Electric DeLorean Goes Back to the Future 17275

Dr. David Delman's license plates say "E Fluxed." In hiscar's back seat, there's a model of a so-called "flux capacitor." Scattered flyerson the vehicle's floor read, "Save the clock tower."

Unlike DocBrown's DeLorean in the movie, Backto the Future, however, Delman's car doesn't use a nuclear reaction toproduce 1.21 gigawatts (pronounced "jiggawatts" in the movie) of power.Instead, it employs a much more conventional method for producing a smallfraction of that power: Thirteen 12V lead-acid batteries drive a series-woundnine-inch DC electric motor that's mated to a five-speed manual transmission.The motor and manual transmission combine to give the car excellentacceleration, Delman says.

"It's alittle quicker than a real DeLorean," Delman says, comparing it to the1980s vehicle that was immortalized in the famous 1985 movie. "I've had thiscar over 88 miles per hour."

Delmanshowed off the vehicle at Consumer Reports' recent "Future of the Car"event, at which he appeared as a member of the ElectricAuto Association. Delman, a physician educated as an electrical engineer,worked with another member of the association, Tom Nieland, to convert theDeLorean to an electric car.

WithNieland as chief engineer, the two found a 1981 DeLorean that was appropriatefor their project, and replaced its blown engine with the electric drivetrain. Thetwo say they are able to charge the lead-acid batteries in about eight hoursoff a 110V line, or three hours at 220V.

Delman says his choice of a 1981 DeLorean – a vehicle originally built by thenow-defunct DeLorean Motor Co. in Northern Ireland for the American market –has been a head-turner and a good public relations move for the electric carindustry.

"When youown a DeLorean, everyone notices," Delman says. "They all ask, where's the fluxcapacitor? So I finally put a flux capacitor in the back seat to showthem."