Electric Conversions

Holy cow. I can’t believe I’m finally starting in on this. I feel like I’ve read about it and talked about it for so long, that I’m all read and talked out. Time to do!

Today I went and set up the engine lift at the garage space a friend has so graciously offered up.

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Here’s a somewhat long-winded explanation of why I am interested in doing electric car conversions. (At some point, this page will contain steps I’ve taken with my conversions!) Enjoy!

I had a “stock photography site” idea around 2003. The place I was working for had a photographer that would take extra photos that had nothing to do with what we needed while on shoot for a client. They were real good, and I thought it would be great to take advantage of these shots and start an independent stock photography site that was affordable. Not like the giants of the day: Getty Images. $200 or more for a photograph? Wow, I can’t afford that. We used PhotoDisc royalty free stock photo CDs (from $100-$300 ea.) most of the time, but it would be nice to have an alternative. And a good one at that! A gaping hole. This is where my ideas come from.

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I’ve got a donor car for my electric car conversion 🙂

My Dad offered up his trusty car to me! I learned how to drive standard shift in this car. I love this car! It gets just about 50 MPG!

Also got a “new” car. Not new, but new to me:

I bought the VW with the intention of it being my first conversion. The people that owned it before me didn’t seem to believe in changing the oil. The muffler rattles around when I accelerate and the brake indicator light is on most of the time. It has something to do with my emergency brake. I hear a click near the e-brake handle, and then the light goes on & stays on. Also, it’s hard to put it into first and second gear. A new friend told me that it was probably the spacers in the linkage, and not a problem with the transmission. Phew! Most of the problems would not have mattered if I were converting it, which was my intention when I looked at it & put the deposit down.

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The images below show how the mower looked during each step of the conversion. I took lots of pictures to ensure that I could rebuild it. Click on any of them to see them larger. Below are videos of the first mow!

24 VDC 1.54 HP LAWNMOWER MOTOR

New. Tecumseh 90000A. Built as motor for cordless electric lawnmowers. Permanent magnet motor. End bell of motor is aluminum casting similar to gas engine mower mount. Shaft end tapped 3/8″-24 RH. Price $69.95

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