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helping Minnesota communities determine their energy future

CASE STUDY: TRANSPORTATION – CENTRAL REGION

A Blast from the Past: 1976 Electric Car Gets aSecond Life Written by Alison Luedtke • Templated by Ashley Stucky • September 2011

Chuck Knierim found a gem in a trash heap whenhe pulled out a discarded 1976 electric Ford Endura.The Endura traces its origin back to the Arab OilEmbargo of the early 1970s. As oil prices skyrocketed, the federal government allocated fundsfor alternative transportation options, and everyproject proposed was an electric car. The FordEndura was a test model that became obsolete whenthe oil embargo and its related subsidies ended,leaving it to be found by Chuck.

While the car was designed to be battery powered,the technology was old: analog and leaky lead batteries. Chuck decided he might need help withthe technical aspects of the project, and called on Dr.Paul Imbertson of the Institute of Technology at theUniversity of Minnesota. Dr. Imbertson had recentlystarted working with the student group, AppliedEnvironmental Solutions. These students were inneed of a project that would challenge their technicalskills and creativity: They got a farmer with an oldcar and big ideas. A partnership was born.

Weekly meetings took place on campus and Chuckquickly became invested in the student group, bringing food and donating money to the group’streasury. “The students were brilliant problemsolvers,” Chuck explained, “even when perplexedby the old technology of the car.”

After exploring the possibility of restoring the car’soriginal parts, it was determined that the analogparts were useless and the car would need to bestripped to its fiberglass shell. The original plan wasexpected to cost around $3,000, but the cost of testing, travel time, and other overheads led to atotal cost of $12,000. With help from CERTs, Chuckand his team of students were able to continue their work.

When the car was temporarily moved from theUniversity campus, it lost its spot in the garage, so itis now housed two hours from campus. This makesit difficult for students and staff to continue work onit. However, the car is still being promoted via thelocal 4th of July parades and appearances at theLiving Green Expo, Midwest Renewable EnergyAssociation (MREA), and Midwest Organic andSustainable Education Service (MOSES) gatherings.

Project Snapshot

Purpose: To restore a 1976 electric Ford Endura and toresearch the engineering of an electric car

Technology: Battery-powered electric car

Grant:$5,000 Central CERT Grant

Total Cost:$12,100

Benefits:Education and Research for the AppliedEnvironmental Solutions at the EngineeringSchool at the University of Minnesota, community education about alternative fuels,and food distribution for Wildrose Farm

The 1976 Ford Endura

CERTs PARTNERS

University of Minnesota’sRegional SustainableDevelopmentPartnerships

Eureka Recycling

Southwest RegionalDevelopmentCommission

The Minnesota Project

Minnesota Departmentof Commerce, Division of Energy Resources

CERTs FUNDERS

Minnesota Departmentof Commerce, Division ofEnergy Resources

McKnight Foundation

Bush Foundation

Carolyn Foundation

University of MinnesotaExtension

Despite the setbacks, Chuck remains positive about the car’s future, “I anticipate it beingextraordinarily reliable.” Physical progress on the car may have slowed, but Chuck is hoping to work out other aspects of the project, such as setting up a deal with the electricitycompany to charge the car during off-peak hours, which will cut the already low cost ofcharging the car in half. Even without this deal, once the car gets running, its fuel costs willtranslate to about 300 miles per gallon.

As communities continue to explore alternative fuels for transportation, the work of Chuckand the University of Minnesota takes on increasing importance. As they work to restore thedream of the Ford Endura, they are also working to bring about the dream of strong andhealthy communities.

For more information, email Chuck Knierim at info@wildrosefarm.com, or call (218) 330-6666.

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Chuck Knierim is working with students at the University ofMinnesota to convert this old Ford Endura into a workingbattery-powered car

Tips from the Expert

There aren’t many, but if you can find an oldelectric car, everything will be structured to support a battery. But don’t hold your breath,most are in scrap heaps.

Cars with internal combustion engines don’tallow room for a large battery, so if you go thatroute you may need to come up with some creative solutions.

Every vehicle is different, so you are somewhatredesigning the car every time you adapt.

Lighter is better.

Address your needs first, then decide if an electric car is a feasible option. A 20-mile commute is reasonable, but a cross-country tripisn’t realistic in an electric car at this point intime.

– Churck Knierim

The Wildrose Farm