Best AC Electric Car Conversion

by John Glessner
(Bristow, VA)



It seems that AC drive is the right way to go to do it right. I want to convert a small car to give a 50 mile range where 20 miles of that is at 60-65 mph (very similar to Subaru's Re1 spec and I'm tired of waiting for it).

Can you point me in the right direction for donor car choice, system component specs, AC drive suppliers, performance modeling resources, actual user base experiences, etc? Thanks, and you have a SUPERIOR web site that has been incredibly helpful to a newbie.

Hi, John -
Sigh. Thank you so much for the kind words, you've made me smile; )

On your question: Check out the articles in the "recommended reading" box. I did a rather long interview with a young gentleman from California who has built an AC electric car conversion that is doubtless the best one I've seen.

Your questions are addressed there pretty well.

As for the best donor car for an AC conversion? These conversions require a lot of voltage, so you need a car that can store a lot of batteries without strain. Eric (the man in the video, my AC conversion interviewee) managed to stuff 300 volts or so into a VW Passat and it apparently doesn't handle like a tank.

Regards,
Lynne

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