7 3/8 x 9 1/4 T echnical / Build Your Own Electric Vehicle / Leitman / 373-2 / Chapter 1
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Build Your Own Elec tric Vehicle this book advocates an electric vehicle conversion only as your second vehicle. While lithium-ion batteries will expand your range dramatically and there are some people that are travelling cross country in EVs, it is not yet the best use for a massive road trip at this time. But what is its range? The federal government reports that the average daily commuter trip distance for all modes of vehicle travel (auto, truck, bus) is 10 miles, and this figure hasn’t changed appreciably in 20 years of data-gathering. An earlier study showed that 98 percent of all vehicle trips are under 50 miles per day; most people do all their driving locally, and only take a few long trips. Trips of 100 miles and longer account for only 17 percent of total miles. General Motors’ own surveys in the early ‘90s (taken from a sampling of drivers in Boston, Los Angeles, and Houston) indicated: • Most people don’t drive very far. • More than 40 percent of all trips were under 5 miles. • Only 8 percent of all trips were more than 25 miles. • Nearly 85 percent of the drivers drove less than 75 miles per day. Virtually any of today’s 120-volt electric vehicle conversions will go 75 miles—using readily available off-the-shelf components—if you keep the weight under 3,000 pounds. This means an EV can meet more than 85 percent of the average needs. If you’re commuting to work—a place that presumably has an electrical outlet available—you can nearly double your range by recharging during your working hours. Plus, if range is really important, optimize your electric vehicle for it. It’s that simple.
Myth #3: Electric Vehicles Are Not Convenient The myth that electric cars are not effective as a real form of transportation or that they are not convenient is a really silly myth/rumor. Car companies and others have complained that there is not enough recharging infrastructure across the country or that you cannot charge the car anywhere you would like as with fueling up a car. A popular question is, “Suppose you’re driving and you are not near your home to charge up or you run out of electricity; what do you do?” Well, my favorite answer is, “I would do the same thing I’d do if I ran out of gas—call AAA or a tow truck.” The reality is that electric vehicles are extremely convenient. Recharging is as convenient as your nearest electrical outlet, especially for conversion cars using 100volt charging outlets. Here are some other reasons: • You can get electricity anywhere you can get gas—there are no gas stations without electricity. • You can get electricity from many other places—there are few homes and virtually no businesses in the United States without electricity. All these are potential sources for you to recharge your electric vehicle. • Over time, as electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric cars become prevalent, fuel providers will increase their infrastructure for charging stations and we will all love the price of that versus a gallon of gas. • As far as being stuck in the middle of nowhere goes, other than taking extended trips in western U.S. deserts (and even these are filling up rapidly), there are
