How fast will it go?
It is a 144-volt conversion; I haven't pressed her past 72 mph (_yet_, but I had gears and amps to spare)!  Speed is related to weight, aerodynamics, tire friction, and most importantly, battery pack voltage.  The higher the rpm at which the motor spins= higher vehicle speed.  Acceleration (torque) is related to battery current.  A 128-volt conversion of a sporty car like the Porsche 914 will have a top speed around 85 mph, and a dedicated, purpose-built EV race car will top 100-200 mph.
   Both Honda's EV Plus, and especially GM's EV-1 while they were available, limited speed with an on-board computer.

How far will it go?
 CivicWithACord has a cruising range of 40-45 miles, but that's okay, since my daily commute is around 5 miles.  In fact 85% of the driving most people do each day would be within the range of electric vehicles.  In Oregon winters, my range is further limited by cold weather, but still more than ample for my needs!  Occasionally you will hear about EV records of several hundred miles on a single charge, but this performance isn't yet available for the average person.  Those batteries either only last a dozen charges before they must be replaced, or cost thousands of dollars. Sometimes the batteries are not in production and commercially available.  Still, I'm looking forward to Lithium Ion or Nickel-Metal Hydride for my next pack as the cost drops...
    Battery capacity for range is measured in amp-hours. The more amps you draw as you drive, the less range you have; (like gas mileage)!  A higher voltage car will have better range because amp draw decreases as voltage increases. The more volts you have, the less amps you use. Like a combustion vehicle, range can be improved dramatically by quality, low-rolling resistance tires with good air pressure; a good alignment, and good driving habits.

How long does it take to recharge?
     CivicWithACord takes between 2-8 hours depending on how much I've depleted the pack, and whether I recharge from 110 or 220.  The first 80% can be recharged in 4 hours, it's the last 20% that takes the remaining 4.   (Think about how you pour milk into a glass).  I charge the car at home on a 220-volt outlet; starts off with 30 amps, trickles down to 2.  A 110 volt outlet & charger roughly doubles charge time.   Most people drive during the day, and get a full recharge at home overnight.  Some people also plug in their cars at work to "top off".  When gas prices spike, electric cars likely will become more common, and charging facilities will be constructed.  (Personally, I don't see fuel cells as a viable alternative).  Fast charging, which takes only a few minutes, is a new development which isn't commercially available yet. It requires a high voltage source of 440 volts or more, carefully regulated to prevent damage to the batteries. The pack can only be fast-charged to 80% of capacity; more than that causes damage.

How many batteries does CivicWithACord use?
    (18) 8-volt golf-cart type batteries strung in series configuration gives a total voltage of 144 volts.  Original equipment manufacturers such as Honda's EV Plus and GM's EV-1 use 320-volt packs, and they oscillate the DC current into AC for better performance, including "regenerative braking."  That is to say, when one steps on the brakes, kinetic energy from the turning wheels is recaptured as electromotive force, and stored in the battery, making the brake pads last pretty much indefinitely.  They also use far more exotic battery technology.  Unfortunately this inflates the price of the car to $32-53,000.   This conversion uses a more affordable DC system, and retains the transmission to step up the motor rpm to higher speeds.   I only use gears 2-3, and 2nd takes me from 0-40, so one could say it's a bit of an "automatic".

How long do the batteries last?
   It depends primarily on how deeply they're cycled.  Another Civic like this drives 45 miles, charges at work, and does the same thing again on the way home.  His batteries last 15,000 miles.  My previous flooded lead acid batteries have lasted a minimum of four years before needing replacement. Replacing this pack costs $2160.   These are deep discharge traction batteries, designed to power a vehicle. Their internal construction is different from the starting battery in your gas car.   Battery life also depends on care (watering), and charging. Batteries left sitting unused for long periods, or left sitting partially discharged, have shorter lifespans. The best thing you can do for your battery pack is drive every day; charge every night.

How much does it cost?  Isn't it cheaper than gasoline?
Conversion:  PARTS:  $9,200; less if you find used components; that includes the first battery pack.
  LABOR:  0- $4,000, depending on your level of automotive expertise.
  CHASSIS: $3,000, depending on what your conversion vehicle (called a "glider") is.  92-95 Civics were going for about $2700 in 2005 when I began converting it.

Oregon provides a tax credit of up to $1,500 for the charging system and the conversion.
Maintenance:  No oil/transmission fluid changes, smog certificates, or tune-ups needed.  You will add distilled water to the batteries every few months, and replace the batteries eventually.  The motor brushes should last over 80,000 miles before replacement ($40).
Either vehicle will need: brake repairs, tires, and wheel alignments.

If you're in this to save money, good luck.  It all depends on where the price of lead and gasoline and electricity are at any given time!

HERE'S THE MATH as it CURRENTLY STANDS, using 3000 miles per year-- (which is about all I can put on my vehicle in the small town where I live).
Gas-burning Civic:
3000 miles per year / 32 mi/gal x $2.99 per gal. = $280, or .12 per mile.  But with 1/10 of a tune up, and 1/2 of an oil change, that's another $75, which raises it to .16/mi.

Electric Civic:
The batts. are $2160, but they should last for 4 years, so figure $540/yr.
Electricity is 0.06 per kWh, and it takes 225 Wh per mi.  So 3000 mi. x .225 x .06 is $40/yr. for electricity.  That's a total of $580 per year, or .19 per mi.

That means that according to 2009 data, over the course of 3,000 mi., you'll pay a bit more but have warm fuzzies about what you're doing for the planet and never waste time going to a gas station.  Subject to change without notice in favor of one vehicle or the other.

Why an AC conversion, and not DC?
I went with a DC system, primarily because of cost, and battery limitations.  Specifically, an AC controller/motor would be about $3000 more in parts, right off the bat.  And to work most efficiently, they need higher voltages.  I'm already near gross vehicle weight ratings, plus I can't safely put more batteries in the car without intruding into passenger space.  So I'd need to go to nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium ion polymer, or absorbent glass mat (AGM) lead-acid batteries.  Each of these types of batteries would again add tremendously to the cost of the vehicle (min: $3000).  Many of these batteries require elaborate cooling and current-regulating systems.  On the other hand, if someone were to pay me $15,000 for my current vehicle, there's always the _next_ one!!!  And the price of LiPo batteries is dropping daily.

How long did it take to build?  Hours-wise, about 80.  Breakdown as follows:
Removing ICE, radiator, & heat shields, with two marginally-experienced mechanics to "help": 6 hrs.,
Installing heater core & heater relay: 10 hrs.
Welding batt. racks, motor mount, & adapter plate fabrication: (contracted out): 0 hrs.
Installing same: 6 hrs.
Wiring, including crimping lugs on 2-0 welding cable:  30 hrs?
Beefing up suspension: 4 hrs.
Fabbing contactor mount, DCDC mount, controller mounts & mounting same: 3 hrs.
Fabbing (plastic welding) rear polypropy box out of pre-cut pieces (Thanks, Port Plastics)!: 4 hrs.
Fabbing rear rack; torching unit body for rack (contracted out): 0 hrs.
Power braking system: 3 hrs.
Brainwork laying out & re-laying out components directions of batteries, etc., filming process: 20
hrs, mostly while driving!

What about pollution from generating the electricity?
An electric car is 35% - 97% cleaner than a comparable gas car, including the pollution generated by the electric power plant. The 35% number applies to states using a lot of "dirty" power, such as coal-fired plants. The 97% number applies to states like Oregon that use a lot of "clean" power, including hydro.  (I pay an extra $2.95/mo. on my post-deregulation electric bill to charge on windpower).
 These percentages are difficult to compare for several reasons. For one thing, they are based on new, smog-controlled cars in perfect condition and state of tune. In real life, most cars on the road are several years old. Their smog control systems are less effective, or non-existent.  Also, a gas car gets dirtier as it gets old or is out of tune-- EVs don't.  Often, the percentages listed are also skewed because they do not compare apples to apples. They compare all the fuel production pollution for the EV to the tailpipe emissions for the gas car. What about the pollution generated by extracting and refining oil, and transporting it to the gas stations?

What about pollution from the batteries?
Lead acid batteries are the most recycled product in this country. 95% of all used lead acid batteries are recycled. 99% of the material in each battery can be recycled or rendered harmless. Lead recycling is much cleaner than mining new lead, and the end product is cheaper.   When you go in to buy a new pack of batteries for your car, you will be asked to turn in the old "cores". This is required by law.

