So, I caught this program on Planet Green the other night (It originally aired on TLC) called Gadget's Electric Garage. This guy (Reverend Gadget) in CA takes cars and converts them to all electric. This was a pilot episode originally from 2008 I believe. Apparently they either didn't make any more or they never aired them cause I couldn't find any reference to other episodes. I checked on his shop and it's still in business.

In this episode he was working on a 1967 Camaro SS for Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The car was a POS 6 cylinder with a manual transmission and needed serious help. Well, the car was restored, and they dismembered and removed the internal combustion engine, fuel system, and exhaust. The car ended up being powered by an electric engine and 12 car batteries. Normally they would have used less batteries but the car was pretty heavy and more voltage on an electric engine apparently means more power. At the end of the show the car was SUPER nice and they even had footage of them doing a burnout in it.

In the show Rev. Gadget said several times that to get the most bang for your buck it's better to use smaller cars, like two-seaters. Ummmm, hello....? Why haven't we seen a Fiero like this yet? Well I did some research, and it costs $15,000 - $20,000 to make this conversion through him. It also takes him less than 2 weeks according to his website. Then, goodbye gas and exhaust. Also, there's practically NO maintenance costs, and the engines last forever. Anthony Kiedis had solar panels powering his home at a surplus (which is eventually my plan), so he had no costs "refueling" his car either. I have the winter to think about it, but I may very well be changing my entire build plan now.

Any thoughts?

These are links I've found for electric Fieros.....not counting anything here on the forum....

http://www.electricformula.com/

http://www.burnselectronics...electricvehicle.html

http://www.lionev.com/Tips_and_pix.html

http://www.evalbum.com/1590

http://cbelectriccar.com/bl...r-conversion-part-2/

http://michael.ellis.googlepages.com/trialpage

http://www.davesevs.com/squirrel/squirrel.htm

http://www.evalbum.com/1381

http://www.greenplanet3.org/ev/Home.html

http://canev.com/

http://homepage.mac.com/tensign/fiero.htm

http://www.greencar.com/art...ing-electric-car.php

http://commons.wikimedia.or...ero_electric--DC.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photo...frican78/3260364077/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbarkley/3123645496/

http://www.flickr.com/photo...s/72157609086829232/

http://www.flickr.com/photo...s/72157604137306905/

http://www.flickr.com/photo...1880@N04/2343172342/

http://www.evalbum.com/1140

[This message has been edited by larini74 (edited 10-16-2009).]

i thought about doing it when i was younger. the problem relies on the cost of batteries and how far you want to travel. I lived in California most of my life. I underestimated how many miles i had obtained throughout a normal day. it was 100-200 miles from 1 - 2 days give or take... i did not believe it either, but then I had to consider traffic jams and how fast I was going on the freeway. The places I went to were long distance, even though they felt close to me. I guess living in a big urban city environment everything appears close to you.

There are electric fieros out there. That is what made me want to buy 1 in the first place.

If you are a dedicated college student that drives from point A to point B, i think an electric car would work. I was a college student but I always made myself busy after class. If you buy good batteries that last a long time, you can still earn a profit from not using gas. However, if the batteries die on you within a few years, it would have been better just sticking with a gasoline internal combustion engine. You have to calculate the math involved in buying batteries to buying gasoline per year.
Just my 2cents

wow, nice. The first few I scanned were really unimpressive though. 55 mile limit per charge and 50 WHP? No thanks, I want an electric muscle car

dont give up there are others with way more hp but effective range is diminshed ,lithium battery packs custom built are more efficient than regular forklift style batteries ,ive seen some with unbeliebable tourqe ratings too

quote Originally posted by mptighe: wow, nice. The first few I scanned were really unimpressive though. 55 mile limit per charge and 50 WHP? No thanks, I want an electric muscle car

Range on lead acid batteries really does suck, but don't believe the hype about the 50 WHP.

Electric motors don't develop hp and are not rated in the same way as gasoline engines. A gasoline engine is rated wide open for maximum HP.

The electric motor HP rating is average steady state.

The Peak HP of an electric motor is really limited by the current that the motor controller can deliver, which is a factor of your batteries and wiring and how much cooling the motor has.

In other words, it's generally recognized that peak HP is at least double that number if not triple. So that 50 WHP motor is going to feel as fast if not faster than a 96 HP iron duke.

Never seen much of a 67 " SS " Camaro with a six cylinder .

The guy I bought my engine from is putting an electric motor in an 86GT. He bought a Lithium Ion battery pack to get better range.

http://roboticmayhem.com/

Jim

------------------
Jim

86 SE 355 Body Kit w/3.1 Auto (Sold)
87 T-Top Coupe 2.8/5 Speed new project

quote Originally posted by jscott1: Range on lead acid batteries really does suck, but don't believe the hype about the 50 WHP. Electric motors don't develop hp and are not rated in the same way as gasoline engines. A gasoline engine is rated wide open for maximum HP. The electric motor HP rating is average steady state. The Peak HP of an electric motor is really limited by the current that the motor controller can deliver, which is a factor of your batteries and wiring and how much cooling the motor has. In other words, it's generally recognized that peak HP is at least double that number if not triple. So that 50 WHP motor is going to feel as fast if not faster than a 96 HP iron duke.

Electric cars move OK as I've driven a prototype mde by a defunct company called EVP several years ago. They are not sluggish as you have all the motors HP available to you from 0 to 4000 RPM and your analysis above on peak HP is correct.. On the subject of range you are also right on. The range of an electric vehicle is very limited. The one I drove only went 50 miles on a charge and if you go very fast or climb hills, the range goes down quickly. The biggest disadvantage is the lack of A/C. I can't imagine driving an electric vehicle on a 100*F day in stop and go traffic. You'll roast in those things. They are also very heavy due to the 30 or so batteries used.

------------------
" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, 3.4" Pulley, N* TB, LS1 MAF, Flotech Exhaust Autolite 104's Custom CAI 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite.
"THE COLUSSUS"
87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H
" ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "

The thing is if a practical electric cars were easy and cheap to build and sell we would all have them now.

Technology on them has advanced more in the last 2 year than in the last 20 years since more people are spending money on develompment. While things are not perfected yet things will improve at a great rate in the next 5 years.

Performace has never been an issue but the lack of battery range and durability along with cost has been the major stumbling block.

Cars like the Chevy Volt will answer some of these issues but it will be the second and third gens that will be more affordable and practical.

We have a Tesla near by and while it has some good about it there are a lot of negitives yet. Too heavy, it quits often, when it is out of power you don't get home.Also the price is crazy.

He has not had it in the winter yet but will find his range will be even more limited at 0 degrees.

The time for electrics is coming but it is still a ways off. If gas prices goes up the spending on development will increase too and that will speed things up.

quote Originally posted by Robert 2: Never seen much of a 67 " SS " Camaro with a six cylinder .

I think originally it was a base model but they rebadged it.