How likely are you to convert your car to Electric?

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bradfordwhite

bradfordwhite

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If you have a perfectly good car that happens to have
an old stinky petroleum motor,
how likely would you be to convert it to an EV (electric vehicle) with the upgrade of a conversion kit?

Especially, if there were government incentives such as there currently are for people buying a new EV.

I'm def. considering it as my vehicle is the only petroleum based appliance I have left. I don't and won't have any gas appliances in my home nor do I want any gas lines near me. I have no other portable gas powered appliances anymore like a lawnmower. The only thing left is my cute car but it's got
that stinky engine, gas tank, and exhaust.

Those parts can be removed easily enough.
I wonder if the engine still has value and for how long that will last.

Anyway, it said it costs upwards of $8K to convert. If I could use this incentive towards that, that would be awesome.

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not likely...

...though back in 1998,i was about to buy a nice,clean 1983 Renault Le car with blown head gasket-intending to convert to short range (around town)use,when the Renault got smashed up by a nasty hailstorm...I do have a couple small electric trikes under construction-mostly as "art projects"and leisure use :)
 
I would never convert to a total electric car, hybrid yes, total electric no, cost too much to charge and this country is not ready for total electric cars, plus travelling far distances by electric cars will increase the time as the time to recharge the battery. Just my thought, please don't jump all over me, as this is my opinion.

Doug
 
Electric conversion

only vehicle I have even halfway suitable for conversion is a small 2wd pickup:simple and rugged enough to handle the battery weight.The Renault mentioned was nicely suitable as there was enough room under hood for some batts with some more elsewhere while still keeping the rear light enough so the back end sits right.A 1980 Fiat Strada was 2nd choice,but got smashed by same hailstorm.
 
What will I do with all that metal and rubber and plastic from my old gas engine and it's components? Multiplied by that many others?

As for reply #5, well, supposed I want an Electric Electra, or a Power LeSabre?

Will it possible to convert those old classics and make them able to go as many distances as gas allowed even with as many charging (as opposed to fuel) stops?

Will we still call accelerating hitting the gas and the accelerator the gas pedal? We can't shake off filming, filmed and film...

I'll think about it, as in later on if this still doesn't take off: NO!!!!

-- Dave
 
Convert????When I went to the Toyota dealer to have the oil changed and my 2021 Highlander checked--went for a test ride in a Toyota BZ4X all eletric car.After the ride I was sold!!!!TRaded in the Highlander to the new electric car.It is a SUV style car-has front wheel drive-200Hp electric motor.The batteries are under the floorboards.A level 1 120V charger comes with the car-stows in the back nicely.When I get home from work today will put the car on the charger.There are chargers Level2,3 around town.Can use those,too.You use them much like a rgular gas pump that takes your credit card.It is a Limited model-bells and whistles.I have had the car for several days-will know more the more I use it.Takes me to work to and back just fine.I can skip the Sheetz gas station!!
 
Reply #9

Thanks Louis, interestingly enough, I almost got a ‘66 Ford LTD same color and all with only 11,757 original miles on it but never heard a word from the seller despite inquiring 2 times. Kind of a bummer but there’s always another out there, even if it’s the Galaxie 500 4 door hardtop (virtually the same car as the LTD).

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100% electric, s'il vous plait

First of all, I'm totally in love with Toyota.

I never really liked the brand before because all cars were "Japanese looking", including the corolla that was sold in Brazil that had the mirrors horribly placed near the front end of the car instead of the doors.

However, I never had any doubt Toyota were indestructible cars.

When I moved to the US I was a Renault/Ford guy. My last cars in Brazil were a 2001 Renault Clio and a 2015 Ford Focus. The clio was the daily driver and the focus was for weekends.

Arrived here, Darryl had a Toyota Rav4 and my father in law a Lexus sedan (I don't remember the model, but it's that fancy one).

Note that before, Darryl had a Camry, it made me curious and my new cousin Cynthia said "Welcome to the Toyota family, all Bantons have Toyotas.

Ok... got used to it, even not really in love.

I started driving uberEATS a few hours per day using the rav4. OMG that car was absurdly reliable and comfortable.
Then Darryl and I suffered a horrible crash with the Rav 4, I was driving, somebody rear ended me on the freeway, it was a high speed crash and we both walked away from that pile of crumbled metal. Toyota saved my life! This definitely counted a lot.

