Local Entrepreneurs Plug In to the Electric Car Market
Staff photo by Ted Reckas Brad Sachs, left, owner of Jungle Motors, and mechanic William Tonnesen, with the batteries that power their electric cars. After watching two iconic films of the green movement, "An Inconvenient Truth" and "Who Killed the Electric Car," Laguna Beach couple Andra and Brad Sachs conceived their plan for Jungle Motors, a novel eco-extension of the region's car customizing subculture.
After winding down their involvement with some telecom companies, they "were semi-retired and enjoying life," according to Andra. The movies got them thinking about using their business acumen to create a viable business that would "actually give back and support the people of this planet," she said.
Unlike most people with good intentions, they also possessed the technical aptitude. An engineer with a background in batteries and power inverters, Brad said his vision to recycle existing cars into hybrid and electric versions was easy. "If I can do them here in a workshop in San Juan Capistrano, Detroit could have done it a long time ago," he said.
They got started before Washington started dangling $25 billion in incentives for electric-powered car initiatives. Last week the Obama administration announced the first beneficiaries of the Energy Department loans to promote fuel-efficient vehicles. Ford Motor Company will receive $5.9 billion to upgrade factories in five states; Nissan Motor Company will get $1.6 billion to retool a Tennessee plant and build a battery making plant; and $465 million will go to Tesla to build electric vehicles and electric-drive powertrains in California.
Tesla's electric roadster is already on the market for those willing to fork over $101,000. The company is taking orders for a $50,000 electric sedan that is due out in 2011. A number of other maverick startups are making inroads, including Irvine-based Fisker Automotive. Production of its Fisker Karma, a plug-in hybrid sports sedan that gets 100 miles per gallon with an $88,000 price tag, is slated to start in November.
Jungle Motors isn't getting any government stimulus money. Nor is it selling vehicles with stickershocking price tags. The Sachs' company adds another level of "green" to the equation by repurposing existing cars, beginning with converting Porsche 911s, 914s and 916s of varying years.
Brad says the process is fairly simple. Engine, muffler, gas tank, etc., go out and an electric motor and battery packs go in. Most of the work goes into selecting the right BMS (battery management system) for the car. Typically, the system they install takes the car roughly 125 miles per charge and they say that charging it overnight costs about 30 cents.
The first Porsches were ready to go about three months ago. Besides selling cars they have already converted, Jungle Motors will convert almost any gasoline-powered car to a 100 percent electric vehicle, starting at about $15,000 for an economy sized car like a Geo Metro.
Additionally, they'll convert gas cars or hybrids - such as the Toyota Prius - to plug-in hybrids, which charge the battery by plugging into an outlet rather than via a gas-fueled engine. A Prius conversion kit starts at $4,995, plus installation, allowing the vehicle to be driven 40 miles per battery charge. Sachs is working on plug-in kits for other mass-market hybrids such as Toyota's Highlander and Ford's Escape, among others.
Cars under 3,000 pounds are ideal.
So far the fledgling company has sold three of the cars they've converted to electric and converted three more brought in by owners. They expect their hybrid conversion kits to sell well, as they incorporate a state-of-the-art lithium iron phosphate battery.
The Sachs partners hope to obtain city approval to display and resell their electric cars on property they own in Laguna Canyon. Conversion work will remain in San Juan Capistrano.
Brad attributes at least some of the reluctance of traditional carmakers to go electric to the profit margins they now ring up in service. Electric cars don't require transmission fluid, oil or smog tests, among other things. "It's just amazing what you don't need anymore," he said.
"I'm using the same motor technology an elevator uses. My batteries have a 10-year life span. There's nothing to do but put air in the tires and top off the windshield wiper fluid."
