# Sticky  Gav's EV conversion YouTube videos and DVD



## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

Hey thanks Dj! That's really made my day! 

I'm past the halfway mark too by the way. At this rate I'll have my new baby in just another 5 weeks; and then you'll all get to see the much talked about bonus video too... 

Here's what I'm halfway to:









Just another few dozen DVDs to move and I can finally start filming (in High Definition) the next KiwiEV episode! Thanks heaps everyone!


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## LeTank (Jun 24, 2008)

I agree with the thread master. Gav did a great job and in fact that is how I found this forum was through one of Gav's youtube videos. Thanks Gav! If I had not seen that video, I would have not found this forum and become a part of a great group of EV DIY'ers. 

I think the first I stumbled upon was the PotBox video, but then had to go back to video one and watch them all. I even copied them and sent them to another buddy who was also looking at converting his ICE to electric. Now that the video is for sale on DVD, it will be easy for anyone to get a copy and save the headache of internet slow download speeds and just buy the DVD. 



This Beck's is for your Gav!! Cheers!
Hope the beer is still cold when you read this. haha


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## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

I have it! I have the new camera!








This means you can all expect me to churn out yet another episode in the next few weeks. Looks to be an exciting next episode too - in high definition at long last! 

edit: I changed my mind on the JVC camera after reading how much better the Canon Vixia range is. Check out this review: http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=RgnZO-kDdwg
I'm yet to see one bad thing about this camera. The video quality is pretty darn impressive. Even my mate Rob was impressed and he's bloody difficult at times.


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## elevatorguy (Jul 26, 2007)

Very nice! I will be looking forward to your videos


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## ZenDaddy (Jul 22, 2008)

Mr. Kiwi EV wizard sir;

I watched your videos about 4 months ago. Not only was I impressed immensly by your willingness to try something new, but your personality and ability to interact with an amatuer camera was wonderful.

I had decided to try to build an ev but was very nervous about whether or not I would be able to pull it off. Watching what you accomplished in your garage with nothing but determination to complete the project was nothing less than inspiring!

Congratulations on your noteriety and your car!

Thank you for leading the way! (I am not forgetting all the others!)

Michael

(Edit) I just bought a copy. You absolutely deserve the support!

Continued success!

ZenDaddy


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## ZenDaddy (Jul 22, 2008)

Hey Gav

"Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu"

Dang.... you already have the camera... 

Fun stuff. Thanks EV bro.

ZD


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## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

ZenDaddy said:


> Hey Gav
> 
> "Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu"
> 
> ...


Don't tell me you typed that all out! 
You're welcome though. Glad you enjoyed the DVD!

I'm busy uploading all my videos to www.vimeo.com but I keep hitting my weekly limits so it'll take a while. Here's an example of the quality between Youtube and Vimeo:








Unfortunately photobucket has squashed it down but it's still not bad. On the full size version you can see the raindrops.
Still, the next High Definition EV video will be four times better than that. I've gotta make it first though...


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## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

For those of you who haven't fallen asleep, here's a quick video I put up on Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/2221581
It's compressed down to half quality so my next video should be twice as tidy as that. I hope.


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## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

gottdi said:


> I don't have permission to watch!  I wanna see, I wanna see!
> 
> Pete : )


Hmm, sorry about that. It went into "Private" for some reason. Try again now if you're bored.


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## ZenDaddy (Jul 22, 2008)

Gav, just curious

Your wife has a lovely accent. Where is she from?

(don't worry mate, I'm thousands of miles away!)

ZD


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## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

ZenDaddy said:


> Gav, just curious
> 
> Your wife has a lovely accent. Where is she from?
> 
> ...



Her name's Veronika and she's from Slovakia, up there next to Austria. Nice place, the food and wine is fantastic!


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## LeTank (Jun 24, 2008)

Gav is becoming famous on youtube. 
KiwiEV is mentioned in this video on his heater idea. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTuzq4Dal1c&feature=related

Is this mate in the video a member of this forum now?
Let us send him an invite if he isn't.


