have also prepared a detailed work plan and estimate, which will be published to help other enthusiasts.
I also invited many people interested in electric vehicles to participate in our redesign project. Many agreed to come and yesterday we had about 10 people, with whose help we did much more work than planned. Everyone was very organized and found something to do with the project on their own, and the skills of some were just amazing. We had mechanics, engineers, painters, video and photo operators, electricians, and my wife Rodemary cooked food for everyone!
On the first day, we removed the engine from the car internal combustion and all systems associated with it, such as exhaust and fuel. We also installed an electric motor and gearbox connected to each other. They also mounted the engine mount to the car body and began to manufacture a platform for installing batteries. By my calculations and with the help of such a wonderful team, we did the work for which 3 days were allotted.
The teamwork was excellent, many of those who helped us took time off from work and received a lot of positive emotions. Teamwork to create an electric car is awesome!
Video - day one:
Second day
Saturday morning, just woke up after a very long Friday day. 6 more people slept with us under the same roof:
We finished installing a set of batteries in the back of the car and even connected them together. The rear of the car looks like a finished product, which is good news!
The more sophisticated battery frame in the front is almost complete (there will be more welding work inside the compartment to level the pallet). Today we will install the pallet, clean and paint.
The wiring for the instruments was made and a voltmeter was installed. Thanks Joel!
Engine and gearbox installed, secured and tested. Michael, John and the team - great work!
Erick has installed a vacuum pump, all that remains is to plug it in.
Brackets for wiring cables under the bottom of the car are installed, it remains to finish the wiring.
Today we have to install the converter direct current, vacuum pump switch, battery charging, emergency brake and control unit. Then we will connect all this.
The progress of the second day was less noticeable as These were mainly the "finishing touches" of the first day, wiring and installation of small equipment inside the car. Visually, this is not as impressive as dismantling the internal combustion engine and installing an electric motor with a box.
Be that as it may, these steps can take several months for lone designers.
If we compare this project to the project of my first electric car, then in the first day as much was done as I did in the first 6 months! On the second day, we did the work for the next 5 months of my independent work. We are now at the stage of completing the wiring - I was at this stage 3 days before the test drive. Today I hope we will take this kid for a walk!
I originally planned to finish the project in a week and was a little nervous about how many people had come forward to help. I thought all this would distract me from the actual conversion work. Despite this, the opposite happened - thanks to all these people, we have done so much. I don't think it would be possible if only Mike and me were working. It can be concluded that the work on the manufacture of some parts takes a long time. For the next project, it will be necessary to develop a work plan to accelerate such work. For example, make a template for making battery trays.
Video - day two
Day three
After a long day at work, by 11 o'clock in the evening we left for the first test drive in Michael's new electric car. Just 3 days after the start of work!
Yesterday I spent most of the day figuring out how to connect the pipes of the electric pump, and this required making several adapters. We also made the power cable routing under the bottom of the car. Andrew did an excellent job of connecting all 12 volts and 96 volts. The controller board that came with the Chinese kit snapped into place and we quickly connected it.
In the morning we cleaned and painted the front battery tray and installed it after lunch. All metal work is excellent. And the painting was done very professionally, so everything looks just super!
Many people helped us that day. At some point, one group did the wiring under the car, another put oil into the transmission, and the third made the missing parts.
By the evening we were so close to completion that everyone added pace. Finally, all connections under the hood are completed and all the electrics are installed. First of all, we checked all 12 volt devices to make sure that everything works with the "ignition" on, then we connected the 96 V power supply and checked the vacuum pump brake system and DC converter. After small adjustments to the vacuum pump switch, the brakes worked as expected. Then we connected the converter to 12 V system, it worked perfectly.
We ended up connecting the last motor cable and starting the motor. Fortunately, he spun the wheels in the right direction on the stand. Despite the heavy rain, we could not resist the first trip. First we did a few circles around the building - everything works fine despite the increased weight thanks to Mike's new harness. The engine runs very quietly and can be changed very quickly without a clutch. Everyone was very happy with the first test drive.
