Zoomi Life

In the earlier review (Part I), I covered George Christodoulou’s Gas2Electric e-book. That is actually the short version of the book, which contains mainly the information missing from most EV conversion manuals. As I mentioned in that review, that book is just part of a complete package of books that come in one purchase ($49).

• Electric Car Conversion Guide Review: Gas2Electric (Part I)
• Electric Car Conversion Guide Review: Gas2Electric (Part II)
• Electric Car Conversion Guide Review: Gas2Electric (Part III)

Gas2Electric sells conversion kits, of course, and the Gas2Electric book will more than cover what you need to know to install one of those kits. If you’re more of a do-it-yourselfer, though, don’t despair. The package of books includes “Build Your Own Electric Car or Truck” by Les and Jane Oke.

I’ve been a fan of the Oke’s little series of off-the-grid books (others of which are also in this kit). This latest one, though, is all about EV conversion. It’s written in their usual down to earth, no jargon style and is extremely in-depth.

A lot of information is packed into this one volume of 91 pages. The first few chapters cover sourcing the parts you’ll need like the shell vehicle itself, motors, controllers, batteries, and other parts. Range calculators and other helpful graphs are also there, making a lot of the mathematics involved much easier.

Chapter six of the book begins on the nitty-gritty and shows you how to remove most engines, exhaust, and fuel systems from a car or pickup. This part, however, is best left to a professional if you don’t have much experience with it—especially if you plan to try to sell the motor or keep the transmission intact.

Next comes the actual EV installation: from positioning and mounting the motor and batteries to controller layout and charging systems. Schematics are included for a handful of scenarios and layouts with easily followed information. This is one of the most useful parts of the book and easily worth the price of admission on its own.

There are literally ten books total in this Gas2Electric package with the Gas2Electric and this “Build Your Own” book being the two main ones. The others are bonuses that cover other aspects of living off-grid and green. Part III of this review series will look at those.

I’m extremely impressed with this Gas2Electric package of books and can highly recommend it as well worth the money spent to buy.

Want more information? Check out part 3 of our Gas2Electric review