(See also: Two Canadian friends build a $672 street legal electric car )
We all know the major manufacturers are saying it can’t be done, so I guess it’s up to the youth!
Andrew Angelloti, an Ecomodder forum member, converted his very own 1988 Mazda pickup to run on electricity last year, using $6,000 he had saved up from his part time job as a life guard. He built his truck using 20 flooded lead acid batteries to create 120 volts, which he couples to a 60 HP 9†electric motor.
How does it perform? Reaches a top speed of 55mph, has an acceleration of “not too bad…,†and can get up to 40 miles on a charge (which is more than enough to get him to work and back, and coincidentally, will be something similar to what the Chevy Volt is supposed to be able to do).
What’s even more amazing is that Andrew is now working on a second EV conversion. This time he’s doing the same with a 1992 Toyota Tercel, but with a much bigger motor for a lot more speed. He’s hoping to use a 120HP motor to have the top speed up to 80 MPH with a bit of sacrifice of the range.
I wish Andrew the best of luck, as he is certainly going out there and doing it on his own, without waiting for the major manufacturers to do it for him.
For more information, check out these links:
– – > Andrew’s blog
– – > Two Canadian friends build a $672 street legal electric car
– – > More electric vehicles @ the Ecomodder.com Fossil Fuel Free Forum
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Congrats to Andrew on all his efforts! Perhaps more efficient batteries will help your tercel EV go even further with the bigger motor.
Kickass! Probably uses Dad’s electric too! Way to go!
yeah… except that when the battery dies (and it will), he’ll have a huge lead acid battery to dispose of. that’s not exactly great for the environment, and it costs a lot of money to recycle one. the newer cars are using lithium-ion which is much cleaner and easier.
air is the way to go… and it’s actually happening elsewhere in the world
Wet cells? Should’ve used sealed…
Uncle B: I would think so.
Only problem is that he is a gear head trying to be an electrical engineer, normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but he’s only 16 (nothing in the way of ageism, but come on) and he’s taking ideas used elsewhere to further his own ideas. It’s not particularly original, but coming from a self-motivated youngster it isn’t half bad.
lifeguards rock (i know as i am one) i did not have as much money so i built a computer instead , not as amazingly orignial but meh..
case in point – lifeguards are smart and cool , and they build things when they aren’t saving lives.
Good going Andrew, completing a project like this is a big accomplishment! Hope you have a lot of fun with it.
One suggestion, set it up so you can carry a portable generator in the bed of the truck, that will greatly extend your range when needed and keep you from getting stuck someplace because you ran out of juice.
Now about what the major manufacturers are saying… no one claims they can’t build vehicles like this, Studebaker built electric trucks with about this range 90 years ago, but the market for trucks with a range of 40 miles is EXTREMELY limited. They can BUILD them, but they can’t SELL them.
This is fantastic. Just what more people in this country, most of which do NOT drive more than 40 miles average in a day, NEED to be driving. The more that do, the less dependent we are on oil, which will not last forever… and makes the cost of fuel for goods and services go down, which is the first step in saving our economy. Big up 16 year old dude.
that is so cool. that is about the sweetest thing i have heard in a wile. we need more people like this kid who chose to think for themselves. there would be more progress to be had. BRAVO!!!
I am all for electric and I think its awesome what he did. Awesome job! I wish I was that talented when I was 16.. haha!
Everyone knocking the crap out of this kid is a douche-bag. He is trying to succeed with what he has, where the rest of the world is pushing away. No major corporation today wants to see cheap/free transportation. it’s a money maker for the tycoons!
When Saturn’s EV was shut down, it was a shame. They were on the right track. now that everyone is looking into Bio Fuel (which is crap cause it takes more energy to make the fuel …), anyone who isn’t in college is shut down because they don’t know what they’re talking about.
He’s doing something, prop him up. Don’t shut him up!!!! what the hell is wrong with people nowadays… Stifling technology doesn’t make the world a better place…
Let him build it, give him the tools to help him succeed, no the weights to drag him down! Jesus.
this guy must be a jack of all trades, great stuff. I posted it on my blog, with extra comments, http://www.opentopix.com/topic/off-beat/16-year-old-builds-buick-pickup-truck
” 20 flooded lead acid batteries ”
Not so ecologic.