There were still a couple of small problems, such as a small oil leak from the transmission, and the car acceleration seemed weak (peak current was less than 100A), most likely due to some kind of connection error. On Sunday we rest and on Monday I think we will solve these problems. There will also be cleaning and cosmetic work before going through the official inspection of the car.
As a result, we got an excellent project that was completed much faster than planned.
How to make an electric car with your own hands / GettyImages
Apologists for electric transport received a new stimulus to creativity: drive kits appeared on the Internet for self-building an electric vehicle or converting classic vehicles into it. So how to make an electric car with your own hands?
As you know, there are two fundamental differences between an electric car and a car with an internal combustion engine: the presence of a traction battery and another power unit... For an amateur designer, the question of the battery is usually more or less clear: how much money is there - you buy such a battery. Small or large, lead-acid or lithium-iron, or even, God forbid, there is enough money for lithium-ion. But with the drive there are more questions: where to get the engine and what type, where to place it, how to mate with the drive wheels, whether to leave the gearbox.
In addition to the transmission and engine, the kit for the construction of an electric vehicle includes a controller, an accelerator, a two-stage manual gearbox lever, wiring and blanks for attaching the bridge to the frame.
A separate science is an electric motor control system, which requires both a special controller and some analogue of an accelerator. And you almost always need a current converter - a module that converts the direct current of the battery into alternating current, which runs most of the currently available traction motors.
For everything ready
And on several Chinese sites, we see a set for sale that solves the drive problem in a comprehensive manner. Some company over there is putting out a presenter rear axle with an electric motor attached to it. The transmission has a built-in two-stage gearbox to increase torque on gradients or on rough roads. Also included is a controller - an engine control unit, the necessary cables, connectors and even a gas pedal - an accelerator. The axle is equipped with wheel hubs, moreover with brakes. The price of the kit is about $ 480 without delivery.
The accompanying instructions are silent about the details, but apparently this asynchronous motor alternating current with current frequency control.
There are two drive options, both with a power of 1.5 kW, but the basic one is designed to be powered by a 60 volt battery, and the stronger one is 72 volts. The gear ratio of the first gear is 1:20, the second is 1:10. The manufacturer provides data according to which equipped with these nodes vehicle will accelerate to 30 - 41 km / h in top gear. True, no references to permissible load on the axis and we could not find it.
Interestingly, there are seven different axle widths to choose from, with a track ranging from 890 mm to 1210 mm. That is, geometrically, such a drive can be installed even on a passenger car (gauge Moskvich-412 - 1270 mm, Tavria - 1280 mm).
Several "but"
I must say that the Chinese understand the issue of electrification of transport in their own way. Firstly, in the PRC, mass production of affordable electric vehicles has been established, and secondly, there is a significant subsidy from the state to each buyer of an electric vehicle. Therefore, hardly anyone makes passenger electric cars in garages.
These kits are primarily intended for self-re-equipment for the electric drive of such cargo tricycles.
Avto24 journalists have seen a lot of electrified - obviously makeshift - pedicabs and cargo scooters there more than once. Including on the streets of large wealthy cities in the flourishing southern provinces. These drive kits are intended for them.
Therefore, we see on them such a significant drawback as the absence of hydraulic brakes on the driving wheels. Therefore, if one of our compatriots comes up with the idea of putting this drive axle on a car, the mechanical brake drive will have to be converted to a hydraulic one on their own.
The transmission of torque from the electric motor to the wheels is organized through a small two-stage gearbox. Shift lever included.
The same is with the suspension of the axle to the supporting system of the vehicle - pads for fastening shock absorbers, springs or springs are included, but you will have to weld them “in place” yourself.
And one more remark. In the instructions available on the Internet, we did not find anything about the presence or absence of the recuperation mode in the drive - that is, it is unclear whether future electric car replenish the traction battery with energy when coasting - on descents, approaching an intersection. In fact, this is an important opportunity to extend the mileage between recharges that any production electric vehicle has.
