[bennelson]

For some time, I have been trying to decide what would be the best Fossil-Fuel Free long-distance vehicle.


Most of this summer, I have been using electric vehicles for all my short trips, and my gasoline, 4-cylinder Chevy S10 pickup for longer trips and as-needed for work.

The electric motorcycle and car have both been great, but have limitations. The main one is range. It's just hard to go a long distance, on the cheap, in an electric vehicle.

I would rather not continue to pump gasoline into the truck, but I do need something that will let me go long distances, and preferably keep the load and towing capabilities of the pickup.



Here are a couple of ideas I have for using less, or even eliminating, my gasolline use. All these ideas assume that I would still use electric vehicles for shorter trips.

1) Find a Geo Metro or similar "ultimate-compact-car". Geek the heck out of it with every mod I can. Run it on gasoline, but get 60 mpg, more than doubling the efficiency of my truck.

Down-side: Can't tow. Can't put the electric motorcycle in the back. Still uses gasoline. Would have to go spend money to buy one.

2) Hybridize the Citicar. Add a bracket to the back of the Citicar to support an electric generator. Ideally, run it off biodiesel. Have the generator kick in as a serial hybrid for longer trips.

Downside: Still can't tow or haul. Even LESS cargo space than a Metro. Terrible suspension

Upside: Super-efficient, could be run completely without gasoline.

3) Find something deisel. Run it on Biodiesel or possibly convert to waste veggie oil. I would love an efficient biodiesel pickup truck, but small truck seems to be an oxymoron in American culture.

Upside: Would be zero-gasoline. Could tow, could also haul if it were a pickup truck instead of a car.

Downside: Expense and difficulty locating vehicle. I haven't seen any smaller deisel trucks. Any deisels I've seen usually go for a price premium. Would have to buy something.

4) Hybridize my S10 Pickup. Figure out a way to add an electric motor, controller and batteries to my existing gasoline vehicle. Drive around town on electric, use gas on the big, fast roads. Would need to figure out regenerative breaking to make it really efficient.

Could also convert it to run on E85. I know some guys working an energy co-op who are talking about making their own ethanol. Homebrew moonshine right into the engine sounds sweet!

Upside: I already have the truck. No fear of messing it up, it's already ugly and modified anyways. Retains towing and hauling capabilities.

Downside: EV parts get expensive quick. Not sure where I would install everything, there's not a lot of room under the truck as it is. I don't know exactly where and how I would rig up a motor.



What other ideas do YOU have?
Ideally, I would like to get off gasoline completely, but still need to go long distances for work, and have cargo space for tools and equipment. I would also LIKE to have towing and hauling capability, but it's not essential.

-Ben


(PS - I am trying to keep this as inexpensive as I can, and would prefer the DIY attitude over buying things! So no suggesting I run out and buy a brand new hybrid car!)


PPS: Did I mention that I AM GOING TO GET COMPLETELY OFF GASOLINE? I decided that a few nights ago. It's going to happen. Less than a year ago, I decided I was going to have an electric car. I now have one sitting in my garage (the Metro) and another sitting in storage awaiting repair (the Citicar).

Right now, I am deciding to get as far off gasoline as I can. I might not be able to get completely off it. It's a tough addiction, although completely socially acceptable.

Track me down one year from now, and I'll tell you how I did. But in the mean time, give me all your ideas for going getting around, LONG DISTANCE, fossil-fuel free!