Electric Vehicle Conversion ampREVOLT

"Electric cars are the best drive on the road. There is no doubt about that." - Neil Young

"Simply put, I felt the wind. The wind of the future." - Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota, after driving a Tesla Roadster

"I love electric cars." - Jay Leno

"The electric car is dead." - Thomas Edison admitted to Henry Ford on a napkin at a dinner in 1909

"Believe it or not, that sucker goes." - Tom Hanks on the David Letterman Show

"It's an unbelievable drive. It's scarily fast and it all happens with the flip of a switch..." - Leonardo DiCaprio

1895: First auto race in America, won by an electric vehicle.

1896: First car dealer, sold only electric vehicles.

1900: Electric cars outnumbered gas-powered cars nearly two to one

1908: Henry Ford buys wife, Clara, an electric vehicle

Forever changed by the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car," I have accidentally launched myself into the world of electrified transport. After a period of research and 3 months of building, I am now a proud owner of a reliable electric vehicle that has been functioning, from day one, as my primary vehicle. My only regret is that I didn't do this 10 years ago. Every time I drive this electrified classic I encounter many grins and when they find out the car is electric, the grin doubles in size.

There is no shortage of reasons to abandon the burning of oil.

The economy is in shambles. Why continue to send a billion dollars out of the country daily to pay for foreign oil? It is about four to five times cheaper to run a car on electricity - not to mention the fuel is domestically-produced by a variety of sources. We're running up against limits with regard to the environment and the dwindling supply of oil. Competition continues over obtaining and/or retaining control of the last remaining oil reserves. One might observe that many US-led wars are being fought in or near oil-producing countries. You may see this as a flawed U.S. foreign policy and an inherent threat to U.S. national security. The current Iraq war alone accounts for thousands of soldier deaths and hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths. Petroleum, as amazing and versatile as it is, has its costs.

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SAAB 96-V

The SAAB 96 coincidentally runs on 96 volts that are stored in 16 rechargeable flooded lead-acid deep-cycle 6-volt batteries. They provide around 50 miles of range if driven carefully. I have actually driven the car up to 95.8 miles on a single charge under ideal conditions on a track. Driving style makes all the difference. With electric cars you can experience a "range of ranges." This car now has over 10,000 oil-free miles and counting. The batteries are fully recyclable and are expected to be useful for up to 3-4 years.

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Miata LiFe

Riding on the momentum of the successful first conversion, it was only a matter of time before I'd have to build another for someone else. I am now in the final stages of a converting a Mazda Miata which is running on prismatic lithium-ion batteries or Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4). The impressive cycle life of this chemistry should allow the car to drive at least 10 years while enjoying about twice the range and speed of my first car. 80 miles range, 110 mph top speed.

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