Monday, May 11, 2009
Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Car manufacturers will not have plug-in electric vehicles on the market until 2010, but some people just cannot wait to switch to emissions-free technology.

Seizing on the small but growing demand for electric cars, two Sarasota mechanics have recently begun offering gas-to-electric conversions for any car on the road.

They are the first businesses to offer the service locally, and among only a dozen in Florida leading the conversions’ transition from tinkerers and hobbyists to professional operations.

The Florida Electric Automotive Association estimates there are only about 100 to 200 electric cars operating statewide, most built by enthusiasts who have long been experimenting with the technology and people like rocker Neil Young, who converted a 1959 Lincoln to electric recently to make an environmental statement.

Now the technology is poised to go mainstream.

One of Florida’s Republican lawmakers tried to jumpstart the industry by offering $2,000 rebates for anyone converting their vehicle. The bill failed last week, but Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, said he will work with the Florida energy office to try and do something similar with federal stimulus funds.

“Florida’s economy could really benefit from attracting early adopters of this technology,” Hasner said Wednesday.

In addition, President Barack Obama has proposed a $7,000 tax credit for electric cars, while pledging to have 1 million on the road by 2015.

These big promises are attracting a lot of entrepreneurs to the electric car business nationwide, but the industry is still struggling to overcome issues of safety, reliability and cost.

The conversions are not cheap, with do-it-yourself kits costing at least $7,500 and mechanics charging around $20,000 because of the intense labor requirements.

New electric cars will cost even more. Chevrolet has said its Volt plug-in hybrid will start around $40,000.

But many early adopters of electric vehicle technology are less concerned about saving money than saving the environment.

Mechanic Steve Walters of Alternative Automotive has done two conversions since he began offering the service in August, a Porsche and a Chevy Avalanche. Both clients were worried about the impact on the environment from burning gasoline.

“Right now this is being driven less by saving money on gas and more by philosophical concerns,” Walters said. “But if gas gets back up to $4.50 a gallon I think the economics start to make a lot more sense.”

David Graves of High Output Engineering began offering the service last month and has yet to do a conversion, but he sees a lot of potential.

“This is kind of new right now but there’s a lot of excitement around electric cars and the costs are going to start coming down a lot,” Graves said.
In just the last two years prices for lightweight lithium-ion batteries have dropped by 30 to 50 percent, said Shawn Waggoner, president of the Florida Electric Auto Association.

Waggoner, said that unlike in the late 1990s, when Ford and General Motors briefly introduced electric cars and then pulled them from the market because of the cost, he believes electric vehicles are here to stay.

In the past, interest in electric vehicles waxed and waned with gas prices, Waggoner said, but the FEAA’s membership grew in the last year even as gas prices dropped.

“We think a lot of it has to do with the excitement in the presidential campaign and both sides talking about green vehicles and alternative fuels,” Waggoner said.

Still, until the industry becomes more standardized, with better product testing and training for mechanics, Walters said many consumers will be concerned about safety and reliability.

“Right now it’s still pretty experimental,” Walters said.

Waggoner is working with a group to establish classes at Florida’s community colleges on converting and maintaining electric vehicles.

And electric cars have other limitations. The Chevy Volt will only be able to travel about 40 miles before the batteries need to be recharged.

The Volt will have a gas engine that kicks in after the battery is depleted, but to have a fully electric car, plug-in stations for refueling would need to become ubiquitous in communities across America.

Waggoner and Hasner are working on establishing a network of plug-in stations on the east coast of Florida, and Sarasota community leaders have been in talks with private companies who could provide the service.