John Wayland (A.K.A. Plasma Boy) is best known for building the record-setting White Zombie racer. His latest electric vehicle project, the Silver Streak, puts the emphasis on distance rather than quickness. That is not to say the Honda Insight conversion will be pokey (in fact, we're pretty sure that word isn't in Wayland's vocabulary). However, it won't be hitting the quarter-mile mark in 10.258 seconds at 123.79 miles per hour like its famous garage-mate.
Instead, its performance will be measured in miles. The goal is to easily travel from Portland, OR to Seattle, WA and back – a distance of around about 350 miles (or Kolibri territory) – at speeds of 55 to 70 mph on a single charge. To achieve this, the soon-to-be-former hybrid will be fitted with the electric motor and transaxle that once propelled an EV1 from General Motors. The electric juice will flow from a 71.5 kWh pack of Dow Kokam lithium polymer cells that should weigh close to 900 lbs.
The virgin voyage will be made "flanked by a squadron of Teslas" with cameras rolling. While we look forward to news of that finished footage in the future, the foundation of the story, with all the electro-geek details, is available now on John's blog Wayland's Words and is well worth the read.
Source: Autoblog Green
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