I have a Son of a Gun hair blow dryer from 1979. Very popular product of the day. They sold a lot of them. It has the asbestos ring in it. I believe they eventually did a recall in the 1980s for all those hair blow dryers that had asbestos in them.
You had to be careful what gear is used, for many early EVs. Our utility converted a Toyota in 1969 or 70. IIRC it used an airplane starter/generator. They put it in 4th instead of 2nd (normal gear for starting out) and snapped the driveshaft. With some motors of that age, it could overspeed if not put into gear, which could destroy the motor. You also shifted w/o a clutch on the Toyota.
It takes a lot of enduring patience to daily drive this old timer. Time will pass and Cybertruck will not draw attention being common on the road. This particular contraption will always be an attention magnet for car minded folks as long as you keep it on the road. Good job!
It’s a great little daily driver even if it is a pain sometimes! Surprisingly reliable on its new battery pack and not uncomfortable…. Definitely needs more sound deadening though
@@wtmayhew One thing is sure: this orphan car is simple and hackable enough to be kept alive without any dealership or original company. Usability is mostly as local commuter on certain routes. Obviously Cybertruck can be used all over North America. I still presume the technology will progress to the point that even if Tesla disappears the Cybertruck will be maintained by enthusiasts.
I love how low tech and simple this car feels. I think you'd get a lot more adoption of EVs if there was focus on making barebones, easy to self repair/mod, minimal computer chip designs. No big digital screens. Just a few retro nobs and meters. Would be really kino.
I wish more people would restomod these old electric cars because they have so much going for them. Old electric cars were built bare bones and without all the weight gaining regulations.
Crazy lightweight isn't always the most optimal there must be a balance. Modern electric cars have zero problems with weight. Modern formula 1 cars are way heavier than old f1 cars yet they are faster than any old f1 car. Modern car structures and safety systems are pretty light. Weight is important but it's one part of equation.
They could have put the internals in an abs tube for basically no cost to at least give the illusion of build quality. Or at least spray paint the thing black.
@@psirvent8 Yes, I’ve seen a puncture test comparison video and it was night and day: the li-ion caught fire almost immediately, while the LFP behaved the same as it had before having a nail shoved through it, outputting approximately the same voltage on the meter.
32hp output at the motor explained... DC commutated/brushed motors have low efficiency, probably about 75-80%... I'll use 78%. That means it needs at least 41hp of electricity (30.59kW) input to output 32hp (23.86kW). (1hp = 745.7 Watts) The motor controllers in 1979 were horribly inefficient... about 75% would be my educated guess. So to create 28.6kW output, you need 38.24kW input. 16 x 6V batteries is 96 Volts. 38.24kW / 96v = 398 Amps... but at that heavy of a load, lead acid batteries have voltage droop due to internal resistance (just like when you crank your ICE starter, the 12v battery voltage droops a bit) So if the 96v droops to 92v, you would be drawing 415 Amps.
It is actually simpler than that. 32 hp is the continuous rating of that motor; DC motors can produce significantly more than their continuous rated hp, but doing so risks overheating it.
@beforebefore Was going to make this point but you made it better than I could with all your fancy math I find it funny that an ev fanboy like this guy doesn’t understand the physics of his vehicle and does some half baked calculations on the runing currents and makes the statement that the engineers had it wrong which is hilarious they designed the car fairly sure they knew the efficiency figures of the equipment in it lol stupid fanboys…
That's another reason EVs weren't really viable until the 2010s. You don't only need good batteries, but also high-efficiency motors and electronic power controlllers. "Big Oil" hardly needed to kill or suppress the EVs, you simply weren't going anywhere with brushed motors, resistive rheostats and analog control electronics/hardly any regen like in the 70s or 80s. Even if you had access to Lithium batteries before the late 1990s.
most of inflation the last 50 years has been in cars and houses. it is the only industry where you can get a price above 10x cost of materials and labor. if you really want a change lobby your politician. personally i'm only interested in the industry for those sweet sweet margins.
Small cars cost nearly as much to make as large ones - same number of parts, etc. Highway mileage is also not much better so for decent range you still need a larger battery.
At least in Europe we get more and more light electric vehicles (L7e vehicles). And not just Opel Rock /Renault Twizy. we get mini-buses and cargo vehicle. And I think that is a direct result from regulations (no driving ICE-cars in city centers). Sadly, it seems unclear whether the X-Bus will ever come to market (I was really looking forward for this one). Not sure if it is automakers alone. After all, they do also build smaller cars, people just like to buy SUVs.
There are quite a few small models in China, and now a few are coming to market in Europe as well. But I agree, if I were to get a car it would be a small car, when I had one it was a Renault Clio.
I love that someone loved this car enough to give it a new battery and daily it! I wish I could go to Electrify Expo to see it. And to hear it, I bet that GE motor sounds really cool in person.
As a longtime Denver resident I’ve seen a few of these driving around town over the decades. It’s very fun to learn more about them. I’m not even sure if I noticed that they were electric back in the day. Thanks for the great video!
I really love how so many different car manufacturers came together to build this car... GM's carpet engineers said our carpet is the least flammable.... Mercury said our back hatch is the least flammable... VW Said our key is the least flammable. The collaboration is just heartwarming.