Gav, I like at the end of the Bonus video there are a lot of burn out marks on the road. 
Oh yeah...EV Power!
=)


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## GuiH (May 23, 2009)

Gav, u make it awesome!!
Really, nice work 
Good luck


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## rillip3 (Jun 19, 2009)

Every body keep your eyes peeled, Gav's off for two weeks of being lazy, near as I can tell, but when he gets back, something mysterious and exciting is supposed to happen... I'm betting it's at least a hint of a start on KiwiEV2!

... And if it's not, we know where to find you, and what you look like Gav!



> We're having a little break at the moment. I'll be back in a fortnight and then I'll have quite a treat for you all.
> Stay tuned.


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## i8bozo (Jun 24, 2009)

if gav would like to begin on EV2, he is more than welcome to lend a hand on mine. i'm just about to begin the process. the timing would be perfect. 

heya gav, i'm down in wellington bro. we should catch up at some stage. i just purchased a donor car, joined this forum and i blame you and your kiwiEV site.


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## DJGietzen (Sep 15, 2009)

Here's hoping the next build starts before years end. Here in Detroit the weather is starting to turn cold. Its about 50 degrees out and I need to find my jacket! But since Gav is on the wrong end of the world I'm guessing the weather is starting to warm up?

I've enjoyed all of Gav's videos. My 1st purchase in the EV project is going to be a donor car, but the second is going to be his e-book  

What exactly killed kiwiev 1? Was it the rust?


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## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

Oh man I've been slack! My sincere apologies.

Actually two things killed KiwiEV. Rust was a serious factor, but also the batteries were sub standard. They were officially deep cycle, but only on paper.
In reality, those Hella Endurant batteries were not built tough enough to handle real world EV use. Even with the handful of times I went below 50% DOD (depth of discharge) it shouldn't have ended it's life so soon.

It's a lesson I've learnt for next time and one that I harp on about frequently in my ebook: _If you're going to cut costs, make sure it's not with your batteries._ 

KiwiEV2? Recently I've started doing things I'm ashamed to admit... I think about my next EV a lot. In fact I've actually had the occasional _dream_ about it.*
KiwiEV2 may only exist in my mind at present but I can tell you this: It will be lithium powered - and it will be cheap. *
KiwiEV 1 proved it could be done. KiwiEV 2 will prove it can be done with LiFePO4 (lithium) batteries, and yet done cheaply!

I'm going to need around $9,000 NZ ($6330 USD). It's a lot of money, yet for a useful, decent-performing lithium conversion that's pretty unheard of. 

So far I have just $12 NZ saved ($8.44 US) and I might still need that for coffee.

I quit my job at Nazicom, uh, I mean Telecom just to make things more interesting financially too. Hehe. This means I'm now unemplo- uh, I mean "Freelance". 

If my ebook/video tutorial packages sell well, and that people book our tours this year then prepare for a seriously interesting conversion this year.

I've already mentally picked a donor car due to it's weight/aerodynamics/affordability/EV1-ish looks:








Stay tuned!


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## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

Just how much does a cup of coffee cost over there???

Food seems a little pricy here in australia, but......

Nice to see you are still out there Gav.


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## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

Thanks mate! I'm still about, still crazed about EVs. I'll be online here a lot more from here on now that I'm "freelance". 

Also hoping to get to the Australian EV Festival in Adelaide this year if I can scrounge enough money together. It's rumoured to be in October.


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## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

Yeah Pete, my resigning was either a brave or stupid move. Time will tell!
The economy's been hit here but according to the news it's not as bad as it is up in the USA. Things are still plodding along quite well in this little isolated bubble in the South Pacific. 

My former boss said the offer of a job is always there which is nice, but I really want to try standing on my own feet for a bit first!

While not for profit, I did use my HD camcorder on Saturday in fact: 




WARNING: Video contains neon-white flesh due to a very long winter.


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## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

It was *bloody freezing.* It was almost bearable until that chilly water hit Holland.