I think this kid is an american hero. He has done something that 99% of the people in this country have never done. He has used his god given ingenuity to free himself from oil addiction. Biodiesel works too! So does alcohol brazil has proven that. Cellolosic alcohol will be 16 times more energy efficient than corn alcohol. Sixty two percent of the US garbage stream is paper, cardboard, wood products, and agricultural waste. The real point here is that we can all do something today. The corporate fat cats want you to wait for them to do it for you. I have news for you, if you leave it to them, it will never happen. Make it happen for yourself! Get creative! Do it now!
How are you supposed to recharge batteries? Lets suppose the batteries are 250Ah. That is 12V*250Ah*20=60KWh of energy, so he recharge his machine once a day in the night consuming for 12hrs 5KWh/h. I don’t know how much electric energy costs in America, but in Europe is not so cheap that you can spend 60KWh/day. All this supposing that recharge efficency is 100% but its not..
For every electric car story there is somebody bitching about how the batteries will have to be ‘disposed of’.
Like there aren’t already 250,000,000 registered vehicles in the USA alone. Each with it’s own battery which will eventually have to be recycled.
Most states charge an extra $5 deposit on the cost of a car battery which works exactly as a bottle deposit does.
JeffDeWitt you obviously haven’t seen “Who Killed the Electric Car”. GM spent over one billion dollars in the 1990’s building an incredibly well performing EV (The GM EV1), which had a “waiting list” of people wanting to have one but GM only allowed them to lease them. Unfortunately GM decided they didn’t want to continue the program, and attempted in various ways to scuttle the car, and refusing to allow people to keep or buy out their vehicles at the end of the lease.
“Electric cars don’t sell” is rubbish that the Car and oil industries have sold particularly well over the years. Look at how many people are lining up to buy Tesla Roadsters, and they’re over $100k….
It’s a good idea, except now he needs solar panels to be a green force.. otherwise he’ll be using nuclear or coal most likely from the power company.. In california, electricity is very expensive, at least from PG&E where i live.. So unless you live wher power is cheap it doesn’t save much after the cost of conversion..
One good thing is it reduces actual emissions in the city he drives in.. But those emmisions will be at least double from the power loss of energy in the power lines, and the inneficiency of the power plant..
So the only real solution cuurently seems to be solar..The new panels will be cheap at 30cents a watt ..
As for lead acid, it’s not a problem if it gets recycled. The main issue is they are too heavy and inefficent (charge time)..
“Wet cells? Should’ve used sealed…”
And your electric car uses…?
If we leave it in the hands of the old boys club, we will never see this happen by a major car manufacturer. Its only with youth and curiosity that such things can be achieved. Good for him.
There’s this awesome invention named a bicycle. 20 miles to the bagel.
“They can BUILD them, but they can’t SELL them.”
This is the crap that keeps us in trouble. TRUST ME an EV is something NO auto maker could PREVENT selling if they actually made one in quantity. All it would take is ONE test drive and the KNOWLEDGE that its $1 per 100 miles driven in Electricity to sell pretty much ANYONE instantly.
Its not that they can not sell them its REALLY is as simple as THEY REFUSE to build them. EV’s built right (IE not conversions ground up EV’s) are virtually everlasting and virtually maintenance free. There is simply not a whole heck of a lot to break.
THE ONLY reason this kid is limited to 40 miles has NOTHING to do with EV’s. IT DOES have to do with Chevron SITTING on the patent for large form factor NIMH packs that would have let this kid get TRIPLE that range for the SAME price AND the pack would last longer than the truck likely would last. GM Developed the LFF Nimh pack out of michigan for the EV They promptly crushed every EV they made and then sold the patent for that NIMH pack to Texaco. (Chevron later bought Texaco which is how they got it) Chevron REFUSES to license the patent for these batteries which could put EV’s with 100-200 or more ranges on the road right now. This kid could toss a $4k battery pack in that truck and go well over 300 miles on a charge easily. He could also dump more amps and accelerate faster. His top speed is a limit of his transmission not his battery pack unless he does not have enough amps available.
ON TOP OF THIS if you consider Nano Solar just sold germany some solar panels at 90cents a watt. If they can get them to consumer hands at that price a $500 solar panel on your roof would be MORE than enough to produce MORE “E” than you would use every month to drive your electric car. DO NOT try to charge the car solar just sell the E back to the Utility. you would SAVE more money on your E bill each month than it would cost you to charge that car each month. This mens you would be driving for FREE NOTHING No dollars per mile at all AND you would be 100% pollution free.