Kudos for keeping it alive, every orphan deserves a good home. It looks like an AMC Pacer drawn by someone who didn't own a set of French curves, and who didn't wait 30 years for weed to be legalized in Colorado. I wonder how many Chevy dealers' part departments they raided to get all those Monza taillights.
I thought that crash test footage didn't look too bad then I found the full video and it was only at THIRTY MILES PER HOUR. 1960s corvairs hold up better than that, except for the steering column Very cool car and I'm glad someone's keeping it on the road. Too many rare classics just end up sitting in garages or museums most of the time instead of being used as cars The side mirror look like it comes from a VW rabbit. Maybe getting a passenger side one would help a bit with visibility.
Very cool ! What I find even more hilarious about the hair dryer is how they didn’t even bother disassembling it or anything to keep the innards and make it look semi-factory. It’s literally OFF THE SHELF, with the handle and brand stickers and everything.
I am looking @ a Tesla, but if there was a dealer down the street from the Tesla place, I'd definitely stop in and check out that model! If my memory serves me, I had an uncle that owned a photo lab in downtown Chicago back in the 70's. I remember him telling me about the electric car they used for some time to do pickups and deliveries of photo work. He showed me a photo of the car and looked a LOT like yours! My wonderful uncle passed away before Tesla and other EV's started mainstreaming. He was ahead of his times.
As a manual transmission die-hard and an EV fan, this car has occupied a very special place in my mind for a long time, and shuts down many a related Internet argument as you can imagine. I'm very happy to see such a well produced video on the car, as the others on TH-cam were getting long in the tooth. Cheers!
@@barriewilliams4526why should he get help for being a die-hard manual fan? It's a bit outdated but still fun for a weekend car when you don't want to drive in your ev
Fun video! In the UK we had the Enfield Electric in the 70s which was smaller. Johnny Smith turned one into a super high performance record breaker. 👍🏼
This may be the only car that has a warning about exploding in the owner's manual, but it could be argued that the Ford Pinto deserved a section about that as well.
God as someone who DIY's ebikes, escooters and is pissed by the complex electronics in my electric car I would loooove to have this instead. Looks like a great car to improve.
I always love learning more about these older EVs. Can't explain why I'm so fascinated with them. Nice job on taking care of her and giving her a nice battery upgrade 👍🏾
All Motors (including electric ones) are rated at the output shaft Your 51HP at the Battery -80% efficiency of the controller -80% efficiency of the Motor gives your 32HP at the shaft (I made up the efficiencies, but shouldn't be too far of) Nothing wrong there, just measured on different spots
I bet this will be running long after a lot of todays electric cars, too. No software bugs, no "unable to download wifi update", no planned obsolescence. Just "If there's volts, off you go!"
5:53 To be fair, this reminds me of the last _handful_ of econo-hatch cars I've owned. Their manuals all have a section for "towing", and they all just tell you, "DON'T!"
Wisconsin bought 10 of these. They ran special plates starting at “VTAE 1” and ended at “VTAE 10.” I have “VTAE 5” in Wisconsinites License Plate Museum with a photo of the vehicle. I wish I could send you some photos.
Here I thought the letters in the "AMC" brand name stood for "All Makes Combined." This beats "AMC" hollow...and to the BEST effect. This car was more forward-looking than anything else made in 1979. I had just entered the work force in 1979, and this car would've beaten the snot out of the bicycle with which I "drove" to and from work. Back then, I WISHED for something that was smooth and quiet and didn't stink up the air I was trying to breathe back then. I recall the pall of brown smog that hung over Denver back in the summer of 1978. I hope things are better for you out there now. I started in the work force riding a pedal bike. Now that I'm retired, I've been car-free over a decade...and I ride a pedal bike. So much for personal progress! I enjoy your channel and that of "Aging Wheels." I'm also thrilled to see you on this channel as well. For an old fart like me, rescuing old cars from their awful ICE powerplants is the way to go! Aloha!
Yes, but at $82,000 in 1979, it also would have cost 200x what the bicycle you "drove" to and from work did, assuming you had a very nice bicycle. I don't know about you, but when I first started working, I didn't have that kind of money. I still don't.
@@mar4kl Yes, it's both funny and sad. I try to take heart in knowing I may have been doing "the right thing" for less money. I never ADVANCED the art of mere transportation, but I may have lowered tailpipe emissions a tiny bit. Nowadays, of course, I'll be cursed at for encouraging the carbon emissions by promoting the mining of metals and burning petrochemicals by having the metals forged into my bicycle. (Sigh...) We can't win, can we? I never had the money for exotic electric cars, and I still don't. Instead...I'm in my 7th decade, and I'm STILL able for ride for tens of miles every day. I can't even afford an electric bike...and if I bought one...I'd probably curse myself for giving into the temptation to make my life easier. (Sigh...) We can't win, can we?🤣😆
18:03 - I feel the same way! I sole daily my beloved second gen leaf and sometimes I'll turn the radio and AC off just to hear the hum of the motor! Overall I really enjoyed your video - partly for the unique EV, but because of your enthusiasm for it! Makes me smile tbh 🧡
All commercial vehicles are required to have a fire extinguisher, so it's a bit ahead of the curve for them to recommend it in your owner's manual. See "49 CFR § 393.95 - Emergency equipment on all power units." for more info. Also, the Kia Soul has the exact same tow rating in the US owners manual.
