I second all the advice given.
Since you don't have time, Ryland's makes a lot of sense. Buy something that someone else has already built. Chances are you'll need batteries for just about any used EV however.
The EV Album is also a great place to get an idea for how much a typical conversion costs, and how far it'll go. Ball park, converting a vehicle properly into a 40 mile commuter will cost about 8-12k.