About
300MPG.org is a web page and blog dedicated to people who take positive action to improve their own transportation options. From electric vehicles charged from the sun to just making sure you have the right amount of air in your tires, we can all make a difference to create a a better future, while still gettin’ around.
The site is administered by Ben Nelson, a self-professed tinkerer, who once almost accidentally built a motorcycle that gets the equivalent of over 300 miles per gallon.
If you have a great project that shows off what the common man (or woman) can do for a cleaner, more sustainable transportation future, let us know, and help share the story.
{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Ben , I went to order the video at energy fair discount and it was nowhere to be found. Now what? Frank
Hi Frank,
Sorry about the bad link. I fixed it. You can now get the Energy Fair discount at:
http://300mpg.org/dvds-energy-fair-special/
I will e-mail you the password.
Frank,
Loved your presentation at Mother Earth News Fair! The best one I attended. You were engaging and entertaining!
I purchased a copy of your DVD and I will be checking it out as soon as I have a spare moment.
I loved the fact that you kept it fun with silly pictures of you popping your head through the floor after you cut out the new space for your batteries.
I was going to talk to you at the show but it was so crowded I didn’t have an opportunity.
Please contact me. I would love to give an interview on my new podcast at http://www.saveourskills.com (launcing this week)
It would be a good venue to sell your DVD set I think.
We have been trying for 4 years to do.. just this ! We enjoyed your presentation..
(by the way batteries are 95% recyclable. !!).
Steve Clunn (Green Shed Conversions and Grassrootsev) has been converting for over 15 years and trying to get the word out there and get people to convert. He had a lawn service for almost 30 years, the last 4 or 5 was all electric, INCLUDING his Dixie Chopper. (see his video on our site page). We have been a full time conversion shop since 2007. Converting anything that comes through the door, A hurst, S10, Ford Explorers, Pickup’s, cars, motorcycles, a lamborghini, Porsches, go carts for the Middle School kids Competitions. I have to be careful… WHAT he will put an electric motor and controller ON !!!
At our Green Shed… we offer an assisted program at our shop in Fort Pierce, FL where you bring your car, use our tools, our facility and steve’s 15 years of experience and the two of you “Git R Done”… it s lots of fun !!!
I especially got a chuckle when you told of the bed frames… Steve and I did that every Thurs night for years !!! they DO make great battery boxes !!
And… yes EVEN OLD LADIES can do this ! I did my own Rav4.. with ” a LITTLE” help from Steve… I started with 6 batteries, and now have 13.. and it WILL do 75mph and I have about a good 30 mile range.
We are presently “on the road” converting EV’s for customers at their home/shops across the country. We spent 3 weeks in Ca.. we are presently in OK.. for the next 4 or 5 weeks, then SC for a week.. the back to the shop for the winter rush of EV snowbird converters!
Our 13th Annual Electric Car Rally is this April, 2011 !!!!
EV’s are just too much FUN !!!
Thanks again for spreading the word !!
Keep it Green.
Audrey Martin
Green Shed Conversions
Ben,
I know you’re probably getting hit with tons of EV-related emails all the time, but I’m dying to know how much the propane generator has extended the usable range in your Geo Metro!
I’m sure that there’s a ton of curiosity out there. Hope you can find time to post an answer soon. Happy New Year!
I’ve actually just run into a problem with the charger. It was something that was wrong with the charger from BEFORE I started work on the hybrid version of the car. I tried fixing the charger and made it worse! Doh! I also cut my finger really bad (totally unrelated kitchen accident!) so I haven’t been able to do any more work on it lately.
