Off-topic a bit if I may, but talkin' history here; four decades ago Mother Earth News magazine reviewed and sold plans for a DIY hybrid. The design intentionally used only WW-II era junkyard technology, with a target of 75 MPG . A converted Opel GT ran with a surplus aircraft starter motor, lead-acid batteries, and a generator powered by a FIVE HP lawnmower engine, which was either OFF or running flat-out. The vehicle speed control was mechanical (really!) even though it could easily have been solid-state - but mechanical was the cheaper choice. The gas motor started automatically and charged the batteries whenever needed. There was regenerative braking, when few people knew what that was.The inventor freely admitted that there were inefficiencies everywhere in the design, but the bottom line was still 75 MPG. Performance was "adequate" for traffic / daily driving. A fair number of these hybrids were made, usually from boxy light sedans, and even so, their mileage reports were in the 60-70 MPG range. The Opel GT body somewhat resembled a smaller Mako Shark 1965 Corvette coupe, so it was a good choice for the aerodynamics.
On Mon, Jun 30, 2025 at 2:21 PM Darryl McMahon via EV <[email protected]> wrote: > We are seeing more and more advances in battery tech, range of EV models > and body types, increasing range and dropping prices, all of which is > good in spite of some seriously entrenched, vested interest opposition. > > Today, I'm sharing an article from about 3 decades ago, highlighting the > Solectria Sunrise. I'm not going to try summarizing it, it's free to > access at: > > https://www.theautopian.com/three-decades-ago-a-sleek-street-legal-electric-car-drove-375-miles-on-a-single-charge/ > > I don't care for the label 'CRAP Era' in the article; IMO it maligns the > kind of work EV pioneers from the 60s to the 90s were doing to keep the > idea alive with pretty much no resources and less public support. > > I do wonder how the EV timeline might have gone if the NiMH batteries > had remained accessible to startups and pioneers. > > Anyway, I hope you enjoy the article > > Darryl (I'm something of an antique myself) > > -- > Darryl McMahon > Freelance Project Manager (sustainable systems) > > You don’t rise to the level of your goals — you fall to the level of > your systems. - Ro Fernandez > > > -- > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. > www.avast.com > _______________________________________________ > Address messages to [email protected] > No other addresses in TO and CC fields > HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/ > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20250630/d7e8296a/attachment.htm> _______________________________________________ Address messages to [email protected] No other addresses in TO and CC fields HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/
