Texas Teen Builds His Own Electric Car on $10,000 Budget
This fall, Texas teenager Lucas Laborde will be driving to school in an electric car he built himself. The 17 year old spent last summer converting a conventional gas-powered car to run on batteries. Total cost? Around $10,000.
Luke’s EV is based on a kit car, known as a Bradley GT II, which his father bought on eBay for just $5000 splashing out a further $5700 on electric conversion parts and batteries. The rest was left up to Luke’s ingenuity and technical know-how.
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After 150 hours of work, Luke had hooked up eight 80-pound lead-acid batteries in the space left after removing the fuel tank, as well as several other ‘creative locations.’ He finished up with an EV capable of travelling 40 miles between charges, a top speed of 45mph, (more than enough for the local school run), and heaps of low-end torque. As Luke told reporters, “it has a lot of power.”
The car isn’t without a few ‘quirks’ though; the weight of the batteries has caused the fiberglas body to twist slightly, meaning that the gull-wing doors don’t completely close. However, by using his own initiative, and making use of widely available existing components, Luke Laborde has put many global car companies to shame by creating a working, highway-ready EV, in far less time and on a much lower budget.
Image Credit - Steve Striharsky at bradleygt2.com
CEWL WHEELZ
The comparison to what car companies produce is meaningless. The car companies are trying to build cars that can be mass produced and meet all the federal regulations. Luke did a great job on his project, but he is not doing what the car companies are doing.
To the guy that said electric cars have been around since the 60s…. they have been around since the car was invented (turn of the 20th century)
It’s a piece of crap. 40 Miles? That doesn’t even get me to work and back. Throw the thing in the trash it’s a 10,000$ piece of lead garbage that doesn’t deserve a story.
This story is as interesting as someone riding their bike to work.
P.S.
What’s the environmental impact of creating, or disposing of 8 80 pound lead acid batteries?
Keep sucking the tailpipe of the green revolution. This is the amazing plastic all over again.
This is a great thing. I actually get a lot of interest from high school mechanic schools that want to convert a car to electric for a project and I often offer them free info and discounts for kits at http://gas2electric.net.
This is a great way to get more exposure to the conversion movement that more and more people have become interested in.
wait till the federal dogs put taxes on it–they will regulate it to death..
This is a great thing he has done.
He has put big car business to shame.
Most of you guys are rediculous for not giving him his props. HE IS A TEENAGER!!!!
The government and America’s Elite have kept this technology from the people for over thirty years. GM shut down their elecric car project in the ninty’s and destroyed all eveidence of them. Funny…because they worked so well that the test subjects wanted to purchase them after owning them for a year. GM refused and George W was mixed up in it as well. Research it if you don’t beleive me. Great job kid! Run for president! You say you want a revolution…. well get on board. We’ll start a new crusade, well start a holy war. Don’t need no order, don’t need no plan. All I need is the stone that’s in my hand! When you’ve had enough and are ready for a stand, I’ll be waiting with the stone that’s in my hand. I waste inside the cage!
Yeah but can it time travel? This is 2008, cars should be able to do this by now. I blame the liberal media and illegal immigrants.
THE MOST IRONIC THING ABOUT THIS STORY IS THAT A HIGH SCHOOLER DID WHAT OUR AUTO MAKERS APPARENTLY CANNOT. OR SHOULD I SAY WILL NOT. CAR COMPANIES GET ALOT OF GOVERNMENT MONEY FOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT. THEN THEY GET BIG BONUSES OUT OF WHAT IS LEFT OVER. PLUS, THEY ARE ALL WELL INVESTED IN OIL STOCKS. UNCLE SAM NOR THE AUTO INDUSTRY REALLY WANT TO DO AWAY WITH OIL DEPENDENCY. IT’S SIMPLY TO LUCRATIVE FOR THEM. PLUS THEY USE IT AS A FOREIGN POLICY CHESS PIECE.