Emission free 914, Electric 914 Options

[914-300Hemi]

Found this article about a electric 914 taking on the snake in LA.
http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20130903-po...e-914-energised

[PThompson509]

I bought my 914 for an electric conversion, but change in job and reduced income means I've sidelined the conversion, but am still in rustoration mode w goals of lighter weight and upgraded performance.

Marin County has taken advantage of "new" CA law and has it's own "power company." We pay a little more for the Clean Green option which buys the power from sources "cleaner" than coal fired power plants. It's not perfect, but its an improvement.

I am considering a Leaf lease or purchase because the commuting expenses are so low! Gas prices aren't going down, ever. An investment in on-site solar would mean "closed-loop" on commuting power.

Right now, the 914 EV is a cool project, but not the ultimate solution. Keep the discussion going! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
One area worth more discussion, and subject of my daydreams, is the 914 EV AX racer project. With direct drive on a stout differential a 914 EV could be VERY QUICK!

To do the direct drive, you'll need a good AC motor - DC motors won't give you the high RPM you want. If you can get a motor to do above 8K RPM, with sufficient torque, then you are golden. I suppose you could do a siamese motor project - put two AC75 together onto a transaxle - that might be interesting. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

For outstanding performance, you'll need to roll your own battery pack, using pouches from A123 (or whoever they are called now). Or wait until the supercap / lithium hybrid batteries really go online.

The frame for the 914 is just fanstastic for conversions - you have 3 tubes to put wires into (the two heater tubes and the central tube). I put my high voltage on the passenger side (I don't like passengers much, can you tell (IMG:style_emoticons/default/poke.gif) ), and the control lines on the driver side. Lots of space for battery packs, and (mostly) dry compartments for the electronics.

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