I have always enjoyed working on cars but I lost interest after rebuilding two Corvettes. One day while sitting at a traffic light burning up gasoline, the thought came to me that there must be a better way to get to work. I had been thinking about building an electric vehicle for the past 25 years. So, why not begin now?
A used car lot located near work had a 1997 Chevrolet S-10 pickup. The engine knocked and the dash showed evidence of having been involved in an auto theft so I made them an offer. It had to be jump-started to get off the lot but I knew that all I was going to need was the chassis.
As soon as it was home in my garage, I removed the engine along with the clutch, radiator, muffler, tail pipes and gas tank and sold them on E-Bay. I saved the 5-speed transmission to reuse in the electric vehicle.
Research on the internet brought me in touch with the owner of a one-man company that sells parts for electric vehicles. He provided the electric motor, speed controller and transmission adapter. During the next four months, I assembled these components and positioned them in the space where the old gasoline engine had been located. Over the motor, I built a deck to support the speed controller and electronics box which houses the high voltage components.
The ?fuel storage? in this electric vehicle is 24 deep discharge batteries of the type used in golf carts and each evening I plug them into a battery charger in my garage. These batteries should power the vehicle about 75 miles on a charge. I have only driven 40 miles on a charge but the Volt meter that I built into the dash, which acts like a gas gauge, showed that there was still charge left. The truck is not a speed demon but at 60-65 mph it can easily keep up with traffic.
A charge costs me approximately $1.50 and the batteries should have about a three year lifetime. The cost to operate the vehicle is approximately $3.25 a day. It needs no oil changes or antifreeze and has few moving parts so it should not need much maintenance.
This electric vehicle is not a replacement for my long range internal combustion automobile but is good for commuting back and forth to work or for taking short trips around town.
When I press on the throttle, all I hear is a high pitched whine for a few yards followed by complete silence. This silence reminds me that I?m not going to hear the gas pump ringing up dollars.