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This isn't really new news as it's been going on for a while now. These seem to be all small lightweight cars. What do you think it would take for one of our more heavier guzzlers? I would think it wouldn't get far on a charge with the weight issues but maybe feasible if a person only had a short distance to go to work. With the VW he's going 40 miles, would that translate to 10-15 on one of ours? Don't see myself wanting to make this transformation but it would be interesting to see just how efficient it would be by comparison. Actually old car vs what is considered old today in the new car world.
Gas-guzzlers go green with homemade tweaks | KING5.com Seattle
Gas-guzzlers go green with homemade tweaks
by MARCUS MOORE / WFAA
Posted on April 9, 2012 at 8:05 PM
Updated Monday, Apr 9 at 8:11 PM
Gallery 11 photos
Gas-guzzlers go green with homemade tweaks | KING5.com Seattle
DALLAS — A growing number of drivers are saying goodbye to the gas pump, and some are doing it in their own garage.
"It is just so simple. I mean it's crazy," said Neal Farris, one of the nearly two dozen people in the area who have turned older gas-powered cars into electric vehicles.
"It's just like a normal car," he explained while driving a white 1999 Volkswagen Golf around the streets of Dallas.
"My wife thought I was completely crazy, which actually was a good thing, because it made me finish the car," Farris said. "Instead of languishing in my garage, I was like, 'I've got to get this thing done!"
It took him six months to convert the car that's now powered by 44 lithium batteries. He drives the car to and from work on a daily basis.
"I drive on the highway at 65 mph," Farris said proudly.
He’s a member of the North Texas Electric Auto Association. The group meets regularly and is made up of people just like Farris who have transformed ordinary autos into something really special.
One member converted a Pontiac Fiero into a battery-powered car.
Students at Bonham High School did the same thing with a Mazda pickup truck.
Farris believes — in a small way — members of his organization are helping make electric cars the norm.
"It's going to take a little while for people to wrap their heads around what an electric car is and what it does," he said.
Dr. Lacey Plachey, an automotive analyst with California-based Edmunds.com, said the high cost of batteries and a lack of charging stations are the biggest obstacles to any move away from the gas pump.
"The infrastructure is key," she said. "I think all else aside, consumer acceptance, price differential... that's a really big thing."
That may be changing in North Texas. Today, you will find six dozen charging stations in Fort Worth, Dallas and surrounding areas. Jason Buckland with eVgo says his company has a vision for all-electric mobility.
"Chargers along the highway that can take you from Dallas into Austin. Stops along the way: Hillsboro, Waco, Temple, that sort of thing," he said.
But for now, the road is much shorter for people like Farris. The car he converted will only travel about 40 miles between charges, and it can take more than two hours to charge his car.
More powerful charging stations can do the same in 15 minutes.
"I feel very successful in the fact that I got the car going," Farris said. "I drive it on a daily basis and I really enjoy it."
Interested? Farris said you can probably convert a car from gas to electric for $5,000 at the low end; you can also spend as much as $20,000. The big variable is the cost of the batteries.
Gas-guzzlers go green with homemade tweaks | KING5.com Seattle
Gas-guzzlers go green with homemade tweaks
by MARCUS MOORE / WFAA
Posted on April 9, 2012 at 8:05 PM
Updated Monday, Apr 9 at 8:11 PM
Gallery 11 photos
Gas-guzzlers go green with homemade tweaks | KING5.com Seattle
DALLAS — A growing number of drivers are saying goodbye to the gas pump, and some are doing it in their own garage.
"It is just so simple. I mean it's crazy," said Neal Farris, one of the nearly two dozen people in the area who have turned older gas-powered cars into electric vehicles.
"It's just like a normal car," he explained while driving a white 1999 Volkswagen Golf around the streets of Dallas.
"My wife thought I was completely crazy, which actually was a good thing, because it made me finish the car," Farris said. "Instead of languishing in my garage, I was like, 'I've got to get this thing done!"
It took him six months to convert the car that's now powered by 44 lithium batteries. He drives the car to and from work on a daily basis.
"I drive on the highway at 65 mph," Farris said proudly.
He’s a member of the North Texas Electric Auto Association. The group meets regularly and is made up of people just like Farris who have transformed ordinary autos into something really special.
One member converted a Pontiac Fiero into a battery-powered car.
Students at Bonham High School did the same thing with a Mazda pickup truck.
Farris believes — in a small way — members of his organization are helping make electric cars the norm.
"It's going to take a little while for people to wrap their heads around what an electric car is and what it does," he said.
Dr. Lacey Plachey, an automotive analyst with California-based Edmunds.com, said the high cost of batteries and a lack of charging stations are the biggest obstacles to any move away from the gas pump.
"The infrastructure is key," she said. "I think all else aside, consumer acceptance, price differential... that's a really big thing."
That may be changing in North Texas. Today, you will find six dozen charging stations in Fort Worth, Dallas and surrounding areas. Jason Buckland with eVgo says his company has a vision for all-electric mobility.
"Chargers along the highway that can take you from Dallas into Austin. Stops along the way: Hillsboro, Waco, Temple, that sort of thing," he said.
But for now, the road is much shorter for people like Farris. The car he converted will only travel about 40 miles between charges, and it can take more than two hours to charge his car.
More powerful charging stations can do the same in 15 minutes.
"I feel very successful in the fact that I got the car going," Farris said. "I drive it on a daily basis and I really enjoy it."
Interested? Farris said you can probably convert a car from gas to electric for $5,000 at the low end; you can also spend as much as $20,000. The big variable is the cost of the batteries.
