It's Electric!

© Chris DeMorro

A brand new, electric, engine for this Saturn coup.

If you want something done right, the best way to do it is yourself. That is how retired police sergeant Paul Buelle went about building his first electric car. You might say he has something of an addiction to them now.

"The gas crisis hit, and I was fed up," Paul says. "I wanted an electric car, but nobody made one I could afford. So I decided to build one." After doing some research, he realized he needed a light, cheap vehicle that could hold a decent load of batteries to power his project. After scouring eBay, he came across a 2001 Saturn coupe with a blown motor, perfect for his project. He bought the car for just over $1,500 and paid to have it transported from North Carolina to his home in Dudley, Massachusetts.

Simple Swap

"I had no prior experience with electric cars, so there was a lot of learning," he says. But that is the great thing about electric cars; they are relatively simple, especially when compared to petrol powered cars. Paul was able to use most of the Saturn's existing drive train, even the transmission, for the swap. Any custom fabrication he did himself, including motor mounts for hooking the Advanced DC Motor up to the Saturn's transmission and installing the 1,000 watt power converter. There was also the matter of 12 heavy car batteries to provide the flow of electrons. To maintain some balance in the car, he put just three batteries up front with the engine and nine in the trunk. Even with all these batteries though, the car weighs just 240 pounds more than its petrol equivalent and has all the same features, including air conditioning, as the original (though the check engine light stays on).

The first thing to notice about Paul's Saturn is how quiet it is. It glides over the ground like a golfcart, but just touching the gas pedal will put you back into your seat. That is because electric engines deliver 100% of their torque at 0 RPM, whereas most combustion engines need to build significant RPMs to get into their power band. The Saturn isn't going to set any land speed records, but it's fun to drive according to Paul.

No Range Anxiety

One reason electric cars haven't hit the market yet is their limited range related to price, but Paul has struck a good mix between range and affordability. He spent about $13,000 on his project, including the cost of the car and shipping it halfway up the East Coast. He can go about 50-60 miles on a single charge, which takes about eight to nine hours though he says he has since improved the charging time. The 50 mile range is more than enough for most excursions. "I wanted to be able to make it down to my boat in Rhode Island, charge it while I'm out, and drive it home," he says. He plans to convert a friend's 1999 Mazda Miata to electric power this winter. The Miata is light weight and rear-wheel drive, which should translate into a lot of fun on electric power.    

What better way to spend your retirement than saving the world from fossil fuels?