Billy Finney doesn’t need to buy sandbags to get traction in the snow for his 1987 Dodge Ram 50 pickup. The truck already carries all the weight it needs in batteries.
Finney purchased the truck to have it converted from a gasoline engine to an electric motor system that uses 24 six-volt batteries for storing and providing power to run.
“I’ve got 1,000 pounds of batteries here,” Finney said, slapping the pickup bed; “probably 1,100 pounds.”
Two more batteries are under the hood to operate the headlamps, windshield wipers and other standard equipment. The conversion originally called for four batteries under the hood, but Finney had them moved to the pickup bed because they placed too much weight in the front end.
Few remnants of the original engine compartment remain after the changeover. The engine, gas tank, radiator, exhaust system and other original, gas-power parts packed under the Dodge’s hood were replaced with the few compact and clean components needed to keep its new electric motor functioning.
Finney hauled the little truck to the Electric Blue company in Walton, near Newton, last fall. The company had five other pickup conversions under way when he dropped it off, from older pickups like the Dodge to newer, heavier Chevrolet S-10 models.
“Each one’s a custom build because each vehicle’s designed different,” Finney said. “There was more to it than I thought there’d be.”
The new system includes a programmable 110-volt charger with digital readout that leaves options open for Finney.
“What that means is I could take out the lead acid batteries and put in another kind of battery, and I could program it for it,” he said.
Lithium batteries, which would be longer-lasting and provide more power, would cost about $18,000 for a full set, though, and are not a cost-effective alternative to the standard batteries.
Electric cables connect the batteries with the motor; a short cord with plug pokes out from the truck’s grill, ready to be connected to a 110 electrical outlet for recharging.
“When it’s 100 percent charged, it turns off,” he said.
He protects the batteries in the bed with a tonneau cover.
“You can drive in the rain, that’s no problem,” Finney said. “But when you plug it in to charge the batteries, I’ve read that they should be dry.”
He checks battery water levels monthly to make sure they’re filled properly. It’s the only routine maintenance Finney needs to do on the pickup and, with proper care and distilled water, the batteries should last four to six years.
Like a gas-powered engine, Finney’s new electric system has an alternator and pulley that keeps the batteries charged under the hood so power is always available for headlamps, wipers and washers.
“You wouldn’t have to, but it’s better,” he said. “You couldn’t drive very far or you’d run your 12-volt (battery) down,” he explained.
Without the naturally hot fluids that flow through to heat the cabs of gas-powered vehicles, the Ram 50 also needed a new aluminum heater that runs off the batteries and circulates water and antifreeze through the system.
“When it was 20, 30 degrees, it worked great,” Finney said. “When it got colder, it didn’t.”
He plans to solve that problem by insulating the aluminum heater.
“As you go along, you learn,” he said.
The pickup has a range of about 50 miles on a full charge.
“But wind and cold weather and hills, all that can reduce your miles between charges,” Finney said.
He makes a 27-mile round trip to visit his parents each day without worrying about recharging and, so far, there’s been no noticeable increase in the Finneys’ electricity bill.
“The electric cost is supposed to be about 2 cents a mile. My van, at 20 miles per gallon at $2 a gallon, is 10 cents per mile; at $4 a gallon, it’s 20 cents,” Finney said. “And this is still 2 cents.”
The brush-type motor is expected to last for about 500,000 miles.
“You don’t have to pull the motor to change the brushes. You can change them right there,” he said. “I don’t know that I’ll ever have to change them in my lifetime.”
A screen that surrounds the 144-volt motor keeps trash and debris from getting into the engine.
Inside the cab of the truck, two digital displays tell Finney how much “fuel” — volts and amps — is available. The motor sends out a high-pitched whirr when he turns the ignition switch, and soon settles into a sewing-machine hum that says it’s ready to run.
Finney has driven the truck on the highway at 66 miles per hour with no effort.
“It’s not just a town vehicle, and if I have a place to plug in, I can go quite a ways and plug in, then in a few hours be ready to go again,” Finney said, noting that some areas of California have plug-in stations.
“I’ve already drove over 1,500 miles, and I started driving it Jan. 1,” Finney said.
“I’m really happy with it. It’s just such fun to drive.”
ON THE NET:
Electric Blue: www.ev-blue.com.
madpoet (anonymous) says...
Cool. I'm expecting them to have much more compact batteries in the next couple of years, too. I've seen on the news where they are close to a breakthrough on batteries. I go about 20 miles a day to work and back so that would be great for me. Most people probably don't go more than 50 miles to work and back.
March 25, 2009 at 1:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
josiesbar (anonymous) says...
I'm pretty sure there are 110 V outlets on the light poles downtown. Not implying anything, just saying... ;)
March 25, 2009 at 5:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )