If you are interested in doing an electric car conversion, please take the time to educate yourself before you spend a lot of money or take a hammer to your car. Browse online forums and ask questions. Look for an electric car group in your area, talk to people who have already done EV conversions. Some organizations offer seminars and hands-on training.

Here are some of the resources that I found helpful..

The diyElectricCar forum. Many different online discussions about all things related to electric vehicles: motors, batteries, suppliers and tips for experience EV builders.

The Electric Auto Association (EAA) has chapters all over the country. If you find a chapter close to you there are usually monthly meeting. To find one in your area, click here.

If you're in the eastern Pennsylvania area you might be interested in attending a few of the monthly meetings at the Eastern Electric Vehicle Club.

Additionally, Bucks County Renewables, located in eastern Pennsylvania, offers hands-on EV conversion workshops.

There are many good books on doing EV conversions. Here are two:

Build Your Own Electric Vehicle, by Seth Leitman and Bob Brant - This is a second edition and very up to date. Much more in depth, technically and covers some of the more recent battery chemistries.

Convert It, by Mike Brown - This is one of the original EV books, but still a good place to start.

Finally, while not technical in nature, Who Killed the Electric Car is a must watch DVD for anyone interested in electric cars.