VEVA's first formal EV conversion course (Sold Out!) is being held over the last 2 weekends of January. A full waiting list of 10 people is already in place for the next one, should our first course be successful. The initial preparations have now been completed.
Finding an appropriate conversion vehicle proved to be the biggest task to hold the course. The vehicle criteria for the kit supplied by Canadian Electric Vehicles ( Chev S-10 / GMC Sonoma with manual transmission, 2.2l engine) for the conversion is not hard to find. However, the organizing committee all agreed that finding a suitable glider required the delicate balance of cosmetic appeal without significant additional work, optional features if available and to balance both these with cost of the vehicle. In the end a 1994 GMC Sonoma was found on a lot on Main Street seemed to have the right balance. It's sticker price was below $6,000, it had cosmetic appeal being reasonably clean, no collision claims and in reasonable shape. Some mechanical difficulties could be tolerated. For instance, the broken catalytic converter which caused a failed air car on the vehicle worked to our advantage in reducing the price. A noisy clutch was deemed immaterial, as new clutch parts will be installed as part of the conversion. A small chip in the windshield should be repairable for less than $150. Our final cost from the dealer on this was $4,300 including all taxes and charges.
Other course preparations have also been completed. S-10 conversion manuals were ordered from the Ontario Electric Vehicle Association and are being distributed to the course participants. Batteries will be provided by Polar Batteries, who have also supplied our new traction pack on the 1912 Detroit last summer. Randy Holmquist of Canadian Electric Vehicles will do the final mechanical preparations, and engine removal on the Sonoma prior to the first day of the course.
At the end of the course the Sonoma will be available for sale to VEVA members, and to the general public should a buyer not come forward. We hope to have the conversion ready for show at the AGM in February, with final bids for sale taken at the regular February Meeting.
Planning for a follow-up course will start after this initial one completes. I would recommend that VEVA begin the quest for the next vehicle now, and purchase one "opportunistically" to have in inventory ready for the next course. We could even advertise and perhaps some good green minded citizens will donate to the cause?
Special thanks to all who have helped bring this to reality, including Haakon MacCallum (Coordinator), Randy Holmquist, Don Chandler, Milan Veverda, Rob Shaw, Gregory Fung, and Gordon Wong.
- Submitted by John Stonier