ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com) -
Ron Erb's 1999 Ford Ranger XLT gets zero miles to the gallon and he could not be happier. His pick up runs on electricity. Erb's truck used to run on gas, but then he and his family watched the documentaries, "Who Killed The Electric Car" and "An Inconvenient Truth."
"And then my wife said my next car is going to be electric and I said where is it going to come from and (my son) Dylan said Dad why don't we build an electric car?" Erb says.
Inspired by what Ron has done with his truck, his friend Lance Johnson is building an electric pick up of his own.
Pickups are popular for conversion because there is more room to hide the 18, 8-volt batteries needed to power the motor.
But with the battery-powered Chevy Volt expected to hit the market next year, why not let Detroit do the heavy lifting?
"I am really excited about that car, but I am not sure the price point is right. This car is going to be a lot less than [the Volt] but I am still very excited and bullish on the Volt," Johnson says.
He figures he will spend about $10,000 on the conversion. Erb says he spent about $7,500, but he got back a $4,000 tax rebate available to residents of Illinois who drive alternate fuel vehicles.
Because it takes seven hours of charging to drive 50 miles, Erb's truck is mostly used by his wife whose daily commute is only a few miles.
But as batteries become more efficient and cheaper and gas becomes more expensive, Erb believes widespread use of electric cars may finally be within driving distance.
One interesting idea being explored is tying electric cars into the power grid, so their batteries can be used to store electricity generated by wind turbines and solar panels. as a backup for days when it is not sunny and not windy.
LINKS: Gatewayev.org Electricauto.org Ronerb.com IllinoisGreenfleets.org Evalbum.com
"And then my wife said my next car is going to be electric and I said where is it going to come from and (my son) Dylan said Dad why don't we build an electric car?" Erb says.
Inspired by what Ron has done with his truck, his friend Lance Johnson is building an electric pick up of his own.
Pickups are popular for conversion because there is more room to hide the 18, 8-volt batteries needed to power the motor.
But with the battery-powered Chevy Volt expected to hit the market next year, why not let Detroit do the heavy lifting?
"I am really excited about that car, but I am not sure the price point is right. This car is going to be a lot less than [the Volt] but I am still very excited and bullish on the Volt," Johnson says.
He figures he will spend about $10,000 on the conversion. Erb says he spent about $7,500, but he got back a $4,000 tax rebate available to residents of Illinois who drive alternate fuel vehicles.
Because it takes seven hours of charging to drive 50 miles, Erb's truck is mostly used by his wife whose daily commute is only a few miles.
But as batteries become more efficient and cheaper and gas becomes more expensive, Erb believes widespread use of electric cars may finally be within driving distance.
One interesting idea being explored is tying electric cars into the power grid, so their batteries can be used to store electricity generated by wind turbines and solar panels. as a backup for days when it is not sunny and not windy.
LINKS: Gatewayev.org Electricauto.org Ronerb.com IllinoisGreenfleets.org Evalbum.com
