How difficult would it be to turn a '92 Toyota Corolla automatic in to an electric conversion?

So I have a 1992 Toyota Corolla with an automatic transmission. I would like to turn it in to an electric car with the help of some friends. I've read a little about it but almost everything refers to cars with a manual transmission. What are some things I need to know? Is there a place that can walk me through things? Any and all information is greatly appreciated!|||Next to impossible.|||I have also considered this option....it is interesting but I decided not to do it because I travel a lot...as of right now...it would not be practical for me to do the conversion. Because you can usually only drive 50 miles per charge...If you live in a city where things are not too far apart...then it may be viable for you.


You can convert many manual cars into an electric car. It involves sourcing :





Batteries - $1,000 to $2,000


Motor - $1,000 to $2,000


Controller - $1,000 to $2,000


Adapter plate - $500 to $1,000


Other (motors, wiring, switches, etc.) - $500 to $1,000





There is a lot of labor involved. And you have to know what you are doing... The reason for manual transmission is that it has to be pinned down or locked in second gear. There is a lot of heavy labor, and fabrication. Reliability is 100% dependent on the fabrication skills and labor skills of the installer. Not to mention that the DC motors used for these conversions were not meant to be used in an outside environment for long...I have heard that these electric engines do not last for more than a few years, depending on use etc...of course you can have the motor rebuilt...but again labor costs..All said and done; it can be costly to convert a car.





In addition the motors are usually from electric forklifts etc...they don't have a high top speed nor can they go that far on a single charge. about 50 miles that diminishes if you are using a heater, or ac, or radio etc...plus it is slower than a gasoline engine.





Of course the plus is that no pollution or paying for gas...but consider that it cost about 2 grand or more to replace the batteries in a converted car....and those batteries only last a about 2 years.





Right now, assuming that you get 26 mpg...traveling a distance of 15000 mi a year...at cost of about $2 a gallon; then your total fuel cost for a year is $1154...If gas prices shoot to 3 dollars a gallon again...your annual fuel cost, assuming same miles driven; would be $1731....then it would be cheaper to do the electric conversion.





At the moment I think converting cars is an interesting concept. However, I am not too excited about using DC motors that were not designed for pulling a car...But if you want to know more I have posted a good link that will give you an overview of the process etc..|||its better if you have a manual transmission car.





i'm actually planning on doing this to a toyota supra mk3. i wanna make it fast.





try asking this question in the alternative fuels section of yahoo answers. you'll learn a lot from those guys.