Buy One or Convert One

So thanks to my blog, you’re finally interested in EVs! Now what? You’re seriously considering owning an EV, but do you buy one or convert one? Currently, the average price for an EV with decent range and amenities start at around $25K. This price could drop a little, granted the car qualifies for government rebates given for owning EVs, but in all honesty EVs are priced on the high side. The Chevy Volt is priced starting at a ridiculous $32,000. For that price, most consumers would just settle for a fully loaded Honda Accord. Heck, they get close to 30mpg and run forever. Nissan’s Leaf doesn’t do much better; it is priced with an MSRP of $33,000, but after government incentives would cost around $26K.

Now you’re thinking why buy or convert one, just buy a cheap gas car, but wait! The average annual savings with an EV is $500-$700 and that’s just in gas. Include maintenance costs into that equation and your savings could reach up to a $1500. With that kind of money saved, you could take your yearly vacation with no worries or do that remodel you always talked about.

For those who aren’t mechanically inclined and aren’t on a budget buying an EV would most definitely be the way to go. For people like myself, who love to work on cars and customize every aspect to fit their wants and needs, CONVERT! Not to mention, you’ll save some money on parts and labor. So take that old car with that tired engine that’s been sitting in your yard for ages, passed down from generation to generation, and go to work!

There are many companies that sell conversions kits that essentially have all the basic needs for a conversion minus the battery pack, which in most cases account for a majority of the cost. KTA services offer a complete conversion kit, for a small car, excluding the battery pack for around $7,000. The kit comes with the motor, controller, charger, and all other miscellaneous parts needed for the conversion. A basic battery pack of 10 deep-cycle, full-river batteries start at around $3,000. A premium quality lithium ion battery pack can cost upwards of $10,000 depending on capacity. EVmiata.com also offers conversion kits specifically for the Mazda Miata that costs around $10,000 without batteries. Right now, we’re only looking at around $13,000, not too shabby I would say and we haven’t gotten to the best part!

Getting in the garage or shop and going to work on a project is paradise for gear heads like myself.  There’s nothing more satisfying than putting on good music with some liquid relaxation and going to work in your sanctuary. The average EV conversion takes 40 hours to complete, with the most time spent on fabrication and wiring.

I think every gear head should try and tackle at least one EV conversion in their days. Not only will they gain respect for them, they may never go back to gas.

EVs In The Philippines - With a little background on my life

The Philippines is a developing nation and also my birthplace. I moved to San Diego in 1991 when Mt. Pinotubo erupted and my family was evacuated from Subic Navy Base. I have since been back to the Philippines three times and every time I go back it amazes me how much changes. With graduation nearing and leaving for my trip back just days after, I can’t help my excitement. My trip to the Philippines is always on my mind these days and I wanted to blog about it, but I couldn't just randomly blog about the Philippines and no EVs. So I started reading and stumbled upon this article about e-Jeepneys in Makati.

Makati is one the 16 cities that make up Metro-Manila and is also one the most populous metropolitan areas in world. With all this urbanization and population Makati is not the most environmentally friendly city. An organization called the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC) has developed a three-part plan for waste management, energy generation and sustainable transportation in hopes of making Makati greener. For the sustainable transportation aspect of the plan, iCSC partnered with Philippine Utility Vehicle Inc. (PhUV) to develop the e-Jeepney, which is an electric version of the Jeepney.

Jeepneys are the most common form of transportation for most Filipinos. Jeepneys were originally made from left over American Jeeps from WWII. Today Jeepneys are outrageously decorated and are known for their crowded seating arrangements. They have become a symbol of the Filipino culture.

The e-Jeepney was introduced in Makati in 2007. Currently, the e-Jeepneys service the Makati Green Routes free of charge. Though still flamboyantly decorated, e-Jeepneys look more like those elongated golf cart trams that service amusement parks. They are able to seat 17 and last 120km (74 miles) on an eight hour charge.  Their charging stations are powered by a biodigester plant, which turns the methane from biodegradable household waste into electricity (energy generation part of iCSC plan). The e-Jeepneys have been widely embraced because of the reduction in noise and emissions. Foreign investors through out Asia are also impressed with this new form to power transportation. There have been talks in several other Asian countries about bringing this type of public transportations to their neck of the woods.

So since my family lives 30 minutes from Makati, I guess the next thing to do would be to take a ride on one of these while I'm in town!