And you wonder why they “WON’T” build EV’s
THATS why it was not enough for them to STOP MAKING EV’s they could NOT permit regular consumers from getting there hands on a reliable viable EV because WE WOULD DEMAND THEM if we knew about them.
THATS why they CRUSHED every single one (yeah GM made over 800 VIABLE Practical EV’s over a DECADE ago it was called the EV1) and thats why they sold the patent to someone who would drop dead before releasing the technology to the public.
Want a good video to watch? Go rent or download “Who Killed the Electric Car? Trust me you will be quite angry after watching that movie.
I spend $3k or MORE per year on gasoline. thats over $30k in the last decade.
TRUST ME if I had the cash to build an EV I would do it in a HEART BEAT but I need a drop dead range of no less than 70 miles (54mile commute each way and I can plug in at work) The only practical way for me to do this is with NIMH D cells (yes I said D cells there is NO practical way to buy anything larger they just don’t make them)
for a 96v pack thats EIGHTY 80 cells. and thats just 10ah I need 50ah. DO the math. thats 400 cells !!
The nature of mega cell packs means I NEED to individuall charge EACH cell or its not going to last very long. that means I need 100 battery chargers (there is no charger that will charge more than 4 D cells at a pop and these things are $22 a pop. thats $2200 JUST for the charging system and then I still need to wire up a diode system to isolate the cells during charging.
NOW you know why people “DEAL WITH” the horrible range and lifespan of Lead Acid batteries. its a LOT easier and cheaper. I am not even sure if my D cell method will work.
To get the same range from Lead you need TWICE the amp hours. you see if you drop LEADs below 50% you HARM THEM. they are not designed to be deep cycled like that not even deep cycle leads are designed for that. NIMH however (and lithium) can bee fully depleted. IE you need HALF the amp hours so 50ah nimh pack will do the same as a 100ah LEAD pack (I am guessing he is running a 50ah lead pack so he only has 25ah at his disposal OR worse he is using a 25ah pack and fully depleting it which will insanely shorten the lifespan maybe to even less than a YEAR !!
the NIMH pack on the other hand could last a decade.
Lithium is just too expensive right now. First same problem as NIMH. no “LARGE” lithiums are available. so you have to use a ZILLION small cells. (go look up how many cells they use in the tesla roadster and you will understand why its $85,000 🙂
Second NIMH’s are KNOWN reliable and usable. The reliability and lifespan of lithiums are still a complete unknown.
Well there you go a bsic primer on Electric Cars and why YOU don’t have one. It has NOTHING to do with trouble selling them. They would not be able to keep them stocked if they actually built one.
The kid deserves mega kudos. However, as others have noted, the range of his machine and GM’s is about the same. Reason? Batteries. Things aren’t going to change in the electric car world until we get some batteries with much higher energy density, and which can be recharged in much less time, than those presently available. There appear to be some good candidate technologies out there…let’s hope they succeed.
Let’s see what the environmentalists say when we need to double the number of power lines because everyone is switching to electric cars. There are no free rides, the ONLY answer is conservation. You don’t need to drive to Starbucks to get coffee.
Go Andrew!!!
We need more people like you. Screw the oil companies.
keep on rocking youth!! well he’s done a great job and i congrats him for the successful compilation of his project 😀
To those of you who are criticizing the kid: show us YOUR electric car.
And to the economists: Supply and Demand is bullsh*t.
NICE WORK—–TOO BAD THERE ARENT MORE LIKE ANDREW…
WTF is with the lead-acid battery bashing? There’s one in every car on the road, and they’re one of the most recycled items sold. I’ve worked at an auto parts store: any battery left by the side of the road is hauled in by a hobo who wants his $5.
Install an alternator of some type to charge the batteries when it is running and to help power the truck and electric parts.Also the batteries when dead are totally recyclable.Good job young dude.
The batteries are here. They’re safe, efficient, light, and powerful. And there are better ones coming. Take a look at the newest cordless drills. The new 18 volt drills are more efficient and compact than the 6 volt drills were only 8 years ago. Batteries are not an issue. They just cost too much for home garage geeks right now. Give it two more years, 5 more years. The price/performance ratio will continue to improve just like it does every year for electronics, and you’ll be seeing many more car mods like these that are far more efficient because of the drop in those battery prices. Especially since gas will cost 4 or maybe even 5 dollars in the states in the near future.
