1960 Henney Kilowatt electric car | Dauphine

[Covert]

I thought this may interest some people here... found it under
http://www.autobloggreen.com/category/renault/



eBay find of the day: 1960 Henney Kilowatt electric car
Posted Feb 25th 2008 9:40AM
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/02...-electric-car/

Originally billed as "The Ultimate Achievement of Advanced Electrical Engineering and Compact Automotive Design," you could call the Henney Kilowatt a true forefather of today's hybrid and electric cars. The whole story of how this car came to be is available here at the Wiki, but the short version is that the Eureka Williams Company (think vacuum cleaners), Henney Coachworks and National Union Electric Company (original makers of Exide batteries) all got together with tooling bought from Renault to create a fully electric sedan to compete with gasoline-powered cars of the same era (the 1950s). Unfortunately, the machine was held back by the same problems that electric car companies face today: price, speed and range. At first, the 36 volt power system was woefully inadequate, but for 1960, a new 72 volt system allowed the car to reach 60 miles per hour for about 60 miles. Still, this was too little, too late for the Kilowatt and less than 50 were ever sold.

The low production numbers of the Henney Kilowatt make this eBay auction quite unusual. The future owner of this car is extremely unlikely to ever see another example of his car on the road. As this is written, the high bid was $5,215, but the reserve had not yet been reached. If you are interested in owning a very cool and interesting piece of alternative-automotive history, be sure to watch this auction intently.

Gallery: Henney Kilowatt
http://www.autobloggreen.com/photos/henney-kilowatt/



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1960-...em330214413629

Vehicle Description

Here is your chance to own a piece of automotive history or just a car that doesn't use any gas. This Henney Kilowatt is one of less than a hundred of these cars manufactured in the late 50's and early 60's. It is one of only a few that remain in operable conditon and appears to be one of two with less than 500 miles on it. The Eureka Williams Co. had these cars built on a Renault Dauphine body by Henney Motor Car Co. This one is in good condition for being 48 years old but does show its again some areas (see below). I recently took it out of storage with one mile on the odometer and got it in running condition. It currently has 196 miles on it but that may increase as people come to test drive it etc.

The Bad: The car has been repainted (a long time ago) and looks great from six feet away but up close it has a few stains from bird poop and some minor surface rust (see pictures). There is surface rust on the underside as well. None of the rust is serious - only on the surface. The chrome has pits from corrosion that began while sitting and the rear bumper is slightly bent (see pic). The headliner is stained around the edges and has a few small tears in it (see pics). The 12-volt charger does not work but the main 72-volt charger works fine. This is not a big deal since the 12-volt battery rarely needs to be charged and a standard charger can be used. Finally, I do not have a key for the doors, just the ignition.

The Good: The car looks great and everyone that sees it thinks it is in "mint" condition. It runs and drives great and best of all it does not take any gas! With the exception of the headliner, the interior is in very good condition. The brake cylinders have been rebuilt. The master cylinder and brake hoses are new. The tires are new Firestone radials. The door seals have also been replaced. It has twelve new 6-volt batteries and one 12-volt to run the accessories. In the cold weather and driving through the hills it gets about 25-30 miles on a charge. Top speed on the level is 35-40 mph. Warmer weather and/or town driving would increase the range an performance significantly.

The VA title is clear and ready to go and the car was safety inspected in Jan. Previously it had a reconstructed PA title. PA requires that a reconstructed title be obtained and that a new VIN number be assigned when a vehicle has been "materially altered" from the original manufacturer's design. All that to say it does not have the original VIN tag or serial number.

I also have some original literature, manufacturer's spec sheets, and wiring diagrams that will go with the car. Please email me with any questions you have. I will get back to you promptly. Thanks for looking!

I reserve the right to end the auction early if I find a local buyer.

[redhotrod]

Damn..... if only THAT car was in Oz.... I would be a very serious bidder for it....

Guess I will just have to find a good donor R4, install an electric motor up front.... with a raft of batteries behind, if I am ever going to enjoy the 'Electifying Experience'... RHR

[vivid]

Hi Rod,

I have previously posted some archive photos of an electrified R4 university project.

Sorry, I stuffed this thread up trying to combine posts from this old thread, so I had to reproduce it.

David.
http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51009

I can get away with looking at this stuff at work, considering I work in a library.. thought I would share some gems I found

I'm hoping some members (redhotrod?) can give us some background to some of these.

Diesel Motors showroom, 1089-95 Albany Highway, Bentley
BP 1967 Trial of W.A. car event and awards
Dauphine @ Mt Panorama
Renault (4CV) car which took part in the 1200 Mile Trial, for Diesel Motors, Vic. Park


Title : Industry - Motor vehicles - Engineering lecturer David Godsen inside the electric Renault R4 which he developed – Hobart, 1978
Date : 1978
Primary subject : INDUSTRY
Secondary subject : MOTOR VEHICLES
Image no. : A6180, 12/10/78/45
Barcode : 11412456
Location : Canberra
Find other items in this series : A6180
Series accession number : A6180/12


Title : Industry - Motor vehicles - The TCAE developed electric car with Renault R4 body, showing electronics in boot – Hobart, 1978
Date : 1978
Primary subject : INDUSTRY
Secondary subject : MOTOR VEHICLES
Image no. : A6180, 12/10/78/46
Barcode : 11412457
Location : Canberra
Find other items in this series : A6180
Series accession number : A6180/12

David.