My dream build is to build a hybrid or fuel efficient Chrysler Airstream from the 1930s. That way I could daily it, keep that baby alive!!! She's gorgeous!!
I never knew this existed, I love your passion for these cars and you seem like a great guy to have a beer with so thanks for being you and keeping the geek in me watching!
Omg all the car people are in my home state! There's a guy with a radial 7 airplane engine hot rod, the diametric opposite of ev, somewhere around here too 😂
Driving that car seems a lot like when I drove a 64 VW Beetle. Far from luxurious, but more fun than makes any sense. Same was true for my 72 Honda AZ-600 that I referred to as my street legal go-kart. 🙂
Maybe you could add a little cheap rear-view camera and screen - could even integrate it with the rear view mirror if you placed it right. Also you should try gluing that headliner back up and tuck it in nicely. It is really easy with the 3M Spray Glue. Might as well at this point! cool wheels too on this car. I'd change the lights if I drove it at night!
I love old EVs. In the 1970s General Electric manufactured a line of battery electric lawn and garden tractors with a full list of attachments from mower decks to snowblowers garden plows and tillers. I collect them and I have a few videos of them in action on my channel. They have a cult-like following and after I bought my first one I was immediately hooked. There is even a Facebook group dedicated to them and there are two different guys in the US who's source and manufacturer parts to keep them going!
I like that you're keeping the old girl running. I have an old early 1970's GE built electric garden tractor that I'm planning a rebuild on soon. GE's Elec-trak line is an interesting study in corporate adaptability.
I honestly think that this is what we need. I want a dirt cheap questionable frame with the most rudimentary electric drivetrain plus a more advanced lithium ion battery (or next gen. sodium ion for those harsh winter climates). Automotive manufacturers are so busy cramming tech garbage into cars that they forgot what a car is even for. Getting you from A to B. I would kill for this car. Well done on the video.
A little cramped electric shitbox would probably be more fun than a big roomy 1000 wheel horsepower electric SUV with a million screens. More fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.
When you're describing the makeup of the vehicle, it reminds me of Johnny Cash's One Piece at a Time. bet you're excited about switching your powerpack to a solid-state system; shorter charging time, lighter...less possibility of explosion
I would love to see a follow up when you are done sorta fixing up the car, paint, maybe some sound deadening, non asbestos heater, maybe funky rims, maybe funky LED headlights, etc etc
Honestly this car looks a lot like a Ford Pinto in the body shape. Still a really cool car though. I've thought for a while about the concept of an electric car with an actual transmission. Didn't know it was a real thing until today
You should do a coop with Robert Dunn (Aging Wheels). This is right up his alley. You can go cruising together with him in his Trabant or even better, in his Coda (IIRC, you said the battery is from a Coda)
Lol Robert and I are very good friends, he's been in my videos and I've been in his. He also made a video on this exact car already and funny enough some of the coda modules that I used for the conversion came from Robert!
This was a fun video for me to watch. The sounds reminded me of a 1978 Volkswagen rabbit that I converted to nominal 144 V electric in 2005 (10@12v 120AH floor polisher l/a batteries). The use of the four-speed transmission is unusual, but I left my original Volkswagen transaxle in place also. Around town, second gear was good from start to 45 mph. Third was good over that, allowing me to touch 70 mph on a long straight stretch. Highway range was optimistically 50 miles. I was severely disheartened when one night my battery charger boiled all the batteries dry. So I went to Costco and bought standard 12V deep cycle batteries for about half the price and half the weight of the originals, and in my continued disheartenment, stupidly sold the car at a huge loss. Interestingly, the rabbit sunroof had very little wind noise, and I could drive down the highway, listening to birds in the distance.
I love how low tech and simple this car feels. I think you'd get a lot more adoption of EVs if there was focus on making barebones, easy to self repair/mod, minimal computer chip designs. No big digital screens. Just a few retro nobs and meters. Would be really kino.
This is a brilliant review. It’s funny that it has the same efficiency and a little more range but a few less toys than my 2021 Honda e, also a relatively low production EV (around 12,000)
Interesting and fun video. Glad to see this piece of history being maintained and driven. When discussing the blocked vision behind the car, my thought was that an aftermarket rear camera and screen would be an inexpensive fix.
That car looks like a cross between an Studebaker Avanti II (front end) and an AMC Pacer or Gremlin without the rear side windows (rear end). With that said, I find this interesting because I didn't know electric cars existed on the market as far back as '79. Thanks for sharing.
That backend screams Gremlin! I'd want to do some quality-of-life upgrades to the car. Find an old VW Rabbit and nab the side mirrors off of it. Replace the lights with LEDs. Maybe a backup camera to help with rear visibility? Otherwise, that is a fascinating vehicle. Wish I was in Colorado so I could see it in person!
As a Volkswagon rabbit owner I recognized the transmission right away. The acceleration pretty much matches my rabbit too. They can get up to speed, but the only thing you pass is mailboxes without running at the car you want to pass for a half a mile before passing. He could put a five speed in, but I don’t see any advantage as the higher ratio only makes the situation worse for him. Very cool car for someone that likes quirky rigs like the rabbit.