Electricity itself, in the states, is produced primarily by burning natural gas from the US or from Canada. What’s interesting is that we are more or less maxed out on the amount of natural gas we can buy and or import. Canada can’t give us any more. They need it themselves. Other potential suppliers like mexico or areas of South America have less than we do and cargo ships are much less efficient than the pipelines we have here in the states. This is why big industry doesn’t build more gas fire plants. From the perspective of investors it’s a money pit. New plants are very expensive and supplies of natural gas aren’t increasing. There’s just no real potential for profit.
I’m not sure what my point is. i guess I just feel that as oil becomes more and more expensive we’ll be forced to do all kinds of innovative things to continue to manage our lives. The good news is that that shortage only hastens the development of new tech. And all of that will of course rely on how smoothly we transition to using so much more electricity.
People who are bashing lead acid batteries, instead saying that he should use Li Ion batteries – need to look closer at the recycling.
1. Lead acid is SAFE. Totally recyclable.
2. LiIon is not safe. Blows up. How do you recycle it?
WOW!! Nice work kid! Keep it up!!
You have a bright future!
/cheers!
For those of you saying “omg hes so dumb using lead-acid batteries, he should have used lithium polymer” you are idiots. Do have any idea how much harder and more expensive and more dangerous that would be? Lithium batteries need control circuitry, temperature monitoring, and getting them that big in that quantity would be almost impossible for an amateur. Not to mention the exploding problem if they arn’t used correctly. Lead acid on the other hand, you buy ten at costco for $500, connect them in series, and in an hour your done. Try doing something yourself before complaining that someone else didn’t do it 🙂
Everybody take a deep breath and realize that a 16yo kid has built and runs an electric vehicle. More than most of you have done. Andrew deserves a medal and a parade. If everybody built their own electric car and took to the streets………..hmmmm.
Congratulations to Andrew… Awesome Job! Keep doing what you’re doing and show everyone who evil these corporations are, lying to people about how we’re getting close to this technology, when it’s existed since the 19th century! Bastards.
Watch – Who Killed The Electric Car?
To anyone who criticizes the maker of this vehicle for any reason (especially for his use of batteries), you are the people who hold progress back – when a new deal comes along you search for ways to condemn it rather than looking for the value in it.
My regards to Andrew for actually DOING something (anything!), instead of just looking at articles about it and posting comments about them!
There has to be a way to make his truck more efficient. In time, I’m sure there someone will figure out how to do it. I think the big corporations are going to accidentally release something that will do them in. They will release a battery in some appliance and we’ll take it and use it for our cars.
Hey man great job…. Just one suggestion. Since I see everyone here arguing about your electic consumption, the only good point was made by Jeff DeWitt saying to put a generator in the back of your truck. That’s a good idea and all but how about adding a few solar panels. They sell some relatively inexpensive solar panels with batteries that are used for low voltage electric fences. They don’t generate a great deal of electricity, but while your car is sitting at the beach while you’re life guarding and what not, it can be charging. This will give you at least a little more juice, who know…. maybe if you get enough panels your car will be totally gasless! But the portable generator is also a good idea in case of emergencies.
–David
Excellent job! When I was your age, I was experimenting with hydrogen generators and simple engines, but never applied it to a vehicle. I’m sure that in your experiments you will find ways to gain efficiency in your systems. Keep it up!
To all of the eco-tards out there that are whining about lead batteries, realize that lead is recyclable.
I can’t belive that people are talking bad about this kid when he went out at the age of sixteen and turned a truck into an all electric vehicle. So sorry a kid saved all of his hard earned money and couldn’t afford lithium batteries. And lets just doubt the kid for doing somthing that all automakers have had the ability to do for decades now but said no we won’t make any money off our oil stock. I say go for it kid and if you come up with any ideas that are 100% yours copyright it before they come and try to silence you! Oh and he’s not only a true american but he’s a geniuene great human!!!
I have no qualms with a range of 40 miles… But, on this cold January day, I’m left wondering to what degree battery performance and range is decreased by sub-freezing temperatures. I also am curious about about how heat is provided to the passenger compartment… not just for passenger comfort, but for the safety provided by the front window defroster as well.
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