EV Miata is the first product offering from EV Works.

EV Works is a a small, self-funded startup in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are a team of concerned individuals who wanted to do what we could to address some of the most pressing problems in the world today - Climate change, air pollution, domestic security, oil imports and the bias toward disposability in our culture.

Quickly we recognized that electric vehicles were part of a solution. They reduce pollution and green house gas emissions, even when drawing power from coal fired power plants. They consume no oil or gas, which reduces our need for imported oil and the domestic security issues oil is believed to fuel. But electric vehicles have limited range, reducing their practicality to a small group of drivers - or does it?

Electric vehicles fit most of the drives we make today, even with current range limitations. The belief that we all need to be able to drive 250 or more miles without refueling/ recharging is based on the model that we need to go somewhere to do this refueling/recharging. With the ability to charge at home, electric cars do not need to offer extended range to meet the needs of most drivers. With the average US commute of 29 miles (according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics), an electric vehicle with the current range limitations would meet the needs of the average commuter today. Furthermore, government studies show that 51% of commuters drive 10 miles or less to work. While a current electric vehicle may not meet all the driving requirements of a household, it can make a great second car to handle commuting, going to school and back, getting groceries and running errands.

Though many manufacturers claim to have electric cars in their future plans, there are few freeway legal electric cars for sale today. So how does one get the advantages of an electric vehicle today? The answer for many is to build their own. There are thousands of electric vehicles on the road today that were once gasoline powered. These "conversions" are generally one-offs done by amateur mechanics/electrical engineers who wanted to convert their car to electric. Converting a car from gas to electric drive "upcycles" rather than recycles the vehicle. With recycling, the vehicle is returned to it's "elements" if you will - steel and potentially plastics that can be reused in the production of another vehicle of product. With upcycling, the vehicle is not recycled, renewed or restored, but altered into something better than it was - an emission free vehicle. Converting gas vehicles to electric addresses our concern of disposability - the gas car isn't sent to a disposed yard when its engine is at the end of its life, but converted to electric.

The first EV Works electric conversion kit is for the first generation (NA) Mazda Miata. The Miata was chosen for it's lightweight yet rigid construction, good aerodynamics, desirability and availability. The kit is available in a basic package, that allows the builder to independently purchase the hardware components. Two battery types will be supported - less expensive lead acid (AGM) and higher range Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo). The battery racks in the kit are designed to handle either battery type to simplify installation and allow simple battery upgrades if the owner so desires.

A detailed budget was created, a donor Miata was purchased and the conversion process began. A web site and blog were created to evangelize and inform the public as well to test interest in our plans. The feedback we received was very positive, with many visitors asking for details on components and kit information. We then posted a survey to see what components and type of kit there was interest in. We had over 500 responses with the majority requesting the components we are offering today.

The EV Miata Kit is the result of extensive research, design, fabrication and real-world road testing. We are proud of our EV Miata kit and know you will be proud of the electric roadster you will create with it.