Jack Rickard Leads the Quest for the Ultimate BEV

[msirach]

An individual doing impeccable BEV_builds.

Mike Sirach - CleanMPG - Sept. 30, 2009

A leader in EV technology is located on the banks of the Mississippi River in South Western Missouri. Jack Rickard has his EVTV Motorverks Shop set up in Cape Giradeau, MO where its vintage façade of a carriage house leaves yesteryear at the door. When you step in his shop, technology oozes from every corner of the building. The 1957 Beck Porsche 356 Speedster is in the left bay. The New 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman in a major state of disassembly is in the center bay and a Gem Car is in right bay with an authentic vintage wooden speed boat hanging from the ceiling in another room ahead. Various test equipment, DSLR cameras, HD video camera, laptops, LiFePo4 powered spotwelder, LiFePo4 batteries and Mini parts are scattered around. Jack narrates several videos on his METV.ME website that is a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in EV technology that features building the Speedster. I was given the tour and Jack explained his path of obtaining the perfect combination of a BEV that was fun to look at and to drive as well. It was a welcome sight to see the quality work that Jack and his assistant Brian Noto were producing in The Heartland of America!

The body is a fiberglass replica of a 1957 Porsche Model 356 Speedster that was built by Special Editions Ltd. The chassis is mounted on a 3” tubular steel frame.
The drive train consists of a Netgain Warp 9 DC series electric motor mated to a Prostreet Racer VW transaxle. This combination is powered by 72 Thundersky LiFePo4 90ah batteries that store a maximum of 27.5 kWh of 153 volt energy. This is managed by a Kelly controller at up to 1200 amps for a peak power of 144 kw or 193 hp. The power pack far exceeds the 60 hp engine in the original 1957 version.

After a thorough tour of the shop and the different components he has experimented with, he graciously offered a drive in the Speedster.

Taking off in 3rd gear, the power was smooth and constant. Jack prompted me to upshift to 4th after reaching highway speed. It was an odd feeling to drive the open top roadster down Kings Highway at 70 mph. The experience was surreal. I have always been able to feel the motor and sense and hear the speed and operating condition of the engine. ALL of this was missing! Gone were the rotational vibrations, the noise of the combustion process and the sound of the associated mechanical components meshing together to power the vehicle. At 70 mph, the noise of the wind was the only dominant sound. When pulling off of the highway on to the downhill ramp, the need for 4 wheel disc brakes was apparent. The car started picking up speed immediately when I removed my foot from the throttle. At slower speeds, the most evident sound was the adhesive friction of the tires on the pavement. The attention to detail is evident everywhere on the car. The fit and finish of the components and associated wiring is very detailed. There wasn’t any evidence of loose wires or wires tied up with electrical tape.

He has succeeded with the build of the Porsche and has started on the conversion of the Clubman. His plans are to step up another notch after the Mini is completed. The following conversion is going to target a Tesla class chassis.

An energetic individual with a vast knowledge of the systems he is dealing with, Jack’s mission is to share his knowledge to make this technology available for people with a less technical background. His EVTV website is loaded with videos on the Speedster build as well as his progress on the Clubman project. To make room for more projects, he has put the Speedster up for sale on Ebay. Click here to bid on it. You better hurry because the auction ends at 3:46 pm cst on September 30, 2009...

[msirach]

About 2 hours left in the auction. He started the car at only $1 and it is at $30,100 right now. The page views are nearing 11,000 and there have been a lot of questions. It will be interesting to see what it brings in the final minutes. It still has not hit his reserve price. He told me how much he has in it, and its not there yet.

[xcel]

Hi Mike:

___Thank you for posting this and it looks like it went out at Reserve not met. I have to ask why Jack would expect to get out what he has in it in parts alone?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[nervousmini]

Great write up Mike!

It's a shame the car didn't sell, maybe he'll relist it and have better luck the next round.

I'm really digging the MINI Clubman build up. Even though he lost the rear seat, he's kept the whole cargo area. I'm thinking something like that could make an excellent urban delivery vehicle with all the space back there.

