High school senior finds way to get nearly 200 mpg in vehicle

[UpInArms]

http://www.kctv5.com/story/18100916/high-school-senior

With higher gas prices, everyone is looking for ways to save money at the pump.

But one Northwest Missouri high school senior found a way to get nearly 200 miles per gallon in his transportation.

Don Gibson, 18, does not have the coolest looking car in the parking lot.

"A lot of people consider me to be weird... I just take that as a compliment," he said.

It doesn't really look like there's a lot to his 1994 Geo Metro. But, when he bought it, he pulled out the gas engine and replaced it with an electric forklift engine he bought on eBay.

....more....

just thought everyone else should be as proud of my son as I am

[Nay]

1. Wow! Good for your kid! This is outstanding!

[UpInArms]

8. thanks

he really made being a mom easy

[Schema Thing]

2. Your son is downright amazing. Thanks for sharing.

[UpInArms]

4. he is amazing

and thanks for all the kindness that is offered in this thread - he's worked really hard for this to happen.

[FreakinDJ]

6. Thats your kid ?

Nice Work if he is

[UpInArms]

7. well, I have to share him with his father

but that's my boy

[BadGimp]

41. congrats and my best to your Son

[Voice for Peace]

97. you guys

.... failed to squash his innate hopeful creative genius.. sheesh

[surrealAmerican]

3. Congratulations.

I'd say your son's a "keeper", but, as a high school senior, you won't be keeping him for long.

Ingenuity is always a good thing.

[UpInArms]

5. he graduates from high school next Sunday

and is off to college this fall - this is going to be a great summer - will be trying to spend whatever time I can with him.

[Common Sense Party]

9. I must have misunderstood. The headline says 200 mpg...

Isn't the car all electric? There are no gallons, right?

Pretty cool...let us know if he gets the wind-driven charging station done.

[UpInArms]

11. the news station did that - yes, the car is all electric

I can only think that they used that comparison because it costs approximately 25 cents to travel 20 miles

the charging station is approximately half finished - and he has purchased another electric motor - wants to do a sports car next

[lumberjack_jeff]

16. Some people evaluate the performance of EV's using a "fuel mileage equivalent" metric.

It's kind of a bogus unit of measure.

I'm very interested in doing an ev conversion too, in fact we looked at a candidate vehicle yesterday.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Yah for weird!

Weird is good.

[UpInArms]

13. we think that is true

'cause we certainly are not like the rest of the folks out here

[PatrynXX]

54. weird = unique = not a typical zombie

I preferred being weird besides always provided the better laugh...

[Baitball Blogger]

76. Weird is where the answers are.

[ZombieHorde]

12. That is pretty bad ass. nt

[UpInArms]

18. I think it's awesome

and so is Don

[Skinner]

14. That is so cool.

You must be very proud.

[UpInArms]

17. Thanks, I am - he is the

brightest star in the sky

- I do hear that other parents have the same response to their kids - but this one is really special

[zeemike]

15. No wonder you are proud of him

that is a big thing for a kid to take on....and do it successfully too
K&R for your son...and for the parents that raised him...

[UpInArms]

20. here's another link to a different news story

about Don and his car

http://www.ruralmissouri.org/digitalrm/index.php

not really certain how that site works - but the story is on page 28

[klook]

64. "A worthy little beast," indeed!

The same could be said for your son!!

I also like his quote "My real passion is designing things that could help humanity."

This has really brightened my day, and Don's work is going to brighten the lives of many in the years to come. So happy for you.

[lumberjack_jeff]

19. That's awesome, but encourage him to build boxes to hold his batteries. n/t

http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15653

[UpInArms]

21. the batteries are anchored in place

so that they don't shift for any reason

[ejbr]

22. Well done! n/t

[ninehippies]

23. good on yer!

I hope he's getting a scholarship. He's not weird, he's brilliant.

[Diclotican]

24. UpInArms

UpInArms

Impressive, really impressive. I guess he might have a future in the advancement of building cars who can drive rather in-expensive in the future. And your son should take it as a compliment too, that he is "weird".. Most great inventions, have been made by "weird" people, and I doubt it will be anything else in the future too...

Kudos to your son for this.. I would never think about doing it at all.. And I also sucks in the mechanical department;/..

