I'm building an electric car.

I'm a regular guy. I have no experience as a mechanic, I don't have a lot of time and I don't have a lot of money. So, why am I doing this?

It's on my list.

Everyone has a list. You know the one. It's everything you want to do if only you had the time. Climb a mountain, see the pyramids, start your own company, form a rock band. I've had an EV conversion on my list for some time now, but like other items on The List it always has been just out of reach. Budget, time and relatively little mechanical skill are all decent excuses for putting it off. Budget is a really big one, but I digress.

So why am I converting a '67 Volkswagen Beetle to run on batteries?

Saving money and energy are great reasons. But my biggest is curiosity. On paper, I could enjoy substantial savings avoiding the gas pump using technology that has been around as long as there have been cars. But are those "paper" savings reality? And can an average Joe like me pull this off on a shoestring budget?

If I can do it, anyone can.

I have no significant experience working on cars. But in the past two weeks, I've met people who do. Brian Berrett owns Wilderness EV, a conversion kit supplier in Payson, Utah, not far from where I live. He told me the candid truth about a project like this.

"There is a massive canyon between 'can' and 'did,' and most people stay in 'can,'" he said.

So I'm going to do it, knowing that if I don't try today, life will simply continue to pass me by while yet another item on my list remains unchecked.

The first step in was a visit to Berrett and Ralph Finlinson. Finlinson is an EV converter and dealer of sorts. They aren't partners, but Finlinson uses Berrett's kits for his own Bug conversions and Berrett sends customers his way. They've collaborated on a few projects, including their current project, "SK-1." It's an electric vehicle they claim will offer 70 percent of the performance of the Tesla Roadster at 25 percent the cost.

Finlinson is one of those salt-of-the-earth types with a personality at least as big as he is. He'll tell you exactly how it is and dare you to challenge him so he can prove you wrong. He is a pleasure to be around. He was so eager to get me in an EV – the yellow Bug in the pics – when I arrived that I didn't have time for a proper introduction. The second I stepped out of the car, he was putting me on an electric trike with a front wheel hub motor.

Finlinson's been working on cars for 40 years, mostly restoring Beetles. Berrett is an engineer who worked at JPL and Micron before starting his conversion kit business a few years back. True believers in the KISS principal – Keep it simple, stupid. – they're the type of guys who would be willing to use a little duct tape (expertly wielded, of course) to get a conversion heading down the road while everyone else argued about whether to fabricate the part from aluminum or carbon fiber.

I was excited about driving an EV. It was my first time in one. The Bug that Finlinson put me in (pictured) was a bare-bones conversion with a 72-volt battery pack made up of six 12 volt batteries and a 40 horsepower motor. I was impressed by the car's responsiveness at neighborhood speeds and how extremely quiet it was. Shifting the manual transmission without a clutch took a little getting used to, but was really quite easy. Unlike internal combustion engines, electric motors are more efficient at higher RPMs and have a relatively flat torque curve. Cruising around the neighborhood, I never had to shift out of second gear, so the car could be driven like an automatic. Set it and forget it. It topped out at around 45 mph and it took a while to get there, but then the Bug never was very fast to begin with. It would be fine for my needs, and a conversion like this can be done for less than $5,000.

Old-school Bugs weigh about a ton, which isn't much for a car. The light weight, lack of power steering and brakes and ready availability of parts make them a great choice for conversions. And since I barely know a spark plug from a glow plug, the sheer simplicity of the Bug works in my favor.

Finlinson has more than 20 Bugs lying around in various states of repair. I've got my eye on a sky blue '67 the previous owner partially restored before having an engine fire. The body is in great shape, it is mechanically sound and the tires are good. It's ideal for a conversion, and Finlinson says he'll give me a good deal on it.

I've got a line on a motor and some batteries. At this point my biggest concern is how much I'll have to spend for a car that meets my needs. I don't need much, just a car for daily commuting. I will need at least 20 miles of range and I'll need to be able to cruise at 55 mph. You can go faster, but you need more batteries and a bigger motor. In other words, you need more money.

Did I forget to mention my budget? I hate breaking shoestrings.

Got any advice, suggestions or ideas for Matthew? Share 'em with us! And follow his progress on Twitter @ Wired_EV and here at Wired.com.

See Also:

That 40 horsepower electric motor is every bit as quiet as the Bug's engine was loud. It's simpler, too.

Six lead-acid batteries provide the juice. I'm gonna need a pile of these for my project. Any suggestions?

All the car needs is one of those silly "Power By Honda" decals you see on lowered Civics with bad body kits.