If you could take an old classic automobile and make it more cutting edge technology-wise, would you be taking it from way back to the future?
Well it appears someone has taken the DeLorean car made so famous in the 1980’s “Back to the Future” movies and turned it into an electric vehicle. Doc Brown sure would be impressed, even if it as of yet doesn’t run on power from a “Mr. Fusion.”
Dave Delman, a physician by trade, built his very own all-electric DeLorean out of his Upstate New York garage. He recently unveiled his pride and joy by going back in time to 1955, er, we mean by entering it in the Pennsylvania DeLorian car show.
"Doc Delman" (we hope he doesn’t mind us terming him so) built the DeLorean over a six month period. Instead of nickel hydride batteries like those used in the Toyota Prius or cutting edge lithium ion batteries, he loaded down the back with thirteen pre-historic lead acid batteries. These are not the lightest or most powerful batteries on the market but they are no doubt more stable than plutonium.
So how does Doc Delman’s DeLorean stack up performance wise with the one in “Back to the Future?” According to the doctor, the vehicle is faster than the gas-powered version at lower speeds. However, top speed is 85mph. Great Scott! How will he ever get back from 1955 without getting it up to at least eighty eight miles per hour?
Our take? All kidding aside, we sure are mighty impressed that anyone could fashion an electric vehicle on their own with a little hard work and no doubt a lot of input from a pretty active frontal lobe. Without creative minds like the fictitious Doc Brown and the very real Doc Delman there is no doubt we wouldn’t even have the transportation options we have now. Just realizing that intelligent people are out there, even in the private sector, creating alternative fuel vehicles should give hope to us all. Perhaps, though, we are reading too deep a meaning from the creation of a souped-up DeLorean.
As Marty McFly’s nemesis Biff Tannen used to like to say, maybe it’s time for us to make like a tree and get out of here.