VIDEO: AMP leaves drawing board, hits highway
Advanced Mechanical Products (AMP), the company with plans to convert hundreds of Saturn Sky roadsters from gas to electric power, appear to have a prototype doing some on-the-road testing. A video on YouTube shows a black "AMP" whizzing down the road and the cameraman announcing "...wards [sic] us is the AMP Saturn Sky. Totally electric. This is our fourth test drive." The car comes to a halt in front of the camera and the hood is immediately opened to reveal the gas engine has been replaced with black boxes with orange wires going to them. The car sports the word "electric" in chrome letters on the side of the front fender.
If the car is true to the original design specifications, it is powered by lithium phosphate batteries sending current to twin brushless DC motors, one for each back wheel. They hope to hit 0 to 60 in under 6 seconds, have a range of 150 miles and a top speed of 90 mph. The company is now taking pre-orders for the first 300 vehicles. A $10,000 down payment goes towards the $25,000 conversion price tag which, of course, doesn't include the car. If you already possess a Saturn Sky you can have it converted instead of buying one for the purpose. One last catch? In order to provide after-sale service, the offer is only open to residents of the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio area, the home of the company. Video pudding proof after the break.
[Source: YouTube / Advanced Mechanical Products]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
dan 7:46PM (8/02/2008)
love the idea, but just a LITTLE pricey :/
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Chris M 9:24PM (8/02/2008)
Expensive, yes, but it is nearly half the cost of the Tesla Roadster. Granted, it has slower acceleration and shorter driving range, but performance is still ample for many drivers, especially for local commuting.
Of course, if GM could be persuaded to sell "gliders" to AMP, that would help lower the cost. But then GM would have to explain why they aren't making an electric Sky.
One thing that puzzled me was the noise that car made as it went past. Was that the motor, or gears, or something else?
Larry 10:26AM (8/03/2008)
The price isn't really out of line. In fact, it seems quite the bargain.
My friend converted an S-10 to electric and it cost him about $18k for the conversion. And that was using lead-acid batteries and doing all of the work himself.
dave b 8:22PM (8/02/2008)
ditto. I'm even in the area. IF I had a Sky that was out of warranty I'd seriously consider it. But those two contingencies just aren't here. Besides, for that price I could buy a BEV by the time these guys enter into production that will come with the car and warranty.
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GoodCheer 9:03PM (8/02/2008)
If they can meet those specs, I would say that the price is pretty reasonable. Not that it's not a lot of money, but doing small batch conversions is hard, and doing it economically is VERY hard.
Is the Sky the same platform as the Crossfire and the Solstace? If you could scour the area for any of those three as a donor, the chances of finding one with a blown head-gasket (or something else that would drop the price a bunch, that you wouldn't care about for a conversion) goes from very very low to just very low.
Good luck to them, and to anyone who gives them a go.
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Chris M 9:31PM (8/02/2008)
Um, the Crossfire was Chryslers big disappointment, so it can't be the same platform as the Saturn Sky. Too bad, Chrysler would be glad to unload the last of their inventory.
Dunno about the Solstice.
Joce03 7:47PM (8/03/2008)
Solstice and Sky are indeed the same platform. The Crossfire is (was) based on the last generation Mercedes Benz SLK.
GoodCheer 8:47PM (8/03/2008)
..Oops, I guess that was a dumb question wasn't it.
I see one of each somewhat regularly, and know they are similar size and came out about the same time... but I suppose that's not enough to make GM be Chrysler.
Andy 9:59PM (8/02/2008)
Don't forget you are saving on Gas.
Assuming 25 mpg and 12,000 miles a year that's 480 gallons of gas saved every year.
If the differential between gas and electricity cost is $3.50 you save $1,680 per year. That goes some way to offset the conversion cost
Not even talking about the other maintenance costs such as oil change and air filter. The cost of gas can go much higher in the next 5 years too.
I'd do this mainly for the potential environmental benefits and because electricity prices are going to be more stable than gas.
$25,000 is a fair deal considering today's immature battery industry.
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meme 10:41PM (8/02/2008)
Not to be a negative nellie, but the Saturn Sky has a horrible drag coeff. Looks sleek, but the wind doesn't think so. I'd be surprised if they could meet even *this* conversion price.
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John Rowell 12:28AM (8/03/2008)
Not sure if you noticed, when the camera approached the electronics under the hood, you could hear a faint buzz, probably from the induced EMFs. Very exciting to see another electric car startup producing viable vehicles. Hope their conversion business proves successful.
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Killroy 12:51PM (8/03/2008)
I really want electric cars, but I am skeptical about the specs. The Sky is a very heavy 2 seater, a pig actually, 2960 lb.
At best the Electric Sky is going the weight the same or quite possibly more. A car that heavy is going to need near 193 conventional hp which is in the ball park of the Tesla (~247 hp)
The 150 range is suspect since the EV Sky needs about 46 % more power at a steady state 60 mph.
Regardless, the Amp will be a cool car, just dont over do the spec marketing and get them out to the Left coast for a good price.
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noz 12:55AM (8/03/2008)
Sounds COOL!!! Sounds like a Tie Fighter..
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Stan Wellaway 3:58AM (8/03/2008)
Will they have one ready for next summer's TTxGP?
The famous Isle-of-Man TT races over a 37.7 mile hilly island course are well known to motorcycle racing enthusiasts worldwide. But next year their is a follow-on event, testing the performance and reliabilty of low-emission and zero-emission vehicles, on 2 wheels, 3 wheels and 4 wheels over the same gruelling course.
See http://www.TTxGP.com
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waqas 1:24PM (8/21/2008)
thats realy fanciful withch full econmy save in our envirnment but tell me what is hybrid technalogy how its save econmy
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Dave 10:18AM (8/03/2008)
Half the cost of a Tesla, however specs not as good but still not bad. This is a lot better than the specs and price of a Volt due out in a couple of years. So...I say keep these converters coming out because it will create some very good competition as cause better products to come out sooner. Early adopters and Techy's will go for this product IMO. Hopefully these converters turn a profit!
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Throwback 11:28AM (8/03/2008)
The Solstice and Sky are built on the same platform in the same factory. Opel has a version which is called the GT.
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Scott 11:15PM (8/03/2008)
This is pretty awesome! I'm seriously considering buying a cheap Sky or a used one and gutting it and signing up on the list. Supposedly will be ready for delivery beginning 2009. I'm trying to contact AMP, but I think they're contacts page is broken once you click send. Anybody else have luck?
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Adam Stafford 8:27PM (8/05/2008)
I detected alot of electrical hum coming from the engine which interfered with the camera recording. So I have to wonder if by the end of a long dry I have cancer or have becom sterile.
How will me bluetooth and cell phone reception be effected by the interference?
And are there any plans for better RF sheilding?
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