Pioneer Conversions L.L.C.

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Pioneer Conversions came into existance when several electric vehicle enthusiasts noticed that there was no easy place for a person in the Chicago Metropolitan area to purchase a used electric powered vehicle or to convert their own EV. We tried to answer these questions from new visitors at the monthly meetings of the Fox Valley Electric Auto Association (or FVEAA for short.) 

 

Driven to answer this question, several brainstorming sessions led to the formation of Pioneer Conversions, LLC. Our business plan is to select "commodity" economy cars, that can be obtained in the local market. By using one or two car manufacturers, we will achieve several economies of scale. The battery boxes can be designed once, and parts for following cars can be simply ordered from our box supplier. After the first car, there will be no need for additional engineering, no time consuming trial and fit, no re-determination of the means to support the battery storage boxes. We also will save when it comes time to create an adapter to secure the electric motor to the car's transmission. We'll also save in the time it takes to make brackets for controllers, contactors, motor mounts, etc. 

 

As we developed our business plan, we added custom work on enthusiast vehicles, as a means of making sure that we had a 'fun' part to our plan. Buyers get excited about EV's, but, even more so, get excited about exciting cars converted to EV's. Thus the parade of MGs and Porsches and BMWs through the shop. 

 

Another economy of scale is in purchasing. Our primary source for motors is NetGain Technologies (in our opinion, the best electric motor supplier for EV's.) As a NetGain dealer, we sell the motors at a suggested list price, but can consider the profit from that sale when we price the entire package. We anticipate similar savings in controllers, contactors, batteries, and other parts needed for the conversion. 

 

Another important part of our plan is to take advantage of the State of Illinois Rebate for converting a car to electric power. Current rules allow a rebate of up to $4000 from the State of Illinois, if you convert the vehicle and title it in Illinois. You must save the paperwork, you must be able to show the car to the state, and wait several months for the EPA to make the rebate payment. This can be difficult for an individual to document the complete procedure. We'll take care of this paperwork, and the purchase price of the car will reflect the rebate we anticipate getting from the EPA months after your purchase.