Build Your Own Electric Vehicle

Rating:
Summary: Useful (but biased) information
Review: '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.

Rating:
Summary: This is a good book for a beginner
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Want to build an electric car ? Not real easy.
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: Want to build an electric car ? Not real easy.
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: Not too bad, but I don't think it is for beginners
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Not too bad, but I don't think it is for beginners
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A comprehensive guide to the components and systems of EVs
Review: 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..

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Very Useful Info, lots of great tables and charts
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Very Useful Info, lots of great tables and charts
Review: 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!