I’d seen a story about converting gas powered cars to electric a few years back in the LA Times. At the time, it seemed interesting. There was a shop somewhere in this area (I believe Silverlake) that was involved in converting normal gasoline engines into electric ones. I think that at the time, this was actually illegal for a real auto shop to perform - at least in California.

I remember thinking, is this really worth it and who would spend the money on this novelty? Fast forward to day, when gas prices are all you hear about and I’m wondering just how popular that shop is now.

So, it appears that people aren’t waiting around for car manufacturers (nor fly-by-night shops offering a gas to electric switch) to get their fix. The latest thing for DIY handy auto folks is to convert your own gas engine into an electric one that can be plugged into a wall outlet.

The conversion doesn’t really come as a whole kit, you need to buy all the parts. And it ain’t cheap - probably cost you between 10 and 15 grand. Still, for a lot of the people it’s more the principle than the savings. Although, you’ll definitely save on buying gas in the short run.

The biggest problem with battery cars now is the range is limited, depending on the size of the car and number of batteries. You usually get 20-40 miles on a single charge. This seems limited, but I guess it’ll be enough for a good portion of commuters. I dunno, I have mixed feelings about it. I think if the price of nickel-metal-hydride and lithium-ion batteries, which allow for increased range, comes down then it’s definitely going to worth it. But maybe by the time that happens, the manufacturers will have their Evolt car or whatever it is ready to buy.

Source: CNN