In general, what I was really hoping for is a 50% increase in range. The generator provides LESS energy than the average to drive the car, so it can’t be used to directly power the car the way the generator in the Volt does. Instead, it allows the batteries to drain more slowly – hopefully 50% less slowly. The car has a range right now of about 20 miles. That’s on the very low end for homebuilt electric cars. I’m shooting for 30 miles with the generator. I know that doesn’t sound like huge miles, but all semester, I had to drive my gasoline pickup truck to and from a class that was exactly 20 miles away. And NO, they don’t have EV charging at the college. If I could only go a bit farther, it would make a big difference – the difference of taking the electric car vs a gasoline vehicle. Again, this is all experimentation, but it has been successful experimentation! It really has me thinking about what it would take to build a really efficient vehicle. I may end up adding additional batteries to the car and see that it would take to use a slightly bigger engine and custom generator.
All it takes is time and money!
PS: You can help support my projects by purchasing a copy of the BUILD YOUR OWN ELECTRIC CAR instructional DVD set through this web page.
-Ben
Ben,
I just wanted to thank you for bringing your converted Geo to the MREA Energy Fair this weekend. I had fun poking around at your vehicle’s innards, and have already started looking for my own parts on craigslist. Thank you so much for showing how feasible and fun a project like a car conversion is. I look forward to seeing your projects at future events!
-Charles
Thanks Charles!
The best thing about the Energy Fair is all the fantastic people I get to meet there! It’s one thing to look at photos and videos on the web, it’s another to meet people, talk with them, and poke about in their cars!
-Ben
Hi Ben
I am looking to convert my Suzuki Wagon R’s have done lots of reading and background work and now ready to get started.
Just got one of your amazing dvd’s that is invaluable in my project.
My background is design and engineering with practical skills so i hope to be able to undertake this project without too many problems. However, electrical skills are not my forte . I have both a manual and automatic wagon was hoping to do the automatic one first for my disabled wife to drive but looking at the info it seems that there is an awful lot of electrical gizmo’s involved in the automatic transmission… what do you think is the best way forward or has anyone reading this got any ideas.
cheers
srsphoenix
If you have an appropriate motor and gearing, you may not even have to shift in an electric car with a manual transmission.
I mostly use my car in lower speed zones and live in an area that’s not particularly hilly. I generally just use a single gear in my car. Since the motor stops spinning when you come to a stop, you can avoid even needing to use a clutch for stopping, or pulling away from a stop.
I would say to convert the manual transmission car to electric. When you are done, it may be every bit as simple to drive as an automatic.
-Ben
Hi Ben,
i have watched all of your videos on YouTube and read a lot of your projects, i am now looking at starting my own project very soon, i was curious to what spec batteries you were using as i would like to achieve a 40-50 mile range. Any help would be much appreciated.
Many Thanks
Jason
UK
Hi Jason,
I originally ran the car off six used Group 31 gel lead-acid batteries. They were the Deka Dominator brand and rated at about 100AH. I later changed to (still used batteries) AGMs of the same size, but a different brand. The main thing you need to know to get a 40-50 mile range is the capacity of the battery pack. To get the capacity required to go 40-50 miles on lead batteries, that’s enough batteries that usually a pickup truck is used as the electric vehicle. Weight and space become major considerations at that battery pack size. LIthium batteries save considerable weight, but require a large cost up front to purchase.
You can find some battery calculators at:
http://www.evsource.com/battery_calculator.php
http://www.evconvert.com/tools/evcalc/?s=b
Many thanks for your quick response and ill be ordering your dvd shortly. Ill try and keep the weight down and see what i can manage without it costing me an arm and a leg!
Hello All, This is my first attempt and a conversion so any help would be appreciated. I have watched the DVD several times and it is great!
I have 2 similar motors that I have very little information on. I want to use one in an electric motorcycle conversion. I have several questions. I believe if I were buying a motor I could work through this. Since I have the motor already and this is my first time I will build around the motor if possible. With the idea of changing it in the future if needed.
All I know is the motor is 24 V and came from a place that made forklift motors. I have pictures.
Is there a way to find out how much voltage I can actually send to this motor? ie 36? 48?
Are motor controllers referenced in terms of max or min? Can you buy a 48 volt controller for a 24v motor?
Where does the amperage come into play? Since I have no more infor on the motor how do I deal with amps?
Is this a realistic project or do I need to scrap these motors and buy a motor for the project?
