Giving Up Gasoline
Here’s an interesting article out of Alaska. It’s no Tesla Roadster, but it is an all electric vehicle that allows Mike Willmon to commute to work for $20 per month (average monthly cost of electrical charge).
Giving up gasoline
Mike Willmon put an electric motor in his pickup to save on fuel billsBy RICHARD RICHTMYER
Anchorage Daily NewsPublished: September 18, 2006
Last Modified: September 18, 2006 at 07:45 AMAt first glance, Mike Willmon’s 1988 Mitsubishi MightyMax looks like any other pickup cruising Anchorage’s streets.
But instead of the rattling and rumbling sounds that typically go with old pickups, Willmon’s rig emits a gentle whir that gradually fades as he eases it to a stop at a traffic light. And there’s no sight or smell of exhaust fumes as he waits for it to turn green.
That’s because Willmon, an electrical engineer, overhauled the truck, replacing its gasoline engine with an electric motor that runs on batteries…
Hey, he sounds like somebody I know!
…”I’m into it to save money,” he said. “I’m not a greenie liberal. In fact, I lean more toward the other side.”
About a year ago, facing soaring gas prices and a 20-mile-a-day commute, Willmon said he did some math and figured he’d come out ahead if he invested the time and money to build an electric-powered vehicle.
He sold his 10-year-old Jeep Cherokee for $6,000, bought the Mitsubishi pickup for $1,000 and then spent about $11,000 for the parts needed to convert it to electric, Willmon said…
Certainly not your average do-it-yourself project.
…In the back of the pickup, Willmon built a wooden box that houses the 16 rechargable, lead-acid batteries that supply the power. They take about four hours to charge and are good for about 40 miles of driving, Willmon said.
Since he started commuting in the Electrabishi in May, Willmon said his family’s electric bill has risen about $20 a month. That compares with the $120 it cost to gas up the Jeep each month, he said.
The electric rig does have its drawbacks. It can go only so far before it runs out of juice, and its batteries will wear out and need to be replaced every couple of years, Willmon said…
It’s inspiring that people still create things like this that can work for them. Not everyone can rip out their engine and replace it with an electrical motor, but Mike also demonstrates that it’s not rocket science.
A little later in the article, he says that the family has a gasoline powered mini-van that’s used for other travel the family needs, which works out very well. In muti-car families, it would be a real money-saver to have a dedicated commuter car, and a longer-range travelling vehicle for use as needed.
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