I am using this book as a research and knowledge base for my pending Plug In Electric Vehicle (EV)project. I am converting a 1992 Mazda MX-3 to a plug in fully electric auto.

This book is the best place to begin, it conceptualizes the whole environment surrounding the need for conversions providing historical back ground, economic understanding, and environmental impact information. Although the book was published in the early 90's it's predictions of the future for energy dependance and economic turmoil are right on. The Books prime function is as an excellent technical reference on the "how to" of EV conversions. This book goes into great detail about chassis selection, energy calculations, motor and component selection, range and speed expectations, and gives many examples, tips and techniques to use in building an EV.

This book also goes through from beginning to end a conversion of an auto conversion (a light pick up truck) from internal combustion engine powered to plug in electric powered. It is impressively simple to do and this book shows you just what to do. It also provides a great amount of contact information for parts suppliers and businesses already engaged in the conversion market place.

So if your sick of paying high fuel prices, want to do something personnally to reduce the effects of human impact on the environment, or are an engineering weenie who wants a fun and cool project to obsess over then pick up this book and start today!

Have Fun and Good Luck!

David Fink "Shade Tree Mechanic"
My first EV conversion project (1992 Mazda MX-3)

A good review of history of the electric car, best vehicles to convert, lists of sources for kits and parts, diagrams of how to do it, etc.
Highly recommended.

I've read several books on Electric Vehicles and this is, by far, the definitive resource for the DIY Electric Vehicle designer. It provides details and pictures on every topic necessary to design and build an electric vehicle from an existing gas vehicle.

A good place to start if you prefer to look at paper vs. the computer screen. Much more & better info available on the internet.

Does cover the basics - what exactly is involved in a conversion, batteries, controller, charger, motor & the "extras" - main contactor etc.

Others complained about too much math, but I found it was too basic to make any engineering decisions or judgments.

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.

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 $$$.

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

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.

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.

I read the book and especially chapter 11 (actual conversion of the Ranger) I found the math in the book to be beyond my comprehension. I understood the point just to much math and explanation of the math. I have now read two books about converting cars to electric power. This book had more detail than the previous book which on one hand I liked. It would be nice to have an update on the book as this book was written over ten years ago there has been advancement in the areas of AC electric motor, controllers and batteries.

This is a great first book to learn about electric vehicles. It includes history of EVs, design notes and formulas for those interested in predicting the results of a conversion. All written in a clear and understandable fashion, even for the novice, though even those with knowledge of EVs will learn. Lots of information so it takes some time to read, but is well worth it.

This well written, engaging book was written in 1994, and badly needs to be updated. The technologies have changed (batteries, motors, controllers), the candidates for cars to convert have changed (for example, you need to be very careful with the computer-driven dashboards and controls of most cars built in the past 8-10 years), and the assumptions about oil prices, electricity prices, and the global energy picture have changed.
It is a little shocking that this book (and Michael Brown's Convert It, published in 1993 and not upbdated) are the only ones available for this exciting, rapidly changing field.

The author has done a tremendous job of making a daunting task more manageable. He has given the car tinkerer a place to start learning how to convert a gas powered vehicle to electric. I highly recommend this book for anyone considering electric vehicle conversions as a "recipe book", with step by step explanation of everything you need to know to safely do a conversion

Compared to my other review on the book: "Convert It.", this book is much better - at least it's a real "paperback"! The material is more up to date, however it is still somewhat dated. The newer controller chips available, tranformer technologies and battery technologies are described in a forward looking way... however these items are now easily available - so the book doesn't address them very well, they weren't reality at the time. Still a good read to get a comparison of different concepts. Your money might be better spent doing research on the pricey, but high tech Tesla Motors car. There is 2007 technology at work!

If you're not already sold on why you should consider an electric car, this book should help. It covers the pros/cons of buying, building or converting. Before you consider converting a car to be electric, read this book. I suspect spending a little now for knowledge might save a lot later when it comes to buying stuff!

Even though this book was written in the '80's, it still has great pertinent information on how to build your own electric car.

No matter if you just want to learn a little more about EV technology or consideting to build your own Electric Car, this book will give you a wealth of information on all sorts of EV related topics. The book starts with EV history, then goes into EV practicality, then onto currently (well in 80's) available off the shelf technology, vehicle design, physics and aero dynamic principles and finally you get a walk through an actual EV conversion process. I like this book for the way it's formed and the way it flows. The author writes in plain language with plenty of advise and tips. Everything is simple, just like an EV is such a simple machine at it's core. After reading this book, you will get a clear picture where technology stands with EVs, why Internal combustion engine dominated our means of transport and finally how to desing and construct your own EV. Overall great book. One drawback however, this book is written in 80' and has a lot of hopes in it, which is sad to read at times. Like when author talks about newly developed prototype of GM Impact (later renamed EV1) the author puts high hopes for this progect, yet we all know what happened to this effort. You will want to read "Convert it" by Michael Brown after reading this book.

I'm reading this book again and again before I build my own. The info is timeless, but I know the world of EV has changed in 15 years.

I'm reading this book again and again before I build my own. The info is timeless, but I know the world of EV has changed in 15 years.

The title says it all really.

Look this book is somewhat dated, and half the book seems devoted more to theoretical graphs and charts, facts and figures and the like, plus arguing why we *need* to switch to electric vehicles for city use.

However, having said that, it's well produced and you get 300 plus pages for less than US $ 14. (almost "double the book for half the price" compared to some others) This book is worth every penny and then some.

The contacts pages, (pages and pages of them) pre-dates the internet boom so has NO useful urls or email addresses. However with the many names and snail-mail addresses you could probably track businesses down easily enough (plus I'm a guessin' they still have the same phone numbers ! ).


I would look forward, at some future date, to an updated revised edition of this book being published

Until that happens, (if ever) I'd have no hesitation recommending this as one of the several texts that any novice car converter should read before starting their first conversion project.

Catherine, Outback Western Australia.

This book is a great reference for anyone interested in the trade offs when creating an electric vehicle.

This is focussed on someone who wants to convert an internal combustion car to an electric vehicle, but if you are interested in understanding EV's in general it is a good resource, though it is pretty detailed and technical.

If you are not technically inclined you shouldn't despair, though it is clear that if you are not handy, EV conversion might be VERY difficult. This book will allow you to at least begin to understand the tradeoffs and how to create a conversion system.

All around great reference.

This is a very informative book that can tell you pretty much everything you need to know when it comes to electric vehicles. If you want a good fiction read about electric vehicles, try 'The Wilson Concern', by Will Alan. I found it very entertaining and informative.

This book is very useful for EV projects and contains a lot of theoretical and practical information. My EV was the first one in my country (Kuwait) because of this book and (Convert it). It is really dependable assuming that you have mechanical skills. Good Luck!!!!

I think Bob Brant really wants to help you build an electric vehicle. I feel, however that his engineering background causes him to "talk down" to the reader, who thinks " It can't be really as complex as all this ! All these formulas , etc ! " How do we know the "flux level" for a motor we buy at a garage sale ? I am too old to get an engineering degree !
Lots of "shade tree" mechanics ( like me ) will have to look further for more practical information.Such as - a 10 HP motor in a Geo Metro will be fine for trips to the grocery store but no good for highway use. Also errors have crept in, and the schematic diagrams are incomplete and puzzling. Of course, the book was published nine years ago, and technology has advanced in the EV industry, as in everything else

Usefull information about EV. This give you some wide idea about electric cars. Itýs a good book for your technical library specially if youýr going to build one EV and are a beginer.

This is really an informative book. Except for the politically-charged chapter on saving the planet from the evils of the internal-combustion engine, I really enjoyed it. One problem the reader might have is that Electric Vehicle technology advances so rapidly that some of the information is dated. All in all, it is certainly worth the price!

This is an exceptional book for anyone looking to get the initial know-how on how to convert a gas vehicle to an electric vehicle (EV). It's full of resources to help you find the parts you are looking for to do your EV project, and it actually does a conversion in the last chapter. There are a couple things you don't hear much about in the book, such as the insidious re-wiring of the dash board, and it sort of glazes over a couple minor issues, but all in all, it's the best resource I've found yet for converting to an EV. The history buffs will enjoy the detailed history of the EV, and if you work for NASA, there are a ton of great physics problems (15, I think) to keep your brain moving. Don't let the math scare you, I discovered that "eyeballing" it works most of the time, and if it didn't work, I would just pull out the old calculator and scratch pad. My advice would be that even if you aren't planning on "Building your own EV", you should buy this book. It's full of great stuff.

If you can't do maths a large part of the book will be greek to you. Many things are repeated over and over. Even exact lines are repeated. It looks like the book could have been a little bit smaller if all the repetitions where taken out. If you don't know electronic stuff it might also be a problem for you. When the author gives a definition of a component he uses other components to describe it, but if you don't know what the other components are you will not understand the definition. If I didn't read the posts on the EV list I would probably not be able to understand half of the book. The book also uses the American system in the maths. If you are not American it is even more difficult to understand. I can't find the age of the book, but it looks like it is rather old.

Before reading this book I was a rookie in the field. It gave me a thorough overview about EV's, their history, components, advantages and drawbacks. But the most important thing I took out from this book was the great amount of contacts and information about associations that put me on the way as an EV expert.

'Build Your Own Electric Vehicle' is an easy to read book, with a lot of good information on everything from the history of electric vehicles to estimating performance of your own EV. Where I was disappointed was with the, at times, heavy biases in Mr. Brant's writing. At times, his 'save the world by driving an EV' rants almost convinced me to return the book. Mr. Brant brings up many tradeoffs with EVs - buy/convert/build from scratch, 6-volt/12-volt batteries, truck/car/van, etc. In each case, he compares the pros and cons and proceeds to say 'The best choice is ...' If there are tradeoffs involved, there probably isn't a 'best choice'. Instead, a more appropriate summary might be 'If range is your primary concern, X is better. If acceleration is what you want, then go with Y.' Perhaps I would have a higher opinion of the book if I hadn't read it from start to end. If you are looking for specific information (How can I estimate the range/current draw for my EV?), this is a good book. If you want a general overview of EVs, I would look somewhere else.

This 310 page book is more than its title implies. It is an excellent source of information, even if one is just interested in learning more about the subject of electric vehicles. Mr Brant's credentials include a degree in engineering, and having worked on the Lunar Rover. He begins his book by exploring the appropriateness of the electric vehicle from an environmental standpoint. He then quickly reviews the history of the EV, from the mid 1800's to the present. He does a good job of surveying the current (as of late 1993) crop of electic vehicle producers, as well as the plans of the major auto makers for electrics. Brant devots a chapter to the options available to the person who wants to own an electric vehicle today: Buy a ready to run car from a manufacturer or converter, have one built or converted for you, or do the conversion yourself. One option that he seems to largely discount is the option of buying a used EV. Although such vehicles can be somewhat hard to find, especially away from large cities on the coasts, they can put a person into an EV for much less money and work than any other alternative. As you might expect from the book's title Brant favors the self-conversion option. He compares the various types of motor vehicles as conversion options; passenger cars, vans, and small pickup trucks. His conclusion, that a small pickup truck might be the easiest to convert, while giving the best range, seems a valid one, as long as a small pickup meets your needs, and suits your style. Chapter 5 is an excellent reference listing suppliers, EV clubs, and various converters and manufacturers. With Chapter 6 Brant begins the real meat of the book. He presents formulae and charts that allow you predict the performance of the vehicle you choose for conversion, and pick the size of motor and batteries that you will need. The next chapters are devoted to each of the unique systems of an EV in some detail: Electric motors, controllers, batteries, and chargers. To this reviewer, these chapters are the most valuable, and make this book useful to anyone with an interest in Electric Vehicles. The current state of the art is reviewed for each of these systems in some detail and with an eye toward practical maintanence and selection, and upcoming technology is also covered. Surprisingly, only one chapter of the book covers the actual conversion process. Although there is probably enough detail here for the experienced home mechanic or mechanically inclined individual, someone who has never pulled an engine out of a car, or done other major repairs on his own, will probably need more help; especially if his conversion is not of a small pickup truck. All-in-all there is a lot of good information in this book, and it is a vital addition to the library of any would-be electric vehicle converter, owner or pipe dreamer..