Thanks
It’s a bit harder to work with a motor if you have NO idea of its specs. In general, a physically larger and heavier motor can typically take more amperage than a smaller, lighter one.
Controllers are generally measured in the maximum amps and volts you can put through them. Anything less is fine. Many commercial controllers use the high voltage for the logic as well, for example, you might have one that says 24-48V. You won’t be able to test it with only 12V.
Amperage in the DC world is all about the ooooomf of the motor. It’s also about heat. Try to keep your amps LOW in general, but be ABLE to pull high amps when you want to. That maximizes range, but still allows you good power.
Try to find out more about your motor. See if you can find a local motor shop or place that works on forklifts. Stop by, say hello, and make some new friends!
Hi Ben,
My name’s Dave and I contribute articles to the Harbor Freight Tools blog. I’d like to feature your solar Power Wheels project on the site, if that’s OK. It’s a great story and just the kind of stuff we love sharing with our readers!
Thanks.
Hi Dave,
That would be great! The 45-watt solar panel kit is great for learning about renewable energy, and was just about perfect for my Power Wheels project.
-Ben
Sounds great!
Ben, I saw a few of your videos on youtube and am very interested in electric vehicals. Though I still love the gas guzzling beasts I do think the world and the money men need to invest in realistic afordable electric tech. And if they don’t then the little people have got to get on the ball and do it our selves or pay the the increasing price of gas, economical and environmantal.
Anyways, using your yellow bike as an example couldn’t you attach a high output alternator (or min generator) to the spining electric motor via extra sproket and then simotaniously charge or recharge the batteries as you ride? Much like the alternator is used to alternate paower so your radio, A/C, and other electircs don’t drain a gas car battery.
Are you open to comissions to build custome electric bikes?
Hi Ben,
I ordered you DVD “Build your own electric car: cheap” and wow. Absolutely great! It is very well explained. The only “problem” is that i am quebecer and i sometime had difficulies to understand some of the parts your named. So here is my question. Could you please take 10-15 minutes of your time to explain all the parts by each section (adaptor place, battery etc.) I would need to buy to build my electric car. It would be so nice. I know your probably not very happy to have to reapeat yourself but it would be so nice because me and 3 of my friends could convert properly our cars. Just 10-15 minutes for the environment, please Ben.
Thanks, your friend Marc
Plenty of love from Quebec
Hi Marc,
I’ll see what I can do.
English is an international language, but varies so much from one place to another. Cars part names are known to be especially bad – “Hood” vs “Bonnet” for example. One may make perfect sense, and you don’t understand the other at all!
-Ben
hey! I am trying to build an electric car with Lithium Ion batteries, but I cant find a place to buy them or even a place to see how much they cost… any help?
Hi Ben,
How did you get insurance after the car was modified?
Is there a specialist insurer who will cover conversions?
Thanks from the UK!
Tim
Hi Ben,
i’m starting my project, wich is converting an old Ford Aspire into an electric car. I was looking on internet for a motor and i found one that look like yours. I asked the guy the informations about the motor and he answered me this: General Electric model 45646 GX, 1/4 h.p. 115 V 60 hz,1725 rpm. I wanted to know if it is possible to take this electric motor (that I just gave you the descriptions) to convert my car?
Thanks Ben,
Marc
Hi Marc,
SORRY! That motor is NOT going to be a candidate for an electric car! A big clue right off the bat is that it’s only 1/4 horse-power and most gasoline powered cars have engines of 100HP or more! Also, it’s rated at 115V 60hz, which means it’s an AC MOTOR – you can NOT run that directly from batteries.
A forklift motor of a decent size would work fine. What you have there is something that you might belt to a bench-top power tool.
Make sure to get all your paper-work ready BEFORE you start a conversion. The last thing you want to do is put plenty of work into a project only to NOT be able to legally drive it. One of the first things that I did was call my insurance agent and explain exactly what I was doing. They had no problem issuing me standard car insurance. There are also companies that specialize in insurance for custom cars.
