Find a place to work - shop, garage, etc.
Get your tools ready: saws, cordless drill, wrenches, etc.
Locate a small truck that's still in good condition, with little rust
Get detailed electric truck conversion plans
It is a good idea to use a small truck for this conversion, because they are light and strong. Unlike small cars, they also have lots of room for battery placement.
Since the number of batteries determines your effective range, this makes a small truck a good choice.
We recently completed a conversion on a Toyota Tacoma and it worked great.
Remember that you will need a standard transmission truck to start with. Automatic transmissions just don’t work with inexpensive electric motors.
Don’t worry, though, if you only know how to drive an automatic. After the conversion, your electric truck will drive just like an automatic.
Just put it in gear and go. It’s pretty simple.
We were amazed at the acceleration, which left a lot of people staring at us as we zipped between stop lights in town. This isn’t a slow-moving golf cart, as some people seem to think.
Your electric truck conversion will keep up with any vehicle in town and travel at least 50 mph on the highway.
With a range of up to 100 miles, as outlined in the detailed plans, it will take you where you want to go, when you want to get there.
The two main parts to an electric truck are batteries and a motor. We chose a large 11-inch DC motor for our conversion and this even allows us to haul loads of firewood with the truck.
What impressed us most is that the plans even outlined sources of free deep cycle batteries that we could use in our truck.
Since batteries are one of the largest expenses (you'll need 16-20 overall), this really helps keep the cost manageable - a big plus for the budget-minded family.
And isn’t that why you are doing this conversion, to save money?
In addition to saving money on fuel, you will also save on repairs, as the electric truck is much more reliable. For the cost of one repair bill with your present vehicle, you could be driving a converted electric truck.
The first time you drive by a gas station, you will know exactly the pride that we feel.
With gas prices rising all the time, isn’t it time you did your own conversion? Come on, let’s get started! Visit the convert2ev website for more information.
