seattle951

CNNMoney video clip that includes an electric 944 at the dragstrip.

http://money.cnn.com/?cnn=yes

Last week while in Redmond, WA I came up against a Tesla at a traffic light while in my 951. (I rarely drive it.) I was not interested in any type of race but he did a pretty impressive launch from a traffic light. A few years from now, we may be trading our modded 4 cylinders or LS1s for electric drivetrain.

blown 944

I've thought about it.

When battery tech gets to the point where it is affordable, and lighter, it will be pretty kick ***

Bill

The Tesla is very cool. Made right here in the San Francisco Bay Area. But who wants to drive 100 miles and then wait 8 hours to recharge? It would take 2 days for me to drive from Northern California to Southern California. Basicly you spend $100k to go back and forth to the grocery store.

Van

And then you can only put 2 grocery bags in the trunk!

seattle951

The guy in the video clip was into his 944 for $10k. He paid $2,500 leaving $7,500 for the conversion.

I wonder if he did it himself and what it would cost to have it done? I only need a 75 mile range for my commute and can easily let a car recharge for 8 hours. This might be a fun project and would appeal to my green values. Like the cars in clip, the Tesla was silent. A silent 944 would also be interesting.

If the solution is affordable, I would consider it.

Any thoughts on how this would be set up? Trains have a motor on each wheel.

What would be the best starting platform? S, S2, Turbo, N/A

Any thoughts on where to get the work done?

alxdgr8

There was a guy that was interested in my 931 to turn into an electric car. Sadly that fell through...would've been itntersting to keep in touch with him for the project.

Willard Bridgham 3

The actual problem with electric cars is that they are not at all green.

Electric production:
Burn oil, make steam, spin steam turbine, turn generator, ship electric over long distances, transform to user voltage and put in an inefficient battery charger and not very good batteries.

If you get 2 btu/10 btu spent to the road with electric, you are doing well. Otto cycles, with which our cars are equipped, will get 4-6 btu/10 btu spent to the road.

All electric cars do is change the pollution distribution, they aren't efficient.

Dougs951

http://www.e-volks.com/index.html?
Good read and contains kits for retrofitting.

Dash01

Supposedly (and we've heard such things for decades now) an ultracapacitor battery by EEStor of Cedar Park, Texas is coming out this Fall, with vastly greater energy density and less weight, coupled with very quick recharge. That is, recharge said to be about as quick as a refill of your tank at the gas station. We'll see.

If so, seems like we could refit our cars, dropping the engine, transaxle, cooling system, exhaust system, etc. etc. and get both lighter weight and better acceleration. Quiet, too.

seattle951

Not necessarily. There are many ways to generate electricity that do not involve burning hydrocarbons including nuclear, solar, geothermal, hydro, wind and others. Most of current U.S. electricity production comes from burning coal. However, that is changing as the country moves towards cleaner alternatives.

Have you followed the "Pickens Plan" for generating 20% of electricity from wind freeing up natural gas for transportation? Pickens was the former CEO of Conoco Phillips. Natural gas creates far less CO2 than gasoline per unit of energy delivered. Running a mix of electric cars being fueled by wind with remainder running on natural gas would be huge green step forward.

400hp944

Last week while in Redmond, WA I came up against a Tesla at a traffic light while in my 951. (I rarely drive it.) I was not interested in any type of race but he did a pretty impressive launch from a traffic light. A few years from now, we may be trading our modded 4 cylinders or LS1s for electric drivetrain.[/QUOTE]


A Tesla pulled up next to me here in San Diego. I was in my E350 turning left as was he. When the light turned he was around the corner, up the hill and turning right before I could catch up. Holy quick! All in total silence...

josephsc

I've driven my brother's Tesla a few times -- the silence is the most bizarre part. There's no starter/ignition noise -- you just turn it on and let the machine "boot up". And when you step on it -- no grunting engine noises or anything -- just a "swoosh!". It feels like you're in some Star Trek vehicle...

Oh, and it's also quick.

seattle951

My interest is getting peaked. I was not overly impressed with the e-volks kit, but I am sure there are others.

There is a fairly clean 1988 924S nearby with a broken timing belt for sale. On a $12k conversion budget, I wonder what a 924S could be converted into. On 90% of my workdays I only drive 60 miles. A fast, silent, green 924S would be really cool.

Anybody know of any other vendors?

manticore33

I stumpled across this a few years ago: http://www.jstraubel.com/944EV/EVproject.htm

I love his pusher 'hybrid' concept. Imagine being able to just 'attach' the gasoline engine for a long trip and remove it when it is not necessary. Likewise, you could create a network to rent/borrow/etc these pusher mechanisms for intercity commuting then drop it off when you are finished. Run electric while in that city, then rent/borrow/etc the pusher for the trip back home.

However, if I was going to do an electric Porsche conversion, I'd chose a 914 (two trunks, targa, and a good size engine bay). Plus, there are no power options to contend with.

seattle951

The trailer option is out of the question. However, the performance specs are acceptable if I could get a dependable 75 mile range between charges. I would also want a cleaner looking car that rivals a stock car.

If I can find a good kit in my price range for a 924S that meets my specs, I will give it a shot. For the same reasons as this owner, I love the concept.