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## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

I'll have to play the video when I get home at the end of this week. The connection I have access to is hit & miss when it comes to videos. Higher quality seems to be more of a problem.

Don't be a stranger Gavin, The place wouldn't be the same without you.
oh, and the water here is usually around 26C....heehee. Warmer in the sun.


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## Pirape (Feb 26, 2009)

Gav, I have seen a doccumentary ''Who killed the electric car'' and I cant wait to see you in ''Who brought back the electric car''

Please tell me you will record your kiwiev2


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## ThWongs (Sep 4, 2010)

KiwiEV said:


> Her name's Veronika and she's from Slovakia, up there next to Austria. Nice place, the food and wine is fantastic!


Hey Gav.

Great video's and an inspiration to many! 

Veronika's accent sounds similar to my wife's, She is from Ukraine (I'd better not let her read this or she'll kill me! She was born in Russia, but lived in Ukraine most of her life).  

Keep up the good work! I look forward to many more video's!


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## HighTech (Nov 12, 2008)

Gav, if you read this, it seems you have become an internet sensation and your advertisements for "How to build your own electric car" have stumbled across my screen more than once in my searches for other things. The first time it happened I almost fell out of my chair. Gav! Hey, I know that guy. haha. Only after reading through all the advertisement there was no Gav's wife as the model to show off the electric car you converted. I thought, either she is just shy or Gav just forgot to put her in the picture. Then I thought, she probably won't care when the money starts rolling in and she gets to go spend it without Gav since he will be busy on the computer selling his DVD's and how to books. haha. 

Anyway Gav, it good to see a friendly face and if you go to infomercials, just remember a female in there somewhere sure helps sell your products to females too. After all, females like to spend and some are garage monkeys just as much as we men are. 

Glad to see you have done a lot since just making youtube videos. 
Great advertisement. Hope to see more out there and maybe even see you on the Late Night Show some day. =)


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## Gibby (Dec 2, 2010)

Yeah, Gav is the man! I love his videos and the EVsecrets program that I purchased is great! Just starting my EV conversion on a mazda pickup.


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## yangsword9x (Jul 24, 2011)

Is this a scam to steal my money?

Convert2EV ebook by Les and Jane Oke
http://www.convert-2-ev.com/

I'm so glad I found this forum! At first I heard about converting to electric on youtube...then I was in such a hurry to convert my vehicles, BUT!

I remember that now in the GREAT Depression of 2011 USA
that there were many scams about saving money!

So-oo, I ended up looking for reviews to prove if the book above was not a scam!
Unfortunetly I found none...

So please help tell me if the above is a SCAM or not!
Thanks!

PS: Gav I first saw you on the news talking about your EV conversion! I was so excited and inspired!
I was wondering if I can convert my car to electric just by watching your videos on youtube for free!? (since I'm a low class society)

Or do I have to buy your videos to make sure that I do accomplish a conversion? (If I accomplish a conversion by watching STEP-BY-STEP process for free on your youtube, I'll donate the same amount I would've paid for the DVDS to you once I save enough by driving the electric vehicle!x3)

As you know it actually cost a lot of money for a good conversion (100 miles range, 70 mph)...for low class society(or bottom of middle class) anyways. So some of us can't afford additional costs, just minimum...

You are my last hope...to get out of low class society.


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## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

yangsword9x said:


> Is this a scam to steal my money?
> 
> Convert2EV ebook by Les and Jane Oke
> http://www.convert-2-ev.com/


looks very questionable to me... no table of contents, no sample chapter, no details... you could start a thread on this and see if anyone has bought it or reviewed it. But, I would split it out from this thread on Gav's videos.




yangsword9x said:


> Or do I have to buy your videos to make sure that I do accomplish a conversion? (If I accomplish a conversion by watching STEP-BY-STEP process for free on your youtube, I'll donate the same amount I would've paid for the DVDS to you once I save enough by driving the electric vehicle!x3)


I would point out that Gav has invested a lot of time and money making these videos.... if you don't want to invest a little to potentially speed your conversion, then don't buy'em, but I would not ask for them for free.  If you can't afford the videos, then you probably can't afford to do a conversion.


