MIT Students Convert Porsche to Plug-in Electric Vehicle

[nebula]

MIT Students Convert Porsche 914 to Electric
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.07

The most wonderful car I ever owned was my 1972 Porsche 914. It was a bomb, figuratively and literally; it handled fabulously but it was a mid-engine and you drove with nothing but a tank of gas between you and the front end. Now some lucky kids at MIT are converting one into an electric car. According to MIT News, their goal is "To demonstrate the viability of advanced electric vehicle technology and to help clarify what research and development has yet to be done." They appear to be filling the trunk (in the front) with "lithium phosphate rechargeable batteries, which are lighter, last longer, charge up faster, have a longer lifetime and don't pose a safety risk."

To make the conversion, the students replaced the original engine with an electric motor, 12 of the batteries, the battery-management system, various relays and a controller that makes all the components work together. They say it will have a top speed of 70 to 100 miles per hour and go 100 miles before charging. I hope it handles as well as the original did and isn't front-heavy from the batteries.



link

[oldtime dfl_er]

1. Sweeeet!

Nice job

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/658059

[defendandprotect]

4. See: "Who Killed the Electric Car?" --

[msongs]

2. FORD Motor Company says it will take 10 YEARS to make a plug-in lol nt

[defendandprotect]

3. there were 4,000 electric cars on the roads in California for five years . . .

until they CRUSHED them; refusing to sell them to those who had leased them.

[nebula]

5. We need a new car company for America

I hope these MIT kids are the future of US auto manufacturing.

Ford and GM are obsolete and nearly bankrupt.
I hope they go out business. These companies are
worthless and just need to be put out of their misery already.

[tech3149]

8. Yea Right!

We've currently got private citizens doing plug-in hybrids with little or no resources. WTF are these corporate entity's doing wrong? Oh that's right, they're only obligation is provide the greatest income for their investors.

[tech3149]

6. There's no better car to convert to electric than a sports car

The 914 is a good choice because it's relatively cheap but still pretty well designed.

Nebula, I wish I could put you in the seat of some of the cars I've driven over the years. The 914 is fun but I'd rather tempt fate in a 936. It puts a grin on your face that takes years to get rid of when you balance that tail slide pushing it through a hairpin or decreasing radius turn. Some of my other favorites Bimmer 318IS, have to have feature is the LSD if you don't like driving through the rear view mirror. Mitsubishi 3000, it might be big and heavy, but it's hard to do anything wrong enough to put you at risk. Merc SLK 320 perfect size and all the bells and whistles. It'll run all day on the limit and never do anything you don't want it to. My only complaint is that 1st gear is a useless stump-puller ratio. I never spent more than a second in 1st. Any more than that and I'd red-line it. I'd advise any real driver to turn off the traction control and ABS, they put me in more than a few tough spots.

My favorite overall is the original Mini. I suppose that is to some degree because I'm a minimalist at heart. This was a vehicle that was designed as an economic means of transport but took down some of the big money racing teams in the 60's.

[Canuckistanian]

7. Must be nice to have such a budget to make a student project

And where would one get 12 Lithium Phosphate batteries?