What will happen in an accident?
 As with any car, that depends on how well it was designed and built. If batteries are properly enclosed and contained, they will not "fly around" or crush the passenger compartment.  Battery acid is not terribly dangerous. It is a very dilute solution  and does no harm if washed off reasonably quickly. It is contained in many small containers (cells) in the car, with only a little fluid in each one. You would have to cut the pack in half to have an extensive spill. Most gas cars also have a lead acid battery, sitting right in the front corner, with minimal restraint and no containment. This is the first part of the car to be crushed in an accident, yet battery acid is not even mentioned as a problem in gas car crashes.  Still, I carry baking soda to neutralize it, not a fire extinguisher, as I would with a gas car.
  With proper safety features, such as circuit breakers and fusible links, explosion, fire, and electric shock are also unlikely. Keep in mind that unlike a gas car's battery, the EV's battery pack does not use the chassis as a ground. This means that, in an accident, sheet metal protruding into the circuit will not suddenly make the chassis "live".   All of these facts have been borne out by actual crashes of EVs on the road and on race tracks, as well as in formal crash test conditions.
 One last thought: an EV may actually be safer than a gas car in a crash, because the fluid-filled batteries will absorb impact. When gas cars are crash tested, their batteries are emptied of acid to make clean-up easier. At first they were crashed with dry, empty batteries. Then it was discovered that the cars did better if the battery was filled with water, because it helped absorb the impact.  An additional note: With the addition of lead acid batteries, my car is roughly 1,200 lbs. (545 kg) heavier than a stock combustion Civic.
Insurance:  I have a stated-value policy with Allstate, so that in the event of accident, I would be compensated for the cost of the electronic components (about $7,500), not the cost of a Civic combustion vehicle, or about $3000.  It is not much more for the policy, and merely requires that I can prove the cost of the vehicle.

Why are you involved with electric vehicles?
I'm a middle school science teacher, and some of my district objectives are to teach students 1) forms of energy/how energy is converted to motion, and 2) how to evaluate various energy sources as they pertain to the environment, energy efficiency, sustainability, and practicality.  Electric vehicles also introduce other issues such as the geopolitics of petroleum import/export and national security.  Finally, as an educator, my goal is always to encourage students into high-paying, technology-related careers.  The best lessons we learn are the ones we live.

History of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Electric Vehicles, according to Bob:  While living in So. Cal. in 1997, the California Air Resources Board attempted to have 4% of all vehicles on the road be "zero emissions".  Many manufacturers came out with battery-powered cars, available only by closed-end lease (usually around $450). Nissan came out with the "Altra", which used lithium ion polymer batteries (costing $60,000, but yielding a 140 mi. range).  Honda came out with 350 EV+ vehicles.  With a nickel metal hydride pack, they did 100-120 mi.  (They've since been crushed, excepting 50 that have been outfitted with Ballard Systems and in-house manufactured fuel <fool> cells).  GM came out with the EV-1, which could bury most sports-cars, and managed 60 miles with AGM lead acid, or 100 mi. with nickel metal hydride packs.  They came with metallized glass to keep the cockpit cool, a heat-pump, an underbelly aero-pan, and much more.  They have been crushed, excepting two in museums.  GM called the project a dismal failure, but I don't think you'll get the same response from the people who actually leased their cars.  Finally, in Feb. '02, Toyota brought its RAV-4 electric version (600 initially made) to sale in CA ($42K, less rebates and tax credits; previously only a lease-only option as well). I was sincerely hoping they'd bury recalcitrant and greedy US automakers who have resisted fuel efficiency requirements and have in general, produced shoddy vehicles while buying off US politicians. Unfortunately, by Jan. 03, they stopped the project, saying that even though only 28 vehicles were being built per month, and even though each had been snapped up, and even though there is a waiting list of over 100 people trying to get one, and even though each owner is exstatic about the vehicle, that the project was "not in their continued interest", or something to that effect.  (Or could it be that the reliability is so high that they won't make enough money from repair bills...?!)
I find it quite telling that Texaco bought off the most promising battery technology: Ovonics' Nickel Metal Hydride.  If you don't wish to take my word for the above, rent "Who Killed the Electric Vehicle" at your local video rental store.

  While I am a biology major, not a mechanic, I know a fair amount about physics and electronics, and I took a course on electric vehicles at Saddleback Junior College, in So. Cal.  (Instructor has since retired). There are a few thousand EV drivers who communicate with each other via the web.  I chose to convert this vehicle because there are plenty of spare hardware parts for Civics around, they're aerodynamic, and I think fairly handsome.  My family was a participant in the '99 "First on the Road" Toyota Prius marketing test driving.  The Prius was actually a "hybrid" of both electric and combustion technologies.

    In summary, I grin when I pass gas stations, and I'm proud to do my part to keep US dollars away from $audi terrorist$. (Hey Dubya'-- you invaded the wrong country! Look where 15 of the 19  came from!!!)  I'm especially glad to correspond with like minded global citizens via the Electric Vehicle Discussion List.