Rav 4 was replaced by a Corolla. I drove UberX and Lyft with it for almost a year. Put a zillion miles on it and that "thing" keeps going and going and going. It simply refuses to fail.

I got a Toyota Prius, because it's hybrid and a second car was needed. It's rented, costing me $1k per month. Other amazing car. It's old, ugly, but for deliveries, who cares? It gives me great mileage and, no surprise at all, that ugly little thing is reliable beyond absurd levels.

I drive average 100/150 miles per day, sometimes 200 miles (average 5 hours per day doing deliveries in Long Beach).

When Toyota announced the 2023 prius, I was crazy for it. Went to several Toyota dealers and no luck, the waiting list is beyond 1 year. I was totally in love with it but haven't seen one "live" yet.

Revvinkevin took me to the biggest Toyota dealer in the US, I finally saw the prius and had a massive disappointment. I don't fit in it! To make it look more sporty, Toyota made the new prius ridiculously short, almost like a ferrari or a corvette. For me it's impossible to enter the car without hitting my head and to exit I feel like I'm part of the cirque du soleil cast. Now imagine entering and exiting the car 50, 60, sometimes 70 times per day... adiós knees and spine.

Then I saw the BZ4X. OH...MY...GOD! It was just like the first time I saw Darryl. I fell in love instantly. Starting by it's beautiful, then when you seat in it, if feels like the car is hugging you. Ideal height, ideal driving position, ideal seats. If feels like the BZ4X was Taylor-made for my body.
The only time in my life I felt the same was in 1997 when I entered the Ford KA for the first time. (I had 5 KA, so much I loved that tiny car)

The only two details I didn't really like in the BZ4X are the like-fabric dashboard and the lack of a glove box. (Well, the KA didn't have a glove box as well, it had a tiny box that looked like a Tupperware container.)

I dont understand why Toyota did that. Maybe because of the radiant heater? Anyway, that didn't prevent me from falling in love.

Best of all, they had it in stock and financing it would be cheaper than what I spend every month renting a junk prius.

Then the nightmare began. My score isn't enough to finance it (unless I give a huge down payment and have an absurd interest rate) and my boss refused to co-sign.

Well, we can't always win, but my feelings were deeply hurt, specially after hearing a BZ4X doesn't match my professional position, I can't drive a car better than the CEOs wife. The stress and disappointment was so big that I ended up having a stroke 2 days later.

Now, no matter what, I no longer want a BZ4X (but the Lexus version of it, which is even more luxurious), even if I have to sleep a few hours less every day to keep up with my job and the delivery and end up having a second stroke for working 18 hours per day, even paying 28% interest rate, I want and I will do it ASAP. There's nothing like feelings being hurt to drag us out of the comfort zone and make us move our fat ass.

The good thing of not being able to buy the BZ4X that was in stock is the color. It was red with black roof, not exactly a color that matches me, as I always loved silver cars.

Regarding going electric.... that's the future, Toyota has proven they make good cars and good batteries. Toyotas are reliable so I'll go 100% electric and it will be a Toyota or Lexus (most likely a Lexus only to grab my boss by the neck and rub his face on the front grille and say "it's better, more expensive and more luxurious than your Tacoma and I deserved it because it was paid with my work".
 
Here in Idaho and other states where the power source is hydroelectric, inexpensive, and carbon neutral, it may make sense to own an electric vehicle. I really don't think the millennium of technology for electric vehicles has arrived yet. There remain too many unresolved issues, IMHO. However, I'm betting that things will just get addressed as the years go by and electric cars will eventually proliferate. Of course, by then, I'll be dead.
 
Would I...

and would the vast majority of Americans? The answer is No. I like my gas-powered car, and I love the simplicity of filling up in less than 3 minutes and being able to go hundreds and hundreds of miles.

A neighbor of mine has an Electric Tesla, and in our Affluent Suburbs there is still not a major charging network in place, nor is there an ability to quickly charge. She told me recently, about how she had to spend over an hour (late at night) at a charging station, coming back home from the city.

I knew at that moment, I most certainly was not remotely interested. Life is too short, and I don't want some unreliable, new thing controlling my mobility. I prefer tried and true technologies, not the latest fad.

As for OP's comment about Gas appliances. I have a Gas Pool Heater, Water Heater, Furnace, Range, Fireplace, Clothes Dryer and even a Natural Gas Backup Generator.

Guess What! The cost per KWH in my area is almost .20, and the cost of Natural Gas to operate the same appliances is almost 1/3rd. I save tons of money, and I am using a quality natural resource, that is made right here in the United States.
 