Very cool! I like oddball and unique vehicles which is why I chose a 2016 Chevy Spark EV which is a damn fun sleeper of an EV (think hot hatch). Fun video, thanks for posting.
At the risk of revealing that I am THAT GUY, the taillamps couldn't have come from a Buick Skylark as the Skylark was Buick's version of the Chevy Nova back when the Electrek was manufactured. The Skyhawk was the Buick Monza.
The appearance of the car could use a facelift, but otherwise, it meets the essentials that I want in an EV. The range is just enough to get around town; it's not bloated with expensive and extravagant features; and perhaps best of all, it's done with lead-acid batteries, which are extremely well-known and quite safe, and there is a full infrastructure for recycling them, all over the country.
That hatchback version looks sexy! Your philosophy would make a great tagline: "You're not gonna break anything that's not already broken." Somebody should call up Toyota and let them know. You CAN make a gound up EV with four speed manual stick shift. Maybe they would change their mind about going EV.
i owned a Citi car made in Sebring Florida- just a revved up golf cart with a bigger motor . Jimmy Carter era till Reagan came ad squashed it all. Ebikes go faster and longer than that thing did!
"my defrost has asbestos in it. So I don't use it. "
I love the 70s
he could upgrade the hair dryer but that could ruin the originality of it.
that car is a distended rectum
I have a Son of a Gun hair blow dryer from 1979. Very popular product of the day. They sold a lot of them. It has the asbestos ring in it. I believe they eventually did a recall in the 1980s for all those hair blow dryers that had asbestos in them.
@@scruples671 Soft hands, I eat asbestos for breakfast🥱
If you really loved the 70s you'd deal with the mesothelioma like the rest of us 😂
A manual car that doesn't stall and you can set off in any gear. Man, I wish I knew the existence of this car sooner.
Not a car, but Honda now has e-Clutch option for some of their motorcycle
You had to be careful what gear is used, for many early EVs. Our utility converted a Toyota in 1969 or 70. IIRC it used an airplane starter/generator. They put it in 4th instead of 2nd (normal gear for starting out) and snapped the driveshaft. With some motors of that age, it could overspeed if not put into gear, which could destroy the motor. You also shifted w/o a clutch on the Toyota.
also no roof, no power, and no crash protection. seems great lol
VW Beetle 3 speed semi auto since forever
Are you still stalling?... How long have you been driving? That's not really a significant problem
It takes a lot of enduring patience to daily drive this old timer. Time will pass and Cybertruck will not draw attention being common on the road. This particular contraption will always be an attention magnet for car minded folks as long as you keep it on the road. Good job!
It’s a great little daily driver even if it is a pain sometimes! Surprisingly reliable on its new battery pack and not uncomfortable…. Definitely needs more sound deadening though
it will be a cold day in hell before the cybertruck is a common sight on the road...
Time will pass and Cybertruck will not draw attention because they'll be junked or paperweights that no one has seen in years.
Way more unique, interesting and fun than Cybertruck will ever be, no question about it. It is simple enough to be easily owner hackable too.
@@wtmayhew One thing is sure: this orphan car is simple and hackable enough to be kept alive without any dealership or original company. Usability is mostly as local commuter on certain routes. Obviously Cybertruck can be used all over North America. I still presume the technology will progress to the point that even if Tesla disappears the Cybertruck will be maintained by enthusiasts.
The entire video feels like it was made in the 70s or 80s, I love it.
So, with that many VW parts, I gotta know:
How does this car beat emissions?
Dough Demuro
He’s really trying to tuck himself though lots of these shots have some gratuitous moose knuckle lmao
Yes, and him being Colorado I was expecting John Denver to be in the background with his guitar singing.
I love how low tech and simple this car feels. I think you'd get a lot more adoption of EVs if there was focus on making barebones, easy to self repair/mod, minimal computer chip designs. No big digital screens. Just a few retro nobs and meters. Would be really kino.
I wish more people would restomod these old electric cars because they have so much going for them. Old electric cars were built bare bones and without all the weight gaining regulations.
I think my cordless drill is more complicated then this car
@@mumwifeteacher and more efficient: li-ion battery, brushless motor, fast charging,...
Crazy lightweight isn't always the most optimal there must be a balance. Modern electric cars have zero problems with weight. Modern formula 1 cars are way heavier than old f1 cars yet they are faster than any old f1 car. Modern car structures and safety systems are pretty light. Weight is important but it's one part of equation.
Doug Demuro
"weight gaining regulations" - you mean "life saving regulations" :D
The hair dryer is hilarious! Typical engineering solution...fit for purpose! Nothing wrong
"Hair dryer" that's a funny way to say "window defroster"
-ElecTrek engineers, circa 1979
the electric heaters have died in my ev so i can see a hairdryer coming out when winter comes hhehehhe
Sounds like they did asbestos they could with the heating system.
They could have put the internals in an abs tube for basically no cost to at least give the illusion of build quality. Or at least spray paint the thing black.
@@whalefpv2236a heat gun would be better though possibly way overkill
Regarding the car exploding with regeneration, lead acid batteries do release hydrogen when charging so it could explode quite literally 😮
Standard warnings on almost all lead acid battery chargers. 🤷♂️
Yeah, the lithium swap should possibly fix that.
