eBay Find of the day: battery powered Porsche 356 Speedster replica
Porsche 356 Speedster EV - click above for high-res image gallery
Over the last several years, we've seen numerous conversions of Porsches to battery electric vehicles, but this may well be the prettiest. Most of the previous Porsche EVs have been based on either the 911 or 914, but this seller of this eBay find of the day used a 356 Speedster replica is a foundation. The Beck 356 speedster used for this car has a fiberglass body on a steel tube frame, making it lighter than the original.
The electric propulsion system uses a 193 hp DC motor and 23 kWh of lithium iron phosphate storage. The power electronics are custom built and the energy storage system consists of 72 Thundersky cells arranged in the front and back of the car. The cells are rated for 2,000 charge cycles if only 80 percent of their capacity is used. That gives the car a nominal range of 85 miles although the seller says he once drove 107 miles and still had juice left. The auction currently sits at just over $25,000.
Gallery: Porsche 356 Speedster EV conversion
[Source: eBay]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phil L. 2:28PM (10/19/2009)
Ambitious seller: At $25.1K, it hasn't yet met reserve - and he claims he bought it 2800 miles ago, for $23.5K.
I'll be curious to see if it meets reserve...
Reply
paulwesterberg 3:04PM (10/19/2009)
He did the conversion himself and probably put $20k into the batteries and motor + countless hours of labor. You would pay over 40k for a similar EV from hybrid technologies or another conversion company. Jack is a real mechanic and engineer interested in doing things the right way, not just converting cars for a quick profit.
I would bid on it if I lived in a warmer climate.
protomech 11:01AM (10/20/2009)
The rolling chassis (no engine) is about $20k (and up, depending on options) - www.beckspeedster.com. Figure $12-15k in batteries and a few grand in controller and electric motors.. he's not going to make money at $25k.
It's worth noting that while the controller can nominally supply 1200A @ 120v, the motor itself is rated for 450A / 5 minute and 225A / 60 minutes. At 85% efficiency you could probably get 160 mechanical hp from the motor for a brief period of time (quarter mile), 60 hp over a short period of time, and 30 hp on a highway trip (more than sufficient to cruise at 75-80 mph).
omnimoeish 2:57PM (10/19/2009)
I should hope it makes reserve. That's half what the Volt will cost and those aren't even vintage Porsches.
Reply
Hans Wurst 1:50AM (10/24/2009)
>and those aren't even vintage Porsches.
And neither is this
omnimoeish 4:08AM (10/24/2009)
I didn't say authentic
mycomya 3:04PM (10/19/2009)
He's tried to sell it at least two times before. It never reached the reserve price (whatever it is... >30k)
Reply
Ian 5:07PM (10/19/2009)
A terrific conversion to an all electric car. I am unsure why it still needs a 4 speed manual gearbox though....
Reply
Woodenbee 5:19PM (10/19/2009)
Do you know where to get a more suitable gearbox/transmission? for less than $400, your right the weight and complexity are not necessary but I've yet to see anything available to take its place for a roadgoing car
Ian 10:39PM (10/19/2009)
Woodenbee,
That's one great question. I know that the torque of an electirc motor is quite high so it needs a sturdy design. I also know that Tesla dpecced out their own design (single speed by Borgwarner). So I guess until a lot more electric cars are built the gearbox will be a difficult choice let alone at a low price.
AndY 1:53AM (10/20/2009)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUzPzX9A4lw
Reply