Charging times:

Of course it will vary based on the use you have, the distance you drive, etc, HOWEVER, unless you're a delivery driver, charging shouldn't be an issue at all using a regular dryer outlet.

Somebody that drives let's say, 80 miles per day, charging would take something around 3 to 4 hours at home. Fast charging stations are popping up everywhere. It will reach a point that nearly all parking spots will have chargers.

I've researched that very deeply before deciding to go electric and I was surprised with the absurd number of chargers here in Los Angeles. There are even regular street parking spots, with a parking meter and a level 2 charger. Nearly all supermarkets, drugstores, shopping malls, restaurants, etc have parking spots with level 3 charging.

Of course, the networks grow according to the demand. It makes no sense to put a zillion chargers in a small town that has only 2 or 3 electric cars, but once the fleet of electric cars in a certain area grows, the demand will automatically ask for more offer.

Here in Los Angeles, The number of EVs is much higher than in other cities, so this demand created more offers, because companies want to sell electricity the same way gas stations want to sell gas.

One thing is surely a fact. EVs came to stay and theres no way to go back. Different from hydrogen, for example, that arrived as a super revolutionary technology and turned into a nightmare for those who bought Mirai and Clarity and have to deal with only a handful of stations, absurdly expensive fuel, some stations with no fuel, some with defective pumps, giant lines and, depending on the weather, the nozzle can freeze and you're stuck for 30 minutes waiting for it to defrost so you can disconnect it from the car. An electrical plug... well, everybody knows how to use one, don't you?
 
And also....

The average range on EVs vary from 250 to 350 miles. That can EASILY be charged overnight using a dryer outlet (no need for a dedicated outlet), so the next morning the batteries are full again.

Then people will always co.plain, omg, but I can't go from Los Angeles to Miami, it will take forever to charge.

Well, yes.... not forever but average 30 minutes using a fast charger.

But... how often do we really travel super long distances?

Precious word: money!

Even here in California, with absurd hight electricity costs, a full "tank" costs something near $6.

A few months ago, gas price was slightly above $7. So, we have $6 to "fill the tank" on an EV vs average $80 to fill the tank of a regular gas car.

Nearly everybody that switched to electric thought their electrical bills would skyrocket like crazy... nope, nearly all EV users ended up surprised because the electrical bill is higher, of course, but not absurdly higher and you're saving big money on gas, oil changes, etc.
 
@thomasortega

I just so happen to live in the Suburbs surrounding New York City, and my experiences couldn't be more different than yours.

First off... in my home, my laundry room is actually on the 2nd Floor, so I most certainly COULD NOT use the dryer outlet, without running some sort of absurdly long extension cord to my attached garage. Almost my entire subdivision, I think, built by Toll Brothers has the same setup, with second-floor laundry.

Then... there is a simple fact that my dryer is Gas. As is, probably everyone else's dryers in my subdivision. I don't have a single 220V Outlet in my home, now that I think about it out loud.

For my second argument, I couldn't disagree with you more. Despite large swaths of citizens here being fully "green" and going out of their way to purchase the latest and greatest, we do not have a huge system of Charging Stations.

So far I've only noticed them at certain Supermarket Chains, Chain Restaurants (no thanks), and other random places. The idea of sitting at one for over an hour literally pisses me off.

While 250 miles sounds like a lot, I could easily go through that in a few days with a trip out to the Jersey Shore. And, for me... as I said, my time is too valuable to spend waiting for a "charger" to do its thing, especially during a weekend when I want to spend my time enjoying myself.

I also will tell you that gas is literally under $3 a gallon here, and the price of gas isn't really that much of a concern for me. Nor am I interested in getting rid of my Gasoline vehicle, and outlaying cash for an electric.

Even beyond the limitations (which I wouldn't care about as much if I could go 1,000+ miles on a charge)... one thing that bothers me, is the constant need, by politicians to force "progress".

Consumers at the end of the day should be the ones making the best decision for themselves. Not Politicians, and Not 3rd Parties, who feel as though their viewpoints are more important than others. We seem to have a VERY BIG Problem with that in this country.
 