Diclotican

[Wheezy]

25. Your son is awesome!

Love it when teens do excellent things. Thanks for sharing this -- I tweeted it.

[allan01]

26. re: High school senior finds way to get nearly 200 mpg in vehicle

way to go. i have faith in the future generation
yes wierd is good . raises hand . 100 % wierd here .

[LadyHawkAZ]

27. I don't think the entire DU put together could possibly be

as proud of your son as you are.

Biggest congrats to him.

[SunSeeker]

28. Bitchin!

Makes me have hope for the future. When I was in high school, the only ingenuity I saw on display was bong building.

[Hissyspit]

29. Cool.

[SunDrop23]

30. Unfortunately...

he will be getting a call from the feds soon and his car will mysteriously disappear. He will also have the fear of God placed in him to never, ever do anything of the sort again. We can't have oil companies being maligned like this.

[groundloop]

37. It's an ELECTRIC car, it doesnt REALLY get 200 mpg.

He bought a used electric forklift motor and installed it in the car. Someone estimated that it cost 25 cents per day to charge it, and based on that they're guessing it's similar to 200 mpg based on the current cost of gas.

If the cost will come down some more I'm going to look at an electric for my next vehicle, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Alcibiades]

58. That's kind of the point

A bright high school engineer was able to make this car for about $3,000. GM expects $31,000. They could do it much cheaper, but this would cause problems, b/c they are in the business of selling gasoline powered cars and this is just a little sideline. There's the whole history of how they sabotaged the EV1. But mainly they just want to wring every dollar of profit out of it that they can.

[Tom Poll Master]

75. Good point. This proves the statement made

in the documentary "Who stole the electric car?"

[skepticscott]

81. Well, tell the whole story

This boy did not "make" the car for $3000. He took a car already made, with all of the research. development and infrastructure costs already absorbed, all of the required safety features for a legal street vehicle already in place, and swapped out the propulsion system for another that had also already been designed, funded and built by someone else.

And no, he is not driving this vehicle in any useful way, at practical speeds and for practical distances, for 25 cents worth of electricity for a full charge. Sorry, but he just isn't. Conservation of energy has not been repealed.

[UpInArms]

82. hi skepticscott

thanks for your input -

my son - in the 8th grade set a goal to do something - and with a lot of perserverance, hard work and saving money from working on computers (we live pretty much at the end of the supply line and he is this community's computer tech guru) - he made a plan - figured out what parts he needed, completely re-made the controller box so that the car goes more than 65 miles per hour (tops out around 70) and has - yes - used available technology and expanded upon it to create his own charging system (because the pre-built ones cost more than $500 and that was beyond his budget).

There were those in our little community that did not believe what he was doing was possible - but he did it and I am so very proud of him. It's a shame that you cannot share in our joy.

[skepticscott]

85. Your son has a nice little

engineering fair project, and it may get him admitted to a good college. Kudos. But none of that changes what I said. He did not "make" the car for a tenth of what GM wants to charge, despite the claim of the poster I was responding to, and he is not getting any more out of 25 cents worth of electricity than anyone else is. There's no revolution here, even though the big oil/big government conspiracy mongers come out of the woodwork and drool like Pavlov's dogs every time they see "200 mpg" in print.

[NJCher]

86. skepticscott misses the point

[div class="This boy did not "make" the car for $3000. He took a car already made, with all of the research. development and infrastructure costs already absorbed..."]

That's "yesteryear" thinking. Today's thinking is more along the lines of re-purposing. (That's a big buzzword these days--GIYF). There's no shortage of already-manufactured vehicles with research, development and infrastructure costs built in. That is not the problem and that is where ss misses the point. Alcibiades gives enough information in his post to understand it. See that post upthread.

Now, on another point, which is really what I wanted to write about, does anyone recall that prediction that was made about how we're going to get ourselves out of this mess? I wish I could remember who made it, but some of the original ideas came from Bill Clinton's speech on how we need to de-centralize energy. The prediction said that we will not get out of our current dilemma through anything our leaders do, but it will come from the grassroots. Thiat is what I thought of when I read this story.

