Help us convert a Kei truck into an electric car!

As EVs become more popular, what will we do with existing internal combustion vehicles? We can't just send them all to landfills. Instead, we're going to want to convert them into electrics.

My friends and I have decided to start with a 1994 Honda Acty. It's light, with very few electronic components to draw power away from the motor: manual steering, manual transmission, manual windows, and so on.

We bought the car, as well as a used 120Vdc GE forklift motor that another hobbyist already used in an electric vehicle conversion. We have tested the motor, and it works. We also built an AM radio transmitter from parts so that you can get phone audio over the car's speakers.

We're hoping to replace as few of the car's functioning parts as possible. We're also trying to document our process - including our mistakes! - as thoroughly as possible, so that other people can replicate what we're doing. Most of the "I made an EV" videos we've seen are targeted at people who already do this as a hobby, and have a broad base of knowledge about electronics and mechanisms. If we complete our conversion, we hope it would help demystify the process. Since converting an EV is still cheaper than buying one, this could be a useful service!

Frankly, as much as anything else, this is an excuse for us to hang out. And with quarantine ending, we wanted a hobby that wasn't behind a computer. We aren't 100% certain that we will be up to the task of finishing the car, but we're going to give it the old college try - and so far, nothing has stopped us.

We're not expecting The Internet to fully pay for our hobby, but we wanted to make this page anyway so we have a central place to update folks on how the conversion is going! And if you want to contribute, you have the option.

Other donations we would accept: a garage to do modifications in, or a helping hand with the project! Hit us up if you want to help. :)

For a playlist of all our videos that will be updated as we go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHWljJEgRRg&list=PLmmZN6BtwGz3XvCB4Kt5ERTAGsivo7vHG