Utah EV Interest FAQ

What are the Electric Vehicle (EV) resources in Utah?
Can I drive my electric vehicle in the carpool lane in Utah?
How do I get free parking for my Electric Vehicle in Salt Lake City?
How do I register my electric conversion car in Utah?
How can electric car racing help the environment? Is there Electric vehicle racing in Utah?
Will I be welcome?
Can I buy a new electric car?
What are good cars for converting to electric power?
How much will it cost?
How far can I drive?
Why not use miracle battery X?
Can I use an automatic transmission?
Do electric cars actually pollute more than gasoline cars?
Links?
What do all these acronyms and abbreviations and words mean?

Disclaimer: This document is not an endorsement for or against any company or group listed.

What are the Electric Vehicle (EV) resources in Utah?

Grassroots Electric Vehicle movements in Utah:
http://groups.google.com/group/utah-ev-interest -- email list for Utah EVers, and meeting announcements. Please post suggestions for this FAQ here.
http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/geo/Utah -- partial list of Utah EV conversions (please post your electric car!)

College Electric Vehicle projects in Utah:
http://www.et.byu.edu/groups/electriccars  -- BYU's electric race cars
http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=14281 -- electric snowmobile at Utah State University

Electric vehicle companies and organizations in Utah:
http://www.zevutah.com/ -- sales and conversions of electric motorcycles and VW Golfs. ZEVUtah also hosts meetings showcasing electric cars, open to the public.
http://www.e-volks.com/ -- inexpensive electric conversions and completed vehicles.
http://web.mac.com/sunzeecar/iWeb/sunzeecar/Home.html -- efficient, solar, 30 mph vehicles
http://www.evsource.com/ -- sales of components for electric cars.
http://www.utahcleancities.org -- promotes clean transportation.

Electric racing in Utah on the Salt Flats:
http://www.savethesalt.com
http://www.explodingdinosaurs.com/saltflats/2007worldofspeed/electrat...
http://www.explodingdinosaurs.com/saltflats/2007worldofspeed/electric...
http://www.explodingdinosaurs.com/saltflats/2007worldofspeed/barstool/

Can I drive my electric vehicle in the carpool lane in Utah?

Here is a quote from the utah.gov webpage: In order for a "Clean Fuel" vehicle to travel in the Express Lanes it must display a "Clean Fuel" license plate which costs $10. To get the license plate you must fill out a "Clean Fuel Special Fuel Certificate" form to be issued to the vehicle by a DMV office. The yearly fee for the certificate is $47 plus a $35 surcharge. If you have any questions call the Department of Motor Vehicles, 801-297-7780, 8am-5pm, Mon-Fri.

How do I get free parking for my Electric Vehicle in Salt Lake City?

If you have a "Clean Fuel" plate, that will suffice. Otherwise, your vehicle needs to be inspected by the city to make sure it is an alternate fuel vehicle, and you need to get a sticker. Free parking is at Salt Lake City public parking meters. Contact information is available at: http://www.slcgov.com/transportation/Parking/green.htm .

How do I register my electric conversion car in Utah?

When you go to the DMV to get the car's title put in your name, tell them it is going to be an electric vehicle, and ask for an "E" on the paperwork. This will exempt you from having to get smog tests (but you'll still have to get the safety tests). The DMV might ask for paperwork proof that your vehicle is electric -- any Utah emissions and safety inspection station can generate this paperwork. Additionally, you can get the Utah "Clean Air Clean Fuel" plate that will let you go in the carpool lane for an extra fee. You'll want to get the title in your name right away, but you might want to wait on annual registration and plates -- no sense paying those fees while the car is sitting in a garage while being converted to electric power.

How can electric car racing help the environment? Is there Electric vehicle racing in Utah?

Electric racing:
Most of the electric racing in Utah occurs on the Salt Flats. The Buckeye Bullet electric streamliner went 315 mph on the Salt Flats! Good websites for Utah electric Salt Flats land speed racing include http://www.savethesalt.com , http://www.saltflats.com , and http://www.explodingdinosaurs.com . Electric vehicles can (and have) participated in motorsports with gasoline cars, such as autocross, drag racing, and road racing ( http://www.utahscca.com , http://www.rmrracing.com , and http://www.millermotorsportspark.com ).

Can I buy a new electric car?

Unfortunately, you cannot buy a freeway capable electric car from a major car maker at this time. http://www.teslamotors.com , http://www.commutercars.com , http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/ , and http://aptera.com all plan to sell new electric cars for about $20k to $108k, but you can only do a preproduction orders at this time -- the cars are not available to buy today. This is one reason converting a gasoline car to electric power is one of the best ways, at this time, to get a freeway capable electric car. If you are willing to go 25 mph or less, there are NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicles) dealers, such as Highland Golf 801-322-GOLF.

What are good cars for converting to electric power?