@@lsswappedcessna It's lithium iron phosphate so yeah definitely !
This chemistry is even safer than li-ion by the way.
@@psirvent8 Yes, I’ve seen a puncture test comparison video and it was night and day: the li-ion caught fire almost immediately, while the LFP behaved the same as it had before having a nail shoved through it, outputting approximately the same voltage on the meter.
“This was the most popular one they sold” literally dozens!
There are dozens of us! Dozens!
🤣🤣 you win internet comment of the day for me!
made me laugh too
32hp output at the motor explained...
DC commutated/brushed motors have low efficiency, probably about 75-80%... I'll use 78%. That means it needs at least 41hp of electricity (30.59kW) input to output 32hp (23.86kW). (1hp = 745.7 Watts)
The motor controllers in 1979 were horribly inefficient... about 75% would be my educated guess. So to create 28.6kW output, you need 38.24kW input.
16 x 6V batteries is 96 Volts.
38.24kW / 96v = 398 Amps... but at that heavy of a load, lead acid batteries have voltage droop due to internal resistance (just like when you crank your ICE starter, the 12v battery voltage droops a bit)
So if the 96v droops to 92v, you would be drawing 415 Amps.
Very good insight!
It is actually simpler than that. 32 hp is the continuous rating of that motor; DC motors can produce significantly more than their continuous rated hp, but doing so risks overheating it.
@beforebefore Was going to make this point but you made it better than I could with all your fancy math I find it funny that an ev fanboy like this guy doesn’t understand the physics of his vehicle and does some half baked calculations on the runing currents and makes the statement that the engineers had it wrong which is hilarious they designed the car fairly sure they knew the efficiency figures of the equipment in it lol stupid fanboys…
It seems incomplete…. Read more
That's another reason EVs weren't really viable until the 2010s. You don't only need good batteries, but also high-efficiency motors and electronic power controlllers. "Big Oil" hardly needed to kill or suppress the EVs, you simply weren't going anywhere with brushed motors, resistive rheostats and analog control electronics/hardly any regen like in the 70s or 80s. Even if you had access to Lithium batteries before the late 1990s.
Really interesting, I had no idea this thing existed. And it pre-dates the EV1 too. Wild.
Most of the EVs I own predate the EV1 lol
@@ElectrekGarage How many EV's ... cars, motorcycles, e-bikes, etc. do you own?
@@RPRosen-ki2fk 5 at the moment, but looking to downsize lol
Doug Demuro
It’s not even the first electric car :D electric cars predates combustion engine cars
The automakers are just being assholes by refusing to make electric cars like this. Smaller size for parking, smaller 40-50kwh batteries and
most of inflation the last 50 years has been in cars and houses. it is the only industry where you can get a price above 10x cost of materials and labor. if you really want a change lobby your politician. personally i'm only interested in the industry for those sweet sweet margins.
Small cars cost nearly as much to make as large ones - same number of parts, etc. Highway mileage is also not much better so for decent range you still need a larger battery.
At least in Europe we get more and more light electric vehicles (L7e vehicles). And not just Opel Rock /Renault Twizy. we get mini-buses and cargo vehicle. And I think that is a direct result from regulations (no driving ICE-cars in city centers). Sadly, it seems unclear whether the X-Bus will ever come to market (I was really looking forward for this one).
Not sure if it is automakers alone. After all, they do also build smaller cars, people just like to buy SUVs.
You can get a Tesla Model 3 for
There are quite a few small models in China, and now a few are coming to market in Europe as well. But I agree, if I were to get a car it would be a small car, when I had one it was a Renault Clio.
I love that someone loved this car enough to give it a new battery and daily it! I wish I could go to Electrify Expo to see it. And to hear it, I bet that GE motor sounds really cool in person.
Wait... I have seen this same comment somewhere before. About this same car. In a another channel.
Vehicle may not be my cup of tea, but one thing I truly enjoy is when people speak about cars they truly love.
The enthusiasm is contagious
Thank you!
As a longtime Denver resident I’ve seen a few of these driving around town over the decades. It’s very fun to learn more about them. I’m not even sure if I noticed that they were electric back in the day. Thanks for the great video!
I really love how so many different car manufacturers came together to build this car... GM's carpet engineers said our carpet is the least flammable.... Mercury said our back hatch is the least flammable... VW Said our key is the least flammable. The collaboration is just heartwarming.
😂
Kudos for keeping it alive, every orphan deserves a good home. It looks like an AMC Pacer drawn by someone who didn't own a set of French curves, and who didn't wait 30 years for weed to be legalized in Colorado.
I wonder how many Chevy dealers' part departments they raided to get all those Monza taillights.
I thought that crash test footage didn't look too bad then I found the full video and it was only at THIRTY MILES PER HOUR. 1960s corvairs hold up better than that, except for the steering column
Very cool car and I'm glad someone's keeping it on the road. Too many rare classics just end up sitting in garages or museums most of the time instead of being used as cars
The side mirror look like it comes from a VW rabbit. Maybe getting a passenger side one would help a bit with visibility.
You can save more energy by swapping the sealed beam headlights for LED replacements.
