AMP Motorsports - Full EV Conversion of Saturn Sky

[lazysheep]

AMP Motorsports of Cincinnati, OH is offering an all electric conversion of the Saturn Sky using Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries for 25K + cost of the vehicle. Below are the FAQ's. Looks promising.

What type of battery does the car use?
We are using Lithium Iron Phospate batteries. These cells are the safest lithium battery available and offer high rates of discharge and long life cycles. We use a comprehensive battery monitoring and management system that keeps very close tabs on each cell during charging and discharging functions.


Our Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries are:

• 1/3 the weight of lead-acid batteries
• Non-toxic to the environment
• 95% energy efficient

How much will the converted Saturn Sky cost?

The cost to convert the Saturn to 100% electric is $25,000, plus the cost of the vehicle. You can acquire your Saturn vehicle from any source. To receive preferred pricing, contact Saturn of Kings Auto Mall at Saturn of Kings Automall - A Cincinnati Ohio Saturn Dealer Serving Hamilton And Hillsboro. Simply state that you are an AMP customer.

Are you planning on converting other models besides the Saturn Sky?

Yes, at some time in the future, we plan to convert a four-door Saturn and a Saturn SUV to 100% electric. If you are interested in a different Saturn model than The Sky, go to the AMP Contact Us page and submit your request.

Why did you choose only Saturn vehicles?

We may look at other manufacturers in the future, however we chose Saturn because they are light-weight, high-quality, American-made vehicles. Additionally, we selected Saturn because our control system communicates directly with the manufacturerís advanced computer systems already in the Saturn vehicles.


Can I order a conversion?

Yes. We started accepting orders for the initial 300 vehicles on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 5 P.M. Customers will receive their vehicles on a first-come, first-served basis. To order your conversion, go to the AMP Buy/Order Page.

How much money will charging my car add to my monthly electric bill?

Several factors are involved in determining how much it will cost to charge your vehicle. The time of day you charge, and how much your utility company charges for electricity are the two main variables that determine the cost. The short answer is that if you charge at night, you should pay about three cents per mile.

What is the horsepower of the vehicle?

The vehicleís motors produce over 300 horsepower.
Other important specifications include:

• 0-60mph in less than 6 seconds
• 90 mph top speed
• 125 - 150 mile range on a full charge (average).

Is anyone eligible to have a Saturn Sky converted?

For the initial conversion run of 300 vehicles, we are only accepting orders
in the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio area, so we can provide service from our Cincinnati facility.

[mr_zorg]

Nice. And it looks like they've put the motors right at the wheels, which is how it SHOULD be done. Transmission? We don't need no stinkin' transmission (cough, tesla, cough)... A little spendy, but better than Tesla, that's for sure.

[taggart]

This appears to be closer to the Eliica, with the horsepower numbers and top speed. Seemed like a great idea that the inventors were having a hard time selling to the automakers.

Does anyone know what has happened to the Eliica?

[daniel]

Be very suspicious of this company. The price is much too low for the performance they are claiming. It should cost double that.

[ray0825]

Suspicion aside, it would be nice if a manufacturer provided an 'option package' to third parties that consisted of the vehicle WITHOUT the engine, transmission, differential. Might be a nice jump start to others.

(Silly me, I forgot that car manufacturers are not in the business of promoting innovation).

In terms of the Sky conversion, I assume some of their 'savings' is a sell-back of the engine/etc. I doubt they just trash them.

[daniel]

I assume that conversion shops generally sell the engines they take out of cars. But I also assume that the value is fairly low. I believe that Zenn buys their cars in Europe without the engine, and then builds and installs the EV components in Canada.

It would be a good way for an EV company to get started and to save on development and testing of the car itself.

The problem is that a small company, without a lot of capital, cannot build in large volume. So it's hard for them to meet the demand if they produce a good car. Tesla started with the $98,000 Roadster precisely because a high-priced high-performance sports car is a market that a small company can hope to compete in.

Zenn, by building a NEV, is also in a small-volume market. And the Xebra, by virtue of its relatively slow speed and short range (though faster than the Zenn and capable of battery expansion for more range than the Zenn) is also in a low-volume market.

We need a company willing and able to build EVs in Prius numbers. The recent Nissan announcement is the most hopeful thing yet.

[JSH]

I saw the founder of AMP interviewed on BBC America last night.

He was in Washington DC looking to get a $20 million loan though he never said what that $20 million was for.

AMP claims they have a backlog of orders and are converting cars at a rate of 3 per week. However, the only proof that a company exists was a REALLY bad video of a Sky driving down a country road.

On the AMP website they say they are looking for people to put up $500 to get on the list for their first run of 300 cars with delivery in "early 2009".

There are no videos or photos of converted cars or components on the website.

Looks VERY suspicious to me but I want to believe.

[San_Carlos_Jeff]

Originally Posted by ray0825

Suspicion aside, it would be nice if a manufacturer provided an 'option package' to third parties that consisted of the vehicle WITHOUT the engine, transmission, differential. Might be a nice jump start to others.

Ignoring the aspect of helping out your competitors, there are a lot of logistical reasons why this is very difficult. There are many sensors and wires that need the engine there to make sense. The engine frequently gets lifted into the chassis with the front suspension subassembly preattached. Also, at the end of most (all?) lines the cars get driven off and then parked somewhere. Working through these and lots of other issues would be extremely hard (and expensive) for an assembly line. Besides the production changes I'd imagine there would have to be design changes so the car's systems could handle both options. So, in a nutshell, for any major manufacturer to consider this they'd need some assurances of fairly good volume to make it worthwhile.