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Electric Vehicles of Washington’s goal is to provide high quality electric & hybrid vehicle conversions at affordable prices while maintaining a high level of safety, comfort, and practicality. Our state licensed electricians working with engineers have spent years developing the most efficient and cost effective systems using the products available yesterday and today with tomorrow in mind. We want to get you on the road in a smog-less, carbon-free vehicle, which you can rely on as a daily driver for getting to & from work, as well as running your daily errands.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]For a conversion quote please submit our on-line quote sheet.
We strive to provide the best quality parts at the most inexpensive prices by constantly shopping around with our well established vendors as well as performing our own research and development on our own custom AC and DC control systems and battery charging and management systems that we develop here in house. Presently we are in the finishing phases of developing our own proprietary Charging System which can be programmed to charge either Lead Based Batteries, Nickel Based Batteries or Lithium Based Batteries. We are also presently working with vendors to supply us with a Nickel Battery which when combined with our charger will provide a 50KW pack for under $3K giving our customers the ability to drive 50 to 100 miles on one charge depending on their vehicle and driving conditions/habits.
Electric Vehicles of WA can supply you with brand name electric car motors & electric car controllers such as D&D Electric Motors, G.E. Electric Motors, Baldor Electric Motors, Zibo Boshan Electric Motor Company, Alltrax Electric Motor Controllers, Advanced DC Electric Motors, Curtis Instruments, Zilla Electric Motor Controllers or any combination of these and our own in house designs & proprietary systems.
In addition to cost effective vehicle conversions, EVWA can also custom build exotic vehicles to your standards.
We work closely with the Vehicle Research Institute at Western Washington University to develop the industry standard of vehicle designs in efficiency while keeping cost at the forefront of our thinking.
Our Hybrid power systems utilize only the best DC & AC generator technology developed by Ample Technology in Seattle.
Our suggestion in building any EV/Hybrid electric vehicle would to be to build the lightest and most efficient electric vehicle possible while maintaining the strictest safety standards with a dash of comfort. Some things to consider are:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Type of battery & battery location” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]The cabin space in an electric vehicle should not be the primary place for mounting electric vehicle equipment. However electric vehicle electronics parts & electric vehicle battery life will be greatly extended if EV parts are kept out of extreme conditions. If electric car batteries are mounted under the front hood, much care should be taken in order to seal the machinery compartment. Sealing the machinery compartment with a rubber seal around the hood opening and blocking off the original air cooling entry grill, as well as the underside of the machinery compartment will allow you to keep the electric car batteries at a controlled temperature as well as keep things clean. If the EV batteries are to be mounted inside of the cabin they should be enclosed in ventilated battery boxes which will keep the batteries at a controlled temperature, vent off-gasing and also contain the EV batteries in the event of an electric automobile accident. The EV batteries are the heart of your vehicle.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The Hybrid” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]A small generator set is sometimes suggested depending on our customers driving needs. However, we would suggest, not to think of the gen set as a means of a constant power source. As the more weight you add to your vehicle the less efficient it becomes. We would suggest a gen set which can be run in conjunction with the battery pack in order to extend drive time while you still have battery power left in your electric vehicle pack. If however your EV batteries were completely depleted, while you would not be able to run at full speed on the gen set, instead, perhaps at about 40 mph. More of a last resort, Get me home, my batteries are dead scenario.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Best type of vehicle (size)” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]The best candidate for an electric vehicle conversion is a small, lightweight vehicle capable of handling the speeds you intend to reach. It can be a car, a truck, or even a motorcycle. Any vehicle can be converted to full electric but larger electric vehicles require more energy to operate and are often too inefficient to be viable electric vehicles.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Transmission” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Manual transmissions are the simplest to convert to full electric vehicles. Most require no modification or additional items to work correctly. Older automatic transmissions may require a vacuum pump or some creative wiring. Modern automatic transmissions have computers in them and require signals from the engines computer to operate. This can make them difficult to modify for an electric vehicle conversion.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Power steering & brakes” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Manual steering and brakes do not require any attention when converting to an electric vehicle. Power brakes require a vacuum pump and power steering requires a hydraulic pump. Both of these draw power from the EV battery pack and decrease the potential range of your electric car.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Heating & Air Conditioning” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]The original heating system can be replaced with an electric or propane heater. An electric heating system takes a little while to warm up and draws power from the EV battery pack. A propane unit requires storage for a propane bottle and venting. Both are reasonable choices and it boils down to your preference. Another option is a plug-in “pre-heater” which warms the electric vehicle before your commute and does not operate when the electric vehicle is not plugged in. Visit our store to see this option.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Radio / Stereo” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Since the vehicle keeps all of its original auxiliary system a stereo is very practical and may already exist. A simple stereo requires very little energy to operate. It is an ideal system for a full electric vehicle.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Range” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Unfortunately, the usable range of an electric vehicle depends greatly upon many factors, such as battery age, drive train, weight, driving conditions and habits are only a few of the things that effect how far an electric vehicle can travel on a single charge. A small vehicle like a 60’s era VW Beetle with a 72 V AGM VRLA EV battery system can obtain a range of approximately 35 – 50 miles. However with our Proprietary EV Nickel pack & charging system the same vehicle gets 60 – 90 miles. This may not be true for all electric vehicles of this type and can be a bit different even between two similar electric vehicles.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Batteries” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_custom_heading text=” – Lead Acid” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Flooded (wet) cell lead acid EV batteries are the oldest type of battery used in electric vehicles. They are cheap to produce, fairly durable, and have a decent life span. Unfortunately, because they contain liquid acid, they can make an electric vehicle messy and uncomfortable to drive if not properly vented during charging and discharging. However Sealed Lead Acid Batteries, Gel Cells or Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) batteries can not seem to stand up to the demand that EV’s require. Both are more expensive then liquid cell lead acid batteries but they weigh about the same and are sealed. Gel Cell batteries require special chargers because they can become damaged if charged incorrectly. AGM batteries use a very simple charger and are much more durable then the Gel Cell batteries, but neither one are suitable for freeway speed electric vehicles when connected as a single series pack.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=” – Other Battery Types” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]There are many other types of batteries that are capable of powering an electric vehicle. The majority of them are more expensive then all types of lead acid batteries. Some are minimally more expensive and offer some benefits over lead acid batteries but sacrifice durability or life expectancy. A few of these batteries are possible candidates for electric vehicles but can increase the cost of the vehicle by 20-50%.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=” – Voltage” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]The voltage of the electric vehicle drive system ultimately determines the available energy for the electric motor to use. A higher voltage EV system gives the electric motor the ability to use more energy in a given amount of time. This translates to quicker acceleration times and higher top speeds. It does not directly affect the range of the electric vehicle, however the faster you drive, the shorter your range will be.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=” – Number of Batteries” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]The number of batteries in an electric vehicle can determine several things depending on how they are connected. Most of the time space dictates the maximum number of EV batteries allowed and voltage requirements must be met before range extension can occur. For this reason electric vehicles have historically been range limited. Recent advancements in battery technology and component design give electric vehicles a great deal of potential.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]