Are OEM electric cars reducing interest in DIY EV conversions?

[Xist]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

(Unlike my "spaceship" looking U.F.O. (Insight), which people regularly ask if it's electric.)

Not... yet...

[Cobb]

Its always about money. Its a lot easier to go to the bank to get a loan to buy a new ford shelby gt cobra with the 500 hp engine that it is to get a loan or LOC/ HELOC for 30 grand to build your own.

For me, I saw the videos online and sites on making your own ev. I got the geo, met a guy who made his geo an ev. His reciepts added up to ten grand for parts, batteries, etc. That didnt count the labor or money he got from selling the parts he no longer needed from the geo.

My ev dreams were immediately crushed. No one I knew had ten grand, could get a loan for ten grand or would save anough fuel wise from the driving I did to make an immediate return. Getting the hybrid I got an immediate break and started working on a return. Instead of spending 400 bucks a month to citgo I was spending 250 a month to Honda Finanical Credit (SP).

[niky]

Just 250 a month for a PHEV? Damn!

I think the market will still be there, whatever market there is. Kit Cars and Oddball microcars started dying out when major manufacturers started putting out really decent cheap cars like the Mini. I don't see OEMs producing a full electric (as opposed to a hybrid) at mass-market prices for a while, yet.

I like the idea of hot-rodding. I imagine it would be fun buying secondhand OEM EVs and EV parts and using them to build something else entirely.

[mechman600]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

(Unlike my "spaceship" looking U.F.O. (Insight), which people regularly ask if it's electric.)

You're lucky. People always ask me what high school cheerleader I beat up and stole my MX-3 from!
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People always ask me how much money I save with the Electric Booger and how long till the conversion cost offsets my savings. I simply tell them that's not the point. I did it because it was a fun project. I did it to see if it was really possible. And I even ended up with something useful in the end.

I used to want to do a mega dollar super duper EV conversion. I still do, actually. But that would cost $20K easy. Now a production PHEV is available with absolutely nothing finicky about it (read: Prius plug in) and can be purchased for what, $35K? Sure, it only has about 20 km of real-world EVage, but I can drive it to the lake in Osoyoos five times a summer (744km/462mi round trip) and get absolutely smoking mileage to boot.

For me, that's a no brainer.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

One example of an odd-looking EV is the Nissan LEAF. If it looked more conventional, maybe could appeal more to some conservative drivers who often perceive its design as not being manly enought.

Anyway, there are always some technical features at the OEM EV offerings that could be improved for more efficiency.

[Ryland]

The Nissan Leaf fits right in with the rest of the Nissan cars tho, look at the Nissan Juke, Cube, Quest, Titian, Murano and many of their other vehicles, they all look weird with goofy shapes.

A lot of people of course are saying that the Ford Focus EV is not selling well because it doesn't look any different then the regular gasoline Focus.

I was a little surprised looking at the Nissan web site and how the Leaf is priced right in the middle of their other vehicles, if you get any kind of rebate or tax brake at all or just looking at the cost of your first year of ownership it instantly becomes less then the Nissan Maxima.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Many people while look for an OEM EV deliberately want something that looks different from the average, like their intention is quite "affirmative"...

Originally Posted by Ryland

The Nissan Leaf fits right in with the rest of the Nissan cars tho, look at the Nissan Juke, Cube, Quest, Titian, Murano and many of their other vehicles, they all look weird with goofy shapes.

Actually the rest of Nissan lineup is not so odd-looking.

[niky]

Depends on where you live and what the line-up is. The Juke and Murano are waaaaay out there.

The old Murano was interesting... but the new one suffers from Ssangyong-itis.

[Ryland]

Some things that I think will help boost DIY electric cars are things like home built speed controllers, parts like the Zeva gauge driver that allows you to use your tac as an amp meter and your fuel gauge as a battery state of charge meter, in the past people have spent a lot of time and money trying to retrofit gauges in to the dash of their EV, but being able to plug a device in to the stock gauges will safe time and money while making the car look finished.
Lithium batteries are also improving, total system cost of lithium batteries are down to about twice that of lead acid batteries now, if you include battery management system, state of charge meter, charger and batteries and if you figure out real life performance then lithium is much cheaper then lead, so while people were affrade of a short lived EV in the past, I don't see that being the case any more, batteries will last 10-15 or more years.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by niky

The old Murano was interesting... but the new one suffers from Ssangyong-itis.

Ssangyong cars are really odd-looking. BTW a few years ago the Ssangyong Actyon was quoted to be offered for sale in the U.S. with an electric driveline, and rebadged as Phoenix.