Anyway, Don could probably make plenty of money by putting together a seminar where he helps people assemble the materials, shop out the car, and then takes them through the process. Plenty of people would be willing to pay $3000 for the seminar and $3000 for the materials. With six people in the seminar, he could make $18,000. He could get the advice of a automotive instructor at a trade school on how to set up the classes. They would know how long it would take to get people through something like this.

Those are just "grab it out of the air" figures, but I wanted to put the idea out there.

If I had a kid, I would want a kid like this! Wow!!


Cher

[skepticscott]

88. Uh, no..."the point" is what Alcibiades explicitly said it was

Here it is again, if you need reminding:

A bright high school engineer was able to make this car for about $3,000. GM expects $31,000.

The direct implication being that the evil auto companies could make cheap and viable electric vehicles for a tenth of what they're charging, if not for all of the evil conspiracies that prevent it, and that the hard work and deep wisdom of a clever 18 year old can trump all that. That's simply baloney. We live in the real world, not some fairy-tale land where Rumplestiltskin can come along and make us all magic cars overnight.

[UpInArms]

90. you do realize that those are the words of the reporter,

not the subject of the interview?

If you had chosen to read the other link to the Rural Missouri magazine, you would have more information

http://www.ruralmissouri.org/digitalrm/index.php

the article is on page 28

[skepticscott]

91. And do you realize

That those words of the reporter are exactly what Alcibiades said were the point? And that "point" was what I responded to as silly?

[Alcibiades]

104. It's obviously a used car

Most of the costs regarding the safety features, the cost to develop the platform, etc., have already been paid. The Volt is expensive because GM wants it to be. The car has been loaded up with more bells and whistles than it needs, precisely because they don't want to make it something most folks could afford. Perhaps this is in part because they are not ready to produce on that scale, but I didn't mean for folks to draw the inference you draw that a new electric car, or any new car, would be available from GM at $3,000.

The Volt today is not intended as a mass-market automobile, any more than the EV1 was. Their goal is to get you to go to their website, conclude that it's too expensive, and see the handy link at the bottom of the page for "other cars you may be interested in," the Cruze and Impala. That's the direct implication I intended for you to draw.

[Atypical Liberal]

108. Guys, Scott is right.

This is great what this young man has done - he has made a very functional community commuter electric car for little money.

But Scott is right - the reason why GM expects $31,000 for a similar new car is because they have to recoup their investments in all the engineering that produced the Geo Metro that was used for the project.

On top of that, all the workers - you know, the good, UAW Union workers getting decent wages and benefts - have to be paid, too.

There is no conspiracy not to build electric cars like this.

It's simple economics.

I just bought a new car last year. It's a Mazda 2. It cost me $17,064 out the door, and came with a lifetime powertrain warranty provided by the dealer. It gets about 34 miles per gallon. My goal was to buy the cheapest new car I could find that had air conditioning, cruise control, and anti-lock breaks.

I considered hybrids and the all-electric Nissan Leaf.

The Nissan Leaf retails around $35,000, and it only has a range of 100 miles.

This is not because of some conspiracy. This is a simple limitation of batteries and first-world production costs to manufacture a new vehicle with new technology.

The good news is that electric vehicles are mechanically much less complex than internal combustion engine driven vehicles. They also have much less maintenance and things like oil changes are a thing of the past, or happen at greatly increased intervals.

But that is also the problem. These vehicles are essentially becoming armored golf carts. But car companies can't afford to sell them at golf-cart prices - they can't support the auto industry's labor infrastructure on sub-$20K vehicles.

And while most people would enjoy a vehicle dedicated solely to commuting, most people can't afford to have a $35,000 specialty vehicle for commuting plus another vehicle for long-range trips. So if they are going to drop $35K on a vehicle they are going to get the most capable one they can.

[bahrbearian]

31. Wow

[immoderate]

32. Amazing! He shows up the whole industry!

That's nearly a products.

--imm

[beac]

33. Bravo, Don!

Very, very cool and wonderfully weird.

Though I do hope this particular "weird" mode of transport will be the new normal for us all in the not too distant future.

[UpInArms]

34. Just wanted to come back to the thread before I go and give this to Don

and say

Thank you! All of you for your wonderful support and kind words - Don is a great kid and I am such a proud mom.