Although I'm very intrigued by electric cars and I loved those I have used, for the time being I see no good reason to change to electric. My 11 year old Smart is very efficient and the last years I have only driven around 4000 kilometers per year. Actually this week the odometer passed the 66,666 kilometer mark. When you change to an electric car you should consider where the break even point is for the environmental footprint. The production of an electric car gives a much bigger footprint than a petrol car. That has to be compensated by enough kilometers/miles. If your kilometrage/mileage is low, you might not reach that break even point.

However if my Smart is at it's end of it's life I might consider buying an electric car. There are some interesting models coming out in the next few years, like the Volkswagen ID2 and perhaps some interesting model from Citroën based on the prototype Citroën Oli

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I'm waiting for a better income situation (finishing Bachelor) gonna safe up for a year or two and then probably go for it.

I wouldn't convert my car, I'd buy an original EV.
There is a lot of magic sauce in terms of systems integration and controlling that makes many EVs as good as they are - more than the sum of the parts, so to say.

The lifetime cost of an EV - at least over here - is considerably lower than a gas car.

Even when traveling, there is no real route through Germany I could use that would need more than a 20-30min charging stop (in the right car).
With certain route planner apps that balance charge time over distance to reduce overall stopped time, you can cross Germany from north edge to south edge with maybe 90min in time spent charging - which at over 1000km distance isn't terrible at all.

I would probably go with a Hyundai offering.
800V traction battery and thus DC charge system means you can get up to 300kW peak charging with typical 20-80% charging in 20min or less.

The rates ranges there go up to above 500km - which apparently translates to 300-350km in realistic highway range.

Their technology suite is pretty good, they have a 360 camera system (had it in a rental once, miss it ever since).
And pricing is ok.
Still a huge upfront cost - but not unmanageable with my income bracket.

I honestly am still waiting for the "one size down" offerings.

There is a certain scale issue with electric cars getting to the size my Polo is. At some point you just don't have the space in the cars floor construction for a big traction battery.

But i wish there was a Hyundai Ioniq 4, an ID2 or a Model 2 - just like a foot and half shorter and mayber half a foot less tall.
 
For those wanting to do a retro car, an electric conversion is the perfect way to make it new again. Could be a model T or my fav. a 1980s Grand Marquis or Lincoln Towncar.
More companies making kits are bringing the prices down.
I guess it takes a day in a shop to convert, probably under ideal circumstances.

Some would say taking a older vehicle and ditching the petrol engine would affect it's market value. I say YES, it would increase it because (assuming the car chassis is in reasonably good condition) you'd have a whole NEW drive train.

The worst part of any restored vehicle is the crap engine belching out eye watering fumes and maintenance. When I see the occasional restored vehicle on the road, I usually cringe and keep a good distance, it doesn't matter how good of job they've done on the paint restoration because I know the tail pipe will be leaving behind major stink.

But, if it were Electric, it pretty much doesn't matter what the car is, it's going to turn heads. Especially with the speed an electric motor puts out.


 
JFYI-
Most battery ranges now are getting 200-300 miles per charge these days.

As for charging there are different levels, but it's not difficult to understand.
Most home chargers use a simple 50 amp electric stove outlet, the same plug that one can plug a 50 amp RV plug into.

And those people who have solar panels on their home can literally be charging their car for FREE.



I've installed that 50 amp outlet before. I've done entire house wiring to code but I have to remember that not everyone has the same experience level.

As long as one has the room and capacity in their circuit box a 50 amp plug is basically the cost of a double pole 50 amp breaker, the 6 gauge wire needed, appropriate box and the NEMA 14-50 outlet. Cost at Home Depot: about $200 depending on how much wire is needed.

 
#27

Louis, it's probably going to be like most every thing else once this market is refined.

There will be the Custom top of line stuff and

there will be the one-size-fits-all Walmart or EBAY special.

I'm more the latter. lol. I'm cheap/frugile.

I will probably end up getting a kit. I'll hopefully pre-sell the engine in my car to someone who will want to see it running first and will come and disassemble and lift out the engine, remove the tank and muffler.... so I don't have to deal with it,

and then I can install the kit. The only thing I'm really worried about is connecting the motor to ..... the transmission box?

The electric part doesn't phase me.
I don't think I will encounter any shocking scenarios.
I'm just anticipating the surge of excitement once it's done.

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Here in California the electric rates have skyrocketed in the past few years, and I understand they will continue to rise. So while an EV might be economical in other parts of the nation, here I sort of kind of doubt it will be any less expensive than a gas powered car.

 

Unless one gets solar on the roofing, with enough battery storage to charge an EV overnight.

 

YMMV
 

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