Tips for potential electric vehicle customers:
-Don't go for "cheapest".  Is your other vehicle a Yugo, or did you pony up for a nice combustion vehicle?  Same applies to electric vehicles.  Example:  The 12V aux. systems in an EV can be powered by DC-DC converter, but it sometimes doesn't supply enough current (headlights+defroster+wipers+heater).  Or, it can be powered by battery.  But the battery alone could go dead, and leave you with no lights and wipers-- not good.  The best conversion will have _both_.  But it will cost more.
- Know your furthest regular commute.  If it's more than 35 miles one way, depending on hills, temperature, # of passengers, etc., you're likely not a good candidate for today's battery technology.  I've had days where I did 30 miles in the morning, charged for a few hours, and did another 15 miles of errands in the evening.
- Regarding the vehicle you're interested in: Do you like the body style?  (Or will you be sick of it in a few months)?  Did many of them sell?  (You may need to replace a smashed headlight or a door handle someday.  Will you find them at the salvage yard?)
- Are there "bells and whistles?"  Heaters are optional in EVs, but without them, your windows will fog heavily in the winter.  There is an $80 part and electronics know-how necessary to install a good one.  I consider E-meters a "must have," to gauge battery status.  You _can_ use a hygrometer or refractometer, but you'll likely discover the hard way what battery acid can do to a nice set of slacks.
-Just like a house, total up the costs of re-upholstering, carpet, headliner, stereo, body work.  You'll have some people looking at it periodically, and you'll want to be proud of it.
-Remember the cost of the batteries, if they're going dead or _are_ dead.  Chances are, if the car was sitting with dead batteries, the owner doesn't like/use the vehicle.

SOUNDS COOL!  I WANT TO CONVERT A CIVIC to an E.V!
IF YOU HAVE A 92-95 CIVIC (any style) WITH HIGH MILES, BUT A GOOD BODY and STRAIGHT FRAME THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE CONVERTED, PLEASE  E-MAIL ME. BLOWN ENGINES PREFERABLE.  MANUAL TRANSMISSION ONLY.

DO YOU HAVE A BACKGROUND IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, WELDING, OR AUTOMOTIVE MECH/TECH in general?  I have a 57 minute DVD, featuring CivicWithACord (sedan), a '92 Civic (hatch) conversion by the individual who I based my rig on, and a 95 del Sol.  It is available for $23 incl. shipping.The cost basically covers postage, my time/materials, plus a donation to defray the cost of this website and furthering EV resources such as the powerpoint presentation (below) and online conversion overview.  It's a good deal, as it's loaded with tips that you can only learn from experience. Remit funds via Paypal to bbathatbudget.net, or personal check.  For more information, call me at 541.472.1115, or e-mail me at civicwithacordatyahoo.com.

Converting my gas burner to electric used business and engineering skills I didn't know I had.
- Are you prepared to consider benefits of one locations vs. another for mounting a given component?
- Are you the type that will get on the phone and gently nag your welder or fabricator to finish the job you're waiting on?
- Are you ready to devote 80+ hours to the project (generally 2-8 hours; wait for a part, another 4 hours, wait, etc.)
- Do you have backup transportation while your car is getting converted?  Do you have between $6-9,000 sitting in your savings account?
-Have you read Mike Brown's book, "Convert It"?  (Available from ElectroAutomotive).
If you can't say yes to each of the above, you're not ready to convert.

I HAVE ALSO COMPILED A FREEWARE JOURNAL ON CONVERTING A 92-95 CIVIC. Click this link.  It is highly detailed, and somewhat accompanies the videotape.

CLICK HERE FOR MY POWERPOINT PRESENTATION DOWNLOAD   This is more about why we should be driving electric vehicles, and shows the Honda EV Plus, Nissan Altra, GM's EV-1, and Toyota's RAV-4EV, as well as DC vs. AC, and various battery technologies.  Good for people who may need to do a presentation on EVs.

The driver/builder/contractor of CivicWithACord would like to thank the following people and organizations:
Mike Brown of Electro-Automotive, in Felton, CA, who did a fantastic job on my first EV, the VoltsRabbit, which prodded me to move forward with CivicWithACord.
Jeff Clearwater, who built the first CivicWithACord, so that I was not re-inventing the wheel.
Justin Hockert, a high school student who fabricated the battery racks for the vehicle.
A-Mac Fabrication, who did welding as well.
Nels Strandberg, my adapter plate fabricator.
Chris Simper and the staff at Rogue Community College; a source of inspiration & help.
Bill MacFarland, retired instructor from Saddleback Junior College, who offered a course that got me started.