Random Thursday: Home Built Hybrid Edition
According to a recent review by Jeremy Clarkson, the new Honda Insight still blows goats.
he amazing part of this crappy car is that none of it is really new technology. Granted, there’s apparently some sort of newfangled “tree” that grows more leaves as you drive slower and slower. Well, that and growing middle fingers in your rear-view mirror from all the traffic you’re holding up as you crawl along the road.
“But it’s not easy to develop that technology,” you say. ”It’s really hard to invent the necessary things that make a car like the new Insight start up and drive down the street.”
And you’re probably right. In order to make this thing move, you need to put together a small engine (Click Here), batteries (Click Here), a few specialty parts (Click Here), and of course, a good, reliable car to modify (Click Here). Yeah, I dunno where Honda would find those things.
Let’s face it-designing an electric hybrid vehicle isn’t easy, but it’s not rocket science. For anyone with a slightly-above average IQ and a set of wrenches, getting yourself on the hybrid bandwagon with something cooler than the typical yuppie “look-at-me-I’m-saving-the-earth” ride is simply a matter of determination and hard work. Don’t believe me? Ask David Arthur.
David is one of those guys we just talked about-willing to put a little elbow grease into his creation-after all, he certainly didn’t put much high-end technology into his car. The direct propulsion comes from a 400-amp jet engine starter, wired to a set of four car batteries. The hybrid part comes from-wait for it-a five horsepower Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engine.
Yeah, that’s right-this thing is really powered by the engine stolen from a neighbor’s lawnmower. Just a measly five horsepower will keep this thing moving forward until you run out of gas. Or, until the neighbor catches you with his lawnmower engine. Dave didn’t release any 0-60 times, but he’s squeezing 75 miles out of every gallon. And if he doesn’t want to use the gas, he plugs the car into the wall for a measly 15 minutes to fully charge the batteries.
The rest of the parts were all pilfered from army surplus or the back corner of Radio Shack. The car itself is an old Opel GT, a typical rear wheel drive sports car that could be substituted with a decent Mazda Miata. And the best part is that any of us schmucks could probably build a more technologically advanced car today. In fact, you can order the blueprints from Mother Nature News, who originally covered the story in their July/August 1979 issue. Yes, that’s right-this thing was built more than thirty years ago.
You’re probably calling bullsh** right now, which is just fine. Go ahead and prove Mr. Arthur wrong by ordering your own copy of the blueprints from Mother Nature News and assembling your own version like 6,000 other people did. And while you’re knee-deep in lawnmower engines and electric gizmos, stop to appreciate how simple this alternative energy thing sometimes is.
That’s it for today, but check out our other rants about Electric Cars or Why GM and Chrysler needed that bailout (although I’m starting to wonder if it’s really going to help). Or if you want to read something a little more uplifitng than my ranting and raving, why not surf over to Mother Nature News’ original 1979 article about David Arthur’s hybrid Opel GT.
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