[msirach]

If anyone was interested in a BEV with curb appeal, they missed out by not buying the Speedster.

The Mini build will make an excellent BEV. The factory modern conveniences will make it more attractive to a much wider range of drivers. The extra length in the Clubman is allowing him to pack in more LiFePo4 cells. The 110ah capacity will help power the modern amenities like the factory electric power steering. That is encouraging to see Mini put that in from the factory.

[msirach]

The 356 Speedster EV has been relisted on Ebay!

Here's your second chance Sean!

It was relisted on the 30th. Lot's of activity again and the price is up to$15,300 from a starting price of $1. He has a very descriptive video listed in the ad that explains the car and construction in detail. Find a 1.5 hour time frame for when you watch it.

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Oh man. It didn't even hit his reserve at $30K!! I can't come anywhere close to affording that.

I'd probably have to have about 8" removed from my legs to fit anyway.

I'll see if I can carve out 1.5hrs tonight after the little one goes to bed.

Edit: It appears he's strung together some of his other footage (found on his YouTube channel)

[jrickard]

Thanks Mike.

I have NOT strung together earlier footage from YouTube to create the video on eBay. Most frustrating to see this.

That IS the original video. YouTube has a 10 minute time limit on their videos. So I actually have to take each video, and brutally hack them into pieces to post it on YouTube.

We are gradually moving away from YouTUbe as I learn more about how to present video on the Internet. Our site at http://evtv.me has all the videos we have done so far, at the full original length, if not the full resolution. Most are available in HD.

I can't say how long we will continue on YouTube with the 10 minute restriction.

In any event, thank you all for the kind words. Yes, it is more a matter of room than anything else. We are going to do a second Porsche 356 in partnership with one of the kit producers. While I can never see myself in a production/manufacturing environment, we are going to attempt a little slicker version, with fewer batteries, a more advanced AC drivetrain with regenerative braking. And we're going to refine it to minimize costs and maximize ease of manufacturing and production - while trying to maintain the same levels of performance and range.

EVTV's mission is to foster a grass roots movement to convert cars to electric drive and of course, Pinky, to change the world. We're trying to raise an army of 100,000 garage rats to do conversions of the kind of cars you want to drive - dream cars. And the corollary is that this is done using readily available components anyone can buy. The GM/Toyota crowd are NOT going to give you an electric car, unless they can develop proprietary drive trains and proprietary battery modules to ensure your serfdom and indentured servant status on their economic fiefdom.

We're advocating the development of batteries and components ANYONE can purchase in an open, competitive market, to build, power, and improve their own custom vehicles.

But there is a reality component. Our videos draw interest from a lot of people with very active careers and families, who while intensely interested in environmental issues and electric cars, just don't have the time to spend a few hours per day in a garage hacking off mufflers and gas tanks.

We are going to try, working with people who DO produce limited numbers of custom crafted cars, to develop a ready made version of the eSpeedster that could be bought for money. It's not really my thing, but I'm going to attempt a "slick" design that can be produced at a lower cost, and sold in limited numbers.

In any event, thank you for your very kind words and support. And it was a kick seeing Mike's face light up with the "EV grin" when he drove the Speedster. It very much is something you have to experience to "get". It quite goes beyond using NO gas and NO emissions.

Jack Rickard
http://evtv.me

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Welcome, Jack! It's great to see you posting here.

Sorry about the mis-spoken description of your video -- I've watched all of your clips on YouTube and recognized the footage.

Please continue with your efforts. I have yet to find anyone anywhere else documenting every detail of a conversion in the manner you have, and frankly it is both fascinating and extremely helpful for those of us who have contemplated doing a conversion (I've more than once thought about converting my '02 Elantra to electric).

Hopefully I'll get to experience that EV grin for myself someday soon.

[msirach]

Hi Jack! Welcome to CleanMPG!

Believe me, the pleasure was all mine! I have pics of it on my computers at work as well as home and my Blackberry. People are fascinated with an EV with the looks and performance that the speedster has.

If you ever need a test driver, I have a 98 mile round trip commute to work.