Teen's self-converted Mazda electric truck one more time
Since there was such a big response to my update on Andrew Angellotti the other day, I think that even more news on what this Michigan teen has been up to in the home electric vehicle conversion front would be in order. According to a story in the Flint Journal, Andrew has put around 2,500 miles on the batteries and electric motor. Also, and this is the real reason I wanted to update the tale, he does have a small 12-volt heater in the cab for winter driving. As for his next project, converting a Toyota Tercel, Andrew wants the car to go fast - at least 80 mph - on a 120 hp system. The Tercel should be ready in the spring.
Andrew told the Journal that, "I think alternative energy is very important in our future. I just wanted to get the word out that electric vehicles are possible." He's certainly done that. Even David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, is impressed. "I give a lot of credit to a young person who's capable of doing that because it's not a very easy thing to do," Cole told the Journal.
Gallery: All-electric 1988 Mazda B2200 truck
[Source: Melissa Burden / The Flint Journal]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Greg 2:54PM (1/23/2008)
Does Andrew list the specs of his truck anywhere? I would be interested to know how far he can go on a charge, recharge time, horsepower, top speed, etc.
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Kunikos 1:50AM (1/24/2008)
Dear Andrew,
Pleated pants are really, really lame.
But your truck is kinda neat.
-- Kunikos
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GeoSTI 8:52AM (2/13/2008)
Great job from a "create an electric vehicle" perspective. Not to be a downer though, if the truck's back is filled with the batteries, it is no longer a pickup, more of a coupe (the pictures indicate that the batteries are located there, not much space in the engine bay). Excellent for a proof of concept though.
He may want to consider adding insulation around those batteries for the winter months. Going from 20 to 12 % efficiency is a pain.
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Andrew 10:46AM (1/24/2008)
Thanks for the comments guys.
Greg- you can find the specs for my truck here: http://www.evalbum.com/861
And (relatively) regular updates can be found on my blog at www.greenflightev.blogspot.com
And yeah, I know about the pants. My mom kind of snapped that pic under protest. And then, what do you know, it ends up on ABG!
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Dave 4:51PM (1/22/2008)
Andrew,
You are making the big car companies look really, really silly. Keep it up!
- Dave S
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