The first few months I spent gathering information building on the backs of others who have experimented with them for years.
Electric storage beginning in the 1890’s and then in 1905 Thomas A. Edison announced he had perfected his storage battery for electric vehicles.
On the Moon, Lunar Rover Electric Vehicles in 1971 and 1972 operated flawlessly with silver-zinc batteries and a 57 mile range! In the late 1970’s during an oil crisis, interest in electric 
Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV)powered vehicles began a slow comeback by individuals first and auto manufacturers later to some degree. With the runup in gasoline prices in 2008, EV conversions have increased.
With the internet one can learn in a few weeks what it would take a year to understand a generation ago. EVAlbum is a great source along with the forum Do It Yourself Electric Car.
On Electric Vehicles of America EVA’s web site (which is a very old out dated site) I found a great source of information in their EV Primer and EVA Technical Papers. Bob Batson will email them free to you. The DIY Electric Car Forum has a great EV Wiki site here.