The world of the electric car has led the imagination of many to make different considerations, each more impressive, among them that of making a properly homemade one . Because, among all of us, we have seen how this car has been able to get the best out of each one, also in the sector, but above all in technology. So why not creatively make one of our own? It’s possible?
Technology has allowed us in recent years to carry out tasks that once would have seemed completely far-fetched to us. However, the great facilities that we can find today, added to the great creativity of the people, with new techniques and of great consideration, make it possible for us to have pieces at our fingertips and with our own hands .
A possible and even functional technique
However, one of those solutions seems to have feasibility, in a hypothetical case, of course, in that of building a homemade electric car in a possible and, in certain cases, even functional way . In fact, it is not that strange. There are not a few who, for example, have adopted new measures to focus directly on it.
Yes, we are referring, among others, to the Retrofit technique: that of transforming an old combustion vehicle into a fully electrified one, on it. There were even several companies that decided to figure out how to make this a reality within our reach.
This is why thinking about how to create and build our own homemade electric car is not such a distant idea, much less impossible. Because, ultimately, it just takes a little imagination, skill and being sure of what you are doing. Everything else is pure mechanism of the same practice that we obtain. So, to the question of whether it is possible to build an electrified vehicle by ourselves, the answer is clear and concise: yes. Now, how and in what way can we do it?
What is your technique
“Anyone with some knowledge of electricity and a little mechanics can do it, it is not too difficult,” says one of the people who have been directed by this type of format. Specifically, we are talking about people like Álex, who decided to transform vehicles in the 1980s, when he was a child and became interested in sustainable mobility.
It was in those years that the use of the catalyst, and therefore the use of unleaded gasoline, became mandatory in Spain. They talked about it in the streets and there he began to worry about how certain changes could be achieved in a much cleaner environment in the cities. But Alex is not the only one. Currently, there are several who have chosen to focus on this technique as a mechanism.
Because, of all the toys we had when we were little, without a doubt, the one that he left us the best memory was being able to play with cars. All four-wheel lovers remember that first we made them with cardboard , then wood came and finally, with the technological revolution already underway, remote-controlled cars arrived.
This is why, thanks to the different samples and advances of this electrified modality, there are not a few who, at least, have ventured to create a homemade electric car. But what does this method consist of? As such, it is nothing more than bringing together the different materials that equip them and integrating them into the same structure.
Types and materials needed
Nebrija University is one of those that is well positioned on the starting line. For a decade he has been teaching the degree of Engineering. And it includes materials with which to learn how to make this model plugged into the present one . Electric vehicles, Vehicle Systems and Components I and II, Engines, Electrical Machines, Electronics, Regulation …
A universe that has its place in the world of work. 58% of its students (affirms the center) find employment in the first three months, 92% during the remaining nine and employability in one year is total. His strategy is proximity.
Thus, learning to build and maintain a vehicle can be considered a powerful and motivating aptitude or skill for many motorists, and let’s not forget that the implementation of electric and hybrid motors can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and the emission of polluting elements, which that benefits our environment.
So if you have a weekend, a garage and you have a tool kit, why not build your own electric car? Suitable for all those who like ‘handmade’, it works on batteries, and is propelled by a motor with a propeller, that is, propelled by air. To do this, we will need the following materials:
- Two plastic bottles (one for the car, and one for the engine)
- A small engine .
- Poliespan .
- Fiberglass.
- Hot glue gun or thermo fuse .
- Two wooden skewers .
- 4 bottle caps .
- 2 straws or drinking straws.
- 9 volt battery.
How to do it
As you can see, they are materials of reduced and small dimensions , since there are still not enough technological equipment that allows it to be done in a way that is done at home in large volume. All in all, and once these compounds have been collected and chosen, it will be time to assemble our homemade electric car.
In principle, it should not be a very laborious process, since all the elements are usually easy to use and integrate, especially taking into account that it is our own elaboration . Nor will you have to worry too much about organizing them all, since the steps, in general, are usually quite simple, as we will explain below.
Yes indeed; Although we have small materials with a lower capacity, such as the 9-volt battery, it is true that when starting up we will need to take special care when integrating them, since both the motors, such as the battery or the glue gun are still manageable products.
Design
First of all, before getting down to work with the aforementioned elements, it is necessary that we organize the shape of the vehicle that we are going to make. In this way, when preparing the process with the bottles, we must also focus on how our home electric car is going to be designed .
First of all, the important thing to start with our design on paper. Later, and with the help of the polystyrene , you have to draw a line in the middle and begin to shape it. Designers have a premise. And the thing is, there is going to come a time when we are going to tell ourselves that ‘we already have it’, but which may lack some character. To do this, we have to copy the drawing from the other side.
Chassis
Once the first design process is finished, we will have to continue with another of the most important parts of the car. And it is the chassis. It’s fine to just have one with the mechanical elements, but we are sure that when it comes to shaping it, we all like to create the structure.
This is why the chassis forms one of the most important parts of it. In view of this, it will have to be manufactured with fiberglass, this thanks to the layers that will be given on the polystyrene. When it dries, we will remove it, leaving the desired shape. Of course, after sanding and removing about 100 kg of putty.
Electrical system and batteries
How do you wire a car? It is quite acceptable that this is one of the most complicated tasks, since not everyone has practical knowledge about it. However, and taking good care of what we have been elaborating previously, it is worth mentioning that between the two there is an outstanding aspect.
This is none other than the communication between the power supply and the product. In this case, what has to do with the electric motors and the 9-volt battery. Given this, everything will be the same process. These are those of wiring, splicing, cutting cables … during the course of it, it is likely that we will find ourselves, on more than one occasion, with an extensive amount of cable. But is normal.
This battery must then be inserted into the chassis tube. In our case, the plastic bottles that we will have collected. Given this, once we connect the battery and the motor, everything must be tested before mounting it in the car.
Structure
Now, with the hot silicone, and with the help of the silicone gun itself, we will have to glue the two straws across the width of the bottle. With this step we will have obtained the axles of the electrified vehicle. It will be then when the wooden skewer continues to be inserted into one of the straws and the skewer passes through a lid at each end of the straw.
Do not forget to fix with silicone inside! Otherwise, the structure of your car will be weak and it will disassemble as soon as you start it. The next step will be to cut the excess wood. In this step it is recommended to check if the wheels move normally or otherwise have difficulty turning.
The next step, already taking shape, is to stick the battery on the car . Then you have to cut the other plastic bottle in half and make cuts towards the cap, in the shape of a helix. And you have to make a small hole in the propeller plug, and then you glue it with the hot silicone engine to the plug, leaving some free space.
Later we will glue the motor to the back of the car and connect the motor cables to the battery. It will only be necessary to start it thanks to the ignition of the engine. Thus, if we have followed all the steps correctly, we can say that we already have a homemade electric car on our own.