With an electric car, you save money on fuel in the first place, which is great for the environment. We hasten to please you that you can build an electric car with your own hands even using the most ordinary car.
We offer you a number of instructions that must be followed in order to create an electric car with your own hands.
Step 1: Choose a car from which you will make an electric car with your own hands
It is best to choose a common brand, this will facilitate your access to numerous spare parts (and they will definitely be needed). In this case, the simplicity of the design of the applicants when choosing is welcomed (the simpler, the better). Another important detail is the weight of the future electric car, which you will create with your own hands. It must be remembered that our future car will gain solid weight thanks to the battery. The most the best option to build an electric car do it yourself - convertibles or cars up to 2 tons.
If you want the future electric car to pick up speed well, look for a well-streamlined car with the correct aerodynamic shape for minimal drag (as an option, additional optics can be created later with your own hands separately). Excessive wind resistance, as a rule, will take away from your electric car from 10 to 20 km of run or from 8.0 to 16.1 km / h of speed.
For electric vehicles in general, a gearbox is not needed as the ability to drive forward and backward is handled by a controller.
The electric vehicle that you are going to do with your own hands must also have enough space for electric batteries supplying sufficient voltage to the motor. It is also worth remembering that when creating it, you need to take into account the possibility of having constant access to the batteries for easy do-it-yourself maintenance. Do not forget also that even placement of batteries in a straight line across the vehicle space is responsible for the stability of your electric vehicle.
Video: How to make an electric car with your own hands
Step 2: Choose an engine for your electric car, which you can assemble at your own discretion by installing it yourself
Finding what you need does not require a professional level of knowledge. The DC motor is the standard motor for nearly all electric vehicles. It will even be enough to find such a used motor and restore it. This task is quite simple (what you need to do with your own hands is to disassemble the case, clean and degrease the electric motor, and then restore all its connectors).
Step 3: Buying an Electric Vehicle Battery
Before starting the assembly of an electric vehicle, you will need a main and backup battery. What you are looking for is a helium-cell battery, which is a type of regulated lead-acid battery that contains a thickened electrolyte. Such sealed (without revision) batteries do not require additional do-it-yourself pouring of distilled water into the battery cells of the future electric vehicle. It is a sealed accumulator with a pressure relief safety valve. When buying, you can explain to the seller for what purpose you need the battery.
A more expensive option is to purchase lithium-ion batteries. I must say that they are quite expensive, have a variety of voltages, but this option allows you to purchase almost one battery instead of completing a number of smaller ones. Indeed, in order for such a battery to pull a large car with passengers and travel a decent distance, it will take a total of 72 volts and from 40 to 60 ampere hours. If you want the car to develop up to 64 km / h, then it is better to take 144 volts and about 80 ampere hours. Although, many car builders who want to create an electric car with their own hands purchase lithium-ion batteries.
Step 4: remove the old engine with our own hands
You will need a crane girder and a set of keys to help you remove the ICE and old parts from the car. If old and rusted bolts do not loosen well, use a liquid wrench (it is available in all car dealerships).
We take out the engine and everything else that we do not need to work in conjunction with the electric motor: a tank, exhaust system, radiator, etc.
Whether or not there was a power steering in your future electric vehicle that you are creating do it yourself not so important, as you can always install an electric power steering as an additional option.
Step 5: Install the electric motor and battery in place of the old block
This is where the gearbox mounts can be reused. We connect the electric motor to the gearbox and prop it up with a jack, measure the difference between the old mounting bolts of the engine and the electric motor and install it.
You can make and mount a completely new mount, but it is much easier to use the original motor mount as it has dampers built into it to avoid dynamic stress on the motor. This reduces vibration and chatter when the engine is accelerating or decelerating.
You also need an adapter plate to connect our electric motor transmission and clutch (specially designed to mate the engine flywheel and propeller shaft to the transmission).
Your best bet is to bring the engine and gearbox to a workshop and use a simple piece of cardboard to measure the distance between the bolt holes on one side and the electric motor bolts on the other.
