DIY electric vehicles are cool in a very geeky way

I am all for hybrid vehicles, they are a great way to reduce emission and our need for oil. You may think that the only way to get a hybrid is to buy a Prius or something similar from one of the major automakers. You would be wrong, there is a robust DIY community that build their own hybrid and electric vehicles like the xr3 plug-in hybrid and the eD electric DeLorean.

Back to the Future jokes aside, the DeLorean was one of those cars that I wanted so badly when I was a kid. What’s not to like about a stainless steel body and gull wing doors, aside from not being able to get in the car in cramped parking spaces that is. Tom Neiland and Dave Delman took a DeLorean and turned the machine into an electric vehicle on their own with 910 pounds of deep cycle lead batteries inside. The car is powered by a WarP 9 DC motor that is liquid cooled with a 2000 amp. Total power production is 200 hp and the car can hit 85 mph with range of up to 40 miles. The project cost the pair a total of $18,000.

If you want something, a bit more refined and with a hybrid drive train, you can opt to build your own xr3 plug-in hybrid from plans. The three-wheel vehicle is powered by a diesel engine and batteries able to push the 1480-pound car to 80mph and get 225 miles per gallon. The kit is said to be buildable by anyone with common building skills. The car looks pretty cool too and rather reminds me of a DeLorean in a way.