As far as William McCracken of Auburn is concerned, the future is not something that anyone can wait for and going hand in hand with that philosophy, innovation is something that no one can sit around and wait for anyone else to make happen, it is something everyone should seek for themselves.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Auburn resident William McCracken sits inside the three-wheel electric car he recently completed building.
Auburn resident William McCracken sits inside the three-wheel electric car he recently completed building.
It is this view that led McCracken to build his own electric powered car.
Or more succinctly a BugE, a one person vehicle that runs exclusively on electric power.
McCracken, a network service technician at Wells College, said that it was a little more than a year ago that he got inspired to build the vehicle.
“I got a motorcycle,” McCracken said. “That was how it all started. I was riding my motorcycle a lot and I noticed there were dramatic fuel savings. But it is hard to ride this in the cold and the rain. So I started thinking that there had to be another way.”
This came at a time when McCracken was already investigating other ways to save on his personal fossil fuel usage.
McCracken started doing little things that most anyone can do and that in the long ruin may well make a real difference.
“I started to think about fossil fuels,” McCracken said. “Coal mines aren't refilling. I started to think of what I could do to get by with less. I looked around the house and thought about how I could do it. And I put in more efficient light bulbs and a low flow shower head.”
But McCracken still thought there was more he could be doing.
“I started looking for an energy efficient commuter car,” McCracken said. “I first saw Myers Motors electric car and that was about $40,000, so I kept looking for what else was out there.”
McCracken doesn't define his quest as a “green” effort per se, more of an experiment.
“We can't wait for the future,” McCracken said. “The future is here and now. We can't wait for someone else to create a solution. We need to do what we can and I think we need to be doing it now when we still have the resources and can afford to make mistakes while we look for new solutions, rather than wait until later when it might be too late. I think we need to be looking at what we can do to be more energy efficient now.”
On his quest, McCracken discovered a kit vehicle, developed by designer Mike Murphy.
The vehicle is something akin to an enclosed three wheel motorcycle, but is termed a BugE.
The vehicle runs completely on electricity, there is no fossil fuels, no combustion motor, or any of the other parts traditionally associated with a regular car.
McCracken said he purchased the kit and went to work on the vehicle in his parent's garage in Baldwinsville.
“I set a goal for myself to have it built in less than a year,” McCracken said. “I took me about nine months, but I made my goal.”
McCracken said that part of what made his efforts so time consuming was that he only worked on the vehicle sporadically and he also made several modifications along the way.
“I added a lot on,” McCracken said. “I thought that it would be good to be able to go in reverse so I added on a lot of little things and made a lot of modifications.”
Now with the experience of building the vehicle, McCracken said that the vehicle could be built much faster, and out of the kit, without all of his modifications; it would also make for a quicker build time.
He said that for about $7,000 and a few weeks of putting in several hours a day, anyone could own one of these unique vehicles.
The completed vehicle can reach speeds in the low 50s and powered by batteries it has a range of around 20 miles before one battery will be depleted.
“I want to see if this is worth it,” McCracken said. “It is reliable and it cuts down on fossil fuels, because it doesn't use any. Will this be the wave of the future? I don't know. I'm still experimenting. It might not be the perfect answer but it might be a start.”
McCracken said that presently he is waiting for clearance from the state for his inspection, but he anticipates that the vehicle will be on the road soon.
To learn more
Visit McCracken's blog with photos of the vehicle and information on his build process at ev4me.blogspot.com
Or more succinctly a BugE, a one person vehicle that runs exclusively on electric power.
McCracken, a network service technician at Wells College, said that it was a little more than a year ago that he got inspired to build the vehicle.
“I got a motorcycle,” McCracken said. “That was how it all started. I was riding my motorcycle a lot and I noticed there were dramatic fuel savings. But it is hard to ride this in the cold and the rain. So I started thinking that there had to be another way.”
This came at a time when McCracken was already investigating other ways to save on his personal fossil fuel usage.
McCracken started doing little things that most anyone can do and that in the long ruin may well make a real difference.
“I started to think about fossil fuels,” McCracken said. “Coal mines aren't refilling. I started to think of what I could do to get by with less. I looked around the house and thought about how I could do it. And I put in more efficient light bulbs and a low flow shower head.”
But McCracken still thought there was more he could be doing.
“I started looking for an energy efficient commuter car,” McCracken said. “I first saw Myers Motors electric car and that was about $40,000, so I kept looking for what else was out there.”
McCracken doesn't define his quest as a “green” effort per se, more of an experiment.
“We can't wait for the future,” McCracken said. “The future is here and now. We can't wait for someone else to create a solution. We need to do what we can and I think we need to be doing it now when we still have the resources and can afford to make mistakes while we look for new solutions, rather than wait until later when it might be too late. I think we need to be looking at what we can do to be more energy efficient now.”
On his quest, McCracken discovered a kit vehicle, developed by designer Mike Murphy.
The vehicle is something akin to an enclosed three wheel motorcycle, but is termed a BugE.
The vehicle runs completely on electricity, there is no fossil fuels, no combustion motor, or any of the other parts traditionally associated with a regular car.
McCracken said he purchased the kit and went to work on the vehicle in his parent's garage in Baldwinsville.
“I set a goal for myself to have it built in less than a year,” McCracken said. “I took me about nine months, but I made my goal.”
McCracken said that part of what made his efforts so time consuming was that he only worked on the vehicle sporadically and he also made several modifications along the way.
“I added a lot on,” McCracken said. “I thought that it would be good to be able to go in reverse so I added on a lot of little things and made a lot of modifications.”
Now with the experience of building the vehicle, McCracken said that the vehicle could be built much faster, and out of the kit, without all of his modifications; it would also make for a quicker build time.
He said that for about $7,000 and a few weeks of putting in several hours a day, anyone could own one of these unique vehicles.
The completed vehicle can reach speeds in the low 50s and powered by batteries it has a range of around 20 miles before one battery will be depleted.
“I want to see if this is worth it,” McCracken said. “It is reliable and it cuts down on fossil fuels, because it doesn't use any. Will this be the wave of the future? I don't know. I'm still experimenting. It might not be the perfect answer but it might be a start.”
McCracken said that presently he is waiting for clearance from the state for his inspection, but he anticipates that the vehicle will be on the road soon.
To learn more
Visit McCracken's blog with photos of the vehicle and information on his build process at ev4me.blogspot.com
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Post your comment - click hereThere are 3 comment(s)
ectopet wrote on Aug 31, 2009 6:17 PM:
As for powering it, NYSEG power choice allows me to purchase my grid power from a renewable energy provider that provides power from wind, hydro and methane sources. I also installed a port in the side that allows slow charging straight from a 200w solar array (not shown in the photo) "
westender1 wrote on Aug 31, 2009 9:17 AM:
gotta be a mistake "
northender wrote on Aug 31, 2009 4:52 AM: