<VV> Converting a Corvair to electric viable?

[Todd Heimer]

Whether you're a skeptic or pro-electric, the great thing about building an electric car is that you can tailor it to your range needs and budget:
 
NiMH batteries have been proven to have the durability/cycleability to go 100,000 miles (in the Toyota e-RAV4).  They are readily available and don't require fancy cooling or sophisticated cell balancing for safety.
 
I did some planning for a 2000 lb electric vehicle (VW squareback, a little lighter than a corvair) and the NiMH battery cost for a 20 mi range at 60 mph is about $3000.  The battery pack would weigh only 150 lbs. 
 
Not bad in price or weight for that range.  You can scale it up linearly if you need more range...
 
-Todd
 
'64 'vert, keeping it gas powered until we hit $5/gallon