BugE electric vehicle blends rocketships with bicycles mentality
A top-down view of the BugE beautifully shows its '60s spacecraft aesthetic. This all-electric single-person EV is designed and built by Mark Murphy, and it's the rocketship view that greets you on the BugE's website main page, along with the line, "Earth for Earthlings." While the look is quaint/futurist, the name is a great play on "buggy", and all that's missing are the words "horse and". Right from the start you can tell the BugE is a non-traditional EV. In some ways, though, the BugE shares a lot with other EVs on the market today. It has a 30 mile range, can go 50 mph, and uses lead acid batteries. The BugE's range is in part determined by your speed: 20 miles at 40 mph, 30 miles at 30 mph, 40 miles at 20 mph. The BugE is powered by four M34 AGM Blue Top lead acid batteries, and can go 25 miles on the energy it takes to run a dishwasher for one load. You can read all the BugE's specifications here and get energy comparisons here.
From the look of the BugE from the side, I don't think this is an all-season vehicle. As you can see in pictures taken from the side, the roof is just a roof, and doesn't enclose the side or back of the seat. Oddly enough, Murphy's stated design goal is "to create a simple, low cost personal mobility vehicle that could function in a four-season environment on city streets." And he's in Oregon, so maybe the roof provides more protection from the weather than I can imagine (and I think my imagination might be limited right now thanks to the bitter, bitter cold we're having in Michigan. Then again, I still ride my bike in this weather, so what am I complaining about? Maybe my brain's frozen). Then again, he does say that sometimes it's best to pull the BugE over and wait for the weather to pass. Hmmm.The BugE will be available in kit form for about $3,000, finished for about $4,000. Murphy's previous EV was the award-winning Gizmo.
Last week, the BugE went for it's first drive (video here) and Murphy says there were no glitches. Let's see how the rest of the process goes.
[Source: Bug EV]
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that this tip came from Michael Polsinelli, who said he got the following information from Mark:
The BugE kit is a series of part components, some of which are bundled into packages for convenience.
Our Part, The Vehicle kit comprises the rolling vehicle ( chassis body and wheels) that is $3000 (est). The 48 volt system (motor, controller chargers etc) is about $1000 from EV parts and the 12 volt/MC package has the street legal lighting and harness, chain, levers cable---the Motorycle parts for about $350.
then you get the nuts and bolt hardware locally along with some auto parts (mirrors, headlights) and batteries.
The total can range from $4000 to $6000, but you decide what and when you spend money on the kit and what you want to customize.
We will be posting more detail, and will have Assembly Manuals for sale soon that cover everything.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
William McCracken 10:59AM (3/15/2009)
I've built one. I put in some extra features and made some mistakes which drove up my price to be about the price of a pre-assembled one from Harvey Coachworks. However, I still think it's a good deal for tomorrow's world where we'll all be facing really high gasoline prices.
The BugE has some great features
1) roadway speeds (mine cruises well at 45mph - top speed 52mph & good torque)
2) every component can be repaired by me & was built for easy maintenance
3) doesn't cost a fortune to replace depleted batteries
4) shields occupant reasonably well from wind chill & rain (even below freezing)
5) I help to solve global warming, oil depletion and the trade deficit, all at the same time!
6) Insures and registers as a motorcycle which saves a bunch of money each year.
7) cargo space for 2 bags of groceries (or more with creative packing)
8) Looks really cool!
9) can be solar powered
10) With inverter, can also be used as a power supply if there is a power outage
True operating cost, with energy, maintenance and battery replacement factored in, should still be lower than maintaining even the highest mileage automobiles. (unlike a regular automobile owner, I'll never need to visit a mechanic other than to get my vehicle's annual inspection)
For anyone who wants to build one, I've made a blog that describes my construction experience from start to finish.
William McCracken
http://ev4me.blogspot.com
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MikeB 9:44AM (2/12/2007)
I love it!
But, if licensed as a motorcycle, will the driver be required to wear a helmet in states that have mandatory motorcycle helmet laws?
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BGT 1:39AM (8/03/2007)
Keith's LightningBug
The Lightning Bug is a hopped up Bug Ev from Blue Sky Design in Oregon. The original is 48v with a smaller motor. This Lightning Bug is 72v right now and when he gets a bigger controller will go to 96 or even 120v. He wants the thing to be so fast no one but a speed freak will drive it full open, just like any other hi performance motorcycle. He is working on another frame and slightly different body that will take the bigger motor and higher speeds.
on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gkF4i5DFZE
on Google Video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8884982933746657081
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Geoff Koerner 8:47PM (11/16/2007)
I've driven a BugE and I'm saving up to buy one. The design is such that one could upgrade its components as they become available and less expensive, as shown by Keith's Lightning Bug. Heck, you could even put in a gasoline scooter drivetrain in the back if you wanted to.
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