I have read on wikipedia and seen on youtube plenty of people have converted their cars to electrics or wood gas powered vehicles. I wonder how economical and practical these options are. What’s the cheapest deal I could get for one of these conversions? By the way my neighbor is a a friendly mechanic that seems to be under the misguided assumption that he has too much time on his hands and has to help me. So I’m sure I could use the proper tools and have a good mechanic nearby.
Propane is used a lot with forklifts, and is very cheap to convert to ($120.00) It is half the price of gasoline and is proven it’s self. A propane dealer can get you the information and parts easy.
None of these conversions are truly practical. That’s why they are not mass-produced. The samples you see on the news are novelties for a hobbyist. They might fill a limited role but fail as general-purpose vehicles. Your most economical solution toward a reliable, trouble-free car is to stay far away from any wacky ideas of energy conversion, and to run your car as-is.
Practicality and mass production take are “secound” to profitability. Electric conversion is also an alternative though the best solutions are are engineered from the ground up.
During WW II cars indeed ran on wood gas in Europe. They had a tall silo type gasifier mounted on the back or side. The gas generated was dirty, low calory, and the cars did not move very fast. But it was better than nothing. The day the war ended and gasoline became available, these gas generators disappeared. Today they don’t even use them in Cuba, a country with many import restrictions and where gasoline is very expensive.
All such conversions are more trouble than they are worth; if you want electric, buy a hybrid, at least it will be reliable.