DIY ecomod turns Geo Metro into 214 mpge Dolphin

Dave Cloud's 1997 Geo Metro started life as a run-of-the-mill gas-sipping subcompact. Following a year-long electric transformation, Cloud's Metro now has virtually no resemblance of its former self. To convert the vehicle over to electric drive, Cloud fitted the Metro with used batteries, low-priced single-speed electric motors and inexpensive Curtis controllers.

The completed electric car, which Cloud calls the Dolphin due to its streamlined body, has some impressive specs. The Dolphin is claimed to be capable of hauling two adults for 200 miles at speeds reaching 72 miles per hour. What's the cost of converting a lowly 1997 Metro into a electrified wedge of a car? For Cloud, a mere $3,000.

Ecomodder's math, along with Cloud's own estimates of power usage, shows that the Dolphin returns an astonishing 214 miles per gallon equivalent (mpge). And that ain't bad for three grand. Hit up Ecomodder's site to see photos of Dave Cloud's electric Dolphin.

[Source: Ecomodder, Treehugger | Image: IFCAR – C.C. License 2.0]