Books
"Electric Dreams"
by Caroline Kettlewell
For inspirational reading you can't beat Carolyne Kettlewell's Electric Dreams. It describes how a rural North Carolina high school competed in Virginia Power's competition to build an electric car. The event was held in Richmond in 1995, before the EV Challenge was created. Some of the characters in the book went on to become involved in the EV Challenge later.
2004, Carroll & Graf Publishers, hardback, 6"x9", 290 pages. No longer in print, but
available used for a couple of bucks from used book stores and is also
listed at Amazon.
There is also a 2006 paperback edition from Da Capo Press for $16, also
available at Amazon.
(I have not seen this edition in person, but the Amazon listing doesn't mention any
changes from the earlier edition.)
"Build Your Own Electric Vehicle"
by Seth Leitman and Bob Brant
The second edition of this classic was released in late 2008. It's full of electrical theory and specifics about the components required to build an electric car. There are also comprehensive lists of organizations and suppliers that can help you. This has got to be your starting point for any electric car project.
2009, McGraw-Hill, paperback, 7"x9", 329 pages, indexed. Available for about $20, see
the Amazon listing
for details.
"Convert It"
by Michael P. Brown with Shari Prange
Sub-titled "A Step-By-Step Manual For Converting An Internal Combustion Vehicle to Electric Power", this book from the South Florida Electric Auto Association was first published in 1989. The current edition is dated 1993, although it's not clear if any content was updated at that time. This is a "heat-strip" bound publication (like you can do at Kinko's) with a color front cover and black & white interior pages. There are lots of photos, all of which are clear and legible. To quote from the back cover, "We built Mr. Brown's car and we won.". It's very nuts and bolts with lots of specifics. The publisher (Electro Automotive) also sells conversion kits.
1993, Electro Automotive, perfect bound, 8-1/2"x11", 128 pages, indexed. Available for $25, see the Amazon listing for details.
Further Reading:
Taking Charge: The Electric Automobile in America, by Michael Brian Schiffer, (hardback 1994, paperback 2003), Smithsonian Press, 225 pages (indexed). See the Amazon listing for details.
Solo, Life with an Electric Car, by Noel Perrin, Norton & Co. 1992, 191 pages. See the Amazon listing for details.
The Car That Could: The Inside Story of GM's Revolutionary Electric Vehicle, by Michael Shnayerson, Random House 1996, 295 pages (indexed). See the Amazon listing for details.