While automakers have been unable or unwilling to mass-produce an all-electric car, a teen in San Antonio, Texas built one over the summer.
Luke Laborde converted a gas-powered Bradley kit car to run on an electric motor driven by eight lead-acid batteries.
The 17-year-old estimates the project took about 150 hours over three months.
Laborde estimates the modified Bradley can travel up to 55-miles per hour.
The car has a range of about 40 miles per charge with each charge using less than 75-cent worth of electricity.
His father, who runs a company that builds and repairs hydraulic systems, did all the heavy lifting on the project.
The novice car builder said he bought the Bradley on eBay, purchased a kit with schematics to complete the conversion online all for a total cost of about US$18,000.
In the meantime, both Toyota and GM have revealed plans to mass-produce plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2010.
Reuters