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Friday, January 29



Why am I converting a car to all electric?
I have a Chevy suburban and I use it a lot. I pull trailers with it and carry my family and pets on weekend trips of about 200 miles. I also use it as a daily run around during the week where I just have to go distances of less than 10 miles to drop my kids at one thing or another. I rack up about 50+ miles a day. It's a lot of gas, which I am unhappy about. So I was looking for a way to change, and Ben, my son got a remote controlled electric car which is so impressive and fast, we just had to see if anything like it came in a larger size. This is where Youtube stepped in and has become a valuable source of information. And so the journey has begun.

It has been a long road deciding which make and model car I should use as a donor vehicle. At first I was all set on a modern VW beetle, as I wanted the car to be noticeable and have a modern and appealing line. The disadvantage seemed to be that I would lose the rear seats to battery space. I binned that idea and started the long process of research again. Many hours spent looking through the classified lists and craigslist. I finally spotted something that I liked and tried to find other EV converters who had done the similar make and model. Bingo! I found two others who have made theirs work. It is a 1994 Toyota Celica ST.

I am at the stage where the car is sitting outside in the drive and the major parts have been ordered. I expect them to be here in about 3 weeks. In the meantime I am getting the tires, brakes and suspension figured out. The car is in great shape. The engine has 188,000 miles on it and seems like it is brand new. Very powerful with no problems, so I am looking for a buyer. They can come and see it running in the car before I remove it. Yes, it's gas guzzling days are numbered.