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## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

I think most people will still need multiple sources of information as there are several key decision points where there are multiple valid solutions. My only point is that there are some obvious scams, some decent sources of info like Gav's that he is offering for a fee (to make a living),and others like Jack that are publishing lots of info for free. Heck I have 'almost' step by step photo-documented on my site along with how I arrived at MY decisions during the design and build, but it is not meant to be all inclusive.

My only point is that Gav came up with a good product, and offers it for sale, and people can choose to buy it, or look elsewhere, but probably shouldn't expect to get it for free if he is trying to make a living....


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## Ace_bridger (Nov 22, 2011)

Me neither!!!!


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## windjunkie (Jan 17, 2012)

I just bought his "premium package" today after I viewed all 26 of his youtube videos yesterday. I mostly did this to "say thanks" for taking the time to share all that info-- and the time it took to edit and compile all the footage. I wish him well.

I scanned the books, and while most of the process can be gleaned from the videos, it's certainly nice to have a reference manual that is searchable. (actually 4 manuals total).

But I too saw his site and thought it looked like he was selling vitamins to the general public. I think if people see his site they are probably going there because of his (good) reputation and really don't need all the extra fluff.

Joe


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## yangsword9x (Jul 24, 2011)

KiwiEV said:


> Oh man I've been slack! My sincere apologies.
> *
> KiwiEV2 may only exist in my mind at present but I can tell you this: It will be lithium powered - and it will be cheap. *
> KiwiEV 1 proved it could be done. KiwiEV 2 will prove it can be done with LiFePO4 (lithium) batteries, and yet done cheaply!
> ...



I've saved up my money, and now am ready to buy your premium package on how to convert to electric, but I don't want to buy it yet if you're still doing future High Definition videos that might not be included in the present/immediate package.

I want to make sure I get everything I can. Including your guide and HD videos on your dream lithium battery converted car, so I can convert to lithium batteries too! x3

So, if you're offering any future updates and HD videos, tips, etc. for free anyways, after I have bought the present premium package (around $77), then I'll go ahead and buy your package right now! If you do not, I'll wait later when your package is more updated.

Please reply back soon...Thanks.



Your potential customer,
 Yangsword9x

PS: I don't want to go to a scam webpage that claims to be you selling your product, so is that web link at the bottom of your post the right website to buy your ev conversion guide?

PPS: Uh...I was wondering does your guide have any information about how to to connect 2 electric motors, like white zombies ev? Not with the couplink, but with the one long driveshaft running through both engines ("siamese twin"). I'm planning on doing a Lancer Evolution 9 with two Warp 13 netgain motor conversion. (Some time in the future to beat white zombies 1/4 mile and 0-60 street legal EV world record) But for now I'm just doing a cheap EV conversion to test out how good EV really are 0.0 (hopefully less than $10,000 x3).


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## Anthonyelectric (Oct 3, 2013)

Gav ROCKS!

I used to love waiting for his videos on Youtube. I went the "lazy way" and bought a factory built 2000 Ford Ranger EV NiMH. I have decided to sell the Ranger and am now taking an already converted Fiero with a rotted frame and transplanting it to my Fiero.


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## yangsword9x (Jul 24, 2011)

Anthonyelectric said:


> Gav ROCKS!
> 
> I used to love waiting for his videos on Youtube. I went the "lazy way" and bought a factory built 2000 Ford Ranger EV NiMH. I have decided to sell the Ranger and am now taking an already converted Fiero with a rotted frame and transplanting it to my Fiero.




