ST. PAUL -- Inventor Bob Albertson has been researching and designing automotive components for decades and holds a number of patents. But Albertson said his track record was not enough to budge the skepticism he got when pitching his idea for an electric car to potential investors.
"I went out here two years ago to obtain funding," said Albertson, of Alma, Wis. "I was telling people I could make a car that'd go 200-300 miles without a charge. Well, nobody believed me."
At the time 30 to 40 miles was all battery-powered cars could muster. Today, though, electric cars that go 200 or more miles between battery charges are not only possible, there are already prototypes. A California company called Tesla Motors makes a high-speed, lithium battery-powered sports car. A price tag in the six-figure range will keep Tesla's electric vehicles out of reach for most Americans.
But Albertson maintains he can deliver battery power for the mass market. Albertson said gas-powered vehicles already on the road can be reconfigured to run on electricity.
"We're looking at making kits available that you could retrofit, let's say a Ford Ranger, where they could take the present engine out of the car, the gas engine, and put in our kit," he said.
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Some of the strongest believers in his vision can be found in the union hall at United Auto Workers Local 789. The union office sits across the street from an 82-year-old plant that Ford plans to close next year. Nineteen-hundred people used to work there, building Ford's light truck, the Ranger. Next year, that number will fall to zero.
The UAW's Gary Muenzhuber said union leaders are excited about Albertson's plan to retrofit a Ranger with electric components and demonstrate its viability at the State Fair. The dream is to convince someone to save factory jobs by making electric Rangers from the wheels up.
But if the concept is a long shot, the plant's closing appears a sure thing. Ford lost $7 billion last year and has said it's firm in its decision to close the St. Paul plant, among others.
Albertson said even if they're not made at the existing plant in St. Paul, electric vehicles could offer a way to salvage auto manufacturing jobs somewhere in Minnesota.
