This is a little different. Datsun 1200 drag car.

My friend John Wayland here in Portland Oregon has built a drag car that is all electric. He has been building and racing this car for over 5 years. There has been a Ton of innovation involved , since most everything needed to be invented to make it work and do what it does. Since it is a Datsun I thought some here would be interested in new things on the track. How about 250 mile range.

Last Friday he set the World Record for a Street legal electric car. 121.04 with a ET of 10.4 !! And they are still working out the bugs.

Then lock it Arne-if you can't stand the truth.I posted facts-not opinions.Do as you wish.

Ok so back on topic for me. has anyone seen a electric datsun like this in person? because id LOVE to see how they did all this. and id love to see how the motor fits and looks. also how clean it could be or how cluttered with wires.

what would also be cool is seeing a 240,260,280 have a electric conversion and dragin on the tracks! or even a road course

Then lock it Arne-if you can't stand the truth.I posted facts-not opinions.Do as you wish.

Sorry, doesn't wash. If you had said, "not for many years" or "not for a long while" instead of "NEVER", I might have been able to strain a bit and buy it. But the use of the absolute ("NEVER") indicates either omniscience or opinion. Since neither you, I, nor any human are omniscient, opinion it must be. Calling it fact doesn't make it so.

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Back on topic - regardless of opinions about the present viability of electric cars for daily use, the White Zombi (which I have seen in person) is an interesting example of home-grown engineering and ingenuity. The fact that it started life as a Datsun is almost inconsequential - it could have been built on any number of different chassis. But logically, the choice of a B110 makes sense - it is simple, affordable, light-weight and rear wheel drive. And unlike most purpose-built race cars, the very nature of the electric car is such that the Zombi can be (and frequently is) driven as a daily around-town car. Totally tractable and civilized.

The fact is, should electric vehicles ever become more mainstream, it will be in part because of the enthusiasm and innovation of people like John Wayland.

Edited August 4, 201014 yr by Arne

Here's a PBS video segment on the car in question. May help some.

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that is just amazing. that makes me want to electrify my datsun. im not a big enviormentalist, but id love to have a car like that anyday. and i really wonder how long it takes to charge it when its dead and how long you can drive it before it dies depending on how you drive it.

also i wonder how much it would cost to convert a car like that.

There was an electric Z on eBay not too many years ago, it did not boast anywhere NEAR the performance of this one, however. Not sure how much I'd enjoy driving a nearly silent Z, though. It just feels like something's missing...

more silent gives you more room for loud music!

i wonder how they implament air conditioning and heating into electric cars, or if it is possible. since this one is more of a race car i doubt the thought even crossed his mind.

I don't think the Zombi has either. But it wouldn't take to much development to install some sort of small electric-powered heat pump, I suspect.

But I agree with the above thought - the sound of my Z with the windows down is one of the great things about it.

Ya, i can see AC no problem, but heat thats a different story. Also the sound of my Z is just something id miss to much. warming it up in the morning and hearing it rev up is music to my ears.

Lots of questions about electric cars answered here. Nissan is committed to becoming the world leader in this technology

http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index#/leaf-electric-car/index

awesome for nissan! ive always liked nissan.

The future of the z is also supposedly a "hybrid sport" with the use of gasoline AND and electric motor, rough unofficial guestimates are about 360 hp and 450 ft/lbs. Gives a good idea of what electric motors are capable of.

For the sake of facts vs. opinion, all of this came from an article I read in Road & Track (April 2011) on the 380z's powertrain options vs. Toyota's FT-HS (the hybrid supra throwback)