Place the electric motor inside the front of the car and connect the controller. The controller can usually be 72 volts (like the controller on any golf car, for example). However, if you want a 144 volt controller, you will need to find sites that sell them specifically for electric vehicles.
Install the battery (using battery fasteners). Connect the motor and battery to the controller.
Step 6: DIY solar panel installation
The installation of solar panels will be used as passive energy for battery back-up. The places they choose are very diverse. Naturally, it is worth placing them in places on an electric car with good access to the sun's rays (it occurs when craftsmen, when creating an electric car with their own hands, place them even on the turn signal mirrors). Why not?
Step 7: Connect the ignition to the starter
The starter activates the motor when the key is turned. This will act in the same way as a powered ignition switch would. You will need to re-solder the ignition so that it turns on the starter of the electric vehicle. To do this, connect the wires to the vehicle's electrical system and the fuse box. You will also need a pedometer that connects to throttle and the gas pedal cable. This wire is connected to the controller and gives it a signal when it is time to start moving the electric vehicle. This is a fairly important detail that you may need when creating an electric car with your own hands. .
Step 8: Just buy a simple car to electric car conversion kit
Instead of buying all the parts separately. You can purchase a do-it-yourself kit for converting a regular car into an electric car. It will have all the necessary components and they will be 100% designed to work together. However, such kits are usually not universal for all vehicles. You will still need to make a lot of items in case the kit did not fit your car.
While hybrid cars are a curiosity not only in our country, but also in a number of others, so especially gifted craftsmen are trying to collect them. And not only… Poulsen Hybrid also offered its solution for converting a conventional car into a hybrid, having achieved gasoline savings of almost 20%. They offer to do this using Power Assist System - Kits consisting of two electric DC disk motors. They need to be installed using special adapters on rear wheels... An additional battery and two controllers are placed in the trunk of the car. The battery is being charged from a household outlet. The company's specialists claim that small motors, the power of which is 7 hp, can help the main gasoline engine drive electric, saving fuel.
Electric motors can be installed on most cars produced today with wheels from 14 inches and above. Each motor weighs no more than 17 kg. The capacity of the lithium-ion battery that powers them is 4.3 kWh. It will take Charger 96 V / 10 A. As a result, the weight of the system with the battery will be 90 kilograms, and the power will be 13.5 hp. The cost of the project is about 8000 "green", plus another six hundred, if the system will be installed by specialists (an official dealer).
But, for now, there are not many who want to "improve" their favorite car in this way. A large group of specialists considers the project to be very dubious. We are waiting for what time will tell.
One of the options for installing an electric motor on a regular car
The end of the nineteenth century is the period when cars with steam and electric motor... By the way, it was the electric car that for the first time managed to overcome the hundred-kilometer speed line. And although there are not so many electric vehicles yet, hybrids have appeared in which an electric motor and an internal combustion engine are used simultaneously. The essence of the hybrid is that its movement begins immediately, but even the driver does not know (if you do not look at the monitor) on which motor he is driving - this is decided by the electronics. But, such a vehicle is expensive, so the Russian "craftsmen" tell how you can assemble hybrid car do it yourself. Moreover, this is not as rare as it might seem.
Do-it-yourself estimate for a hybrid car:
Body (homemade, plastic, on bridges) - costs about $ 1,000. It is important to choose it as small as possible - this is important.
For the salon: the two front seats of a Porsche 924 are very suitable. rear seat can be borrowed from Toyota Supra. It will take another five meters of carpet, which must "visit" the workshop for sewing covers. The cost of materials and work will be approximately $ 400. Well, but, in principle, it all depends on imagination, and there are a lot of materials in the country: wood, leather, acoustic expensive fabrics, etc.
The power unit, in our case also used, is an engine from a decommissioned loader made in Bulgaria, the power of which is 3.6 kW, and the developed speed is 1400 rpm. You can pick up another engine by contacting the office that supplies new spare parts for forklifts. It will cost approximately $ 650.
