Electric Vehicles Mass in Palo Alto
On Saturday, I spent four hours in the blistering August heat of Palo Alto, California exploring the world of electric cars at the 37th Annual Electric Car Rally and Show. Sponsored by the Electric Automobile Association, Silicon Valley Chapter, the event offered a wide variety of vehicles, people and philosophies. I also enjoyed a remarkably tasty spicy chicken taco and two enormous icees.
With all the excitement over the $109,000 Tesla sports car and news of the upcoming Nissan Leaf, a four-door sedan for more regular folks, you might wonder what you can do today, without breaking the bank. The answer is, folks have been thinking about electric cars for a long time and converting them to 100 percent battery power.
- » See also: Is the Renault-Nissan Alliance Going in Two Different Electric Car Directions?
- » Get Gas 2.0 by RSS or sign up by email.
I saw many of these conversions for myself. There were two MG Midgets, a couple of dusty Geo Metros, a boxy red Volvo, a 1974 VW Beetle, its relative—the Porsche 914, and more.
Especially fascinating was Jeff McCabe’s Porsche 928, which featured a stunning airbrush paint job with a crackling electricity theme. Jeff says the car performs better than the original V8-powered car and cost surprisingly little to build.
Conversions require significant money, time and effort, but can be done to many cars. VW Golfs are popular. The first car I saw was a late model Honda Civic, a project of eeVee Motors. Lance Cuenca of eeVee Motors, who is developing the car, was kind enough to tell me many interesting technological things about electric cars in general and his vehicle specifically.
His green Civic is two thirds complete, and, despite the 500-lb. battery pack, will end up weighing less than the original car with its engine and gas tank. Its price of $42,000 may be daunting, but the original back seat and trunk are preserved, so it will be an easy life for the eventual owner, who should expect an approximately 100-mile range.
Not all electric vehicles are cars. Some very attractive motorcycles, scooters and bicycles were also at the event, many available for a quick ride around a makeshift track.
A standout was the Electric GPR-S from Oakland, California based Electric Motorsport. Martin
Guerra, the company’s “co-pilot,” is a seasoned motorcycle racer who truly believes that electric is where it’s headed. His products, which look just like regular motorcycles, cost between $4,500 and $8,500 and have a range of 25 to 65 miles.
Awesome article, I totally agree with you that it’s important to promote the message that electric cars aren’t always bank-breakers. Love the motorcycles too, if I had a bank to break I’d definitely get a Zero…
Its very true - some electric vehicles are excedingly, but there are others which are already affordable and available immediately. The most popular electric vehicle to date is the REVA G-Whiz, which sells for a comparitively cheap $12k.
Check out these other electric vehicles which are all available now or very soon:
http://www.plentyways.com/blog/2009/07/top-ten-electric-vehicles-on-the-market/
Thanks - great blog.