Driving an electric car is a life-altering experience.
Especially for this Detroit boy who was raised on the rattle and grime of the infernal combustion engine. There you
are driving in complete silence, with peppy acceleration. But watch out for pedestrians! They can't hear you.
Though you worry about running out of fuel, your home is your gas station.
It's cheap. It's easy. Just trickle charge every night, and count your daily miles carefully. If you
can plug in at work, all the better.
Though you still have tires, brakes, lights, etc to maintain,
the overall maintenance is much less. You might look at the brushes in the motor, check the acid level in the batteries,
but the car is amazingly low maintenance.
In 1975, I was running a small self-help auto repair shop called the Autoworks. Clients,
especially many new feminists, could get advice, tools, and a warm place to work. When the oil embargo began and gas
became scarce, I began converting Beatles to electric power and called them "Voltswagens". I built and sold
six, some of which were used for commuting purposes. They were slow and heavy, with eight golf-cart batteries,
insulated against the winter cold, had a range of about 25 miles, and weighed a whopping 2500 pounds.
In June, the first Mt. Washington Auto Road alternative vehicle
rally was held. Set to climb the mountain were steam, flywheel, and many electric cars and motorcycles.
Only one electric motorcycle and my 'Voltswagen' made it to the top. I still have the trophy: a guilded turtle!
By the way, that rally will be held again June 17 and 18, 2007.
Soon, gas got plentiful and cheaper again. We went back
to sleep for 30 years.
I know that with the newer lighter batteries, like nickel hydride
or lithium ion, plus electronic controllers, a microcar like Moonbeam could well have a 60 mile range. You
could experiment with direct drive electric motors on each wheel. You would not be the rolling lead mine
we were in the 70's.
Having been through electrics once before though, my
personal excitement is naturally low. I think if you read the
page "The Microcar Concept" you'll see why.
But as you study the field of alternative vehicles, it's clear that electrics
will play an enormous part in the future. If every car in Los Angeles were converted to electric power, and charged
at home using off-peak electricity, not a single new power plant would be needed!
