e-Porsche is the buzzword for a team of students in MIT who are working hard to convert a Porsche into an electric vehicle. The students are working on a Porsche 914 donated by MIT Professor Yang Shao-Horn of the mechanical engineering department, who with her husband, Quinn Horn, bought it off eBay and made it available to students interested in converting it to an electric-powered vehicle.

Professor Yang Shao-Horn said,

“In the laboratory we work on materials to make batteries safer, last longer and have higher energy,”

“But we are also interested in gaining a good perspective on the system view. What’s involved in building an electric vehicle, and what’s required of the batteries?”

It all started as a student project about a year ago when Valence Technology, Inc., agreed to donate 18 high-tech rechargeable batteries valued at $2,030 each, plus a battery-management system. Valence provided its lithium phosphate rechargeable batteries, which are lighter, last longer, charge up faster, have a longer lifetime and don’t pose a safety risk. The present day electric cars use conventional lead-acid batteries.

The students replaced the original engine of the Porsche with an electric motor, 12 of the batteries, the battery-management system, various relays, and a controller that makes all the components work together. The students estimate that the car should produce 50 to 60 horsepower and have a top speed of 70 to 100 mph, with a range of about 100 miles. The estimated time to fully charge the batteries is four to five hours.

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Via: Green Car Congress