latimes.com July, 2008Lefteris' vehicle, built on the frame and body of a 1971 Porsche 914, is not a hobby car. It's his daily transportation for getting around L.A. In the last 12 months, he has put on 8,000 miles, making frequent business trips from his downtown L.A. studio to the Westside.
"My wife drives the gas guzzler, the Prius," he said.
His car is packed with 22 lead acid batteries, a power controller, a charger and a 150-pound electric motor. The batteries are wired in series to produce 132 volts of direct current, and the motor puts out 20 horsepower, though the rating is calculated differently from a conventional gas engine.
The range is limited, but practical. Lefteris says the car can go up to 60 miles between charges, though running down the batteries shortens their useful life. The dashboard has electric power meters that he designed to provide information about the voltage of the battery array and the amount of amperage the motor is drawing. "You learn to coast a lot," he says of his power-management driving style.
As we wove through downtown traffic, the two-seater demonstrated about the same zip as a typical four-cylinder gas economy car. It can top out at 90 miles per hour, but that speed would quickly drain the batteries. About 58 mph is the car's sweet spot on the freeway.
The Porsche 914 is a good candidate for conversion, because it is lightweight and has a large amount of trunk space in the front and back for the electric system. The car has some drawbacks, such as no air conditioning or air bags, however.
At a time when many motorists are spending $100 to fill up their tanks, Lefteris says he spends about 1.5 cents' worth of electricity for every mile. By comparison, a gas-powered vehicle that gets 20 miles per gallon would cost 23 cents a mile, based on $4.50 a gallon gas.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWPiUd9nMWA
http://www.electroauto.com/gallery/vp914.shtml
http://www.ztac.net/porsche.htm
http://electric914.wordpress.com/
http://volt914.blogspot.com/
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