You can get them from EV parts suppliers. All it takes is the right web search. Here’s a listing of EV parts suppliers that should help you find motors, batteries, or whatever you need for an electric vehicle. http://evtransportal.org/suppliersnise.html
The Electric Auto Association is a great place to start as well. http://www.electricauto.org/?page=EVLinks
Hello, I am very new to electric cars and I was planning on buying a Zap Xebra electric car. I was wondering if its possible to add more batteries or replace the old batteries with lithium batteries to make the car go a little faster and how complicated would that be?
Thank you!
Yes! A Zap Xebra is a great way to get into EVs! It is possible to upgrade one to lithium, although if you don’t have experience doing that kind of thing, you will want to get some help from somebody experienced with lithium. In most areas, a Xebra is listed as a motorcycle, so they are not speed limited to 25 MPH the way NEVs (Neighborhood Electric Vehicles) are.
I believe the Xebra has a basic series-wound DC motor. If so, you can increase the system voltage a bit during a battery upgrade for a bit higher top speed. You would also then need to change the battery charger, and you would also need to first check what range of voltage the motor controller will work with. None of that is terribly complicated.
I suggest test driving one, and see how you like it. It might end up working for you just fine as is. If you DO want to upgrade, figure out what your total costs will be for the batteries, a different battery charger, and possibly controller. Maybe it would be more than you’d like to spend, maybe not.
Hello,
I saw an youtube movie about an daf 600 who is electric do you have more information what kind of electric engine is used?
Are the driving belts still active (as orginal is )and what about vacume system?
I live in the netherlands and i have an other type of DAF, an Daf 55 and maybe i want to make this car electric.
I hope you can give more information.
Greetings,
Marc de Vos from the Netherlands
Hello Marc!
I’m sorry, I don’t know much about that particular car. I met the owner at an energy fair. I did get to test drive it, which was fun.
I believe the electric motor was only 48 volts, but it was a higher amperage motor controller – 600-800 amps or so. I recall that it was a Curtis brand PWM motor controller. I do not know if the motor was connected to the driveline by belts or not.
Older, smaller, and simpler cars are all easier to convert to electric. Please look through my information on how I converted my Geo Metro to electric. It would be a similar process for you to convert a DAF or other car.
Hi
I’m trying to build a rocket grill like the one you described on the instructables website (http://www.instructables.com/id/Rocket-Grill/) any chance you can cast an eye over my measurements and give me a tip on why it isn’t working?
Anthony
No problem! I’ll send you an e-mail and we can figure it out!
-Ben
Hello Ben,
I am a High School student at Shallowater high in small town Shallowater texas. I am currently working on building an electric car for a science fair project with my environmental science teacher. I was wondering if you would still sale your electric car video.
Marcus
Hi Marcus,
Yes, we are still selling BUILD YOUR OWN ELECTRIC CAR! Just click on “Buy Now” button on the DVD page – http://300mpg.org/electric-car-instructional-dvds/
Hi Ben
I see mits just issued a recall for brakes on your new auction win Mitsubishi. Keep us informed on your new toy
http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/69-month-lease-mitsubishi-miev-becomes-america-cheapest-211851404.html
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2013/02/recall-alert-2012-mitsubishi-i-miev.html
Thanks
Gary
Hi Ben,
Would you happen to know if the iMiev’s chassis is made of aluminum or not? I was directed here from the myMiev forums and you’re probably the person who would know the answer to this. Different sites have conflicting info w/ regards to this. Thanks!
When I’m working on it next, I can try slapping a magnet on at different points. Any other simple way of checking if something is steel or not, easily, and without scratching the paint?
Hi Ben, thanks for the rep. Hmm, not that I know of. However, here is the link to the paper I came across which made me wonder if it is aluminum or not. Checking the areas around the frame as seen in the pictures with a magnet should determine it. I think general consensus, however, is the panels are all steel as evidenced by reports of early rusting. At this point, its really just a question of whether the frame is.
http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/corporate/about_us/technology/review/e/pdf/2004/16E_07.pdf
Ben,
On electric cars is it possible to have two separate battery banks, one of which is charging while the vehicle is in operation (perhaps by the turning of the wheels or by wind driven turbines, charging one bank while using the other)? If the right combo can be found, it seems the range of the vehicle could be extended.
Thanks,
Jim
This is a common, INCORRECT thought.
The reason why is that energy always has to come from somewhere. For a car in motion, it can’t be connected to wall power, so the energy can only come from the vehicle itself, or it’s immediate environment. For example, adding a wind turbine to the top of a car COULD create energy, but it would also create additional frontal area and drag, making the car HARDER to push down the road. You would use more additional energy driving the car than would be gained from the wind turbine.
Solar panels COULD help extend the range of a car, but they are very expensive, and take lots of surface area, and don’t help with aerodynamics either. Most “solar-powered cars” have been extrememly light-weight, single person vehicles, designed specifically for competitions, but not something that would be street legal or comfortable for the typical driver.
Hey there
I was just wondering what your opinion on transforming my car from a petrol set up to a hybrid set up. I want to add an electric motor and batteries for urban speeds, and keep the engine to power the vehicle at higher speeds and to charge the batteries when they are drained.
My car is a 2007 kia cerato with a 1.6 L petrol engine.
any information would be helpful.
Thanks 😀
Hybrid cars are fantastic vehicles. It’s too bad more people don’t make their own. I think one reason why is that there are great commercially-available hybrid cars already out there, such as the Toyota Prius.
I did a great experiment with temporarily converting my electric car to a hybrid. You can see some information on that at: http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Plug-In-Hybrid-Car/ It was a great learning experience. I’m starting work now on building a plug-in hybrid truck.
I did find some great information a while back about a guy who built a Hybrid Fiero! It’s a pretty cool project! Read about it at: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/west-coast-2009-challenger-awd-fiero-hybrid/10519/page1/
Hi Ben,
i maybe found an old forklift electric motor for my car. It’s an old toyota forklift motor. Do you think this should be fine? Could you please give an approximation of the specs I should have with the motor (voltage, HP)
Thanks !
An 8″ to 12″ series wound, 48V motor should work great! There was a good thread started by Jim Husted, an artisan motor builder, talking about how to pick a good forklift motor. Lots of good info in that thread. See it at: http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/using-forklift-motor-and-choosing-good-7598.html
Ben,
I bought both the Electric motorcycle and car DVD’s, but am torn on which I should try first. I have a ’99 Honda CRV that is ripe for conversion, but a cycle seems like a better first project. Do you have an opinion on this?
Chris
For me, it was the experience that I got working on the motorcycle, which was a fairly simple project, that gave me the confidence to think that I even COULD build an electric car. An electric motorcycle, or even an electric bicycle, is a great way to learn about electric vehicles and can be built more quickly and cheaply than an electric car. I’d say go for the cycle first!
-Ben
Hey Ben, have you thought about a gear/chain driven generator for the e-cycle project… this way you can at least minimize battery drain with a trickle charge to the powerpack? Been looking over your plans, might work… been playing with the numbers myself think I am close to getting it figured out to minimize excess drag on motor
If you mean adding an engine generator with it’s own fuel source (gasoline, propane) to the motorcycle, that can work. It would be a serial hybrid. I considered that, but it would require a sidecar for the amount of space it would take.
If you mean simply adding a generator head that is powered by the electric motor, that WON’T work. You can’t get out any more energy than you put in. The only exception to that would be perhaps a generator that only activates when you WANT to slow down. In that case, it’s a re-invention of regenerative braking. This motorcycle already has a permanent magnet motor which COULD be used for regenerative brakes, although it would require a different motor controller and a few other things, adding cost and complexity.
For how I use the motorcycle, it works great just as it is.
hi ben, thanks for replying, but still i would like to know why i should not use a generator to charge the batteries while riding the motorcycle? what would be the effects of it? and is there any kind of motor controller that comes with a charging point of its own.