Build Your Own Electric Vehicle | 
 enlarge | Author: Bob Brant
Publisher: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $13.57
You Save: $6.38 (32%)
New (5) from $13.57
Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 1840
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 310
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.6
ISBN: 0830642315
Dewey Decimal Number: 629.2502
EAN: 9780830642311
ASIN: 0830642315
Publication Date: September 1, 1993
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks
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Book Description
Electric vehicles have many advantages over their gas-powered counterparts. They're ecologically sound, much cheaper to operate, and require almost no routine maintenance. Drivers can enjoy the clean-running convenience and economy of an electric vehicle for as much as it costs to buy a new car. This illustrated guide explains step by step how to build an inexpensive EV from a kit or convert an existing internal combustion engine. Build Your Own Electric Car begins with an informative history of electric vehicles, current international advances in EV technology, and a look ahead at the future of EV development. Then, author Bob Brant gives a building-block description of each EV component-motor, drive train, controllers, power supplies, chargers, and chassis-and how to put them all together to make a working vehicle. He also gives valuable advice on where to find affordable EV components and systems, how to get the most out of EV driving and ownership, and how to make the best buy, build, and conversion tradeoffs.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 Very helpful! July 22, 2008
I read the book because I was interested in converting a car. At times, it became waaay more technical than I bargained for. But it gave me the confidence to go ahead with my project.
I later learned that what I wanted to build was going to be so expensive, that I would not be able to afford it. This led me to see the book on a different light. For example, I would have liked it to be more specific info on the ranges and speeds one could get with a certain system. I did not find that... maybe I skipped it when I blew off the extremely technical info.
But other than that I thought the book was AWESOME. I would not recommend anyone to start a project like this without first talking to people who have done it already. (That is how I found out that I was being too ambitious).
I have not converted a car yet, since I decided to wait until batteries get better so I can get the range and speeds I need. But when the time comes, I going to pick up this book again. This puppy is NOT going to the used-book bookstore.
 Out of date June 27, 2008
This book was written in the early 90's. It's so out of date that it's almost usless. Whish I had know before I spent $$$.
 Electric Views June 19, 2008
In general I found this book of value as a technical reference volumne but was extremly disappointed in the bias shown toward hybrid vehicles and larger cars of all types and the attitude that EV'S are for short shopping runs and you should use an ICE for anything else. This attitude has been what has slowed the uptake of EV's and kept the creation in the hands of mainly gifted amateurs. Yes I certainly will be using the formulae in the book but will be looking beyond the USA most of the electrics and electronics for my electric touring car
A very good book, just needs a 2008 update to be perfect January 22, 2008
I liked this book a lot, it reads well, it provides the "how to" information in the title but also a lot of background information. The only real defect I can find in it is the date of last update (1993). Suprisingly, most of what is said is still valid, but there are some things missing which did not exist then or were not mature enough. Some recommendations actually got even better: the "AC propulsion" system, which is already much praised in the book, went on to even greater success in the Tesla roadster. Just get someone (the author, if still active, or someone else) to update it for 2008 new technologies.
This author is obsessed with mind maps! January 16, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The book is practically a collection of mind maps of various decision trees and other concepts... The text probably is adequate for designing a decent conversion. It's pretty useful if you don't mind the author's quirks.
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