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September 29, 2008
Electric Duster
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
So if you’re a Mopar Or No Car kind of guy and are sick of high gas prices, what do you do? You build an electric Duster. Bruce bought this A-body back in 2006. It had a fresh 360 but otherwise was pretty rough. Over the course of two years he did a resto-mod on the car, which included body work, new paint, and even digital gauges and an RFID keyless ignition system.
But Bruce didn’t stop there. With gas prices on the rise, he was already researching alternative fuels. Then he heard about Tesla and the Volt. In June he picked up a copy of The Zero-Carbon Car, and within an hour was planning his new project. Since he’s a meteorologist, he decided to call it the Electrical Storm. Continue reading…
The choice of an old Mopar A-body makes more sense than you might think. It is a very simple, solid car that has power nothing. And it can handle the weight of a lot of batteries (12 in the trunk and 14 under the hood). Bruce said that, "I guess if cheap practically were my only consideration I’d have to go with the usual beat-up silver or white four door foreign piece of crap that is popular with the people that have already done conversions. But, I’m just not that kind of guy. I’d almost rather keep buying gasoline—or walk—than to have to drive something like that to go electric."
So what does a project like this cost? The total cost for everything related to the conversion will come in right around $12K. The batteries were $3,700, which included a $650 core charge since Bruce didn’t have any old batteries to turn in. The motor was $1,670 plus $100 shipping. The other pricey items were the motor controller ($1,345) and the battery pack charger ($1,960). The one-of-a-kind aluminum adapter plate for the tranny cost $1100.
Bruce weighed the Duster before he started and it came in at 3,080 pounds. He is shooting for a finished weight of 4,000 pounds. Based upon other similar conversions of a comparable weight—usually Chevy S-10 pickups—he expects to achieve a top speed of 65-70 mph with a range of 40-50 miles. He will then work on reducing weight and improving aerodynamics to improve upon that.
The actual power rating is more difficult to determine, as DC motor HP is figured differently than internal combustion engine (ICE) HP. Also, because of differences at different operating voltages, it has been difficult for Bruce to get/interpret HP and torque curves supplied by the manufacturer.
The motor itself is approximately 30 HP. This probably equates to around 100 HP if compared with a similar ICE. But torque is much higher than a similar ICE at the same HP, although it is hard to get an exact number on that, either. DC motor torque is greatest at low rpm, so acceleration is usually very good with these conversions.
Bruce has a variable voltage charger so he can use 240 volts at home and also tap into 120 volts if he is out somewhere. At 240 volts, he expects a full charge to take under four hours. He calculates a full charge to cost less than $2. The cost equates to about $.03 per mile.
Bruce is documenting all of this in his blog. Also be sure to check out his ride page on CarDomain. And of course we’ll keep you posted on his progress in the CarDomain Blog. Bruce plans to have the EV Duster on theroad by the end of October. Watch out Tesla!
Comments
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mopar or nokar
Nov 7, 2008 at 12:28 am
i think it is pretty cool and would get alot of attention at a car show. and for the person named coupe, who in there right mind would drive this car in the winter when it is cold. i am sure it is put up for the winter. nice ride and even better imagination. keep up the good work
Candyapple
Oct 23, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Yep, eff them all, real nice attitude! Mitch, you’re the one who said earlier the battery acid would eat you alive. DUHHHHHHHHH
Mitch
Oct 19, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Cool, man ! I say eff all you guys who are bashing this project. I think it’s real cool. Who’s gonna get more attention at a car show, me with my matching-numbers, all-original ‘70 Duster 340, or Bruce with the most unique ride at the event ? I say Bruce is the hands-down winner !
Duster “cores” are worth little these days unless they are genuine 340 cars (like mine !)that haven’t been all hacked-up.
Since he yanked a 360 from this car, I’m guessing it was a clone car when he got it anyhow. Nuthin’wrong with clone cars either,very cool but if it was a 318 car or a 6 cyl when it was born, you can install pedals in it if that’s what you want as long as it makes you happy. Looking forward to reading the blog.
Mikey
Oct 15, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I give it an F, yes an F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Coupe
Oct 13, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Oh, and you now have a 4,000 pound car with no power steering or brakes. Delightful.
Coupe
Oct 13, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I sure hope that those batteries are securely tied down. Imagine those 50 pounds lumps flying around in a crash!
Does it have a heater/defroster? No. Notice that these electrics nearly all come from warm places. The range sounds adequate at first, but you try driving it [or any electric] in the winter when it’s 10 degree’s and you’ve got the lights and wipers going, let alone any kind of heat. You’d be very lucky to get 10-20 miles per charge.
As far as the car goes, although it seems to be an interesting piece of engineering, it’s kind of the answer to a question nobody asked. And $12,000 would have bought a lot of gas.
Sorry, but I’ll pass.
realcarguy
Oct 13, 2008 at 9:17 am
just a shot of reality here. 12 g’s to go 40-50 miles? that’s not even a commute for most people. lets talk about 26 lead acid batteries that don’t seem to have any vapor collection system, will have that nice orange paint peeling in no time. what if it was to be wrecked? 26 gallons of sulfuric acid on the pavement. quite a hazmat nightmare. all in all not practical, hell, not even fun to drive! you want to flip off the oil companies? get an e85 carb for that 360 or run cng. you want a 0 emission vehicle? get a bicycle!
civicshortii
Oct 7, 2008 at 1:41 pm
im a girl. and im 16, and only standing 5′5”, so yeah mister. i am short.
