Miss Teen Castro Valley 2007 goes ElectrBattery DeliveryMythbusting 1Mythbusting 2GadgetsMotorClose-up under the hood
OwnerKarl Hodges
LocationCastro Valley, California United States map
Vehicle1997 Saturn SL2
Conversion completed in 2007.
MotorAdvanced DC #L91-4003 Series Wound DC
ControllerCurtis PMC #1221 400 amp contoller
Batteries15 US Battery HC, 8.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
System Voltage120 Volts
ChargerRussco SC18
DC/DC ConverterIota DLS-45 Amp
Top Speed80 MPH (128 KPH)
Have not gone faster than that for risk of speeding tickets.
Range40 Miles (64 Kilometers)
40 was the original range with new batteries. Range dropped to 12 miles after five years.
EV Miles
Start:100,000 Miles (160,900 Kilometers)
Current:116,500 Miles (187,448 Kilometers)
Total:16,500 Miles (26,548 Kilometers)
Seating CapacityFive people as long as they don't weigh too much. We were able to squeeze the batteries in the trunk and under the hood, so we did not need to remove any seating space. However, this means we must put groceries in the back seat instead of the trunk.
Curb Weight3,200 Pounds (1,454 Kilograms)
Conversion Time6 months
Conversion Cost$7,000--the same as the cost estimate for a complete engine rebuild.
The "Service Engine Soon" light was modified to read "on" by covering up all the letters except the last two.

The car had just barely expired on all of its warrenties when we converted. The GM parts are falling apart, but the electric components are not giving us any trouble.

code by jerry