legal requirements

[truckdoctor]

Hi all , as fuel prices have increased again to £1.06 per litre i'm even more determined to convert to electric power ,but before i begin to modify a vehicle i wonder if anyone can help ,what are the legal implications .
1/ how do i register it for low or no road tax
2/ will it need an MOT
3/ are ther insurance companies prepered to cover modified to electric vehicles .
4/Would there be a weight issue ,ie. overloaded with lots of batteries fitted etc
5/any ideas which would be an easy car to convert
6/Any other problems you may know of

Of course it would be nice to buy a Tesla or similar ,but as they are not available here ????? and probably too expensive ,conversion seems the only option.Thanks

[aminorjourney]

Hi there,

You will need to provide the DVLA with proof that you've had your vehicle converted. This normally takes the form of a certificate/receipt from whoever converted it, or in the case of a DIY conversion, documents to prove you brought the parts and put them in your car!

You should then classify for free tax. You will have to MOT your car as only commercial electric vehicles are exempt. To be honest I think it's a duty of any car owner to make sure their vehicle is roadworthy and an MOT is a really sensible way of doing that.

Choose a car with no chassis problems and one you know has not been involved in an accident where the structure could have been damaged. Don't do what I did and start with a car I know is going to need a lot of work!

Nikki.

[truckdoctor]

Thanks for the info Nikki ,it doesn't seem to complicated ,I do agree about the MOT and will be searching for a good used transit van for the conversion , these have a payload of around 1 ton so when it's full of batteries etc . i know the brakes will work ok .
Any thoughts on the insurance anyone ????

[MalcolmB]

There's a thread here with a few recommendations on insurers
http://batteryvehiclesociety.org.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?p=2180&highlight=insurance#2180

A transit sounds like a heavy vehicle to start with, are you planning to use it as a working vehicle?

[truckdoctor]

No not as a work vehicle ,just for pleasure . The reason for using a transit van is it can handle the weight of lead acid batteries ok and are fairly cheap to buy and safer in a crash than a flimsy lightweight vehicle , you sit higher up and have a comanding veiw of the road . They are as you mention heavier than your average car but onece it's rolling along it shouldn't be a problem . Maybe i could retain all the front wheel drive mechanism and fix the dc motor to drive the rear wheels somehow , hybrid style Just a thought .

[ChrisB]

Hi TD

Rather than a conversion may I suggest a production vehicle no I'm not talking about a Berlingo ..............but a Bedford CF Electric

OK so the CF is getting on a bit these days so if you got one I'd recomend pulling all the kit out of one and maybe reinstalling it into say a transit. I picked up my CF for just £200, OK so it was in a field and it took me 6mths to sort the batteries out but it was a working EV.

I think it must time to cue the member "greenmachine" as I know he runs a CF as well as a berlingo.

ChrisB

[truckdoctor]

Thanks ChrisB
Do you have any pictures of your CF ,as i remember they were used by the Evening Standard newspaper for deliveries around London and had a battery pack that rolled out the front . What a great concept , I didn't know any were still around .
I'd be lucky to find one of these ,but have been thinking of forklift motors and controller may be the cheapest way forward . I had collected a crompton motor in good condition a few years ago but sold on ebay before a house move , (wish i'd kept it now) this had a flange fitted to the to the armeture that connected straight to the propshaft ,similar to a milkfloat style . Forklift motors will take a lot more engineering to couple up i suppose , or are there any kits or suppliers around ??

I'm not sue how to cue greenmachine , another member

[ChrisB]

I'm sure John aka Greenmachine will pop in on this thread at sometime

I'd suggest joining the BVS and placing a wanted advert maybe in the magazine. JC who lives in Brighton I know has a fair amount of CF EV parts laying about so he might want to sell the bits you need ??

There use to be another 2 vans rotting away in a field down here where I got mine from but thats on the southcoast and I'm going back some 10yrs + now and I dont even know if they are still there.

I'll find somelinks for the CF

Right heres Greenmachines site
http://www.bedfordev.flyer.co.uk/

and my rather outdated site
http://www.looneyland.freeserve.co.uk/bedford.htm

ChrisB

[qdos]

Hi TruckDoctor,

I just noticed you had joined and that you are in Dorset. Give me a call as I'm also in Dorset and I may be able to help you some with your questions. We're working on a number of projects which you may be interested in and I'm also getting some meets organised for members of the BVS in the area.

Contact details in Plugged in and on the QdosCars website