Yay you did it!
NiMH batteries are proven to last the longest amongst batteries. That will save you money. For example, on my Toyota Prius the NiMH batteries lasted 150,000 miles before I tried messing with the in-series connection and caused a spark with a metal wrench between the + and - ,...lol I'm alive what now?!
The power could turn on, but not all the speedometer things so....it did not drive.
Anyways...I tried recharging it with a 6volts-12 volts charger from wal-mart and its still dead, aldo the battery cell I sparked/tried charging swelled up XD ITS GONNA BLOW!!! So I stopped...so a tow truck came and recharged the 12 volts battery with his truck and cables (the drive and speedometer came back on, but could not drive so he hooked it up with his tow truck cable and reeled it in his truck bed), and I had the whole thing replaced at a shop at Hickory for $1000.

Back on track: According to my calculations, Gav was losing way more money doing his lead acid, lithion ion batteries than compared to just using a regular gasoline engine. The batteries don't last long enough to pay back cheaper then compared to gasoline. Now...I have not calculated NiMH batteries yet, but hey you can do that to see if it does cost less than gasoline...I'm just glad I did more research and calculations before I did what Gav did...ending up wasting even more money and having to move back to my parents. Don't get me wrong,....sure electricity is cheaper than gasoline, but the batteries makes it more expansive to replace/etc.

I'm trying to solve this problem by following the graphene supercapacitor on the University of Los Angeles research....trying to make my own.


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## Anthonyelectric (Oct 3, 2013)

Well, Sir,

I have loved my NiMH truck since '07, but the modification bug has got me.

I have purchased two Fieros I will be converting and the 2000 Ford Ranger EV NiMH is for sale!

I am not sure if this is the proper place to post it, but you can PM me if you want more details.

Anthony


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## Anthonyelectric (Oct 3, 2013)

Also, 
It isn't about "spending less money than gasoline" for me. This is about NOT spending money on gasoline and the experience.

I love the idea of saving a Fiero or two and doing something the Car Companies could do for cheaper (really? a BMW i3 gets 50 ish miles per charge for 50K????).

I'd rather spending MORE money on batteries/EV parts than LESS money on gasoline.

Your dollar is your vote, I refuse to vote for big oil.


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## yangsword9x (Jul 24, 2011)

Anthonyelectric said:


> Also,
> It isn't about "spending less money than gasoline" for me. This is about NOT spending money on gasoline and the experience.
> 
> I love the idea of saving a Fiero or two and doing something the Car Companies could do for cheaper (really? a BMW i3 gets 50 ish miles per charge for 50K????).
> ...


If you really don't want to spend money/vote on big oil....you're gonna have to go nuclear....the sun is nuclear....solar panels gets their power from the sun=nuclear.

Coal burning at the power plants to make air pressure to turn electric engines to make electricity creates pollution still...
Wind power is not available everywhere in the world....in my city its against the law to build any structures taller than your house...lol XD
Hydrogen fuel cells is limited, even if its more abundent than anything in the universe it will run out. Also, I'm not sure how much energy is needed to harvest/make hydrogen compared to the energy you actually get to use from it....efficiency?


Bottom line....big oil/coal is producing the majority of power on this planet. From your shoes to your house. So if you truly want to vote electric...you're gonna have to have everyone go solar panel or nuclear in the future.

In this universe its either mass or energy. Mass = Atoms/nuclear power


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## yangsword9x (Jul 24, 2011)

Anthonyelectric said:


> Well, Sir,
> 
> I have loved my NiMH truck since '07, but the modification bug has got me.
> 
> ...


Nah, I'm good now....
I'm trying to look more into the DMV laws for my state, so I can build my own vehicle from scratch. I need to call them to ask if I am allowed to make my own chassis, frame, and engine instead of using used parts.
I want to build a vehicle that is fast/easy to repair....like if you're in a war zone you don't have more than 1-3 hours for repairs,,, lol
I'm going with like 1 big whole piece for the chasis, seats, floor, etc. Its easier to add on to 1 piece for repair than removing 100 parts to see what's broken, LOL XD

You should advertise on more popular websites...maybe ebay, or craigslist?
Those are the places I would go to look for used vehicles.


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## sauce504 (Jul 25, 2021)

All those old links are dead, but it looks like this the spot for anyone landing here in 2021:


https://www.youtube.com/c/KiwiEVadventures/videos


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