Speaking about the battery, it is worth recommending not to use domestic ones, since the nominal capacity can be obtained the first few times, and that's it. For the battery, fresh lead ore is needed, which we do not have in our country, therefore, for the batteries, they use remelted from old batteries. Perfect option- traction accumulators for forklifts. But their price is a second higher than the Italian starter, of which seven pieces are required. Their cost in stores will be 4,000 rubles, and in a wholesale company - 2,600 apiece.
Well, everything that can be called "miscellaneous". This includes wheels (their width should be small in order to minimize rolling friction), a motor control unit (again you can use the one that is used in loaders - a relay for six speeds, costing up to $ 400, or a thyristor one that costs three times more, but with smooth adjustment), a flange designed to connect the transmission and the engine (for example, the VAZ 2101 gearbox) - $ 70, a faceplate with a coaxiality of at least 0.02 mm (for connecting the gearbox and the motor) so that you do not have to frequently change bearings (you can make your own ).
In total, everything will take until 3000 dollars and three hundred hours of the time of an average-skilled engineer who will act as a welder, locksmith, and electrician.
For this amount, you can become the owner of a four-seater car, the weight of which is 850 kg, and the battery has the characteristics of 84Vx200 Ah. mountain).
The number of recharge cycles is 800, the cost of charging one is 12.5 kopecks per kilometer, which can be compared with the VAZ 2101, which has a consumption of 8 liters per hundred kilometers, i.e. 80 kopecks per kilometer.
Feasibility study
The number of recharge cycles to full capacity with correct use is 800 times (from the advanced Italian, for a reasonable price). 800 times x 200 km = 160,000 km. The cost of one charge, reduced to 1 km of track.
It seems that there are no questions - the benefits are obvious. True, there will be questions with the traffic police, but everything, in the end, is resolved.
Also, there are no problems with assembling a rear-wheel drive hybrid with your own hands, in which the electric motor is fixed under the bottom of the car on cardan shaft... Installed in the cabin on-board computer works in conjunction with a computer system installed in the engine compartment. Of course, you can't do without an electric motor, controller, battery housing, battery wires and connectors.
Advice: the motor must be installed on an authorized service center to maintain the correct angle of inclination. You also need to take care of the rigid attachment of the batteries to the frame. For this, special guide rails are installed under the bottom, thanks to which both the electric motor and the battery are securely fixed.
Calculate this car (if the battery is 200 Ah), it can be for a run of one mile.
A do-it-yourself electric car for a child: a photo and description of a homemade product.
Craftsman Anton from Vladivostok made an electric car for his little daughter with his own hands, we invite you to see detailed photo report on the construction of a homemade children's electric car.
Materials used:
- Electric motor from Toyota wipers.
- The sprockets are made from a 3SFE pump pulley and a 5AFE crankshaft pulley.
- Belt from Subaru forester, (it had to be shortened twice and glued-sewn together).
- Motorcycle battery - 12V 9Ah 45A.
- Trolley wheels (diameter 210 mm).
- Profile pipe.
- Textolite.
- Fasteners.
The sitting is done as follows. I assembled a template from cardboard. I bought a can of resin 800 gr 650 rubles and two packs of fiberglass 150 rubles * 2pcs, and stuck it on a template already ready and pasted over with tape, the work took about a week. Then he putty, sanded, primed and covered in imitation leather, of course, putting 10 mm foam rubber.
The steering wheel is made of plywood.
I fixed the electric motor, set the stars and the belt.
Steering. The gimbal was an optimal fit from the Toyota Probox NCP50, and the stabilizer links, which act as tie rods with tips, were made from Toyota Voxy AZR60 units.
The pedal from the car was cut off and welded to it by a swivel nut, which acts as a bearing, and a travel stop. I welded a return spring to the frame. installed a microswitch for supplying current to the electric motor under the pedal.
I installed a toggle switch that changes the polarity of the current so that the car can move back and forth depending on the selected gear.