Here are some general guidelines taken from collective wisdom:
http://www.evalbum.com is a good place to peruse existing EV conversions, and see which kinds of cars are popular. For Utah, http://www.e-volks.com seems to like doing the Geo Metro (very light) and old air-cooled Volkwagens. http://www.ZEVUtah.com is engineering a conversion for the VW Golf. EV Source has done a conversion of a Nissan 200SX http://www.evsource.com/conversion/index.php .

Vehicles that seem more popular for conversions include:
If you want to do things via mail order, here are some resources for conversions:

http://www.electroauto.com -- conversion kits for older Porsches and older VW
http://www.canev.com/ -- kits and parts for conversions of Geo Metro, Dodge Neon, Toyota Echo, and Chevrolet S10 trucks
http://www.acpropulsion.com/ebox/ -- high quality and expensive conversions for the Scion xB, and AC motors and controllers
http://www.ev-blue.com -- parts and complete electric cars
http://www.evparts.com -- electric car parts
http://www.ev-america.com/ -- electric car parts
http://www.metricmind.com -- electric car parts, including budget AC systems

How much will it cost?

If you want to convert a car to electric power only to save money, stop! Gasoline cars are so ubiquitous that you can buy one or repair one much more cheaply than a similar electric car. Electric Vehicle people generally are looking at other issues than only cost, such as reducing air pollution or dependence on foreign oil. A conversion of a cheaper used car can be done for less than the price of a new economy car. Operating costs are generally somewhat cheaper for the electric car, even factoring in battery replacements.

http://www.e-volks.com offers cars for as little as about $4k or $5k. http://www.grassrootsev.com offers some great advice on doing a conversion cheaply. Speaking very roughly, about $5k is a budget conversion, and about $10k a nicer freeway capable conversion. It is interesting to note the world's fastest street legal electric drag race car ( http://www.plasmaboyracing.com/whitezombie.php ) could be duplicated for about $20k, and accelerates faster than almost any gasoline car you can buy at any price.

If you are very handy with tools, and a good scrounger, a conversion can be done for as little as $500. See http://www.forkenswift.com for an example. This is beyond the skill of most people, however.

As with anything, the sky is the limit, and one could spend $100k+ on an electric car by buying a Tesla http://www.teslamotors.com, or by doing a conversion with exotic batteries.

How far can I drive?

It is a case of "it depends" and "your mileage may vary." Many conversion cars using inexpensive golf cart batteries can go 30 or 40 miles between charges. To get significantly better range requires either extreme engineering (such as super aerodynamics and/or a very heavy battery pack), or expensive exotic batteries.

Why not use miracle battery X?

The miracle battery exists today. Lithium batteries, such as http://www.a123systems.com can drive a car very fast or very far. Unfortunately the cost is very high. Such a battery pack would cost around $50k. Lithium batteries already see large economies of scale, as millions are produced for tools, laptops, cell phones, and cameras, so we are not likely to see huge reductions in that cost. Generally speaking, a $3k pack of lead acid batteries is the only realistic choice for most EV conversions.

Can I use an automatic transmission?

Yes, but generally this is highly discouraged. A manual transmission is more efficient and lighter. You cannot stall an EV, so takeoff is like an automatic. The torque curve is much stronger and broader on an EV, and electric motors like to rev high for efficiency, so you shift less often. Many EVs do the bulk of their driving in just 2nd and 3rd gears.

Do electric cars actually pollute more than gasoline cars?

The general consensus is no, even taking the powerplant into consideration. It is much easier to clean up a central power plant that runs steadily than thousands of gasoline engines that cold start regularly. Electric motors are much more efficient than gasoline motors. Also, gasoline cars tend to pollute where the people are, in big cities and in traffic jams. Powerplant pollution tends to be well removed from people. Sometimes this is called the "longer tailpipe" and is a big benefit to electric cars.

Something else neat about Electric Vehicles is they are the ultimate hybrid! They can run on gasoline, nuclear, coal, wind, solar, and hydro power.

One more benefit for converting a gasoline car to electric: It takes alot of energy to build a new car. Converting an old gasoline car to electric power (rather than buying a new car) saves alot of energy and pollution even before the first mile is driven.

Will I be welcome? I don't vote for party X, or don't believe in theory Y, or attend (or don't attend) church Z, or I own an SUV, or I want to make a profitable business.

All are welcome! Our goal is to get more electric vehicles on the road, not to promote political parties or politicians.

Links?

