DC Auto Show: Destiny 2000 used to be a Fiero, now it's a solar electric
There is section of the DC Auto Show, called the Green Car Pavilion, that is intended to highlight alternative fuel vehicles. Before the show officially opens tomorrow, we managed to take a walk around the GCP and saw an interesting collection of vehicles parked there. One was the bright yellow ride that you see here: a 1985 Pontiac Fiero (well, so said the info sheet taped to the car, EV Album says it's a 1986, see more details after the jump). A long time ago, certainly before the recent uptick in home electric car conversions, its gasoline guts were ripped out - professionally, of course, by Solar Electric Engineering of Santa Rosa, California - and replaced with 18 6-volt Trojan R-125 lead acid batteries and a series wound GE motor. With the conversion came a name change: from Fiero to Destiny 2000.
Today, the Destiny 2000 can go 50 miles on a charge, has a top speed of 75 mph and a 0-60 time of 11.2 seconds. There was no one around to learn a bit more about the car, so in lieu of actual information, let's imagine the fun one could have in a Fiero EV.
Photos Copyright ©2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.
FROM EV Album:
Vehicle 1986 Pontiac Fiero
Solar Electric Engineering Destiny 2000
Motor General Electric Series Wound DC 9"
Drivetrain 5 speed manual transmission with clutch
Controller Curtis 1221C
Batteries 18 Trojan T-125, 6.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
System Voltage 108 Volts
Charger Solar Electric Engineering
custom and solar panels
Heater Electric
Instrumentation a) Ammeter b) Percent Charge
Top Speed 75 MPH (120 KPH)
Range 50 Miles (80 Kilometers) rated
Seating Capacity 2 adults
Curb Weight 3,200 Pounds (1,454 Kilograms)
Tires Goodyear Invicta GLR
Conversion Time Professional Conversion
Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the Auto Alliance.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joe 3:19AM (2/03/2009)
One of my buddy's neighbors had one of these back in the early 90's.
Supposedly it was used in a film starring Leslie Nielsen.
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Rev Junkie 7:30PM (2/03/2009)
This is actually an important development. An all-electric car with a conventional manual gearbox.
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matt 12:11PM (2/03/2009)
Finally GM acknowledges that they made the Fiero. It is one of GM's best practical use of technology for a commuter car. I think they should bring back the name and the way the car was produced. It would be great for an economy like ours is in. Get a really nice 4cyl 5 speed or automatic car with all the creature comforts and a sub 15k price tag. And the true bonus is that it gets 38mpg. Better than most other GM cars on the market!
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Dr.Fiero 9:14PM (2/03/2009)
In town here (lower mainland, BC, Canada) there's an electric Fiero running around, based on an '87 4cyl 5spd car. It's not solar - plug in only. But I've driven it (I did the brakes, steering and suspension work on it), and it does work! With the great torque of the 3 phase motor off the line, you can just take off from 2nd or 3rd, then go straight for 5th. It was running a set of golf cart batteries at the time producing around 150 volts IIRC, but the owner was talking about upping that using some 18V batteries, and less of them. I shot some video of it. If I can find it, I'll post it to YouTube and put a link up if anyone wants.
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