QUOTE(Bartlett 914 @ Aug 4 2007, 07:44 PM)
I would love to do a conversion. I am a little concerned about sticker shock. What kind of budget have you planned for this project?
Not counting restoration work (ahem) I estimate I'm about 15,000 into the conversion - the kit was roughly 12,500 and the batteries are another 1,500, with another 1,000 misc costs (tools, etc.). You don't do this if you're doing it to save money
You can do it cheaper probably. But I wanted the AC kit for the following reasons:
1. Regen braking extends battery life for city driving
2. Regen braking adds to your stopping power (there are 1150 pounds of lead in there now...)
3. The AC kit seems to have a somewhat higher power to weight ratio than the DC kit (although that's a little debatable)
Some day I hope to replace the lead acid with exotic tech batteries (LiIon, etc.), but for now, that will cost you an *additional* 20-30K...