Just make sure to actually get good warm white replacements with safe optics and not those POS cold led headlights that blind people at night
The 2-3 shift drivetrain wobble sound (20:39) is definitely something you do NOT associate to an EV video but I love it xDDDD
i wish i could highlight ur comment 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Having gears to shift PERIOD is something folks don't usually associate with an EV.
If I could find a modern Ev that could truely coast and not destroy a manual transmission that would make me switch.
The tucked in open button up is low key a vibe
Thank you :)
Very cool ! What I find even more hilarious about the hair dryer is how they didn’t even bother disassembling it or anything to keep the innards and make it look semi-factory. It’s literally OFF THE SHELF, with the handle and brand stickers and everything.
I am looking @ a Tesla, but if there was a dealer down the street from the Tesla place, I'd definitely stop in and check out that model! If my memory serves me, I had an uncle that owned a photo lab in downtown Chicago back in the 70's. I remember him telling me about the electric car they used for some time to do pickups and deliveries of photo work. He showed me a photo of the car and looked a LOT like yours! My wonderful uncle passed away before Tesla and other EV's started mainstreaming. He was ahead of his times.
As a manual transmission die-hard and an EV fan, this car has occupied a very special place in my mind for a long time, and shuts down many a related Internet argument as you can imagine. I'm very happy to see such a well produced video on the car, as the others on TH-cam were getting long in the tooth.
Cheers!
You can get help for that😂
@@barriewilliams4526why should he get help for being a die-hard manual fan?
It's a bit outdated but still fun for a weekend car when you don't want to drive in your ev
Amazing car. A piece of history.
Brazil has (had at least) a law mandating a fire extinguisher in every car!
Belgium too, so I guess all of Europe.
It should be mandatory everywhere.
That's a very smart law.
In the US, ICE vehicles account for about 15% of all fires reported to fire departments.
@@forton615 France, Italy and Spain don't require any fire extinguisher in cars though.
So it's not all of Europe.
@@warrensteel9954 It's because of lpg usage.
this car looks so much like an AMC Gremlin... well done for keeping it alive and well for so long.
It sounds exactly how I expected it to sound.
You sir, are a credit to yourself, that car and automotive history in general. I applaud you.
Fun video! In the UK we had the Enfield Electric in the 70s which was smaller. Johnny Smith turned one into a super high performance record breaker.
👍🏼
Electric vehicles are so interesting, and it's always amazed me that they've been around for longer than a lot of people realize
True just as long as gas
@@RuviaPawz Yeah pretty much, William Morrison made a "popular" one in 1889
Even longer than gas cars.@@RuviaPawz
This may be the only car that has a warning about exploding in the owner's manual, but it could be argued that the Ford Pinto deserved a section about that as well.
😂
Every old gasoline car has the same design "flaw" as the Pinto, the Pinto was just the one to take the fall for it.
God as someone who DIY's ebikes, escooters and is pissed by the complex electronics in my electric car I would loooove to have this instead. Looks like a great car to improve.
There's carpet on the steering wheel! LOL. I love it.
This thing rules. I daily a strange old car too and it's such a lovely joy to have every day
I always love learning more about these older EVs. Can't explain why I'm so fascinated with them. Nice job on taking care of her and giving her a nice battery upgrade 👍🏾
All Motors (including electric ones) are rated at the output shaft
Your 51HP at the Battery -80% efficiency of the controller -80% efficiency of the Motor gives your 32HP at the shaft (I made up the efficiencies, but shouldn't be too far of)
Nothing wrong there, just measured on different spots
I bet this will be running long after a lot of todays electric cars, too. No software bugs, no "unable to download wifi update", no planned obsolescence. Just "If there's volts, off you go!"
5:53 To be fair, this reminds me of the last _handful_ of econo-hatch cars I've owned. Their manuals all have a section for "towing", and they all just tell you, "DON'T!"
Wisconsin bought 10 of these. They ran special plates starting at “VTAE 1” and ended at “VTAE 10.”
I have “VTAE 5” in Wisconsinites License Plate Museum with a photo of the vehicle.
I wish I could send you some photos.
Do you have photos???
Here I thought the letters in the "AMC" brand name stood for "All Makes Combined." This beats "AMC" hollow...and to the BEST effect.
This car was more forward-looking than anything else made in 1979. I had just entered the work force in 1979, and this car would've beaten the snot out of the bicycle with which I "drove" to and from work. Back then, I WISHED for something that was smooth and quiet and didn't stink up the air I was trying to breathe back then.
I recall the pall of brown smog that hung over Denver back in the summer of 1978. I hope things are better for you out there now.
I started in the work force riding a pedal bike. Now that I'm retired, I've been car-free over a decade...and I ride a pedal bike. So much for personal progress!
I enjoy your channel and that of "Aging Wheels." I'm also thrilled to see you on this channel as well. For an old fart like me, rescuing old cars from their awful ICE powerplants is the way to go! Aloha!
Thanks for watching! You are doing it right with the pedal bike!
Yes, but at $82,000 in 1979, it also would have cost 200x what the bicycle you "drove" to and from work did, assuming you had a very nice bicycle. I don't know about you, but when I first started working, I didn't have that kind of money. I still don't.
@@mar4kl Yes, it's both funny and sad.
