cheap electric cars

Cheap electric cars are hard to come by. Here’s why.

First, there are the batteries. Storage batteries are still expensive, around $900 per kWh for newer lithium batteries. A gallon of gasoline has the energy equivalent of around 36kWh. So storing the energy of a US gallon of gasoline in a modern battery pack will cost you around $30,000. This is why a new Nissan Leaf with a 24kWh battery pack costs close to $40,000 before incentives.

So how can you find a cheap electric car when batteries cost so much? There are a couple of ways.

Get a NEV. If you are not in a hurry, get a second-hand Neighborhood Electric Vehicle. Some of these little cars can move up to 40 mph (64 kph) or so. You can get a 2007 Zenn for $5,300, a 2008 Zap Xebra for $4,500, or a 2007 Flybo for $4,500.

The modern NEV can reach 35 mph and could have a range of up to 50 miles (80 km) or more. Some are a bit faster, some are a bit slower, and the range can vary. However, if you are in a city where speed is not important, a NEV is a good solution. If you need more range and speed, take a look at used electric cars.

Get a used EV: Used electric cars that you can just pop in, turn the key and go will set you back around $7,500 and up. This is a general figure, you can get a deal for less, but it will most likely require a new set of batteries. Keep in mind that at the listed price, your range will also be in the neighborhood of 20 to 40 miles. Again, you may get lucky and hit 60 miles, but that’s a lot for the budget EV.

Here’s why: battery type and weight. The old lead-acid batteries are relatively cheap and readily available, but they take up a lot of space and don’t contain much energy. At the end of the day, 1,200 pounds of batteries can get you 30 miles down the highway, depending on conditions. This range can be extended with driving techniques, proper tires, etc., but not much in most cases.

Here is an example battery pack:

– Battery Type: 24 – 12 Volt Trojan @ $125/ea = $3,000
– Package Weight = 24 x 62 lbs = 1488 lbs Storage = 24 x 225 AH = 5400 AH
– Storage Pack = 225 AH x 144 Volts = 32,256 Watts = 32.26 kWh
– This is about the energy equivalent of 1 gallon of gasoline

Depending on the weight of the electric car, motor, controller, terrain, temperature, and driving style, a gallon of gas in an older, less efficient EV could get you, say, 40 miles. However, you are more likely to get less. This is the main reason people sell their conversions.

If you want a cheap electric car, try a NEV or maybe a used conversion. Be prepared to change batteries and work with range limitations.

Do your own conversion – This is probably the cheapest way to get an electric car. However, several important notes:

1. You need some kind of workshop, the tools, the skills, the time, and some luck to pull it off. While it’s entirely possible, it’s not for most people. Check out the web for the guys who converted a forklift into an electric vehicle for something like $900. Actually, there was more to it than that, but it’s a rock bottom price.

2. You may end up with a performance between the NEV and the used electric vehicle just described. One thing about old donor parts is that they are old. There’s a reason they’re heavily discounted. You may be able to extract certain efficiencies, but it will take considerable effort.

There’s a saying from the Tappet Brothers on NPR (Saturdays in most places in the continental US): “The cheap man pays more.” While this isn’t always true, we recommend that you approach cheap EV with considerable research.