Clean Power Auto
Converting Cars to Electric Power in Tampa Bay Area
Converting Cars to Electric Power in Tampa Bay Area
Clean Power Auto
Converting Cars to Electric Power in Tampa Bay Area
Converting Cars to Electric Power in Tampa Bay Area
EV Conversion Process - Selecting a Donor Car
Most important factor in donor selection is to pick a car that you will enjoy driving for next 10 years or more. EV Conversion is a long term investment, make sure you find a car that you love, not some cheap clunker that you happen to find for few hundred bucks. Some people seek donors with blown engines, but if previous owner managed to blow the engine, then he probably wasn't too kind to the rest of the car either. The donor should have a good body, no major rust damage, good transmission, suspension, etc.
Next most important factor is car's curb weight. EVs have limited amount of energy on board, so they must be as efficient as possible, and carrying extra weight around would waste that energy. Heavier donor would need larger battery pack to get same range as the lighter donor, which would increase the cost of the conversion. However, the donor should have enough room available to install battery pack, without compromising safety, seating capacity and cargo room. Ideally the donor should be under 3000 Lb curb weight.
Very popular choice for EV donor is a hatchback or wagon body style, like most 3 door and 5 door sedans and crossovers. For example, our last conversion project was Mazda Protege5, which has 2700 Lb curb weight, plenty of room for batteries in the back, good looking sporty style, etc. Mazda3 is the next generation of Protege's and would also be a great choice of a donor, especially the 5 door version.
Many EV conversions pick cars with manual transmission because its simpler to convert, but there aren't that many manual cars available these days and many people prefer convenience of automatic transmission. There is also a notion that manual is more efficient, which is important for EV. However, we successfully adapted automatic transmission in our EV, using our custom developed control board, which allows us to adjust shifting pattern of auto transmission for a best match with electric motor's RPM and torque curves.
Another good choice for EV is a two seater roadster, such as Mazda Miata. These little sports cars are great for showing off EVs high torque from a stop line. If you want EV for commuting to work alone, small roadster is a great option.
If you decide to do a conversion with us, we can help you select the best donor car based on your goals. There are many used cars on CraigsList in excellent shape, many of them are Florida kept cars, with virtually no rust. Some people like to restore a vintage car and give it a new life as Electric Vehicle. We can also help in this type of conversion.
Very popular choice for EV donor is a hatchback or wagon body style, like most 3 door and 5 door sedans and crossovers. For example, our last conversion project was Mazda Protege5, which has 2700 Lb curb weight, plenty of room for batteries in the back, good looking sporty style, etc. Mazda3 is the next generation of Protege's and would also be a great choice of a donor, especially the 5 door version.
Many EV conversions pick cars with manual transmission because its simpler to convert, but there aren't that many manual cars available these days and many people prefer convenience of automatic transmission. There is also a notion that manual is more efficient, which is important for EV. However, we successfully adapted automatic transmission in our EV, using our custom developed control board, which allows us to adjust shifting pattern of auto transmission for a best match with electric motor's RPM and torque curves.
Another good choice for EV is a two seater roadster, such as Mazda Miata. These little sports cars are great for showing off EVs high torque from a stop line. If you want EV for commuting to work alone, small roadster is a great option.
If you decide to do a conversion with us, we can help you select the best donor car based on your goals. There are many used cars on CraigsList in excellent shape, many of them are Florida kept cars, with virtually no rust. Some people like to restore a vintage car and give it a new life as Electric Vehicle. We can also help in this type of conversion.