[grantcart]

35. he got his brains and his good looks from his mom!!!!

[Smilo]

36. Well done Don and congrats Dad (and Mom) on

having a smart son.

And just think people say electric cars don't work - well Don has shown what can be done. People forget that for many they don't travel that far and electric vehicles will and do work for their needs.

Don has a great future - good luck and stay weird

[LASlibinSC]

38. YAAAAHHH!!

Congrats! This is wonderful! Good on Don! And good on you.I am so proud for you both.

[AverageJoe90]

39. Speaking as a true-blue gearhead.....

Your son Don sure knows his way around an engine bay! Major props to both of you.

[jwirr]

40. It is youth like yours that we need to lead us into the future. He is thinking.

[a la izquierda]

42. Well hot damn! Good on your son...

and good on you!

[kas125]

43. What a great kid! You must be the

proudest mom on the planet right about now. He has great things in his future, that's for sure!

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

44. Thanks for this post, loved reading about a kid who is thinking.

Many Blessings for you all. Going to town is a 100 mile round trip for us, ask your son what he could do with a Volvo station wagon. (Lots of up and down hills too.)

[polichick]

45. Well done, both of you!

[bemildred]

46. Damn, 2 cents a mile.

[SnohoDem]

47. I predict a bright future in engineering for your son

Congrats!

[grahamhgreen]

48. Now how do we get these guys some start up capital?

If we can back the banks, we should be able to get these guys some $$$....

[Rosa Luxemburg]

49. Is it easy to install an electric forklift engine?

I would love to know how!

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

50. awesome

definitely sharing

[Tumbulu]

51. Congratulations to your son and to all of you! (nt)

[pacalo]

52. I'm impressed!

to UpInArms & your son!

[Beartracks]

53. Cool! Following in the footsteps of Edison.

Thomas Edison was also interested in electric cars AND using wind-powered stations to re-charge batteries.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/112714048


P.S. If he needs a summer project, he can convert my Ford Tempo!

==================

[The Traveler]

55. That is so cool!

He continues a grand American tradition ... the Do It Yourself inventor ... the gearhead with a vision. The guys and gals like this who can grab a wrench and an idea and some spare parts and do something wonderful are a source of hope for this nation. Seriously. I predict this young man will do amazing things.

Good kid ... clearly brought up proper.

Trav

[Leftist Agitator]

56. Congrats to your son!

A brilliant, elegant design. He'll go very, very far as an engineer.

[KT2000]

57. that is awesome

congratulations to you and your son!

[AtheistCrusader]

59. Wicked cool

great kid. Good job.

[snappyturtle]

60. K&R and off to Facebook...this is just wonderful!

Kudos to an amazing senior with a great future. Makes
me feel good about the youngins' !

[Historic NY]

61. Thats what we call good old fashioned ingenuity....

[Live and Learn]

62. I saw the news earlier tonight and thought it was great.

Even better that it is your son! Congratulations!

[barbtries]

63. congratulations

he should have a bright future.

[klook]

65. Tell Don to set up a Kickstarter page for his next project

and he'll find many enthusiastic DUers willing to help -- me included.

http://www.kickstarter.com/

[salin]

66. Incredibly awesome!

Kudos to your son, and to you for encouraging his inventiveness!

[Honeycombe8]

67. Wow. That's amazing. That kid is going places. nt

[UpInArms]

68. oh my!

Here I get up this morning to find all the best that DU is - wishing Don so much for his life and future. My eyes have been acting all funny - kind of wet and .....

Don will be overwhelmed by all of you - as I have been for these years.

[Rose Siding]

69. You made my day. What a kid! (and what a parent - well done!)

[liberal N proud]

70. I think there is only one gas station in Grant City...

He might have done this so he can make it to the next nearest station. Grant City is very remote and residents have to drive long distances for nearly everything, these people have a need for high milage vehicles.

[KeepItReal]

71. So impressive! Congrats!

[caraher]

72. It's surely the coolest car in the parking lot

Great work!

[AlbertCat]

73. High school senior finds way to get nearly 200 mpg in vehicle

Quick! Kill him NOW!

[Bjorn Against]

74. Good for him, and I hope you encourage him to make a career out of this

Let's hope this is just the first of many cars he converts to electric over his lifetime, he definitely has a great potential career ahead of him if he decides to pursue it.