I try to take heart in knowing I may have been doing "the right thing" for less money. I never ADVANCED the art of mere transportation, but I may have lowered tailpipe emissions a tiny bit.
Nowadays, of course, I'll be cursed at for encouraging the carbon emissions by promoting the mining of metals and burning petrochemicals by having the metals forged into my bicycle.
(Sigh...) We can't win, can we?
I never had the money for exotic electric cars, and I still don't. Instead...I'm in my 7th decade, and I'm STILL able for ride for tens of miles every day. I can't even afford an electric bike...and if I bought one...I'd probably curse myself for giving into the temptation to make my life easier.
(Sigh...) We can't win, can we?🤣😆
AMC stands for A Mechanics Car!😂😂😂
18:03 - I feel the same way! I sole daily my beloved second gen leaf and sometimes I'll turn the radio and AC off just to hear the hum of the motor! Overall I really enjoyed your video - partly for the unique EV, but because of your enthusiasm for it! Makes me smile tbh 🧡
All commercial vehicles are required to have a fire extinguisher, so it's a bit ahead of the curve for them to recommend it in your owner's manual. See "49 CFR § 393.95 - Emergency equipment on all power units." for more info. Also, the Kia Soul has the exact same tow rating in the US owners manual.
I had a Mazda 3 and its owners manual had a section on towing that was just one sentence: "Never attempt to tow anything with your Mazda."
Towing capacity: Don't.
My dream build is to build a hybrid or fuel efficient Chrysler Airstream from the 1930s. That way I could daily it, keep that baby alive!!! She's gorgeous!!
Damn... I thought the fire extinguisher thing was common throughout the world. In Argentina every car must have one by law.
I never knew this existed, I love your passion for these cars and you seem like a great guy to have a beer with so thanks for being you and keeping the geek in me watching!
Thank you! Beer is gross tho, more of a cocktail guy
They have cassettes/tapes that you can use as Bluetooth or audio cable to devices.
Love how you worried the audio would be distorted out on the road and it was like the clearest audio (except for the beautiful motor noise)
LOL! I think it helped that my microphone disconnected due to EMF from the controller
Omg all the car people are in my home state! There's a guy with a radial 7 airplane engine hot rod, the diametric opposite of ev, somewhere around here too 😂
It's like a high speed golf cart, what's not to love?
AAAAAA!! THE HIPSTER!!! ITS BLINDING!!!!!!
Driving that car seems a lot like when I drove a 64 VW Beetle. Far from luxurious, but more fun than makes any sense. Same was true for my 72 Honda AZ-600 that I referred to as my street legal go-kart. 🙂
That AZ600 was a very cool car! I got to drive one back in the day, loved it!
Maybe you could add a little cheap rear-view camera and screen - could even integrate it with the rear view mirror if you placed it right.
Also you should try gluing that headliner back up and tuck it in nicely. It is really easy with the 3M Spray Glue. Might as well at this point!
cool wheels too on this car. I'd change the lights if I drove it at night!
Dang why do I love old electric cars
I learned of this car from Aging Wheels. It's certainly different.
Looks like something Flint Lockwood would drive
Is that a manual electric? Sick!!!
I love old EVs. In the 1970s General Electric manufactured a line of battery electric lawn and garden tractors with a full list of attachments from mower decks to snowblowers garden plows and tillers. I collect them and I have a few videos of them in action on my channel. They have a cult-like following and after I bought my first one I was immediately hooked. There is even a Facebook group dedicated to them and there are two different guys in the US who's source and manufacturer parts to keep them going!
This is like the Gwiz in the UK fenomenal old school electric car
I like that you're keeping the old girl running. I have an old early 1970's GE built electric garden tractor that I'm planning a rebuild on soon. GE's Elec-trak line is an interesting study in corporate adaptability.
Steering wheel, steering column and wiper & blinker switches straight outta VW Golf mk1. That's why the key has VW logo lmao
It somewhat loosely resembles the AMC Pacer. Very interesting car! Never had heard of it.
Neat! I enjoyed watching this. I'd say 10% butterfly door though, 50% is pushing it a bit :D
always a good day when I discover a car I never knew existed
what a cool and old school thing. I love when people give a second life to old cars and motorcycles. Such transport has a special vibe.
I honestly think that this is what we need. I want a dirt cheap questionable frame with the most rudimentary electric drivetrain plus a more advanced lithium ion battery (or next gen. sodium ion for those harsh winter climates).
Automotive manufacturers are so busy cramming tech garbage into cars that they forgot what a car is even for. Getting you from A to B. I would kill for this car.
Well done on the video.
A little cramped electric shitbox would probably be more fun than a big roomy 1000 wheel horsepower electric SUV with a million screens. More fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.
When you're describing the makeup of the vehicle, it reminds me of Johnny Cash's One Piece at a Time.
bet you're excited about switching your powerpack to a solid-state system; shorter charging time, lighter...less possibility of explosion
I love that you say..
"Just like a normal car...."
I would love to see a follow up when you are done sorta fixing up the car, paint, maybe some sound deadening, non asbestos heater, maybe funky rims, maybe funky LED headlights, etc etc
absolutely will make a video like that when I'm less broke lol!
That hair dryer to heat the windshield is hilarious
Honestly this car looks a lot like a Ford Pinto in the body shape. Still a really cool car though. I've thought for a while about the concept of an electric car with an actual transmission. Didn't know it was a real thing until today
You should do a coop with Robert Dunn (Aging Wheels). This is right up his alley. You can go cruising together with him in his Trabant or even better, in his Coda (IIRC, you said the battery is from a Coda)
Lol Robert and I are very good friends, he's been in my videos and I've been in his. He also made a video on this exact car already and funny enough some of the coda modules that I used for the conversion came from Robert!
@@ElectrekGarage I was wondering that! Not too many Codas in the world and he has 3 of them :)
This was a fun video for me to watch. The sounds reminded me of a 1978 Volkswagen rabbit that I converted to nominal 144 V electric in 2005 (10@12v 120AH floor polisher l/a batteries).
The use of the four-speed transmission is unusual, but I left my original Volkswagen transaxle in place also. Around town, second gear was good from start to 45 mph. Third was good over that, allowing me to touch 70 mph on a long straight stretch. Highway range was optimistically 50 miles.
I was severely disheartened when one night my battery charger boiled all the batteries dry. So I went to Costco and bought standard 12V deep cycle batteries for about half the price and half the weight of the originals, and in my continued disheartenment, stupidly sold the car at a huge loss.
Interestingly, the rabbit sunroof had very little wind noise, and I could drive down the highway, listening to birds in the distance.
6:06 That's like my Prius manual. Half of a page to say "don't do it". Spoiler you can, but you will get 16mpg(1200lbs) and only have 11.9 gallons.
I love how low tech and simple this car feels. I think you'd get a lot more adoption of EVs if there was focus on making barebones, easy to self repair/mod, minimal computer chip designs. No big digital screens. Just a few retro nobs and meters. Would be really kino.
This is a brilliant review. It’s funny that it has the same efficiency and a little more range but a few less toys than my 2021 Honda e, also a relatively low production EV (around 12,000)
Interesting and fun video. Glad to see this piece of history being maintained and driven. When discussing the blocked vision behind the car, my thought was that an aftermarket rear camera and screen would be an inexpensive fix.
That car looks like a cross between an Studebaker Avanti II (front end) and an AMC Pacer or Gremlin without the rear side windows (rear end).
With that said, I find this interesting because I didn't know electric cars existed on the market as far back as '79.
Thanks for sharing.
Came here thanks to Aging Wheels hehe
Thats such a cool little car! I daily drive a leaf, and I would still prefer that little monster..
That backend screams Gremlin! I'd want to do some quality-of-life upgrades to the car. Find an old VW Rabbit and nab the side mirrors off of it. Replace the lights with LEDs. Maybe a backup camera to help with rear visibility? Otherwise, that is a fascinating vehicle. Wish I was in Colorado so I could see it in person!
I must get a car like this.
😂😂😂 the owners " manual" made me laugh. It kind of looks like one of those old amg's
Aging Wheels did review on this car, too.
Very much giving hinged Aging Wheels here
This young man had these cars before AgingWheels had them.
As a Volkswagon rabbit owner I recognized the transmission right away. The acceleration pretty much matches my rabbit too. They can get up to speed, but the only thing you pass is mailboxes without running at the car you want to pass for a half a mile before passing. He could put a five speed in, but I don’t see any advantage as the higher ratio only makes the situation worse for him. Very cool car for someone that likes quirky rigs like the rabbit.
Love the hair dryer heater!
Awesome! Modern classic for sure. Thanks for the vid
I remember that car. The 70s had so many different electric cars.
If this wasnt Vin #1 it would be sick with half a tesla battery
There’s a guy in California with an Electrek with a Tesla battery, might have to make a video with him 👀
My father-in-law has. A old Marathon motors c 300 from the 70s
Very cool! I like oddball and unique vehicles which is why I chose a 2016 Chevy Spark EV which is a damn fun sleeper of an EV (think hot hatch). Fun video, thanks for posting.
We love the spark EV!
Windows: You might be able to find some "wiper on a roll" to replace the original center seal?
At the risk of revealing that I am THAT GUY, the taillamps couldn't have come from a Buick Skylark as the Skylark was Buick's version of the Chevy Nova back when the Electrek was manufactured. The Skyhawk was the Buick Monza.
My bad! You are absolutely right!
Looks pretty fun to drive it! Never tried a manual transmission electric car.
What an interesting Frankenstein's monster of a electric car...
The appearance of the car could use a facelift, but otherwise, it meets the essentials that I want in an EV. The range is just enough to get around town; it's not bloated with expensive and extravagant features; and perhaps best of all, it's done with lead-acid batteries, which are extremely well-known and quite safe, and there is a full infrastructure for recycling them, all over the country.
That hatchback version looks sexy!
Your philosophy would make a great tagline: "You're not gonna break anything that's not already broken."
Somebody should call up Toyota and let them know. You CAN make a gound up EV with four speed manual stick shift. Maybe they would change their mind about going EV.
I watched the whole video. What an absolute blast this car is.
i owned a Citi car made in Sebring Florida- just a revved up golf cart with a bigger motor . Jimmy Carter era till Reagan came ad squashed it all. Ebikes go faster and longer than that thing did!
I would find a couple wrecked Tesla's and upgrade that thing with the good parts. Super cool ride bro!