Untitled - ev-bg.com

10 Build Your Own Electric VehicleBack in the early 1990s when the first edition of this book was published, electricvehicles resembled your battery-operated electric shaver, portable power tool, orkitchen appliance. Today and tomorrow’s electric vehicles more closely resemble yourportable laptop computer in terms of both sophistication and capabilities.Have You Driven an Electric Vehicle Lately?Besides all the discussion of electric cars and the California Air Resources Board (CARB)mandates to incentivize electric cars, hybrids, and fuel cells that are replicated in severalof the United States, very few people have bought, built, or converted an electric vehiclebecause they wanted to save planet earth.Here are some of the reasons why people do get into electric vehicles.Electric Vehicles Offer the “Total Experience”Word of mouth and personal experience make a difference. Another way (more recently)is from the documentary movie, Who Killed The Electric Car? The cumulative effect ofnumerous people attending EV symposiums, rallies, and Electric AutomobileAssociation meetings and movies all over the world—and experiencing first-hand whatit’s like to ride or drive one—has gradually done the job. Almost universally, peopleenjoy their consciousness-raising electric vehicle experience, are impressed by it, andtell a friend. That’s the real reason for the resurgence in interest in electric cars.Electric Vehicles Are Fun to DriveImagine turning on a car and hearing nothing! The only way you can tell that the car ison is by looking at the battery/fuel gauge on the dashboard. This is only the firstsurprise of many when you get into an electric vehicle.When I used to work for the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and do ride-anddrivesfor the public, I always used to say that once you get in, you are changed forever.It’s true!! Every single time a person got out of the car, there would be a smile on theirface, a sense of real excitement, and then the inevitable first question (“Where can I getone?!”) would always pop up.Electric vehicles are first and foremost practical—but also fun to own and drive.Owners say they become downright addictive. Tooling around in breezy electric vehiclesilence gives you all the pleasure without the noise. As I liked to put it to my friends,“You can really hear your stereo.”Electric Vehicles Make a Difference by Standing OutElectric vehicles are a great way to drive and make a real contribution to the country. Bydriving an oil-free, gasoline-free car, you reduce our country’s reliance on imported oil;that will make you friends.Whether you’ve owned or even driven an EV1 from GM (what a ride!), ToyotaRAV4, TH!NK City, Solectria Force, or a converted Porsche 914 or Ford Ranger pickuptruck, or a built-from-scratch chassis with custom kitcar body, your electric vehicle is asexy, quiet, technologically spiffy show-stopper.Believe me, if the words “electric car” or “electric vehicle” appear prominently onthe outside of your car, pickup, or van, you will not want for instant friends at any