National EV resources:

http://www.evdl.org -- Electric Vehicle Discussion List -- great email list for electric cars
http://www.NEDRA.com -- National Electric Drag Racing Association

This is a list of all the links from this FAQ:

http://aptera.com -- preproduction, light, efficient EV
http://groups.google.com/group/utah-ev-interest -- email list for Utah EVers. This list announces Utah EV events.
http://web.mac.com/sunzeecar/iWeb/sunzeecar/Home.html -- efficient, solar, 30 mph vehicles
http://www.a123systems.com -- lithium super battery
http://www.acpropulsion.com/ebox/ -- high quality conversions for the Scion xB, and AC motors and controllers
http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/geo/Utah -- partial list of Utah EV conversions
http://www.et.byu.edu/groups/electriccars -- BYU's electric race cars
http://www.canev.com/ -- kits and parts for conversions of Geo Metro, Dodge Neon, Toyota Echo, and Chevrolet S10 trucks
http://www.commutercars.com -- new two seater electric cars
http://www.electroauto.com -- conversion kits for older Porsches and older VW
http://www.ev-america.com/ -- electric car parts
http://www.ev-blue.com -- parts and complete electric cars
http://www.evdl.org -- Electric Vehicle Discussion List -- great email list for electric cars
http://www.e-volks.com -- inexpensive electric cars in Utah
http://www.explodingdinosaurs.com -- electric land speed racing in Utah
http://www.evalbum.com -- list of thousands of electric cars
http://www.evparts.com -- electric car parts
http://www.evsource.com/ -- sales of components for electric cars, based in Utah
http://www.forkenswift.com -- very inexpensively done electric car
http://www.grassrootsev.com -- videos on how to do a conversion inexpensively
http://www.metricmind.com -- electric car parts, including budget AC systems
http://www.millermotorsportspark.com -- road racing in Utah
http://www.NEDRA.com -- National Electric Drag Racing Association
http://www.plasmaboyracing.com/whitezombie.php -- world's fastest electric street legal drag race car
http://www.rmrracing.com -- drag racing in Utah
http://www.saltflats.com -- Salt Flats land speed racing in Utah
http://www.savethesalt.com -- electric drag racing, electric land speed racing, and promoting electric cars in Utah
http://www.slcgov.com/transportation/Parking/green.htm -- free parking for electric cars in Salt Lake City, Utah
http://www.teslamotors.com -- awesome $100k electric sports car
http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=14281 -- electric snowmobile
http://www.utahcleancities.org -- promotes clean transportation in Utah
http://www.utahscca.com -- autocross competitions in Utah
http://www.ZEVUtah.com -- conversion of motorcycles and VW Golfs in Utah

What do all these acronyms and abbreviations and words mean?

Here are some of the more common terms:
AC
Alternating Current -- AC motor systems are more expensive, but offer regenerative braking (see regen) and slightly higher efficiency than DC. Most hobbyist conversions use DC, most major car makers use AC. See DC.
AGM
Batteries
Absorbed Glass Mat -- this kind of battery holds the electrolyte in a sponge-like material. These batteries don't leak electrolyte even if turned upside down. AGM batteries typically have high power and don't ever need water added, but cost more and don't live as long as flooded batteries. Examples include Optima and Exide Orbital batteries.
Controller
This acts like a big dimmer switch, and gradually ramps up the voltage to the motor. Without a controller, an EV would start with a big jerk, and be dangerous to drive in icy weather. Very low power EVs, like bikes and scooters, often use just an on/off switch.
Conversion
Starting with a gasoline vehicle, ripping out the gasoline parts, and putting in an electric drive parts. Also used to refer to a vehicle that has been converted to electric power.
DC
Direct Current -- direct current motors tend to be simpler and cheaper than AC systems, and slightly less efficient. See AC.
DC-DC Converter
This device steps down the high voltage of the electric car's battery pack (typically ranging from 36 Volts to 336 Volts) down to 12 Volts. This can now be used to charge the 12 Volt battery, and run the car's 12 Volt electronics like the headlights, radio, etc. It is generally not a good idea to tap a single 12 Volt battery from the main battery pack for this purpose, as that battery will have more current drawn than the rest of the pack and will become a weak link.
Direct Drive
Driving the wheels with just one gear ratio -- This works best with low speeds (bikes and golf carts) or AC systems. For DC systems, it takes alot of current to get rolling or go up a hill, which wastes power and makes the motor hot (analogous to trying to pedal a bicycle up a steep hill in a high gear). For a typical hobbyist DC conversion, keeping the transmission is a very good idea.
EV
Electric Vehicle
Flooded Batteries
Most golf cart and car starter batteries have liquid electrolyte, hence the nickname "flooded" batteries. These batteries tend to be cheaper and longer lived than AGM batteries, provided current draws remain modest. Note: Car starter batteries are designed for very short bursts of work, and will not live long in EV deep cycle use.
NEV
Neighborhood Electric Vehicle -- By law these vehicles are limited to 25 mph, but are available new for significantly less money than most new cars.
Regen
Regenerative Braking -- this is the process of turning the electric motor into a generator during braking, charging the batteries as the car stops. This is an expensive feature for a freeway capable electric car, and only adds about 10% more range, so most hobbyist conversions do not have regen.
UCCC
Utah Clean Cities Coalition http://www.utahcleancities.org
ZEV
Zero Emissions Vehicle