Build Your Own Electric Vehicle

by Seth Leitman and Bob Brant

This completely revised and updated edition of the 'bible of electric car books' gives the component-by-component coverage you need to convert your gas-guzzler or to build an electric powered vehicle... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071543732
• ISBN13: 9780071543736
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Tab Electronics
• Length: 329 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Excellent recipe book for electric vehicles

The author has done a tremendous job of making a daunting task more manageable. He has given the car tinkerer a place to start learning how to convert a gas powered vehicle to electric. I highly recommend this book for anyone considering electric vehicle conversions as a "recipe book", with step by step explanation of everything you need to know to safely do a conversion

Down to earth, well versed material. Very good reading.

No matter if you just want to learn a little more about EV technology or consideting to build your own Electric Car, this book will give you a wealth of information on all sorts of EV related topics. The book starts with EV history, then goes into EV practicality, then onto currently (well in 80's) available off the shelf technology, vehicle design, physics and aero dynamic principles and finally you get a walk through an actual EV conversion process. I like this book for the way it's formed and the way it flows. The author writes in plain language with plenty of advise and tips. Everything is simple, just like an EV is such a simple machine at it's core. After reading this book, you will get a clear picture where technology stands with EVs, why Internal combustion engine dominated our means of transport and finally how to desing and construct your own EV. Overall great book. One drawback however, this book is written in 80' and has a lot of hopes in it, which is sad to read at times. Like when author talks about newly developed prototype of GM Impact (later renamed EV1) the author puts high hopes for this progect, yet we all know what happened to this effort. You will want to read "Convert it" by Michael Brown after reading this book.

Buy this book if you plan to convert a car to electric

The title says it all really. Look this book is somewhat dated, and half the book seems devoted more to theoretical graphs and charts, facts and figures and the like, plus arguing why we *need* to switch to electric vehicles for city use. However, having said that, it's well produced and you get 300 plus pages for less than US $ 14. (almost "double the book for half the price" compared to some others) This book is worth every penny and then some. The contacts pages, (pages and pages of them) pre-dates the internet boom so has NO useful urls or email addresses. However with the many names and snail-mail addresses you could probably track businesses down easily enough (plus I'm a guessin' they still have the same phone numbers ! ). I would look forward, at some future date, to an updated revised edition of this book being published Until that happens, (if ever) I'd have no hesitation recommending this as one of the several texts that any novice car converter should read before starting their first conversion project. Catherine, Outback Western Australia.

Excellent Book

This is an exceptional book for anyone looking to get the initial know-how on how to convert a gas vehicle to an electric vehicle (EV). It's full of resources to help you find the parts you are looking for to do your EV project, and it actually does a conversion in the last chapter. There are a couple things you don't hear much about in the book, such as the insidious re-wiring of the dash board, and it sort of glazes over a couple minor issues, but all in all, it's the best resource I've found yet for converting to an EV. The history buffs will enjoy the detailed history of the EV, and if you work for NASA, there are a ton of great physics problems (15, I think) to keep your brain moving. Don't let the math scare you, I discovered that "eyeballing" it works most of the time, and if it didn't work, I would just pull out the old calculator and scratch pad. My advice would be that even if you aren't planning on "Building your own EV", you should buy this book. It's full of great stuff.

A comprehensive guide to the components and systems of EVs

This 310 page book is more than its title implies. It is an excellent source of information, even if one is just interested in learning more about the subject of electric vehicles. Mr Brant's credentials include a degree in engineering, and having worked on the Lunar Rover. He begins his book by exploring the appropriateness of the electric vehicle from an environmental standpoint. He then quickly reviews the history of the EV, from the mid 1800's to the present. He does a good job of surveying the current (as of late 1993) crop of electic vehicle producers, as well as the plans of the major auto makers for electrics. Brant devots a chapter to the options available to the person who wants to own an electric vehicle today: Buy a ready to run car from a manufacturer or converter, have one built or converted for you, or do the conversion yourself. One option that he seems to largely discount is the option of buying a used EV. Although such vehicles can be somewhat hard to find, especially away from large cities on the coasts, they can put a person into an EV for much less money and work than any other alternative. As you might expect from the book's title Brant favors the self-conversion option. He compares the various types of motor vehicles as conversion options; passenger cars, vans, and small pickup trucks. His conclusion, that a small pickup truck might be the easiest to convert, while giving the best range, seems a valid one, as long as a small pickup meets your needs, and suits your style. Chapter 5 is an excellent reference listing suppliers, EV clubs, and various converters and manufacturers. With Chapter 6 Brant begins the real meat of the book. He presents formulae and charts that allow you predict the performance of the vehicle you choose for conversion, and pick the size of motor and batteries that you will need. The next chapters are devoted to each of the unique systems of an EV in some detail: Electric motors, controllers, batteries, and chargers. To this reviewer, these chapters are the most valuable, and make this book useful to anyone with an interest in Electric Vehicles. The current state of the art is reviewed for each of these systems in some detail and with an eye toward practical maintanence and selection, and upcoming technology is also covered. Surprisingly, only one chapter of the book covers the actual conversion process. Although there is probably enough detail here for the experienced home mechanic or mechanically inclined individual, someone who has never pulled an engine out of a car, or done other major repairs on his own, will probably need more help; especially if his conversion is not of a small pickup truck. All-in-all there is a lot of good information in this book, and it is a vital addition to the library of any would-be electric vehicle converter, owner or pipe dreamer..