Mikey
Oct 6, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Hey baby civicshortii < < Hope you aren't short in other areas! ;-)
civicshortii
Oct 6, 2008 at 2:53 pm
*whistles* sweeeet :]
Urban_Gyspy
Oct 4, 2008 at 10:34 pm
KUDOS to you! Perhaps I can come up with a way to make my old hooptie electric. You’re the man!
ebodyboy
Oct 4, 2008 at 4:24 am
Of course it’s something different and bordering on unique but the bottom-line is that it’s the O.P.’s project and his $ to spend as he wishes. Eventually some of the (generic) conversion items will decrease in cost (much like plasma/LCD tv’s have) and batteries will be more affordable also.
The 360 would’ve had to come out eventually (to get rid of the NASTY green colour of the block). Nice project, Bruce.
DartConvertible
Oct 3, 2008 at 8:20 pm
That’s great. I want to convert my Dart to electric.
tony
Oct 3, 2008 at 2:58 pm
nice try, but thats a waste of a sweet car, shoulda done a ranger or dakota/s10 or something and kept that how it was or better. that 360 would be a hell of alot faster and more fun.
Ben
Oct 2, 2008 at 4:01 pm
GT Wildfire, If you’d read the article it tells you right here:
And it can handle the weight of a lot of batteries (12 in the trunk and 14 under the hood).
Mitch
Oct 2, 2008 at 1:07 pm
What are the gays doing on this website? IE Mikey and Bubba? This car is awesome but don’t wreck. The battery acid would eat you alive!
Bubba
Oct 2, 2008 at 10:52 am
silly toyz for silly boyz
bbei
Oct 2, 2008 at 6:12 am
Very nice initiative. Don’t let the critics get to you. With soaring gas prices, guess who’ll be laughing last.
Electric cars are the future.
Staying True to the Roots
Oct 1, 2008 at 9:56 pm
ITS CALLED MUSCLE FOR A REASON ROBO-HO
Mon
Oct 1, 2008 at 10:28 am
Nice project, brilliant idea, great job, and awesome works done. But also a waste of a nice classic Mopar muscle car.
escapenguin
Oct 1, 2008 at 2:08 am
This ain’t nothin’ new ;] And, V8? Bah! White Zombie spanks most ICBs.
http://www.plasmaboyracing.com/whitezombie.php
elcamino-dude
Oct 1, 2008 at 12:33 am
thats awesome good for him, its sweet to blend american muscle with awesome modern altenatives, i’d still prefer a 426 hemi but still thats awesome for him, he dreamed something really out of the box and is now living his dream- good for him!
1988montecarloss
Sep 30, 2008 at 11:01 pm
thats a waste of a good car
Keith
Sep 30, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I don’t think he’ll miss his muscle. In his blog he says he also has a Roadrunner.
The Pessimist
Sep 30, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Wrong vehicle for the conversion. He should’ve done a small pickup like everyone else and then enjoyed that V8 on the weekends. When the novelty wears off, this guy is going to miss his muscle car.
Keith
Sep 30, 2008 at 5:00 pm
GTwildfire, more batteries are going under the hood than in the trunk. The car will probably have better weight distrubution than stock.
Michael
Sep 30, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Mikey, You’re a sick pr*ck. This thing is bad a*s. Thanks for sharing. I hope someone will do the same with a camero. I’m sick of Toyoto/Honda/GM and others making electric cars and then charging so much for them it makes more sense not to even go electric. Thanks again!
sick mikey!
Sep 30, 2008 at 4:41 pm
hey mikey i think if u cum on guys is sick!
Stealth
Sep 30, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Hey Mikey I think you should shut your mouth! that thing is bad ass, and smart too. Unlike you. next time you should check your spelling.
mikey
Sep 30, 2008 at 3:13 pm
That is the silliest thing I’ve ever seen. Are you for reel? Cum on guys, you can do better than that.
Evan
Sep 30, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Man that is so cool!!!! I so want to make one now! I’m actually currently thinking about starting off small and using my Lawn tractor as a trial.
Maffew
Sep 30, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I’ve got nothing but KUDOS for this guy… what a way to turn a project car into something that saves you money instead of just costing you money. And the originality of using an old mopar gives him bonus points.
Matt
Sep 30, 2008 at 11:16 am
It sort of goes without saying but an accident in this car would be – just – sweet mother of battery acid.
Matt
Sep 30, 2008 at 10:50 am
so will she smoke the tires like it would in it’s prime?
GTwildfire
Sep 30, 2008 at 5:49 am
Seems the weight distribution might be thrown off. The original engine and all the stuff removed gotta weight a good bit more than the new electric mill and its sparse requirements.
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I’d almost certainly shift a number of batteries from rear to front to balance out the car as well as possible. All the weight shifted to the rear.
Jim
Sep 30, 2008 at 4:45 am
That guy had better paint “Dirt Devil” somewhere on the car…Electric Duster…
7urtle
Sep 30, 2008 at 4:35 am
great. wat happened to the orginal motor .im never gona go electric i want my speed .
Keith
Sep 29, 2008 at 11:13 pm
highspeedhijinks, Dusters are pretty small and light, a lot more than your La Sabre, and it probably weighs about the same as your Grand Prix
Stewart
Sep 29, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Ryan,
14 batteries go under the hood…
Ryan
Sep 29, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Talk about a wire tuck! That is awesome. Will there be anything additional that goes under the hood?
GTwildfire
Sep 29, 2008 at 9:21 pm
If he managed to get his hands on nanotitanate batteries, I bet it would outperform the Volt in electric-only mode.
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I’m very serious about that.
Highspeedhijinks
Sep 29, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Im dumbfounded. A Duster ? its so big and heavy and clunky. Nothing and electric car should be.
~
Im just gonna chalk it up to this guys likes to take on big challenges.
Keith
Sep 29, 2008 at 8:33 pm
wow, I never thought I’d see this with an old mopar, but I guess there’s a first for everything