Introduction
I have to tell you right up front, my parents always encouraged me to explore and not to be afraid to try new things. It didn't matter what, or how silly the idea, they were behind me 100%. From chemistry sets and microscopes; to building electric cars; flying model rockets and exploring the far reaches of our solar system with a telescope; they were there, providing encouragement. For that, I am forever grateful.

My earliest memories of any kind of an "electric" vehicle date back to about 1958, when I was only about 5 years old. At that time, I had a little red pedal tractor. Dad told me about getting a small car battery and a starter motor; then using the tractor's chain drive to create an "electric tractor" for me to drive. I can clearly remember us sitting on the linoleum floor in the kitchen working on that little starter motor. I was very impressed! We never finished that project, but Dad was way ahead of his time on that one.

My next electrifying experience came in 1965 when I was just 12 years old. I had worn out the 5 horsepower engine on my little go-cart and I decided to replace the old engine with an electric motor. The only problem was, the only motor I could find around the house was a three quarter horsepower, 120 volts AC motor. I didn't let a little thing like that stop me. I lined up the pulleys (one on the motor and one on the rear wheel), bolted down the motor, adjusted the belt tension, and..... and... then what? I had a 25 foot extension cord, but I didn't even have a switch! I plugged the cord into the nearest outlet, steadied the small steering wheel with my knees and plugged the motor into the other end of the cord - and away I went! For 25 feet.

I was hooked! Soon, the AC motor was replaced with a 12 Volt starter motor and I "borrowed" our boat battery. (Well, I was afraid he would miss his car's battery). I managed to get a starter relay (solenoid). Add some battery cables and a short brown extension cord that my Mother would not miss (to hook up the switch to control the relay) - and I was ready to go. And boy did it go! Dad and I finally took it to a little strip shopping center early one Sunday morning so I could see what it could do. We measured off the distance, checked my time, and figured that the go-cart was "going" as fast as 30 miles per hour. I soon discovered that the motor was the weakest link; I had to put wet rags on it after about 5 minutes of driving in an attempt to keep it cool.

Street Legal Electric Cars
A few years later, while in high school, I began my true quest for an efficient and affordable electric car. The first project started with a junked golf cart purchased for $60, an NSU Prinz, (from a junkyard) and lots of determination! (I have no pictures of my electric Prinz, but you can visit the Microcar Museum to see pictures of what the car looked liked.) The car was rear engine drive. I removed the entire rear assemble and replaced it with the golf cart rear end. Of course, I had to have extensions made for the differential so it was the same width as the car and would mount to the car's real wheels. I then used a belt drive to provide power from the 36 volt, 3.5 horsepower, series wound motor to the differential. I hooked up the golf cart's resistance coil speed control system and the car was ready to test drive. I finally got the little car up to about 30 miles per hour when I put an extra 12 volt battery into the system. (Yes, I was kind of hard on our boat batteries over the years!)

By the time I was in college, I was driving a completely street legal electric car, built on a full size VW chassis - with a custom styled wooden body. The car was power by a very old, 9 horsepower, series wound, 36 volt, forklift motor. Top speed was 38 MPH (running on 36 volts) and 45 MPH (running on 48 volts). The car was fun to drive and a real "attention getter". It was even featured in the local newspaper. Over the years, and in various cars, I've discovered just how durable (almost indestructible) that old motor could be. I pushed it to the limits, and ran that old workhorse on as much as 72 volts, and as long as I kept the total power drawn the same (i.e. 36 volts at 200 amps or 72 volts at 100 amps) I did not even have an overheating problem! In a dune buggy, operating on 72 volts, I was able to achieve almost 70 MPH (with the windshield removed) and a range of over 75 miles at 55 MPH.

Overall, the most practical conversion was the Fiat 850 Spider. It was an excellent test bed, allowing me to try various motor types and battery voltage combinations. The Fiat provided years of dependable service. Best driving performance was achieved with an 8 horsepower, series wound motor, and a battery pack composed of 7, 12 volt, deep cycle marine trolling batteries, for a total of 84 volts. The top speed was about 50 MPH; but the range was limited to about 25 miles per charge.

The biggest problem was the batteries. While they were "deep cycle" batteries, they were not strong enough to stand the high power drains demanded by pushing an electric car at highway speeds. The batteries began to fail in less than a year. This experience drove home the need to keep the current demands as low as possible.

The best range was achieved when I tested a battery pack composed of 16, 6 volt, golf cart batteries, for a total of 96 volts. The range increased to more than 50 miles per charge; however, the batteries weighted in at more than twice what the 12 volt battery pack was. The added weight contributed to much slower acceleration and a reduced top speed (45 MPH).

The electric Fiat performed well in rain, snow, and ice, and was driven in temperatures as low as 10 degrees. Of course, the cold temperatures of winter driving conditions will substantially reduce the range of a battery powered car (unless the batteries are heated). While I was a Transportation Officer in the USAF, the Fiat was featured in the Base newspaper, The Blyhe Spirit.

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