With gas prices jumping and the popular trend of “going green” becoming a norm, people are looking at electric cars as an alternative way to get around. Joining the trend, JSC has put in electric car parking spots in some locations to encourage the environmentally friendly behavior. Roque Haines, a contractor for ARES in Space Station Safety and Mission Assurance (OE), went a step further and built (yes, built) an electric car to get to work each day.

	jsc2010e103631 Roque Haines sits in the electric car he built.

Haines pulls up to Building 20 every morning in his red, revamped 1974-Aztec 7 electric car. The car runs on 15 8-volt golf cart batteries for the main engine, with a 12-volt accessory battery pack to power the headlights and turn signals. Haines said that his electric car has 1/10th the amount of mechanical parts that a traditional gasoline-fueled car has. While he’s only pushed it to 55mph, it can reach 85mph at full speed.

“I could get a speeding ticket in this thing if I wanted to,” Haines said. “For now I’m taking it easy so I don’t destroy the batteries.”

Haines’ car is actually an electric car conversion: he took the body and chassis of a gasoline-fueled car, took out the motor and replaced it with an all-electric motor. He spent about two and half years building and redesigning his car. With the occasional change of batteries and tires, this car will last Haines 20 to 30 years. Haines may have splurged for the flashy rims on his car, but so far he’s only spent $11,000 to build a fully functional electric car.

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Eventually Haines wants to upgrade to Lithium batteries but the cost now is too high in the United States. Haines has an extra battery charger in his garage to make sure he’s fueled up for the day and the car can go 120 miles on one charge. The average hybrid sedan can get 45-50 mpg and the Tesla electric car, the sports car version that costs 8 times what Haines spent on his car, has a set a record of more than 300 miles on a single charge.

“It’s not an electric car unless it plugs in,” Haines said. “The hybrids you see aren’t as fuel efficient as a true electric car.”

Haines and the Houston Electric Auto Association (HEAA) both agree there is a strong case for why electric vehicles should be used more: the gas-fueled car is 8 times more expensive than an electric car over the life of the vehicle; true zero-emission from cars can only be achieved with electric cars using renewable sources of energy; improvements in battery technology, such as large scale Lithium batteries, show that electric cars could be viable for the consumer.

Haines got the idea for his electric car from a movie showing of “Who Killed the Electric Car?” here at JSC. He got involved with the HEAA shortly after that and found a group of enthusiasts with whom to share ideas. Members of HEAA show people like Haines how to do a conversion, where to get the parts and even teach classes on how to build your own electric car.

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Haines said electric vehicles have been around since the 1970s, but with market pressure from the oil-industry the popularity didn’t catch on until recently. Right now, Haines explained that home conversion is the cheapest and easiest way for the consumer to get an electric car. With wait lists already two years long on the new Chevrolet Volt electric car, Haines advocates that people look into making their own. Conversion kits and parts are readily available and can be purchased for popular makes and models.

“The body on most electric cars is fairly boring and typical,” Haines said. “With EV conversion kits you can turn a Porsche into an electric car.”

Haines’ car is turning heads at JSC. While the red sports car body is eye-catching, it’s the yellow electric cord coming out of the back of it that has caught the attention of eco-lovers at NASA.