[redhotrod]

Wow.... Thanks for that Vivid, it is VERY much appreciated... RHR

[blue_charon]

There's a guy here in WA, RHR, Tuarn Brown who is driving around in a Suzuki Sierra if my memory serves with an electric motor. Look him up on google. He says his car is capable of 100km on an overnight charge with a top speed of about 60km/h. He's got a website where he details the work on the car and the electrics he used.

[Joergen Rasmuss]

Hi

I was at the huge swapmeet in Reims France and at the club Dauphstock www.dauphstock.org a very poor looking Henney Kilowatt was displayed!

Joergen

[Graelin]

A few years ago a Canadian company Feel Good was buying up and restoring Dauphines and converting to modern electric cars. I contacted the company and they told me they had bought 50 Dauphines.

I cant find a web site now but have some info from one I googled.
Canadian Launch Electric Based On Renault

By Jack Nerad
Driving Today



As they said in the South Park movie, "Blame Canada!" While we don’t want to start a war with our friendly neighbor to the north, one has to wonder why a Canadian company has decided to launch an electric vehicle based on one of the most disastrous cars ever to come to U.S. shores, the Renault Dauphine.

In any case the Feel Good Cars’ Dauphine Electric is a street-legal fully electric four-seater car that was just unveiled at the Canadian International Auto Show, now running in Toronto. The vehicle is a restored Renault Dauphine, a car first produced with an electric drivetrain in the 1960s. The "recycled version" is fully electric, unlike the hybrid vehicles now available from Honda and Toyota. It comes equipped with a state-of-the-art electric motor and fully sealed battery system. Feel Good Cars also says many safety and comfort upgrades will be added to satisfy the demands of today’s consumers.

"It’s a car for people who are concerned about urban pollution, soaring gas prices and the high maintenance costs associated with traditional gas-powered cars," Feel Good Cars president Ian Clifford said. "We think it will appeal to those who want to drive a unique yet practical vehicle that says something about who they are and what they believe in."

The Dauphine Electric accelerates up to 62 mph, and Feel Good Cars claims it can travel about 50 miles on a single charge, which is good enough to get out of your driveway if you live in west Texas. On the plus-side, the builder says charging costs are a fraction of what you would pay to fuel a gas-powered car, and the vehicle is equipped with a special regenerative motor braking system that cycles power back into the zero-maintenance batteries while the vehicle is slowing.

On the driving range issue, Clifford seems sanguine despite others’ experience to the contrary. Limited range was the reason the GM EV1 failed in the marketplace, for instance.

"Our car isn’t a cross-country cruiser, but many drivers don’t realize how rarely they drive more than 80 kilometers (50 miles) a day," Clifford said. "For trips that are beyond that range, consumers can rent a conventional vehicle or use one of the car-sharing services that are becoming more popular."

We don’t know about Toronto, but the only car-sharing services that are popular here in Los Angeles come under the heading "Grand Theft - Auto."





(c) Studio One Networks

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Graelin

I cant find a web site now

That FGC website featuring the brightly coloured Dauphine Electronique was a really nice website. But they have morphed into the ZENN (Zero Emission No Noise) Motor Company, now making electric cars that look like a shrunken Avantime. :-)

http://www.zenncars.com/

[Graelin]

Thanks Simon the old site was good wasnt it?

Wonder what happened to all the Dauphines

Was hard to see how they could run at a profit with restoration costs and low numbers availlable. Good test bed probably.


Graelin

[Spiz]

Does anyone have pics or info on these electric Dauphines?
Please post if you do.

Thanks

[Graelin]

I cant find any pics of the Feel Good Dauphines all the links seem to have pics removed.

I have found the following article a lot of which I remeber from the advertising form the Feel Good Site.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/...7/emfren08.xml

Graelin

Also found this info

Perfect Car for PC Canada!

BY ALEX LAW
May 2001



Because it has an electric drivetrain and because they want to save the planet.

Those are the answers to the first two questions that come to mind when you hear that a Toronto firm plans to sell electric versions of the little Renault Dauphine, a decidedly minimalist economy car that debuted in the mid-'50s. Unloved in North America, the little Renault proletariat did sell in the neighborhood of three million globally.

Feel Good Cars (www.feelgoodcars.com) is rounding up surviving Dauphines from the world over in good enough shape to stand up to the addition of some sealed lead-acid batteries, a DC electric motor that's "separately excited," and other critical bits. The promoters want these cars considered "reconditioned," and would therefore keep their original vehicle numbers and avoid new-car standards.

The principals of Feel Good Cars say the Dauphine Electric is good for about 50 miles on a charge and can be recharged using a regular household outlet, though slowly. The company describes the Dauphine's acceleration performance as "a safe rate for typical urban driving." How slow was the tinny original? It took 32 seconds to reach 60 mph. The company hopes enough buyers who want to help save the world will come up with the 22,500 Canadian dollars (or U.S.$15,000 if ever the Dauphine Electric makes it here) needed to turn the new business enterprise into something more than a curiosity of good intentions and peculiar taste.

[Ranger]

From the now defunct feel good cars site

[R17Sunroof]

I have a book "How to Convert to an Electric Car" printed in 1980. They tell you exactly how to convert a Caravelle to an electric motor. They give all the construction details even down to printed circuit board layouts, accelerators, etc. Of course it is now 28 years old and American. But I am sure it is a good place to start. They should perform better now as batteries and controllers have been improved over the years. Also I once found a pommie web site that listed kits to convert a wide range of small cars to electric motors. They included a kit for R5. I think the price for the kit with out batteries was about $7,000.

[Terryc]

Blade Electric Vechiles (http://www.bev.com.au/) have an electric Getz althougth I struggle to undertsnad why anyone would want a Getz period.