Although Ashton Stark doesn’t even have his driver’s license yet, that hasn’t stopped this ambitious 14-year old from tinkering with his first car, a ‘72 VW Beetle.
Stark has spent more than a year (and just $4,000) converting his Beetle into a completely operational electric vehicle. As a sophomore in high school, he’s unfortunately still too young to legally enjoy the fruits of his labor. However, in just a few weeks, he’ll finally be able to get his learners permit.
For Stark, the car represents a tie between the past and the future. The car once belonged to his grandfather, and it now is the epitome of what the teen believes is good for the earth and the community.
“You could drive every day to and from work for less than 10 cents a day, and that would be if the batteries were dead when you came home. It would probably be more like two to three cents a day.”
This electric Beetle is driven by a cylindrical drive shaft connected to the original shaft of the car’s transmission. Power is delivered by nine separate 8 volt golf cart batteries, which are housed in both the front and rear part of the vehicle.
“We are running 72 volt through it,” Stark said. “Interstate battery made a deal with us to test their new line of golf cart batteries and collect data on the batteries.”
Stark’s father, Noel, has driven the Beetle many times and estimates it could travel as much as 50 miles on a full charge. It can also reach a top speed of 45 miles per hour.
Eventually, the Beetle will serve as Stark’s senior class project. He plans to collect data from an onboard computer to track range, efficiency, and other performance metrics.
This father-son team may even build electric cars for others if such an opportunity comes knocking. Could this be the next Elon Musk in the making? We’ll see, after he gets his license of course.
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[Via: The Argus Observer]
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