Jun 17, 2008 9:58 am US/Central
NYC Man Converts Delorean Into Gas-Free Ride
Car Has Electric Motor, Rechargeable Batteries And Futuristic Feel
JERICHO, N.Y. (CBS) ―
With fears that the price of gasoline could be as high as $5 per gallon soon, how would you like to drive a car that doesn't use any gas at all?
An inventive man from Long Island has come up with such a car, one that you might find somewhat familiar, CBS station WCBS-TV in New York City reports.
It's the car made famous in the blockbuster hit movie "Back to the Future." But could it be the car of our future?
Though his souped-up Delorean looks like a gas guzzler, Dave Delman's ride is rolling petrol-free.
"Zero. No gas whatsoever," Delman told WCBS.
That's right. The long-time car enthusiast has turned his rad ride into an electric car. It has an electric motor powered by a rechargeable pack of 13 batteries. No gas needed. He says the car gets 30 miles per charge, which isn't bad considering the needs people have.
"About 80 percent of the American public drives 30 miles or less a day, so this is perfect," Delman said.
Delman is a medical doctor by trade, but says he's always been an inventor of sorts, with a fascination for electric cars.
"It was just one of those things. I knew I had to do it," Delman said.
His latest creation, which he says produces no exhaust fumes and minimal pollution, took him about eight months to make, and recently earned him a design and engineering award.
To be sure, it isn't cheap to do this. Delman says the cost of converting the car to electric was about $12,000.
"I'm not sure how practical it really is ..." he said.
Delman says he built the car for the challenge and not to save money, but as you scan the sticker of his no-gas car and consider the costs, he says you have to note the hidden value – being able to bypass the pump … priceless.
While Delman says his car was a personal project, he's hoping the big automakers will look into producing affordable electric cars for the public.
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