[mntleo2]

77. This is one smart young man!

Tell your son many are so glad to see this up and coming generation take creativity a step further. Love the fact that he takes it as a compliment that he is considered "weird". Most geniuses ARE considered "weird" because they are FAR ahead of everyone else. Much the same was said of Tesla, Einstein, Newton, DaVinci, etc.

Cat in Seattle

[renate]

78. I saw the link to this on cnn.com!

The link just goes to the kctv5 story, but I found it under "Midwest" here: http://www.cnn.com/US/?hpt=hp_bn1
And last night it was on the main page!

Mega-congratulations! My gosh, you must be so proud! What a brilliant kid--you just can't beat the combination of curiosity and intelligence with a drive (no pun intended) to get the job done. I'm super impressed!

[JNelson6563]

79. No surprise here UIA!

I would not think your offspring would be anything but brilliant! Always loved your posts in the Stock thread back in the day.

Congratulations a million times over!

Julie

[UpInArms]

80. thank you, Julie (and everyone else who has posted, read - looked at this post and the link)

all I can say is that Don is, indeed, one of the most special people in the world - he will change it for the better - because he knows that it really is up to him - and his generation - to make a difference - and that I am so sorry to be handing him such a messed up planet.

I love you right back - you all have kept me sane for the past 11+ years

[Sarcasticus]

83. Better hire some security, kid.

Exxon-Mobil will not be pleased.

[LongTomH]

84. I'll look for great things from this young man!

We need this combination of ingenuity and initiative if we're going to rebuild the US economy, let alone build a green economy!

[Initech]

87. That's awesome! Cue Exxon denial in 3...2...1...

[liberal N proud]

89. You should be th proudest parents...

I missed that part when I posted earlier.

I lived in Maaryville for many years and know how remote you guys are.

Hope he gets lost of scholarships.

[Bill USA]

92. THIS SHOULD GO ON NIGHTLINE!! GIVE HIM MEDAL DAMMIT!!

recommended!!

[jobycom]

93. I couldn't possibly by as proud as you must be. You'll have to settle for impressed.

And as a parent, I'm impressed by the fine parenting skills this must have taken, too.

[auburngrad82]

94. Very nice

With kids like your son there's hope for us yet.

[DinahMoeHum]

95. Paging Elon Musk (Tesla Motors). . .

Congratulations. You deserve to be one proud papa.

[Skittles]

96. WOW!

I emailed that to my Volt-owner friend yesterday!

[blaze]

98. Sharp kid!!

Very impressive that he stuck with the project for so long!

Well done!!

[jtuck004]

99. Did he get the adapter to hook the motor to the tranny machined, or buy

it from a mfr?

Did he use 36v batts from a forklift, or 12v? How much did that set you back, and how long b4 they need replacement?

I think this is great, and something he should be very proud of, btw. I have worked with a few electric cars over the years, and I found myself wondering lately if this might be something that could help encourage at least a little decentralized small mfg in many communities.

Thank you, and him, for this!

[UpInArms]

100. he and his father designed and spec'cd

the main coupler and adapter plate and had them machined, as well as machining down the flywheel - and having a two inch delrin spacer fabricated that Don and his father had to hand machine to fit the space between the motor and the clutch. (that may be over simplified, but that is the best I can describe)

the batteries are regular lead-acid auto batteries at 144 volts total - there are 12 batteries to power the motor and one additional battery for the electronics (headlights, vacuum pump, etc.) - the batteries will last as long as regular batteries do - so long as you do not let them get below 12 volts)

thanks for your encouragement - Don has worked long and hard for this to happen.

[UpInArms]

102. here's a link to his blog that he sort of kept when he was converting

the Geo

http://geolectro.blogspot.com/

[crazy homeless guy]

101. This is what makes the future promising. Awesome.

[rwsanders]

103. Wish I knew how to contact him (or you)

By the way, CONGRATULATIONS!!
I live in Lee's Summit. My wife and I bought a Compac 27 sailboat and insisted that the company install an electric engine. I figured that once I had the motor there, I would have my choice of power supplies and technology improved.
The motor I selected was a SolidNav. It uses electric forklift parts that according to the sales rep. are all available from Granger. I'm just not sure I'd ever be able to do any work on it if it ever needed it.
But I'll keep my eyes open for a metro with no exhaust...

[emsimon33]

105. You should be proud!

This young man has a great future!

[Rain Mcloud]

106. Congrats!

The consensus on the street is that the manufacturers are not motivated to manufacture EV's.
The price of the 120 year old technology still remains too steep to allow for the 5,000 to 15,000 dollar profit per unit that the auto maker's enjoyed during the Bush administration.
The average person does not believe that EV's are viable with current technology due to the FUD disseminated by the Cartel,petroleum refiner's and their friends in the public opinion thinktanks.

The best way to get the word out and disprove the House of Saud,Bush and Pickens is to build your own and show that asshole Teabagger down the street that it is not only possible but fun,to build,fun to drive and fun to rub his monkey face in the Astro-turf propaganda.
Maybe He will run out and buy a Tesla and show You and everyone else at the country club how green and hip he is.

Please,have Your Son make a video for YouTube to get the word out to other teen's and potential DIYer's,detailing his experiences.
A good EV will last a long time,so why not do a very nice car next with the knowledge that was gained?
Change will only come when we demand it or make for ourselves that which they say,is impossible.
It's up to Us to shout it from the rooftops,Yes,We can!
Again,Congrats both to and for a fine young man.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

107. Couldl you ask your son --

to create a YouTube video on the conversion process from start to finish? I know I would love to know about it so I could make the same attempt on my own -- I have no doubt there would be others equally interested.

[UpInArms]

109. Hi All - I talked with Don and he has been keeping up (sort of)

with this thread.

He really appreciates everyone's support and says "thank you" to everyone in the DU community

Don said he will be using the www.kickstarter.com site on his next project and will also be making a step by step YouTube so that other DIYers can see how and what is necessary to convert.

We have another electric motor bought - it's in Elgin, Illinois - and we are working out the logistics to get it delivered to our corner of the world.

They guys really want to do something wonderful and sporty - so look out world!

Also - if you really want to get in touch with Don, pm me and get me an addy to reach you and I'll give all of those to Don (who will get back with you as he has time - this week is pretty booked up with graduation and stuff)

Thanks so much - from me - to all of you.

Best

UIA

[JulianneI]

117. I want one!

Congrats to Don! I read about his project in The Week magazine. I'm interested in getting in touch with him to see if he'd build one for me. I just created an account to reach out to you but it says I don't have enough points to send you a personal message. I'm a bit hesitant to post my email address here, but here it is anyway: [email protected]. I'd love to be in contact.

Thanks!

[Cracklin Charlie]

110. I saw this in The Star this morning.

What a great story! I am very proud of your son. Not surprised to see that he has a DU connection.

[wendylaroux]

111. What a kid!!!

Who could ask for anything more!!

[AnneD]

112. UIA....

Congrats to you and to Don. And yes, I am just as proud of his accomplishment as can be. Is the addy still the same? I have't checked in in a while.


You did a great job Mom. I expect this is not the first accomplishment he has.

Anne D

[UpInArms]

113. hi AnneD!

You know you really get to share in this - you were one of his very first "not bio family" believers



And yes -we're still in the same place - only older and much much wiser

[PoliticAverse]

114. Congratulations to him for completing his project. It really isn't anything revolutionary...

There's a whole cottage industry involved in the conversion of older vehicles to electric and many websites with information, discussions and parts,
for example:

http://evhelp.com/
http://www.diyelectriccar.com/
http://www.kta-ev.com/
http://www.ev-propulsion.com/
http://www.e-volks.com/index.html
http://www.lithium-car-battery.biz/

[Caretha]

115. So as the very proud Auntie

I always knew Donavan was special, when he at 3 took apart his grandparents stereo. They looked for the knobs and various parts for hours, but did think it very cute.

And I just want to say Donavan...your grandmother would be very proud of you, as am I and all your aunts.

Loves ya...

PS look for the McCoy African Violet thing next week.

[susu369]

116. Wow, Bridget!

Haven't been to this site for many months and glad I checked in and saw your post.

Delighted to get this story! Congratulations!