israel21c.org sees the future of transportation in Israel, and it’s all green. Through Shai Agassi’s innovative “Project Better Place,” Israel will become the first country to mass produce electric cars.

With the high price of gas these days, many consumers have decided that owning and driving an electric vehicle will be more efficient and cheaper to run over the long haul. If you decided to build your own electric vehicle, there are plenty of resources available to help you understand and work through the process of converting a gas vehicle into an electric vehicle.

If you are one of those unfortunate souls that have to commute a long ways back and forth to work, an electric vehicle may not suit your needs because on average these vehicles run from 30 to 70 miles each day. Other factors such as the driving conditions, the weight of the vehicle and the quality of the battery will determine how many miles you can drive. You also have to consider how you will be recharging the batteries. If you live in your own home with a garage, then charging the batteries is not a problem. However, if you live in an apartment complex with no garage, it maybe a little tougher to charge the batteries every night.

Some Important Considerations

First thing you have to consider is what type of car you want to use to build your own electric vehicle. Smaller cars would be more ideal, but bigger cars can be used as well. You should also consider using a car that has a manual four speed or five speed transmission, since standards are more efficient than automatics. Interestingly, since electric motors are so deficient, shifting gears up and down constantly won’t happen as much as it does in a gas fueled engine.

When building your own electric vehicle, there will be additional weight added to your car. That weight can be anywhere from 200 to 500 extra pounds. Just make sure that the car you picked can handle the extra weight with the modifications and isn’t completely ridiculous and is well within reason.

A few more things to keep in mind that are optional when building your electric vehicle is the power steering and air-conditioning. The power steering would definitely require another motor to make the power steering pump work. The air conditioning will put a huge drain on the batteries, but you can hookup the air conditioning using a special magnet system to work the compressor.

In the end, there are plenty of resources out there to help you do the job right when building your own electric vehicle. As time passes and with the rising cost of fuel, electric vehicles and hybrids will become more and more popular. Chances are the price of gas is going to continue to rise and for a lot of people, gas is almost not affordable. So going ahead and take a look at building your own electric vehicle; you may be surprised at how easy it is to convert your gas guzzler into and electric vehicle. The money you will save on fuel will pay for the cost of the conversion in very short order and there will be less pollution in the air too.

As gas prices reach record levels and fossil fuels diminish over time, consumer demand for alternative energy technology will do nothing but increase. In fact, urban electric vehicles, while rather novel in the United States, are more common in Europe, where population densities in metropolitan areas necessitated a search for alternatives to driving full size cars long ago.

The urban electric vehicle is essentially a very small car, typically a two-door hatchback designed to hold two to four passengers (and not much else). Relying on electricity as their primary power source, these vehicles are ideal for urban dwellers who need to get from point A to point B in cities crowded with full size vehicles. They are probably especially attractive to those who live in cities with poorly developed or unreliable public transportation systems.

According to the US Department of Energy, urban electric vehicles are considered regular passenger vehicles. Most contain the normal safety features and amenities American consumers have to come to expect: airbags, safety belts, and heaters and air conditioners. Current urban electric vehicles can reach top speeds of somewhere near 60 mph, and can go nearly 12 hours before needing to be recharged. This represents a significant improvement over earlier models, and should increase the acceptability of the technology among the general public.

Both Nissan and Ford are testing urban electric vehicles and Daimler-Chrysler is in contract to bring the original urban electric vehicle, the Zap! Smart Car into the United States. Previously, Smart Cars had to be imported from other countries, especially Canada, and modified to meet U.S. safety standards. Urban electric vehicles offer a range of benefits to drivers. Urban electric vehicles produce no emissions, which means they have the potential to reduce the harmful environmental impact of other forms of personal transportation. People who live in smog-filled cities may find this benefit especially attractive.

Second, urban electric vehicles, like hybrids and other advanced energy powered cars, often qualify for state and national tax credits. Some argue these credits can make up for the additional cost related to purchasing electric or hybrid vehicles. Finally, the urban electric vehicle’s small size make it an ideal choice for commuters in crowded cities. The compact nature of the urban electric vehicle makes it easier to drive in heavy traffic, and requires much less parking space. As cities become more crowded and gas gets more expensive, urban electric vehicles may be positioned for a massive jump in popularity.

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The title pretty much says it all.

I have a passion for electric vehicles, both motorcycles and cars. I was wondering if it is possible to become an “electric car mechanic”, or anything that works with electric vehicles?

Thanks in advance.

Low Speed Electric Vehicles For Seoul Government’s Official Use
SEOUL, March 13 (Bernama) — The Seoul metropolitan government will introduce dozens of low-speed electric vehicles for official use for the first time this year as part of efforts to promote environmently friendly cars, city officials said.

Read more on Bernama

The New Electric Vehicles: A Clean & Quiet Revolution

With rising fuel costs, more and more people and are looking for alternatives. One such alternative that is gaining popularity, especially with the do-it yourself types, are the electric vehicle kits. Anyone familiar with automobiles can now use these kits to convert traditional gas powered vehicles to one powered by electric current.

However, converting a traditional Gas powered vehicle into an electric vehicle can be a very daunting task. Only those who are the very mechanically minded should try this. To convert the vehicle will require extensive modifications to nearly all-mechanical parts of the car. Everything from the engine to the radiator, heater and air-conditioning, to the gauges on the panel. On top of that, the electric cars have to be recharged on a regular basis, which means having to purchase or use the services of recharging station. Solar power could be another potential source of power for the electric vehicle.

Can any car be converted into an electric vehicle?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Not all cars can be converted into an electric vehicle. However, and the most common electric vehicle kit seems to be the Chevy S-10 pick up kit. For examples to follow just do a search online for Chevy S-10 pickup Electric conversions. Other cars that are good candidates for conversion are the Chevy Geo, especially from 1989 to 1999. These cars are good potential candidates for an electric vehicle kit conversion. Cars similar to the Chevy Geo Metro, such as the Chevy Sprint, Pontiac Firefly and the Suzuki Swift are also ideal for conversions too.

Are there downsides to using an electric vehicle kit?

Going back a few years, many people associated electric powered vehicles with slowness and a lack of power. But as usual, thanks to technology, significant advances in the electric vehicle have changed all that. With these electric vehicle kits some cars can reach top speeds of between 70 and 75 mph. nonetheless, converting to electric power still has its drawbacks.

The biggest drawback it is of course the need for recharging the batteries. As an example, the Chevy Geo Metro kit must be recharged every 20 to 40 miles, depending on driving habits and battery quality. For city driving, this would be ideal. However, for lengthy commutes on the highway, this would not be ideal.

The Chevy S-10 with an electric vehicle kit installed will run a little longer on a single charge. On a single charge, the S-10 should last between 40 and 60 miles. Again this depends upon the driving habits as well as the size and quality of batteries. Some S-10 models can be equipped with solar powered panels which would in reduced in the need for charging, at least when driving during daylight hours.

Converting vehicles with electric vehicle kits is not a cheap affair. Most conversion kits seem to cost between $8000 to $10,000. And this does not even include professional installation as well as the cost of the batteries, not to mention access to or the purchase of a charging station.

Quite frankly, with the cost involved of using an electric vehicle kit, it probably wouldn’t be very practical for the average consumer, especially if they do a lot of highway driving. However, that being said, it probably would be ideal for a back yard mechanic who loves to tinker with cars and has a few bucks to throw around and wants to impress his beer-drinking buddies.