Anchorage Daily News

Mike Willmon wants to disprove the misconception that electric cars are slow.

Exhibit A is Willmon's 1978 Ford Pinto sedan, "Crazyhorse." The bright orange Pinto tops out at 127 mph. It can run a quarter mile in 12.576 seconds.

"When people think of electric cars, they think of a golf cart and that it's slow," said Willmon, 37, of Anchorage. "Well, come out to the track and let me show you my golf cart."

Willmon will be drag racing his Pinto today at Alaska Raceway Park. In between runs by blazing-fast dragsters burning exotic fuels will be Willmon's little Pinto.

Willmon will not be racing in the handicapped money-bracket races. Instead, he'll take on various street cars during test-and-tune sessions between races.

Willmon needed 16 months to convert the Pinto so it could run on electricity. He removed the gas tank, exhaust, engine and radiator. He then adapted the car to hold two electric motors and special batteries.

He completed the $28,000 project in April. He's taken the Pinto for a spin at Alaska Raceway several times since then. Often with success.

"When I spank a brand-new (Camaro) Z-28 or a hot new Corvette, it turns some heads," Willmon said.

Willmon chose the Pinto because it is fairly light yet sturdy enough to handle the high horsepower and torque needed to run at high speeds.

He tuned it to race. The Pinto boasts a relatively high 314 horsepower but has a range of only about 25 miles. To recharge the batteries, Willmon simply plugs it in to a standard 110-volt wall outlet. Charging takes about three hours.

At the track, Willmon uses a 240-volt charger, which reduces charging time to about 15 minutes. He plans to make half a dozen or more runs down the track today.

Before converting the Pinto, Willmon converted his 1988 Mitsubishi Mighty Max pickup. The pickup was far less expensive to convert -- about $12,000. It has a 40-mile range before it must be recharged. Willmon uses the pickup to commute to his job as manager of an engineering department at GCI Communications.

Willmon said his commute to work is short, so he rarely has to worry about recharging the truck until he gets home. On occasion, when making longer trips around town, he's had to inquire at businesses to find a plug to recharge.

He said it'd be easy for gas stations to include high-volt recharging stations for electric cars.

"There's plenty of power everywhere," he said.

Willmon said he has long wanted to drive an electric vehicle. He figured it wouldn't become economical to do so until the price of gasoline approached $3 a gallon. He drove his electric truck exclusively last year.

"The whole year I drove it, I never bought gas," said Willmon, who now occasionally drives a diesel pickup for hauling big loads and a minivan for hauling family.

"Prior to that, I was spending $140 a month on gas, 500 miles a month at $2.95 a gallon. After I converted it, I only paid $30 a month in electricity to keep it charged."

Willmon is president of the Alaska chapter of the Electric Vehicle Association. He drives by the gas station now, sees the $4-plus price per gallon and smiles.

"Then I'm sad, because the cost of diesel is over $5 a gallon," he said.

Find Ron Wilmot online at adn.com/contact/rwilmot or call 352-6712.

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