Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Automobile manufacturers have been working on battery-powered technology for years. There are a variety of hybrid models on the roads now, such as the Toyota Prius; and more new designs, like Chevy's Volt and the Nissan Leaf, are on the way.
These aren't glorified golf carts. They'll perform just like an ordinary car, but they're on cheaper fuel with no emissions.
–Carl Clark
Carl Clark, the owner of Electric Car Company of Utah, has a new spin on the electric car. He says anyone can easily make their cars all-electric. "It's not rocket science; and we can show other people how to do it, and they can do it themselves."
Yep, he'll teach you how to make your car or truck an all-electric, pollution-free vehicle.
Concerned about air pollution all his life, Clark has worked for years trying to come up with a non-polluting vehicle that has decent speed and range.
"We can take a used car, something with a high mileage or a blown engine, and we can take that car, pull the engine out," he explained. "After you've got the engine out, the only maintenance you have is your brakes and your tires."
With battery compartments mounted wherever they'll fit — either under the hood, truck bed or on the underside of the chassis — Clark hooks up controller units, battery chargers and various gauges to the motor. On a full charge, you can drive more than 80 miles, and at speeds of 80 miles per hour or better.
"These aren't glorified golf carts," Clark said. "They'll perform just like an ordinary car, but they're on cheaper fuel with no emissions."
Clark and a partner have retrofitted 15 vehicles so far. He has a white pickup going to a customer in Texas, and he's just about ready to ship another vehicle to a buyer in Europe.
Making the change from gasoline to electric will cost in the neighborhood of $12,000 to $13,000, Clark said. But he quickly added that you'll never have to buy another gallon of gas.
"We can make a car that will run another 10 years or so, easily, without any further maintenance on it," he said.
Clark has been interested in reducing auto emissions ever since he was a Utah state senator in 1967. Back then he was one of the sponsors of the Air Conservation Act, Utah's very first law dealing with reducing air pollution.
E-mail: kmccord@ksl.com
