The Ford Story: Ford Escort Wagon Electric/ And Or Gas Driven

I have taken the rear axle out of my Ford Escort and installed a escort front wheel drive transaxle in the rear.
I have installed an electric motor to it. mounted batteries in the back seat. I have also hooked the manual gearshift up to where the emergency was. I can drive the car 35 mile on batteries on on gasoline using the original motor up front. I now have disc brakes in the front and rear and can run both motors at once making it 4 wheel drive. I have driven it to Dearborn Mi. every day this summer . I’m constantly improving it while monitoring kilowatts used and miles driven. I now warm the car up on gas for 3 miles and switch to electric at 40 mph with no problem switching on the fly from gas to electric or electric to gas.I sure would like some of the new battery technology in the near future. The cost is still high.I’m a member of the E.A.A. electric auto association, Michigan chapter. We are Proving technology through grass roots.

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3 Comments

Jim Marsh Sr
November 21, 2009 at 8:17 pm

Congratulations on a job well done. I'm sure it will get even better as you solve each problem that presents itself. Good luck and keep us posted. Reply

Steve Pomfret
December 30, 2009 at 1:01 pm

It is nice to see that you are providing grass roots technology. If you are not already using it, regenerative breaking would increase your milage. You need to turn your electric moters into generators durring breaking, that will slow down your car by charging the batteries. New Lithium iion batteries with150 watt hours/KG or more would help reduce the weight and improve the efficiency too. The united states has plenty of Lithium. We already have nano technology. We just need to utilize oil refinery technology to seperate it from the other elements that it bonds with.
Steve Pomfret Reply

robert Carola
May 5, 2010 at 3:15 pm

Imagine if Henry Ford and Thomas Edison had not been strong armed by big oil to drop the idea of the electric car, when it was apparent that the gasoline engine was where the money was to be made from big oils shoes. Where would the electric car would have taken us today if it was allowed to flourish? The nickel plate battery, which was revolutionary in that it could stay charged six hours and reach speeds of 50 mph, was mysteriously inoperable when Edison was testing it for investors. When he went back to laboratory in NJ to get another battery he could not due to a fire that happened suddenly and without official cause as in suspicious by nature. very interesting piece of history Reply

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